Bad Beach

As you know Monday is National 'Need Greaters' Beach Day so this past Monday we set off again to the soft white sands of Dominicus with a couple from the congregation.  From where we live we have a 20 minute walk before we can get anywhere which may not seem like a lot but just 2 mins in this heat is hard work.  Anyway, we arrived at the inter-change where we would normally flag down a 'Carrito' but after standing there for 5 minutes without one going by we became suspicious and learnt that the 'Carrito' drivers were on strike that day.  What?  They're not jumping up and down with ecstatic joy from their 40p per passenger salary?  Well, we spoke to a driver who told us on a good day he'd make about 1000 pesos, which when you take out the service charge, cost of fuel and hire for the car leaves him about 40p profit.  Well, not quite - I can't quite remember the exact figures now but it was pretty shocking how little he gets to keep, especially when things here are not massively cheaper than back home.  Food at the supermarket for example costs about the same, though some things are more, some things are less.

Anyway, they were on strike.  The MotoConcho's were thus a little busier and keen to take us but with a projected thought of mum's horrified face flashing through my mind we resisted and took a Taxi and a Gua Gua instead.  So there Jude, stop bullying me!  

As I keep saying, it's really so hot here that anything you do is an exhausting ordeal so after a journey like that, to see the softest, whitest sand lapped by the seductive colours of the Caribbean almost makes the mouth water and it was only moments later that we were completely immersed.  Rachael almost didn't scream at all despite the water not quite being 'bath' temperature.

After quite some time a very bad thought rushed through my consciousness like a tidal wave leaving a very heavy weight in my stomach that almost made me sink in horror… I had neglected to cake myself in suncream before exposing my pure white tender skin to the vicious force of the Caribbean sun.  I managed to pull myself off the seabed and slowly wade my way back to the beach.  Of course, being in the water was the most comfortable place to be - surely it couldn't be true that it's the worst place to be to catch the real might of the suns rays.  This kind of self-deception wasn't really helping but what could I do now?  

Soon my attention was diverted though as Rachael had begun to feel nauseous herself.  With no disrespect for my little lady intended, this is in no way an uncommon occurrence which usually passes in its own due time.  I thought the same unsympathetic approach was in order on this occasion so we left her to find some shade and drink plenty of water.  As Rachael will verify water is the remedy for all ills in my book of cures.  Time passed but she was feeling no better so we decided to call it quits and made our way back home on the Gua Gua.  A few minutes later Rachael started to change colour and quickly demanded that the driver pull over.  She clambered out and, in full view of the other 20 passengers who were eagerly watching from their window seats, threw up most of the contents of her little stomach.  She assures me blowing rice through her nose wasn't the most pleasurable part of the day. The driver kindly waited at the side of the road until she had stopped dribbling and we were on our way again with Rachael still feeling terrible and hoping to hang on the 40 mins or so until we got home.  Despite her repeated reassurances the other passengers were very nervous they were now a little too close for comfort should she 'start' again so they kept handing her mints and plastic bags.  She continued with the vomiting well into the evening by which time I'd learnt my lesson and become a most empathetic nurse.

So that's been the the story of the week so far.  We still don't know what the culprit was for Rachael - it may have been the rice and chicken lunch, a bit of sun sickness or a parasite or two but we've taken it a bit easier since.  She's now feeling much better and I'm now able to put a shirt on my back once again.