Little Corn Island Day 5

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Today we are taking a day off from all the work of diving. 😉 We need a day of rest. And we just want to chill & enjoy the quiet & beauty of Derek's Place. It is ridiculously peaceful & beautiful here.

This morning we had breakfast here at Derek's. It is super chill here. We had breakfast with Ana (Derek's wife) & their kids Lola & Surya. There is also Marc, the kids tutor, who just arrived from Barcelona, Spain. The kids get a tutor every 2 months alternating being taught in English & Spanish. Cool idea. It's like being part of the family here, but you're paying to stay. We all eat at the same table together. The kitchen is their kitchen & we are just their guest. We each had an omelet with the most delicious jalepeno cheese. I haven't had cheese like that since home. Really good. I played Uno with Lola through breakfast. She's six & very feisty. A huge personality for such a cute little blondie kid. I got the scoop on the family during breakfast. Ana is from Barcelona also & came here 10 years ago while traveling & never left. It was Derek's place then & still is now. Derek's from Washington DC & his story is similar except somehow he ended up with this beautiful piece of land on the northern tip of the island.

We spent the morning reading on these cool chairs sitting right on the ocean. They're made out of big pieces of driftwood that are put up against big rocks which form the seats. They're really comfortable & we were stuck there for quite some time. It's so sunny & hot today. We both actually got a little burnt sitting so long in the wood chairs.
Once we were roasty toasty we decided to snorkel out front. The wind is blowing directly towards us so it's a little bit of work to get out to the reef but fun. We saw 2 of the biggest Ocean Triggerfish ever. They kind of followed us around for awhile. I think they were just curious about us. We saw a sting ray swimming by too. It was a nice snorkel.

It's amazing how time flies when you spend the day doing nothing. I hate it! It's already afternoon. Booo! We took our first bucket shower together. It's a team effort, especially with the hair washing part. It's very difficult to rinse your hair with a cereal bowl full of water all by yourself. But, there was a lot of laughs while we were "showering." I wasn't sure I would feel super clean after but I did. I love the outdoor shower. You hear the wind & see the trees & hear the ocean, all while showering. I love it!

We spent the rest of the afternoon just reading & changing sitting locations. Hammocks in the sun, hammocks in the shade, hammock on the deck, lay in the pokey sea grass. Whatever suits the mood at any given moment. A couple walking along the beach borrowed our snorkel for a bit & told us to eat at Rosa's comedor near Casa Iguana. Great food, big portions, & cheap. Just what we like! The afternoon was lovely. Some clouds would roll through just as it would be getting far too hot in the sun. There was, of course, the constant east wind blowing in.

Once the sun was down behind the palm trees we decided to walk into town. We talked with some of our new pals, the jewelry making couple Felipe & Leticia, & Cheryl from the dive shop. It's fun to walk through town & already recognize people & know their names because the place is soooo small.

We continued our walk to Rosa's & ordered our dinners. We decided rather than sit there & wait we would walk over to Casa Iguana & snap a few photos of things we didn't catch when we were staying there. Plus the view is so nice over the cliff that the restaurant sits on. We took some pictures from the beach & then headed back to Rosa's. On our walk back we met a guy from NY who joined us for dinner. We had the very best chicken curry ever & a delicious baked fish with garlic. The fish was served with a huge helping of mashed potatoes & veggies. The food was all incredible & pretty cheap by island standards & the portions were, in fact, huge. Good thing we have a 30 minute walk back home. We are eating like Kings.

During our walk back through town we purchased a bunch of snacky treats for our diving day tomorrow. Quesitos & Snickers & a cookie. Healthy right? And how could we even think of food after the meals we just ate? But we did.
We met & talked with Elvis, Bridgette's husband, while walking along the path. His siblings own all kinds of things on the island like Hotel Delphinus & some other restaurants & hotels. I told him that Bridgette was a great cook & he said, "She's alright." That's a compliment though. They say alright & it really means good things. We saw one of the DM's, Dave along the path & chatted with him then continued on our trek through the woods & back to Derek's. We heard crabs moving about all around us in the brush which we didn't hear during the daytime portion of the walk. It's funny to hear their scuttling. We made it home right when it was just about to be super dark but we didn't need our light for the walk.

Back at Derek's we had to have a feet cleaning party in the shower. The trail is so dusty that from knee down we are covered in silty dirt. We played with the puppies for a bit. They are just so stinking cute. I love puppies. Especially when there are two that are brother & sister. It just makes you laugh to watch them play with one another & jump around & fall down because they are so clumsy. So sweet! We finished out our evening sitting on our deck, reading & typing & watching the stars come out. There is the perfect cool breeze & we can hear the waves crashing. Amazing. We are so lucky & so spoiled & are trying to relish in every single moment. Especially these ones.

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Photos

The main path through town.
It's a ghosttown today with everyone off island watching baseball on Big Corn.

The street sign for Derek's Place out in front of the dive shop.
Which is on the opposite end of the island. There are little signs all along the path to help you find your way.