G'day. People really say that, huh?

April 7

Technically, today is day 5, but I'm going to have to stop thinking that way because even now I have trouble remembering where we are in all this--certainly after another week or a month (let alone two or three) I won't remember.  So instead we'll keep just moving forward.

Yesterday we had our first brush with indoor critters.  A Really Big Spider came into our cabin overnight, assumedly to get out of the rain.  The body was probably an inch long with legs extending two inches to the front and an inch behind.  (Ugh.)  Looked like the crabs we saw scuttling around on the piers of Taketomi (though I'd rather have one of them in my house for sure.)  Needless to say breakfast was delayed a bit when we found it.  A plastic bag around a brewing textbook turned out to be the implement for the job.

We also saw a rather large lizard while sitting in the caravan park library using the wi-fi-- its whole length, nose to tip of the tail was probably a foot long.  I wish I'd had the camera with me for that one.  Pretty cute actually-- I'd also take a lizard over a RBS in my cabin any day.

Iced chocolate... not what I thought it would be.

Wanting a cold drink on a hot day, we stopped at a coffeeshop and I asked what iced drinks  were available.  "Iced coffee, iced chocolate, and iced latte" he said, and I thought the chocolate sounded good so went with that.  As may or may not be apparent, no ice is included: only chocolate milk with ice cream.  I don't know what exactly I was expecting.. but it wasn't that.  I wish I wasn't so easily swayed by the mention of chocolate; an ice(cream')d latte would actually be pretty good.

Warning!  Everything native to this country wants you to die!

We didn't fully understand the danger and thought it was just a funny sign.  But even the magpies have it in for you in Australia.  Wikipedia lists the attack rate from the birds at 9%.  (That seems like a lot to me?  Nearly 10% of the birds will attack from August to October?)  Cyclists are in the most danger with injuries resulting from losing control of their bicycle and swerving into traffic.  "A magpie may rarely attack by landing on the ground in front of a person and lurching up and landing on the victim's chest and peck at the face and eyes."  Good thing it isn't nesting season right now!

Cloudy and cool at 13 C this morning, the sun peeked out around 9:00 but didn't stay for long.  Blue skies with the swiftly moving clouds to the south, so I'm sure it'll be on and off all day.

Hillside to the north of our cabin

I love the hillsides here... it looks like something out of a book.  Not familiar but not unfamiliar, so it's kind of a beautiful, comforting sight.

Community garden behind our cabin at the caravan park