{TCI} Day 2 - The sea was angry that day, my friends.

I woke up several times during that first night of sleep.  Sometimes being a light sleeper is such a curse. It sounded as if it were pouring rain but whenever I peeked outside, all was dry.  I think the wind rushing through the palm trees sounded like rain to me.  We awoke to overcast, stormy looking skies and high wind conditions.  We weren't going to let the weather ruin our vacation though.  My only concern was the temperature.  I just wanted it to be warm outside and it was, so I was all set.  We decided to eat breakfast at Hemingway's, the restaurant located at our resort.  It was around 9:00-9:30 and empty tables were plentiful.



We both ordered the "eggs & eggs."  Food on the island is expensive and we knew that going into this vacation.  In addition to our food order, I guzzled a diet coke while Rich had coffee and a glass of orange juice.  Our bill came to $35.  Yeah, expensive for food that was just "okay."  A ton of Rich's family was also staying at the same resort (because of the wedding) so whenever we heard one of them say that they had eaten at Hemingway's, I would ask how their food was.  The answer was always the same - "It was okay."





No one was on the beach because of the conditions.  Although the waves didn't look treacherous, there were strong currents (my brother-in-law took a dip) and the loose sand stung as it blew against my legs.













Our original plan had been to eat out every meal but after breakfast that morning, I knew that I wouldn't be ready for another "meal" until much later in the day.  We had packed some snacks (nutri grain bars and trail mix) into our suitcases but we needed more, especially if we were going to skip restaurant meals.  We also needed to remedy the beverage situation.  That first day we had arrived, I needed something to drink before dinner so we went to the little store at the resort.  It cost $3.50 for a 20 ounce bottle of Gatorade and if you want a gallon of fresh water, that'll be $5.50.  Our taxi driver had pointed out the grocery store to us and I also knew from my research that it wasn't too far away from where we were staying.  We opted to take the complimentary bikes from the resort, seeing as we weren't planning on buying much.



It takes about 8 minutes to bike (or 15 minutes to walk) to the grocery store.  The roads are narrow and let's just say I didn't see any "share the road" signs so we stuck to the sidewalks, which meant we had to contend with walkers and curbs and sidewalks that ended with a telephone pole but I suppose that was safer than taking our chances in the street.  











Apparently, I like to look at junk food.







Rich purchased the milk and Splenda for what I've declared to be the world's most expensive ice coffee he brewed and whipped up in our room.

Some other items I didn't take photos of:

• The gallon jugs of water cost $2.05 at the grocery store.
• A beach Barbie that I can pick up at Target for $5.99 (sometimes $4.99 if it's on sale) cost $18.60.
• A gallon of gas will run you $6.30.

Rich insisted on taking a picture of me on the bike because he said that I looked like a granny.  I am a granny and I'm not embarrassed by it.  (I've already told the girls that when they have kids, I want to be called Granny.)

After our grocery store adventure, we attempted to spend some time on the beach.  We easily found some chairs under the shade of a tiki hut (I'm sure they have other names but that's what I call them) and had some peaceful time to read and gaze out into the ocean. The sun was coming through here and there and I know you can still burn even if the sky is overcast. The wind got to us after awhile so we headed up to one of the pools, where it was less windy.  Unfortunately, the beach umbrellas were all closed because of the wind but when the sun finally made a more permanent appearance, the wind had died down enough for me to open the one next to my chair.





That night, a group of us (15 adults, a toddler and a baby) headed up towards the shops and restaurants for dinner.



We had decided upon pizza and although I had read that there was a pizza place up there, I couldn't remember what it was called.  Others said that they had seen a pizza place when out and about, which is how they came up with the idea for dinner.  We ended up at Bella Luna, the pizzeria side.  It was probably around 7:00 when we arrived and the restaurant was practically empty.  Within 5 minutes, they pulled some tables together for us in the outside, garden area.  We were told that a pizza was enough to feed 2 to 2.5 people so Rich and I ordered one (mozzarella cheese with meatballs to be exact) to share.  Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures because we were eating outside in the dark but trust me when I say that everyone in our group thoroughly enjoyed their pizza.  Thumbs up all around.

So Day #2 ended with another early bedtime, around 9:00-9:30, and the promise of another relaxing day ahead.  

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