Just WALK, you lazy SOBs!

One of the first sounds to wake me was the excited little voice of a 5-year-old. The boss' daughter, who oftens talks to me through the screen of my window, gingerly calls for me... I decide to pretend to sleep. She tries again. OK. Fine. She's about to go on vacation most likely for the first time ever, and she wants to talk to me. Maybe it really is something important. Hmph! "You know we're going on vacation today?" Yes, darling, I knew that, thanks for reminding me. Can I go back to sleep now?

So they are off for almost 2 weeks, a trying time for the office manager who has been left to control the farm. We all know what we're doing but she has to make sure it's done right. She does have a little tendency to get stressed, so I made a point of talking with her today when I went in to use the internet on my day off. I told her she could rely on me to be her right hand if she needed it and to help manage the stable - I don't want her to feel like she's on her own.

Since the Rhino thing hasn't really worked out yet (the discounted price they want is still $60!!), I decided to try Orient Bay today. I called I to come with me, as he's French side-bound, and went on my way.

On the bus, I drifted off into a dream world, casually noting the signs I am indeed living on a tiny island - the driver noting down a passenger's number (while driving) to make a sign for him for a good price, the man throwing some keys out the back window to someone he knew, a woman talking loudly on the phone next to me... All in different languages. It is an interesting place.

Also noted a sign for "paterny DNA tests" down one street... never seen that before, and it kinda indicates the kind of society we're living in here. It's the same as the troubles the boss' wife has in her child psychology, all these kids displaced by estranged families, never knowing their father or indeed knowing him but he's an asshole... and they question why I'm childless. Yes, guys, I THINK having children.

Finally got to Orient Bay, and I say finally because the bus driver forgot to stop for me so I had to ride til he turned around and got dropped off on the way back.... was still a good 10 min walk to the beach, and even then I was confused because I thought it was Orient Beach but then there were all these different beach names. Turns out Orient Bay is divided into several beaches, all part of the bay.

Also there are restaurants, all pricey and mostly it seemed for me unmanned, even though I came at lunchtime. After walking around aimlessly for a bit, I became hungry and irritable, and finally sat down in a restaurant where the waitress never came to me. So I left. I was the only person in the restaurant, I said hi to her as I walked in and asked if I could sit outside. Yet she never came. Tut tut.

Another observation is that Orient Bay is full of seaweed/rubbish, private beach bars and fat tourists. As a result, I had to pick my way through the chairs and umbrellas to a small section of seaweed-strewn beach to get a piece of "free" land at the far end of the beach. There being no black guys around with prying eyes, I took my top off and finally got a chance to un-white certain parts of my body. Of course, at one point I looked up to meet the eyes of a random rasta (the only one I saw that day) who gave me the big thumbs up as he walked past. I no longer know how to deal with that kind of thing, just looked down and away.

So my first Orient Bay experience wasn't all that amazing. Maybe it was the recent shitty weather that brought all the seaweed there - surely it is normally beautiful or it wouldn't be such a popular beach. And I couldn't help looking at how fat everyone was.

I walked back up the hill to the spot the buses come - I was the only one. People kept asking if I wanted a taxi, pretty much assumed it as I walked off the sand. I was the only one walking up the hill, and the "hill" was so easy. I look at these people and think, dear god, EXERCISE. Just get out and WALK. When you're in the bus, you have people sometimes asking to stop 20m apart from each other. Make it easier for the cab driver and just fucking WALK. Maybe then some of you wouldn't take up 3 seats in the fucking bus.

And this is me feeling thin. Seriously, I spent my life feeling like the fat one and now I'm feeling like the fit one. And people like me for it. It's gonna tip my world upside down again when I go back to Australia. Oh well, at least now I think I'm half worthy for my boy. God knows the size of the girls he usually goes for.

Then it was a race against the traffic to make it back to Kim Sha beach for kayaking. I made it no dramas, and had a good hour lesson. Well, there were some beginners so I didn't get so much teaching but I used the time to try and perfect my stroke. Managed to fall out 3x, since he gave me a bit of a harder boat this time. I remember thinking, "Wow, I've still not fallen out!" then BAM! Afterwards, I asked how much I owed him after "coming 3 times" as in having 3 lessons. Not so muffled laughter there. Embarro. Haha!

On the way home, I stopped in Buccaneers to ask a question about some merchandise they have, and ended up having a couple of beers and meeting some UK folk that had relocated out here. One kinda self-absorbed older man who ran a docking yard and a sweet younger guy from Scotland who seemed to be getting a bit gipped by his current employees. I'd made friends with the rasta barman by now so it was a bit of fun.

