Our Hotel...to scale

I`m not sure if the word ¨homesick¨ gets it`s name because it happens as a result of being ill, but it seemed to have been the case with me. When I think of homesickness, I usually associate it with wanting contact with friends and family. I never imagined that I would miss routine and found myself wishing that I was working so that I could call in sick and sit on my couch all day. There is no fun in being sick while travelling because it would mean missing all the exciting things that you could be doing. So I continue doing just that despite being ill. To me homesick is missing the knowledge of what I`ll be doing tomorrow and the next week, month, year. It´s not knowing what I´ll have for dinner and if it will make me sick ... It´s missing simple pleasures that I normally take for granted like English ... movies that aren´t dubbed ... bacon & hashbrowns ... privacy ... organized sports .... eavesdropping...

A brief tropical storm

So what better cure for homesickness than a tropical island in the Carribean? One of the five $150 RCI certificates that we purchased from my work before we left gave us a full week in the five star Sunrise Beach Hotel. San Andres is incredible. Even more incredible was not only staying in the same large air conditioned room for a whole week but also having a beautiful patio with an ocean view. The sea is the same unreal colour as the boobies` blue feet and the air was so hot and humid that my painfully chapped lips were gone within an hour of landing on the island. We made the most of our mini bar fridge by emptying its contents and filling it with yogurt, fresh fruit and veggies for our breakfast and dinner (avocadoes are so green here that I constantly don´t recognise them - once I bought a guava by accident).

We became a slightly alarmed at the gale that hit the island in the middle of our first beach session. Everybody ran for cover as powerful winds tore palm fronds and coconuts off trees and the streets became deserted as the torrential rain pelted down in sheets of bullets and flooded the streets. We knew that the rain season went from September to December but we hadn´t expected it to be so prompt. We waded back to the hotel carefully as we were dictated by which streets weren´t completely flooded and took advantage of everything our hotel had to offer -- a eucalyptus scented sauna, a steam room and a jacuzzi. When the rain finally subsided we alternated between the sea and a pool which floated on a dock in front of the hotel.

Touring the island in style

We had originally planned on renting bikes, but afraid of the weather, we decided to visit Johnny´s Cay, a little island with a great beach just off San Andres. First we arrived at the aquarium, which is nothing more than a tiny white sand bar that barely has enough room for two jam-packed bars. From here you can walk/wade/swim to another island with a few palm trees and a few more bars where we did a bit of snorkelling in the crystal clear waters. At the appointed time, the ¨Black Angel¨ took us to our second stop, Johnny`s Cay. We realized later that Sunday probably wasn´t the best day to go as it was so packed with people that it took us a while to find a place to sit. Once we were comfortably settled, we ordered a couple of beers and Brett even saw a Ray in the water when he went to take a dip with twenty or so others.

The highlight of our tip was the 24 hours that we had free reign of a small scooter. We navigated our way around the island five times and Brett became quite adept at manoevering through the windy pot-holed roads. The majority of the island´s drivers choose scooters, motorbikes or golf carts while a handful of Sunday drivers prefer the older street-hogging American cars. No one wears a helmet (including us!) and sometimes we`d see families on the scooters with baby in front or people carrying goods while driving - a spear gun, pick axe, machete or shopping bags.

Feeding frenzy

We stopped at Piscinita, an ideal spot for snorkelling; however, I suspect that the proprietors bribe the fish to stay by feeding them copious amounts of bread which unfortunately gives them a fungus. We were given bread, but we had no intention of actually feeding the swarms of coloured fish that attacked us as soon as we set foot in the water. One even took a chunk out of my thigh!

We were stopped at a blow hole on the southern tip of the island by a few Colombians who want us to ¨collaborate¨ their business (still no idea what this phrase means but they all seem to want us to buy something from them). After buying his coconut drink, one friendly man explained that when the tide is high and large waves crash against the rocks, an underground tunnel spurts out a gust of wind with or without water that can reach up to about twelve feet. On the eastern side of the island is a beautiful stretch of beach not quite as busy as the one in town. We spent a bit of time here but I preferred sitting on the back of the bike, feeling the warm breeze and cruising past the palm trees, and the beautiful white sand and blue water of the island.

After a few more days of lounging at the beach and the pool at our five-star hotel, we had to say goodbye to our tropical paradise. Our red skin and each of our burnt fingers, knuckles and toes were finally going back to the cool climate they so desparately need.

Click Here to see the photos