Splendid Isolation - Sun 02/11/25

Still off grid - day three and recalling the pre-internet era -

• No emails to check (social not work)

• No social media - it's the same pictures/posts

• No look up's on what to visit

• And the plus is you can't check how bad the cricket/football sides you support are doing

It's something a whole generation has never experienced and means you have to actually talk to people more if you need to find out something /somewhere. At the moment it's novelty but does present a few challenges.

A day of separate adventures with the girls in the sea as usual and I'm off to the other end of the island. A 90 min ride to climb up a working lighthouse through various villages and using only other 'main road' on the island. I agree a price for a car and sure enough a tuk tuk has appears which will be fun as these are usually really for short distance rides. The car has broken down apparantly but I am told I have a packed lunch provided which is a bottle of cold water, a banana and a bar of cadburys' dairy milk which has a best before date of 2022 but it is chilled at the moment.

We trundle through various villages which was lovely to see the local communities, planatations of mango, banana,papaya and rice fields. The driver is not only very skilled which is good as the road is now resembling a rough track but also great company and speaks excellent english so time goes very quickly. The weather has turned and now in a heavy downpour, the ride is a bit like one of the 1980's sit arcade games and bikes getting stuck until the mud cleared out of the wheels

Eventually got to the Lighthouse and the customary sign in , no other visitors in the last four days not quite Race across the World but still feels like a semi-achievement. 120 steps later and now at the top views stunning, staircases creaking and crumbling but generally fine.  Easier journey back with a couple of small monkeys for company running across the roads.

Managed to make a couple of phone calls at last but no Internet which was great and a text from my travel chum OT (Full name Oil Tanker - from a previous wander) advising a rare win for the Hammers 

Lovely dinner at Afro beach , prawn curry, cold cider,  great sunset and beach fire.

let's see what tomorrow holds getting off Mafia 

Clare to add here