Tuesday at the Beach and about town (June 15)

Lazy day today... but still many adventures.... We remembered one more story from last night at the pool - The day before when they had gone in the pool they didn't have swim caps (we didn't have the rules in English) and the bartender was yelling at someone, they figured it was these boys that were rough housing - but last night the bartender was yelling at them again. He signed to us "pull cap on" - two thumbs up. Oops.

Our new place is so much better. Our hallway is no longer a one way street, and we have so much more room, and a nice breeze at night (it faces a different direction). We're still the only room in the whole place that sleeps with the doors open. I don't know how everyone sleeps with the room all closed up and no fan and no ac. Since the door is open all the time we're more senstive to sounds outside. The music is SO much better - like soft background music, not dance club level. But we traded the music for some loud neighbors. At about 3:30am I was awoken by loud teens - checking in to get food. There were about 6-8 of them, all about the same age and obviously set free on the compound. One of their mothers was getting something for them to eat, and they were just laughing and talking at full voice - and mother kept telling them "ssshhh" - but they just laughed.

Today was beach day. This morning we ate a little something - nutso, apples, brie - nice breakfast - and headed down to the beach. Its quite a trek down there, over rocky paths and up and down rocks... Into a small little inlet. They have beach chairs and umbrellas set up. Dana got us all looking for sea glass, we read and napped in the sun. Water is cool and refreshing, seaweed - a little lagoon with coves. Everyone here wears a bikini (everyone) - no body image issues here, we're the only ones in a one piece. The guys love the speedos. Mama, Mia! And little girls who haven't hit puberty just wear the bikini bottoms.

We had enough sun and we came back about 2:30 and had a little snack, some hotdogs, and iced tea that Patti made - just enough to keep us until dinner. We were really looking forward to this place in town we found on the internet. But Patti didn't feel well, and Dana decided to stay behind. So it was just me and Amy who took the bus in. The last bus back is 7:10, so we knew we had to eat and get back.

We get off the bus and walk to where we think the place might be - and then we ask directions... We find it! But it opens at 7. Dude - its 5:15! So we walk back to another place we saw... 7:30... And another... 7:30... We see a pattern here, and we've walked all over town. We finally give in and park at a bench in a piazza and wait. We'll eat at the original place and take a cab back. I'm hungry. While we're walking around we found a little party on a piazza and a strange man came up to us and (in full Italian with signs) told us that there were catacombs below the city, just two blocks down - he showed the blocks by laying a hand for each block. We said thank you and he walked off tapping his head saying "Bon intelligenta" (good smart)... Hmmm.

We knew about siesta, shops close from 3-5. Its weird to walk by at 5:00 and shops are re-opening. But we thought we'd be safe since shops re-open at 5 - thought restaurants would follow suit. But apparently there is a time for everything, from 3-5 you rest, at 5 you shop for fruit and veg (lots of street carts and veg stores), and at 7:30, you eat. There are rules. When we first got ther it was a ghost town, just starting to come to life. By the time we left the sidewalks were stacked with people and cars were jamming the roads. Life starts at 7.

So we sit until 6:40 and then decide to find the original place to eat at 7. More winding streets with beautil views - we didn't pack water bottles because we were going to eat... We're both thirsty, tired from the beach, hungry and our feet ache from touring the city looking for food. We find the place again and they're setting out table clothes, a good sign. Amy decides it will be wise to ask if we can actually get a taxi back from this area before we eat. We ask the guy and he speaks English, he says "you speak only English to me, ok" (yay) - yes, easy to get a taxi, he will call himself (he says flirtatiously). .. "8:00 ok eat?". Ah, shoot. We told him we'd been in town looking for food since 5:00, we thought 7:00. Oh, no the cook shows up at 7. But he will seat us personally at 7:45 - "just for you" (wink). We decide to cut our losses - come tmw night at 8, and catch the last bus back in 10min at 7:10.

We walk around and pass our stop - but we see "our" bus driver. He drives this route everyday and he and Amy have already struck up a relationship. He's facing the wrong way at our stop - but he flags us down and tells us to cross and get on. Whew! Turns out he was running late (they always run late) and he was actually not stopping there, so now we've seen a tour of the whole city for our fare. He talks to us at a normal pace as if we'll understand, but he gestured in a circle, and ended with an "eh?"... We understand him to say, "So its a nice tour of the city, right?". We say "si". :)He and Amy had quite the chat, her in a mix of Spanish, French, English and sign language - and him in Italian and sign language. Really he's using classifiers appropriately and "signs" that we easily recognize. I'm not sure other "hearing" people would get it. But we understand each other really well, and I'm not sure how. He was telling us about one restaurant that's good, and showing us that it was close to one we already ate at (the fish) - and he set one up with his right hand and showed which way the facade faced, and then the other with his left and showed how that faced in relation (B hands, palm out, fingertips up, for those who sign) , and this is while he's turned to face Amy, and STILL DRIVING through crazy traffic where the cars have to fold their mirrors in to get through - but the place he likes opens at NINE! They eat dinner really late here He even told us that if he weren't off that he would take us off the route to a nearby restaurant.

We got off at the compound and went to the pizzeria... But no anchovies! I had one with proscuitto, artichokes, mushrooms (whole) and olives (whole, with pits), Amy had salami, and we found Dana and Patti there (they had just finished a margarheti because the place didn't open til 7). We're pooped. More of the same tmw - laying around, finding adventure, and heading to dinner at 8!