Swimming Pigs (and video!)

" . . . when pigs fly!"  How 'bout when pigs swim?!

Yes, it's true.  Pigs swim.  At least, island pigs swim!  

I've posted about this before as part of an evening boat excursion, but it's just too fun a topic not to revisit.  Besides, the pigs really warrant their own post!

So, the scoop . . .

 

On a nearby (uninhabited) island, a handful of large, wild pigs are the dominant residents.  Some twenty years ago, a couple of the local guys brought in two pigs and placed them on that island to breed and provide table fodder for the occasional pig roast that our local community loves to do.  (Over the years, there have been funny stories about pigs slipping overboard while the guys tried to transport them by small dinghy and other such adventures.)

The pigs have slowly gained fame or notoriety (depending on whether you've been entertained or terrorized) as a tourist attraction.  The pigs have learned that when boats approach their shoreline, these boats often bring slop and food treats.  So, the pigs now swim out to meet the boats!

All too often, visitors decide it'd be fun to get out to swim with the pigs, or pet the pigs onshore.  While this can certainly be entertaining and make for good vacation photos, it's really not the best idea.  These are still wild animals!  And in their excited quest for food, the pigs get quite aggressive.  I've seen pigs practically climb aboard smaller dinghies.  And I've seen pigs chase people onshore.  Unfortunately, the local medical clinic is all too familiar with treating various pig bites, some of a serious nature.

That said, they're still fun to go observe at a safe distance!

ESPECIALLY because I hear there's a new litter of piglets!

So, yesterday, Beau and I took a boat ride over to see the pigs.  Unfortunately, the piglets were nowhere in sight.  They were napping or otherwise tucked safely back in the bush.  Given the aggressive nature of the pigs, presumably even more so as mommas protecting babies, I did not go ashore to root the piglets out of their hiding spot to pose for pictures!

Nonetheless, the big pigs are always a treat.  See for yourselves . . .

No other boats around, so the pigs were still onshore as we approached.

Here they come to greet us!

Yup, pigs swim.

As many times as I've seen this phenomenon, I still chuckle.

Realizing no food was being thrown from the boat (sorry, pigs), the pigs start to turn away from the boat.

Checking us out one last time.

Ambling back ashore.

Digging nests in the cool damp sand.  You can see that's a nursing mother pig.

Although I failed to deliver piglets to you this time, I have an extra treat.  To complete this virtual experience, you must hear the snorting sounds of the pigs and see their pig-paddling legs in action!  So, here is a video clip.  (I apologize for the wind noise - it was a squally afternoon.)

 

Looks to me like the pigs enjoy their own Better Life!!  What do you think?

Stepping on a Sea Urchin

Last week, I blogged about Angel's medical emergency, but I'm overdue to fill you in on mine . . .

As regular readers may recall, the end of July was a fun, but particularly hectic, time for me.  During a brief lull one Sunday, Beau went out diving (free-diving and spear-fishing) for the day, and I decided to treat myself, too.

French Toast

I slept in a little - anything past 6:30am is a luxury!  When I woke up, I was craving French Toast, but I didn't have any bread in the house.  I used that as an excuse to do the decadent thing that sounded fun to me - I took myself out to breakfast!  Just a short golf cart ride away, I went to the local marina/restaurant and enjoyed a sit-down breakfast while greeting various friends who were working or passing through.

One friend joined me for a while and suggested I join her group on a boating excursion.  I hesitated, with laundry on the line and thinking of the leisurely things I could do back home before joining Beau and the guys for fish-cleaning camaraderie later.  But it was a beautiful day, and it sounded fun.  "We're not even packing lunch," she said, "so we'll be back by early afternoon."  That clinched it.

Boat Ride

After a brief stop home to take care of Angel and change into a swimsuit, off we went.  What a glorious day!  Our small group ended up in a particularly beautiful area of shallow water and sand bars.  We anchored the boat, floated a cooler to a sliver of sand in the midst of the shallow sea, pushed a sun umbrella into the water's bottom, and proceeded to float in bliss.

Knowing from prior experience that I should not attempt to "keep up with" my girlfriend and her copious amounts of wine, I had a splash of wine with my club soda and enjoyed a spritzer while we hung out in the water.

After a while, we noticed a friend out on his property on the small private island nearby.  My girlfriend and I left the others and swam over to say hello.  After chatting, he invited us to cross over the little channel to his main property and come up - the others had pulled the boat around to his dock and would join us.

Uh-Oh

As I waded through chest-deep water, I was surprised by how strong the current was in the little channel.  Because of that, I was perhaps stepping more forcefully as I made my way across.  All of a sudden, "OWWW!"  I had stepped on something sharp.  I commented to my friends, but we figured I'd cut my foot on a conch shell or something, and we kept going toward shore.  However, the pain started to worsen, and I couldn't walk so well.  I lifted up my feet and started to swim.  But my leg was kinda seizing up, and my brain was feeling a little muddled by the sudden pain, so I wasn't able to swim as strong as usual, and I felt myself being carried away by the current.  

