What a ride….

I just got off the water taxi from our island to the main island. The wind was blowing around 40–50 miles an hour, and the sky was turning dark. You’d think that growing up in Oklahoma would’ve given me the sense to head back home and wait it out. But if you know me—and my persistence—you can probably guess what I did.

Yep, I got on the boat anyway.

It wasn’t unsafe, just a wild ride. The boat was going up and down, and the girls on board were screaming. That got a little annoying… but I’ll admit, it was also kind of funny. One guy was sitting in a plastic lawn chair, and the waves were so rough that the boat came down hard, snapped the chair in half, and sent him tumbling to the bottom of the boat. Don’t worry—he wasn’t hurt—but I laughed really hard on the inside. I didn’t want to be rude, so I kept it in.

We missed the entrance to the jetty about four times and had to circle around, waiting our turn to dock. It felt like we were in a holding pattern trying to land a plane. Normally that wouldn’t be a big deal, but with rough seas, it definitely added some drama to the day.

Now I’m at a cyber café updating the blog and sending emails. I stopped by the trade department to drop off a copy of my passport—another document needed for the business registration. I think all we’re missing is one last set of documents, and they shouldn’t be too difficult to pull together. The woman at the desk said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” I guess she’s starting to understand my persistence too.

As for Angie—yesterday’s outing must’ve taken more out of her than we realized. She’s back down again today, just when we thought we were turning the corner. I handled breakfast this morning, which meant doing the dishes before we could eat, then making French toast (the kids loved it), and then doing the dishes again. We only have four plates, so meals are a bit of a rotation—wash, eat, wash again.

Oh—and before I could make the toast, I had to go shop-hopping to find bread. Three stores later, I bought the last loaf at the final shop. Life over here moves slow.

Thanks to everyone who responded to the “mail experiment.” We’ll see how it works out and let you know the best and cheapest way to send packages once we learn more.

You all are awesome. More later…