January 30, 2011
The school owners took me out to lunch yesterday at a nice place on the beach front. My whole street is filled with hotels and restaurants catering to the people brought here by the beach. Talked over what I will be doing. The school day is long 8 -5:30, for teachers, but students have split shifts. Some come in the morning, others in afternoon. We visited the school, very nice, clean and well organized. I can tell they are very committed and treat this venture as a way of doing their part to improve education standards. Profit does not seem to be their main concern.
They took me to a market, bought some fruit and staples. The fruit tastes so good, the bananas are the short stubby kind, very good. Saw cashew fruit, bought some cashew juice, will see how it tastes. My apartment (not hotel), has most of the furnishings and utensils I need. It has 2 TVs, balcony facing the ocean, microwave, good size fridge, towels and bedding. The 7th floor has a pool, exercise room and sauna, with a beautiful view of the area.
Weather here is sunshine with a breeze, 30 C. The ocean is calm looking with no white caps but the big breakers keep crashing in. So nice to have warm limbs, at home, my feet are ice cold with 2 pair of wool socks and my arms are cold to the elbow. Bare feet and sleeping with 1 cotton sheet. No mosquitos (spelling??), spotted, thinking they can’t take the wind.
This morning went to have a swim in the pool on the roof, beautiful view there. In the afternoon the ocean looked very nice with lots of people in the big waves, not drowning or being carried out to sea so I went to give it another try. The waves were big and breaking on the beach but it was lovely swimming about 10 meters out. Water like Port Hood in August, I stayed in about a half hour till I ran into a jelly fish. Didn’t hurt much but made me think bigger ones may be waiting out there as well so time to come in. Beach wear is doesn’t use much fabric. They all wear two piece suits, the young, old, fat and skinny. Speedos, tiny thongs, it’s the style and naked is just a few cm of fabric away!