I called out to my girlfriend and was able to grab her hand.  She pulled me to the rocky edge of the property, and our other friend suggested we take a look.  I lifted my foot out of the water.  The entire sole was covered by grey dots.  "Oh my God," he said, "you stepped on a sea urchin.  But I've never seen so many!"

After nearly three decades around these parts, I've never stepped on a sea urchin.  I've only admired them while snorkeling.  They are roundish, come in a variety of sizes and colors, and are covered with porcupine-like needles or spines.  Images and info about these creatures can be found here.  All of a sudden, I had a whole new appreciation for them.

My leg had totally seized up by this point, and my friends told me not to put any weight on my foot.  Apparently, when I stepped on the unseen sea urchin, the spines broke off in my foot.  So, with one friend pulling each arm, I floated while they dragged me over to his dock.

Our other friends had joined us by this time.  I'm sure I was the picture of grace as I crawled up the steps in my swimsuit.  Once we reached the landing (where our friend has a spectacular outdoor living room), I collapsed on a couch. I asked them to call Beau and let him know where I was.  The time had gotten away and it was mid-afternoon, and I knew he'd be looking for me to join him at the fish-cleaning bench, and my cell phone and stuff was still in the boat.

Treatment
 
They reached Beau and turned to tending to me.  Now, the well-known home remedy to relieve the intense pain from a sea urchin sting is for someone to PEE on it!  I was hurting enough that I welcomed that.  Alas, none of my friends cared to oblige (and it didn't occur to me until later that I may have been able to maneuver that feat by myself?)  Instead, they brought me a basin of fresh water with Epsom Salt, and I began to soak my foot.

I was proud that my friends were all calling me brave.  I hadn't shed a tear or whined too much about the pain.  BUT IT HURT.  We counted the grey spots on my foot, and I had NINETEEN holes where sharp spines had pushed into my foot and broken off.  Good times.

In addition to the Epsom Salt, my friends decided it would be a good idea to medicate me by plying me with alcohol.  One friend had prescription painkillers, but I had the presence of mind to figure that was not a great idea for me.  And yet, I permitted myself to be liquored up.  Not good.

From here on, the story gets a bit fuzzy, as did the pain.  I vaguely recall wine, champagne, vodka and who knows what else being poured.  I recall the sky darkening as day faded to night.  I remember waking up and being in a different location on the deck, still salty and in my swimsuit, but covered with a sarong wrap, and I could hear my friends in the other room.

If this had been my little island, I would have gotten myself home from the inception of this mess.  But I didn't want to impose on my friends' time by interrupting their fun to take me home.  At some point, however, I no longer cared.  In my inebriated state, I was a little out of my head!  I was crying and calling out Beau's name.  So much for not crying and conducting myself in a calm manner.  I just wanted to go home!

Homeward Bound
 
My next memory is hearing Beau's voice in the distance.  He's here!!  I started crying and calling out to him.  My girlfriend came over to reassure me, but also to tell me to get it together!  Beau walked onto the porch and saw me lying there, a mess, and said "Oh Lord."  My friend showed him my foot, and we started to head for Beau's boat.  I couldn't hobble very well, so Beau ended up carrying me to the boat to take me back to our island a few miles away.

My next memory is being in the nurse's office.  Although it was evening by now, Beau had called her and taken me to the clinic.  So there I was, lying on the examining table in my bikini, and trying to act like I wasn't a total wreck.  The nurse cleaned my foot and used tweezers to pull out two of the spines that were near the surface.  WOW did THAT hurt.  We both thought it best not to dig any deeper.  The spines are known to come out on their own later and/or be absorbed into the body.

The nurse gave me some painkillers and antibiotics and wrapped my foot.  Heading home with Beau, he stopped to pick up some food that he'd ordered at a local restaurant and insisted that I eat, then I fell straight into bed.  Poor Beau.  That had to be a test of his patience as well as his care-taking skills!

In dire need of a pedicure, but that's the least of my concerns.

The next morning, the pain had diminished.  I believe that is typical, but I also think any remaining pain was overshadowed by the massive hangover I was enduring.  I managed to shower off the prior day's salt.  Then I spent the rest of the day on the couch, with a brief visit to the nurse for a follow-up check, and alternating rounds of soaking my foot in peroxide.

Angel providing moral support during a foot soak.

Overnight, the pronounced grey spots had changed to faded red spots.  Thankfully, no spines were in my toes or on the ball of my foot, so I was able to hobble around for the next few days on my tiptoes.  The pain was gone, except when I put weight on my foot, and over the course of the next week or so, that subsided, too.

