More rain

Yesterday it rained off and on throughout the day. It is very nice when it rains. A calm stillness comes over the place and construction workers stop working unless the rain continues and then they start up again with the hammers and saws.

Today I got up early and went for a walk and did some yoga on the beach. I was the only one on the beach and only one set of footprints preceeded me in the wet sand (plus a few dog prints). The sky was gray and the ocean was a beautiful shade of turquoise and dark green.

I went up to my apartment and made coffee and it started to rain again. This rain was different. It was not a big furious storm that was going to pass through, but rather a steady, light rain that looked like it was here to stay for a while. I enjoyed my coffee and the morning coolness that the rain brought with it.

I think I got too much sun on my first day because my chest and back are still feeling hot. Normally I might burn a little but by the next day I tan, but this burn does not seem to be fading. So I put a wet washcloth in the freezer and then put it on my skin. I enjoyed my coffee, watching the rain and cooling myself with a cool washcloth.

I needed to take clothes to the laundry and was waiting for the rain to let up. Finally it slowed and I made my way down the beach road, which is now almost like a river. Fortunately, there are lots of places to walk that motorcycles and trucks can't go where the sand is still sand and not big puddles. I can't figure out why the beach road makes these big puddles and yet the sand next to it seems to absorb the water. Maybe they put a different kind of dirt down to make the road, or maybe because cars, trucks and motorcycles are pressing the sand down it can't absorb the water. Anyway, it is a big mess. People on motorcycles go by with big stripes of mud up their backs. As I walk in it with my flip flops, they fling little pieces of mud up on me. It takes longer to walk along the beach and not on the road, but it is infinitely less messy.

I found a little laundry at the end of the beach road. The woman who works there smiles and even said good morning. As I wiped the sweat off my brow, she said, "que calor" - the closest thing to a conversation I have had since I´ve been here, other than with the nice young man and French woman working at my hotel. I almost feel like I'm on retreat. There are not a lot of people at my hotel, and the construction workers who I see walking back and forth all day don't speak (if they did I wouldn't understand them since I think they all speak French). Other people that I've said hello to, such as the security guards who sit around our complex at night with big rifles acknowledge my hellos, but don't respond - they answer more with very subtle eye movements that let me know they are alive, but that's about it.

And so it looks like today is going to be another laid back day with the rain cooling things down and keeping people off the beach. I'll still go for a swim becasue I love swimming in the rain. I´m also going to cook my own meals from now on. The food I´ve had has been good, but not nearly as enjoyable as sitting on my own terrace with a glass of wine eating some delicious food I´ve concocted from the ingredients I got at the French supermarket. The other night I made some whole wheat penne with tuna, olives, garlic and onions in a white wine sauce. I had two glasses of Argentine wine and a delicious mango for desert. I'm going to walk to the supermarket now and pick up a few more things so that I can eat at home for the rest of my stay here, especially if it's going to be raining, it will be really nice to be able to cook and sit on my terrace enjoying the rain with a delicious home cooked meal.