Early finish excitement beers

It was a jam-packed first half of the day today, with cruise ship rides back-to-back until at least 1pm and then whatever else books for the day. I was due in at 7am, in the hope that I'd be finished by 3pm and outta there! If the internet hadn't corrected itself by now, I'd have to go to Pineapple Pete's again and then maybe it'd be another beer, beer, pizza, beer expedition like last night. Bad girl, bad bad girl.

I was in an unusually cheery mood for the morning, singing away and making jokes with D and I. Both guides actually remarked at how happy I was. I don't actually know why, I guess I thought I'd be finished early and then head to Grand Cass for some nighttime festivities.

I'd been warned the day before that someone from the cruise ships was coming to film a promo for our riding excursion, but I kinda forgot. As it was, I wore a crisp new shirt to work and looked reasonably presentable. Changed my hair to a high ponytail for the camera, though. And didn't wear my ugly camo hat. Hey, I'll sacrifice one day in the sun if I'm gonna be immortalised looking half decent on this job!

The camera man could ride, so I found him waiting on hills for us to walk past, weaving in and out of my ride (much to my tourists' annoyance), crouching on the beach and even hiding in the bushes to get a good shot. Kinda snuck up on me sometimes!

At one point, I had to give I a talking-to as he pulled me up on not noticing a bit had fallen out of the horse's mouth on the ride - in front of the tourists! Way to make me look incompetent and the business look dodgy! I had to explain that if he wanted to speak to me about it, don't do it in front of the guests. Sure, we all make mistakes but it's really not a good look to bring it up for them, who would not have otherwise noticed. That put him in a mood all day, as he has a little-boy crush on me, and he was kicking himself that he made me angry.

The worst thing was, when that happened I was already annoyed because an asshole taxi driver was hustling the guests away and not letting them even buy the photos that N was taking. It's her bread n butter, and he wasn't even going to stay long enuf for one man to finish his DVD burning. Prick! She started yelling at him but I interjected, saying the DVD was going to be burnt and he was going to wait. Sternly. It was a mild scene but I had to interject or N would have erupted into an emotional fit. As it was, the guy tried it again later and she burst into tears. The boss told me not to react like that and I tried to explain. It was all so spur of the moment.

Then at the start of my last ride one horse decided to just stop at the back, the young boy at the front starting freaking about his horse, the cheeky colt of one of my other riders started trying to suckle at her mum AND my horse tried to make a break for it when I jumped down to sort out the situation. Not enuf hands, people!!! Somehow I managed to calm it down, luckily N was on hand to help, and just avoided brain damage from a kick from the bitch of a colt. Grrr.

It was around this time, when I walked up to the stables and readied myself for my third ride, that i wanted the day to end. Fast. I had no idea what time it was or how many more rides I had to do, but I just wanted outta there. The rides had tipped me, not everyone and not much, but something. And that's better than nothing. It was all just stressful for me - the camera man, the taxi driver, N, my boss, I... Stress. And who gets stressed in the Caribbean??

In the end, I did 3 rides back-to-back, just praying that my boss would let me off at 3pm like I'd requested. After my last ride, he told me I just had to get the horses and cows in (easier said than done!) and I could clock off. It was only 1:45pm - surely that's enuf time??

I took Chico, my little black Caribbean baby, out to keep training him and he did an awesome job. I found the cows and rounded them into their pen, no dramas (even had Chico nudging the little calf along with his nose!) and then the horses were even easier. Most of them were waiting by the gate to come inside. So I was finished well before 3 - super!

THEN the internet decided to work properly again - Facebook and Gmail were accessible!! Of course I had to celebrate all this good fortune with a beer... or 2.... or 5. Oops. I think S was punching holes in the bottom of the bottles. Damn you and your tasty yeast!! Didn't knock me about, though, and after I'd fooled around on the net for a while I went home to get ready to go to Grand Cass with N and her mum and daughter.

Tried to call her to no answer so couldn't make dinner, as she would no doubt call when I was halfway through and tell me she's on the way. When she did call, she said her mum and daughter didn't want to go anymore so I was out of a lift and out of time to organise a new one. Ho hum. N invited to her house for dinner anyway, so she picked me up and we ate and drank wine, before nipping to La Bamba for a couple of drinks.

La Bamba was packed, as usual for Tuesday salsa, and I ran into L smoking by the ganja dealer's car I met the first time I went to La Bamba all those months ago. My, how time flies. L must have been really stoned or drunk or both, cos he had this weird look in his eyes and it kinda felt like he was looking me up and down, which is not like him. I couldn't wait to get away. To the bar!!

Was actually quite drunk when I got home, a bit silly when I needed to be fresh for work the next day. It is much harder dealing with hangovers with this heat, unpredictable animals, pungent faecal aromas and of course, tourists. I don't know what's the worst. But I was about to find out...