Rainbows!! Enormous rainbows!
Day 2 was about 3 and a half days long. Jet lag and the 13-hour time difference from Kyiv really got the best of both of us today. We were awake at 3am, watched the stars, tried to sleep some more, got up when the birds starting rousing and watched the sunrise around 5:00/5:30. Had breakfast of pineapple and cherries (YUM), Kona coffee (YUM) and were on the beach by 7:00. The water was a bit rougher this morning, and thus cloudier from sand swirling in the water. We could see lots of fish, but the photos didn’t turn out so great. Looks like late afternoon is the best time for good underwater photography, when the sea turtles come in for dinner and the water is calmer. Note to self!
Our beach is in a nice cove, so the water in general is calmer and the waves not very big. Some guys are surfing here, but I think they are beginners and using the quiet water to learn and practice. It’s pretty cool to watch them standing on those thin boards and paddling out to sea! One guy was practicing turning around on the board today, hopping a quick 180, reminded me of a ballet dancer spinning in the air. 🙂
After about an hour in the water, I was feeling pretty tired. Although the waves are not hard, there is definitely a constant current that keeps you working. The water is not very deep, we can see the bottom all the time, but you do have to work all the time to stay in place or to not drift too far. It is more tiring work than I expected.
By 8:30 I was ready for a more substantial breakfast than just fruit. So I left Igor at the beach and drove 1/2 mile to the local grocery store. I putzed around, got some different salads from the deli, steak for Igor, salad fixins and general supplies for 2-3 days, in hopes of being able to stay put in our little slice of heaven for a few days. Back in the apartment by 9:30, fridge stocked and just starting to wonder if I should go get Igor – lo and behold he shows up on the patio! Looking happy but whipped. We had some lunch (breakfast?) and by 10:30 I was ready for a nap. We’d already put in a full day, and the day was just starting! Igor laughed at me, but within an hour he was deep asleep, too.
I got up around 2pm, sat on the patio – oh how I never tire of that beautiful sound of the waves rolling in, the birds chirping, the breeze caressing the palm trees. I enjoyed the quiet peacefulness for a few hours by myself. Our apartment is on the first line, 10 feet from a small ridge that drops about 10 feet down to the rocky shore. Nothing between us and the view. Heaven.
Finally at 5pm I nudged Igor awake. We had a delicious dinner of salmon fillets from the deli (in a super tasty local sauce, gotta get a recipe!), a big salad, sourdough bread (my favorite!!!) and fresh fruit for dessert. Then off to the beach for an evening swim with the turtles! I forgot my camera this time, so no photos, but something tells me we’ll have lots of photos in the 11 days to come. After about an hour, we came back to the apartment, cleaned up, and had a drink in our “backyard”. We pulled the chaise lounge chairs right up to the edge of the ridge above the rock beach and watched the sunset. Gorgeous!!
The days are about 14 hours long, I mean there is sunlight from about 5/5:30 in the morning until about 7/7:30 at night. Quite a difference from the super long days we have in Kyiv this time of year, when the sun comes up around 4/4:30am and sets around 10/10:30pm. But it seems just right here. 🙂
After it was dark, we went for a walk around our complex. It’s not a very big complex, we purposefully picked a smaller place because we didn’t want to be around hordes of people. And it’s still early in the season, so only about half of the units are even occupied, which is even better from our perspective! The apartment buildings are 2 floors, with up and down units, everyone has a patio (first floor) or balcony (second floor). Other than the building right on the ocean front, the rest are built around a lovely green yard with lots of aromatic and colorful flowering trees and bushes. Every unit’s patio or balcony opens to this lovely, quiet space. We enjoyed the walk around, and appreciated the beauty of the complex, but have no regrets we splurged for the ocean view! There are also two small swimming pools in the complex, and one has an adjacent hot tub. There are also 2 grill stations available for residents, with 3 gas grills at each station. Igor’s going to try his hand at it one of these evenings! He’s always grilled on wood or charcoal, but I’m sure he’ll master the gas grill with his usual cooking prowess.
Back at the apartment by 8:30, I was ready for a bite to eat. We sat under the stars on the lounge chairs, sipped our drinks and nibbled on snacks. I laid my chair down flat and marveled at the sky. Big Dipper, Little Dipper and Orion are the only constellations I can easily pick out, and I quickly found the first two among the billions of pin pricks of light in the black velvety sky. The thin sliver of the new moon impressed us with its bright light – incredible how much natural light there is at night when there is so little artificial light interfering with your eyes! The moonlight made a bright and clear path along the ocean surface, so beautiful!
We feel asleep in our lounge chairs, lulled by the gentle ocean. At some point Igor nudged me awake to go inside, it was drizzling (more like misting, hardly noticeable). He was up again at 3am, and I heard him get a snack and go to sit on the patio under the stars again. I slept more-or-less through the night, finally go up at 6 to make coffee and sit on the patio with the breakfasting birds. Day 3 is beginning. It’s going to be a good day.
Anka in Kyiv 