12/18
I was lucky to be the first person out of the airplane. I raced down to the health check points and hit up the ATM and secured a taxi in 8 minutes. 30 minutes is the norm, and 2 hours is not unheard of.
My driver was skilled, and night fell during the one-hour winding mountain roads. The night was mostly gone and my orientation was nonexistent in the pitch black, so after failing to acquire a local dinner, I ate sushi at the hotel, which was at poolside and served up by a champion Filipino chef and his local St. Lucians.
12/19
A run to the local beaches and a visit to a local climb. Good carribean chicken and exploration of the small side streets. A rum drinking affair at night with locals.
12/20
A new hike, discovery of new beaches, a very local space that served up white fish, fried plantains, beans and rice, lentils, bread fruit, and bananas.
A party with newfound friends--barside rum, sushi dinner, drinks until 3:30 in the morning, and let's not forget sprint swimming matches well into the night.
12/21
A hike up an impossibly steep volcanic formation, and a new Danish friend. Amanda had just completed a 16-day cross of the Atlantic, and when I ran into her she was just about to turn back from a steep climb. "Do you know where we are and do you have any water?" she asked. Well, I was the perfect man for Amanda generally at that point in both her and my existence: I had my AllTrails ap showing our exact location, and, more importantly, water. "I am so glad I met you," she said. "I was having the most shitty day, and now, not only did I not turn away from the summit, but I made it. It is a great victory for me." On the descent, we discussed the currents Amanda was navigating: years pursuing a graduate degree ended with dissatisfaction with the hegemonic mindset. Certain things were good about her university years: life in a commune of 10, where her day to cook was decidedly vegetarian. Culinary experimentation is fun, but not when it goes south for a group of ten. Her ocean voyage was a true tabula rasa, and she spoke about charting new territories. We agreed the Danish countryside sounded good, and I invited myself to visit Denmark. As Amanda went to swim, I found myself caught up in conversation with a local guy. I aw Amanda walking off into the distance on the beach, and I told him: listen, man, I just did this incredible hike with a super cool Danish gal, and if I keep talking to you she literally is going to walk off in the distance. The crowd at the beachside holee-in the wall: "Run for her!" Well, I swiftly strolled to her. We both took a dip in the sea, walked back to our respective home camps, picking up a drink of sea moss along the way (not to her liking), and freshly macheted coconuts, which were particularly delicious after the brutal climb.
Amanda, I think a good book-balancing matter is as follows: You show me Denmark, I show you Colorado.
12/22
A catamaran voyage to the mud baths, a waterfall bath, a boat lunch of St. Lucian food, snorkeling (no photos of that, but I was the only one permitted to head to the ocean with goggles and no vest--the skipper saw it in my eyes and knew I needed to see the ocean on my own terms), and a particularly beautiful boat trip along heartbreakingly beautiful shores. When we reached shore, the driver dropped me off at a local eatery where I ate conch with rice, fried plantains and an incredibly delicate pumpkin served by a very hospitable Camil.
