Walking Wounded

We wake in the morning and once again take a beautiful breakfast. The plan is to walk to crab beach with Maria and her husband but I am still in agony with my foot. When Maria sees it she says I must get the thorns out and volunteers to help me. Armed with a needle and tweezers she starts the task of extracting the 20 odd needles from my foot. I have stood on a plant called a Cacanya which is a poisonous plant here, with a defense mechanism of shooting out little needles to its attackers. When I google a picture of it it looks like a harmless weed with a pretty little white flower on it. The process takes well over an hour, but the relief is incredible after the digging in my foot is completed. We have now nick named Maria "the butcher". After a discussion with one of the staff it is decided that the walk to crab beach is too intense, but Mark and I decide to still take a little stroll even if it's not that far. We walk for nearly an hour along the shoreline passing the huge dune and as we round the corner there is a natural pool waiting to cool us . The wind here is immense and it's like having a full on exfoliation session with sandpaper. I suggest to Mark we head nearer to the shoreline as at least we can be slightly protected by the water, and its so warm. We walk back to the hotel dipping in and out of the water and arive back take a shower and jump straight in the pool .
Tonight Maria and Farvelo have invited us to join them for dinner at Hurricane which is one of the other beach hotels here. We play a couple of games of cards and instead of for money it for points in the bag so I now have the bottom bunk for the rest of the trip. We shower and dress for dinner, and a short while later Farvelo knocks the door to say they are ready so we head down to the bar to wait for the honeymoon couple. They shout down that they will be a little while and to go on without them so we head out the hotel and literally as soon as we leave the hotel there are 4 wooden bollards sticking up on the beach. With it being dark I don't see them and swing my leg full pelt into one . It knocks me straight off my feet and the oil I've put on is to keep my skin moisturised is now covered in sand . I look like a croquettes potato. I am once again in agony and mark is rolling on the floor laughing, i use my phone to assess the damage and am horrified to see on of the little branches has pierced my leg. We walk back to the hotel and I take a shower, and when I return downstairs the guys suggest we go to the pharmacy as my leg is pouring with blood. We purchase various items of antiseptic spray and creams and I insist we carry on for dinner. The hurricane is beautiful and once again we have a table on the beach. The food is pretty mediocre and when I look down the table cloth is totally covered in blood. I feel embarrassed but everyone says not to worry. As we walk back in the main square is a crowd of people various guys are doing a martial art called Coipara we sit and watch as they move to the music ducking and throwing their legs over each thersRead more