That's one thing about self-absorbed people. You can choose to either zone out or listen. They talk and talk, and never really listen to what you say, just wait until you're finished so they start a new story. I like to still listen to them so I can learn more about things, and you know, you might come away with some valuable knowledge. But sometimes I drift a little.

I know it's horrible to say, but I often have a few different categories I subconsciously fit people into when I meet them. Before, when I saw single, I'd think, they are either a) fuckable, b) nice to talk to for conversation but nothing more, c) good for contacts or d) an absolute fuckwit with nothing to offer me. Sometimes they fit into more than one. It was often the hardest when I had a dickhead that I also knew was valuable for something. Althought blatantly using those kinds of people was definitely easier. Actually, they're really the only ones I'd blatantly use. Now I'm not single, well, everything is just topsy-turvy! haha

Slowest first day ever

Starting to get into the swing of things here, at least socially. My first non-date with a guy I met last night took me to La Bamba, a couple of beaches along, where it was pretty packed with people dancing salsa and later reggaeton. I was a little tired as I stayed awake for him to pick me up about 10:45, but the main reason for going out was to get back in the right timezone and not toss n turn cos I went to bed too early. Got a chance to clean out my laptop a bit more and make some more room on my hard drive - boring but necessary work!!

Every second person seemed to be a friend of L-I, so I met lots of people, including one Venuzualan chap sitting in his car. I did wonder why he was sitting in his car while there was a packed beach club just next door, then someone walked up and said, "Are you J-J? Uh, yeah, just wanted to pick up a 50." Ahhh, so that's why.

We smoked some of his good shit and then went to the club, had a drink and another smoke, and by that stage I could manage a few moves on the dancefloor before I retired for the night. L-I walked me home, luckily since there were some backstreets and I felt a great deal safer with a big, black man next to me. Don't feel entirely trusting of the nighttime scene here, to be honest. And being warned by a local not to walked within several metres of the road at night is also kinda indicative of the skills of the drivers around here.

I managed to get to the supermarket yesterday but it was so late that the phone card shop was closed, so that will have to wait for another day. So this is what it's become... the security guard at the supermarket hit on me, then a couple of customers, then the guys at the phone shop, then some locals on the street... today it was a few more on my way to work (the way being a 10 minute walk, which this week was shortened by a lift from someone I thought I worked with but who actually works at the power plant - ahh faces!!)... yep, they're coming at all angles.

To be honest, I think it's really the hair doing it, and my fair skin. They probably jump at anything that looks different. And the boyfriend card doesn't stop many of them. I will literally need to start saying, "I am just not interested."

I got home before 1am so I got a good few hours sleep before getting up for work, it was actually the first time I slept through the roosters crowing from 4am and the dogs and the heat and the light and the jetlag... woot! My plan worked!

My boss, R, was surprised I was going to work so early but I thought everyone started at 7am and I need to get into the swing of things asap so why not? The cruise ships were meant to come today but they're postponed til tomorrow so as a result, there has been next to nothing to do today. I took the youngsters, Regalata and Chico, for some training in the nice big arena they've got here. Both were well behaved but I think I prefer Chico - he has more spirit. Tiny horse, though, really is. I feel like I'm breaking his back.

The good thing about Chico was I'd been told he's a handful and often bucks, but he was fine with me and I felt like he was learning just in the short time in the boiling sun. I've met a couple of lovely girls here today too, which is great since I really need to be steering away from the sleazy men that just don't seem to get the picture. I know my poor boy is sweating away (even more than me in this heat!) hearing about the guys swarming around me, but fear less babycakes I only have eyes for you.

It has been 3 days since I arrived and I am getting a feel for this island, although haven't seen much of it yet. Hopefully the girl who does the rosters, R, will roster me off with her and we can go together to the French side which is said to have the prettiest beaches. Yay! Need to ask my boss to pay me day by day, or week on week for the short term. I really don't want to use all the money in my Aus account because it's good to pay my credit card and as a backup. Also thinking about not bothering to find another place to stay - it's fine where I am now, I just hope the old man who lives across the way doesn't keep pressing to take me to church one time. I think I really upset him this morning when I politely said church wasn't really my thing...

Anyway, I am writing this on my extended lunch break so I guess I better put my shoes back on and really try to at least look like I'm not blagging. Not that I have anything to do at the moment...