The Best Things in Life Are Free

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To those of you who I revealed our travel plans to, whose eyes shot wide open and mouths dropped to the ground (as if you got a pinch on the bum); the ones who were too polite to question us or call us crazy, even if that was what you wanted to say. You know who you are!

Last night (23rd September) might go a little way to explaining our motives.

When at home and working, you never seem to have the time or you are too tired to enjoy the simple things in life. More to the point, you forget or don't notice.

After dinner (about 9pm) we went up to the roof our 'casa' to gaze at the lightning storm. The storms arrive after the hot day and its like nothing we've ever seen. Earth's big fireworks display, one even the Chinese could not match!

Bolts of lightning crack the sky every few minutes and light up the earth below. Counting the seconds before the thunder tells you roughly how far away the storm is...well so Jessica says! When the thunder comes, its mighty loud. As a kid I was told it is God moving his furniture. Well in this part of the world he rearranges his whole gaff on a nightly basis.

The storm was out at sea so above us were no clouds. With beer in hand, we lay on our backs and looked at the stars. We are staying in Trinidad, a small town on the south coast of Cuba, so lights don't interfere with star gazing. Something you never really do at home because of the city glow or that grey fluffy stuff in the sky!

There was a warm breeze and Cuban music started the filter through the air from a local bar. Jessica said "It doesn't get much better than this". "Too true," my reply. A few moments later it does.

Screaming silently across the sky, a shooting star. A fireball of bright light. Nature's rocket had a dusty trail of white and yellow. It must have only lasted five seconds, but for us time stopped. We were speechless for a while, in awe of what we had just seen. It was a priviledge.

Moments like this are what it is all about.

From James

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