Suzi, Smiling

Rina, the wonderful, young hostess and owner of this hotel just gave me a bowl of chicken soup and some watermelon, and I don't have the heart to tell her I am a vegetarian, so . . . I'm not today! What a sweetheart she is! Her husband, Richard, is originally from LA, and they are both very spirited. It is another shitty day in paradise, and I am going into the village in a short while to get a haircut. Yippee!! Isaac, Gata, a beautiful girl who works here and has green cat eyes, hence the nickname, Lauren, who is a junior at Oklahoma State University teaching English here, and I took the ponga to the far side of the island, hiked up a very steep rock road to the top of the island, found some thermal steam pockets in the rocks, and walked back down the same road, passing by the little horses and donkeys we had seen tied up at the roadhead carrying very heavy loads of supplies and people back up the road to the village on top. It was very fun, and it felt so wonderful to hike once again. Yeah for exercise!!! We can also dive in the water from the boat and that, too, is a joy.