Tropical vacation....with blankets

I had a couple days off and I was invited last minute to go to the Cayos Cochinos, the little islands just off the coast here. The other times I have gone, it has been a tropical paradise. HOWEVER, this trip started off with a very windy morning and the roughest boat ride I've ever had. The small boat was slamming into the waves the whole time and the water was pouriing over us. I would have sworn it was raining buckets there was so much water. EVERYTHING was soaked! I finally put on my swimming goggles because I couldn't open my eyes due to the stinging salt water!

We finally arrived looking like a bunch of drowned rats and the wind got worse and the temperature dropped. The only clothes we had were shorts and t-shirts and they were all wet. Some of our clothes never did dry off! That night it rained. Fortunately, we were staying with our friend Lori who is a wonderful hostess who provided us with plenty of towels and blankets. A hot shower never felt so good! We cuddled up under the blankets to read, talk, watch videos, play games. It wasn't until the last day that the sun finally came out and we were able to go snorkeling. There were tons of pretty parrot fish, and one of the locals caught one to eat. So sad to eat such a pretty creature!













The best part of the trip was that I was finally able to meet Jan, a nurse who volunteers on the islands three months every year. She has been going there for 34 yrs! Now that's dedication! She is a really cool lady and very organized. We had a nice visit and asked how we could help her take care of the Garifuna people on those islands when she is not there. Currently most patients come over individually on canoes to Loma de Luz for appointments. We have wanted to start a monthly program there but we were under the impression that Jan did not want to work with us. However, this time she said she was very glad to have our help and wants us to come out again while she is there in the next couple months to see how she runs things. Hopefully this can be a good partnership to provide more consistent care for the Garifuna people.

So, we spent some time being cold and disappointed, but in the end God worked it all out and brought about a wonderful result. We now have contacts for ongoing clinics and public health on the islands and we also had a smooth boatride back to the mainland with a gorgeous sunset!