What a lovely day!
We planned today as a beach day, so we
didn’t have class today and set out around 9! We stopped at the craft market on
our way again, since many people didn’t get everything they wanted last time.
I’m basically done finding souvenirs, I think…
The rest of the ride to the beach was
pretty low-key, apart from a bit of an adventure through a sandy section. Oh,
there was also a moment when a big truck was heading the opposite direction we
were, and the road we were on was really only wide enough for one vehicle. Our
bus had to reverse and drive up on the hill on the side of the road, at which
point our bus was at probably a 30 degree angle, and we were all pretty worried
about it tipping. Thankfully, it didn’t tip and we made it safely to the beach.
The rest of the day passed in usual beach
day fashion: beach soccer, swimming, reading on the sand, and lots of sunscreen
application. There was a small island about half a kilometer offshore, and some
of the group paid to take a boat out there. I decided not to go, but then I was
hanging out on some boards (similar to surf boards, but they were massive and
didn’t have fins) in the water with Sally, Laura, and Kelsey, and Kelsey joked
about paddling to the island on the boards. I took her seriously and said I’d
go along, so the two of us set off! The boards were exceptionally hard to steer
due to their lack of fins, but it was really fun! We mostly lay on our
stomachs, so it was kind of like swimming above the water. We managed to make
it all the way to the island, where those who’d taken the boat were jumping off
into the water. I’d estimate the cliff heights as ranging from 15-20 feet.
Kelsey and I had a bit of an adventure trying to get our boards in a secure
location, since the island was rock and the rocks at the water’s edge were
really slippery! I managed to smash my finger in between a rock and my board at
one point, and it started bleeding (don’t worry, family, I cleaned it as soon
as we got back to the beach and put a bandaid on). Between bleeding, being
tired from the paddle, and being a person who avoids falling, I decided not to
cliff jump. I might have done it if we stayed longer and I’d had time to rest
and talk myself into it, but the boat was heading out less than 5 minutes after
Kelsey and I got there, and we needed to move our boards for the boat to moor.
I don’t regret not jumping (please excuse the double negative – I’m tired), so
I think it was the right call. The trip back to the beach on the boards was better
than I expected; I thought that I’d be tired and in pain from my finger, but it
was pretty much the same as the trip over. As we got to shore, a gaggle of
small children came and claimed our boards. As I walked toward Kelsey, I felt a
small hand slide into mine. The children here are SO cute, and they’re usually
pretty bold and friendly. After one of the kids told me I was their friend,
they ran off to play with the boards. Adorable.
There were a couple of dogs at the beach.
They were pretty big; I thought they had some mastiff in them. They were
sleeping on some of the couches for much of the time, and each of them took a
turn sleeping upside down with their legs in the air – it was so cute. My own
huge dog used to do that so it warmed my heart to see an animal do that again.
On the ride home, Akkila used her speaker
to play music for the bus (usually we listen to the driver’s music, and we’re
all a little bored with it by this point), and she played a lot of music that
everyone knew, so we all sang along. It was really fun to sing with everyone. I
realized that I haven’t really had the opportunity to sing while I’m here. It’d
be pretty inconsiderate to sing around The Oasis since sound travels a lot.
Despite being in the sun for pretty much
the whole day, I’m (mostly) not sunburnt! I have a small patch on my back that
is randomly burnt, but the rest of me is good to go.
It’s hard to believe our time here is
almost over, but I’m also getting to the point where I’m ready to go home. I’m
pretty tired, but very pleased. Between sun, rest, exercise, and fun, I’m in an
excellent mood. And with that, I’ll sign off for the night.
-Jen
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