Victoria

Our plan today was to visit Eden Island, enquire about boat trips to other islands, and do some shopping at the only South African Spar on the island 🏝 😀. None of that happened!

I woke up before 6am and caught a couple of photos 📸 of the imminent sunrise. I did go back to bed but couldn't sleep. I was aware that Anto was up and about. He was cleaning the apartment upstairs from us. I knew he wanted to get in and clean ours today and that all 6 apartments would be full by the end of the day. So, we got up early, had breakfast, and headed for the bus stop, waving to Anto as we left, telling him he was clear to do our room.

At the bus stop, I realised I had forgotten to pick up any water. You really can't go anywhere in this heat without water. So, Mark volunteered to go and get it while I waited with our backpacks 🎒. Luckily, the bus 🚌 didn't come while he was gone. It appeared around the corner just as he came back, so we jumped on it and were on our way. Two stops down the road, I realised I had left my phone on the bench at the bus stop!! Panic!! We pressed the bell, urged the driver to stop, and jumped off! My phone has everything on it! I was imagining the problems we would have if I didn't get it back!! I spotted a group of people setting up a picnic in the trees by the beach across the road. I ran over, explained what I'd done, and asked if one of them could give me a lift back to the bus stop. I was worried that, if I walked, someone would get there before me and take my phone. The family I asked were lovely! They were celebrating their grandma's birthday. One of them jumped in her car and gave me a lift while Mark stayed with the rest of the family. My phone was still there!! I've never been so relieved in all my life!! I offered to pay for petrol, but they wouldn't take a penny!!

After our second false start, we went back to the nearest bus stop to wait for the next bus. It came after about 20 minutes - and we were on our way again! Unfortunately, we had got on a bus which didn't go to Eden Island! We found ourselves in Victoria instead!! Mark went to ask about a bus to Eden Island while I took some photos 📸 of the street art. He found out there wasn't one for an hour!!

So, we decided to find a shady spot to have a drink and work out what to do with our day. We went to a little cafe near the Clock Tower. We didn't even look at the prices and ended up paying about £15 for an iced coffee and a beer!! Oh my goodness - our day wasn't getting any better! 😂🤣

We sat for a while watching other white tourists wandering around suffering in the heat and then made up our minds to walk to a hypermarket a little way out of town to see if we could find some sugar-free drinks. Needless to say, on a day like this, we never found it! We did, however, find another large(ish) supermarket that stocked Coke Zero - result!! We can enjoy a Takamaka rum and coke or three now 😂! By now, we were both hot and hungry, so we decided to give up on our plans for the day and head home. We only had to wait 40 minutes for a bus!! 😂🤣 The joys of travel - some days are just like that!

Back at the apartment, we chilled on the balcony and watched the comings and goings of the new arrivals. I had the obligatory swim before dinner - Mark gave it a miss today. I did 40 lengths, but it is a very small pool!! 😂En savoir plus