T is for Tourist

We've been here two weeks now, and for that two weeks I spent a decent amount of my time wondering what would happen if we ever got caught in one of the trenches on the side of the road. Today I discovered the answer: one hell of an impressive flat tire. Richard swerved to avoid an unyielding sedan, put the front left tire in the ditch, and I watched as it almost istantly deflated. It was no problem to change the flat though, as no less than 6 Dominicans stopped and helped us put the spare tire on. Richard, Katelyn, and I pretty much just watched them do it.

Before today we had two straight days of heavy rain. Probably another 10 inches or so. Due to the threat of landslides on the roads and that none of our sites needed to be moved, we were stuck at the Springfield Plantation both days except for a short trip to Roseau on Sunday to watch the world cup for a few hours. That didn't stop us from having adventures at all, as Richard, Katelyn, and I decided to walk upsteam in the flood-stage creek near here yesterday to look for waterfalls. We found one, but it also meant we couldn't go upstream anymore, so we ended up climbing out of the creek up a steep mud-soaked "angle of repose" as Richard put it. I led, clinging to rotten bamboo stalks and digging my hands into the dirt and hauling Katelyn up at times with a spare leg. It was fun, plus, since we weren't driving, I needed my daily dose of feeling like I was about to die.

So today was our first day back in the field checking up on sites. After the first site checked out fine, Richard said "wow, we're on schedule... this is when things start to go wrong." Indeed. Five minutes later... encounter with a ditch... flat tire. Tuesdays here are also cruise ship days, when a cruise ship pulls into Roseau and floods the island, including our home at Springfield Plantation, with tourists. I kind of feel bad for them, they don't really get to see the island at all, just all the crowds and tourist trinkets for sale that their presense creates. I also don't like them much, as they're all here currently, and we're all used to a certain amount of solitude. (I do realize that I am being a huge snob)