Hard to see all 19 when this was taken, but - trust me - they are there!

This non-dramatic photo undermines how much pain those little suckers caused.

The spines never did "pop out."  Who knows - one friend told me he had some come out of his foot a YEAR later!  I picked out two of them a few weeks ago.  They were so small it was incredible how much pain they had caused.  As for the rest, I think some have been absorbed.  In other spots, I can still feel hard little bumps deep down, but I'm going to just let them do their thing at this point.  

There's no pain at all now.

Well, except for the embarrassing memory of the day.  As we say around here, "What a mess!"

What's Up?

My dearest Better Lifers, I have missed you! 

Since launching this blog four months ago (is that all?  It feels like we've been together longer than that!), this is the longest I've been away from you.  It has been exceptionally busy lately - even for "island busy!"  Some of the reasons why will warrant individual blog posts in the future, but, in a nutshell, here's what I've been up to:

• Beau's dog, Milo, injured himself somehow and has been limping.  To keep him from running and wrestling with the other island dogs, we've been keeping him contained in the house - which means double duty for me on dog baths and tick checks!

• My beau just turned 50!  He threw a weekend-long party in the center of town, so we were busy with all kinds of party prep - and enjoying the parties!

• Lots of beau's family (and friends) came in from Nassau and other places to celebrate with us.  At one point, I had 15 people staying in the house!

• In the midst of all this, we've had some home renovation projects underway.  The morning that the first family arrived, my bedroom, bathroom and closet contents were still sitting in the living room!  The new tile dried and I scrambled to move everything back.  After family left, the renovations resumed, so the house is still a bit chaotic.

• As part of the kids program we run, we went overnight camping on another island with 17 children ages 5 to 14!  Came home, showered, slept a couple hours and then went back out to conduct the "graduation ceremony" now that the summer program is concluded.

• A storm system passed through more than a week ago, with lots of rain, thunder and lightning.  Most notable, however, was that the tower in George Town was struck by lightning, so I have been without internet service until today! 

• Today lends itself well to catching up on the internet after a two-week hiatus because I am spending most of my time lying on the couch.  To treat myself to a "Better Life" kind of day after getting through everything above, I went out with friends yesterday for a boat ride and swim on a gorgeous day.  While wading through a channel, I stepped on a sea urchin - EEEEOOOOOWWWW!  I'll explain more about that soon, but it ain't pretty.  I'm nursing 19 sticker pricks in my right foot.

Ahhh, island living.  I'm still loving it!  I look forward to catching up with you more soon.

Snorkeling in the Aquarium (with Video!)

Over the weekend, Beau and I took advantage of the beautiful summer day and headed out for a day of play on the water.  We enjoyed a long boat ride up the chain of islands, exploring along the way and cooling off in the sea.

(For a bird's eye view of the chain of islands, and the spectacular shades of blue and aqua that we were cruising through in our boat, check out this older post with lots of aerial photos.)

During our exploration, one spot was rife with sea turtles, sharks and other sea creatures, so we got into the water to check it out more closely.  Unfortunately for all of you, I don't have any pictures from this spot.  I was too busy avoiding (successfully) getting stung by the schools of thimbles that were pervading the water!  These tiny jellyfish-like critters, in the shape of a sewing thimble, come out in the summer.  Sometimes they sting, sometimes they don't.  They stay mostly on the surface, so I was either swimming hard to stay down without a weight belt (I'm a floater!) or relaxing back in the boat - especially as the sharks became more curious.

But never fear, I trotted out the trusty camera at our next stop in the middle of a national park area of the sea.  Among other things, the "park" designation means that a no-fishing, no-taking policy applies to everything in its area.  As a result, fish and other sea creatures are plentiful.  It serves as a wonderful breeding ground and makes for fabulous snorkeling.

These pictures are from the part of the park locally known as the "Aquarium."  The Aquarium boasts tons of fish and coral in our pristine water of the Exumas.  (And no thimbles that day!)

Almost always, the first fish to greet us in the Aquarium are little Sergeant Majors. 

Sergeant Majors and some tails of Yellowtail Snapper.

As soon as we jumped in the water, these little guys swarmed around us in a frantic cloud of brightly striped color.  They are about 4-5 inches long and, obviously, are not afraid to swim up and blow kisses at the camera.

Sergeant Major kisses.

On the floor of the Aquarium - about 20-30 feet deep - and along the sides are plentiful coral, sea fans, sea grass and other wildlife.

A beautiful underwater world.  See where the sunlight filters down?

Another school of Sergeant Majors (and Yellowtail Snapper).

Another commonly seen (and hunted) fish in our area is the Grouper.  This one in the Aquarium was particularly friendly.  He must've known that he was safe from becoming our dinner in the protected park!

Grouper in the middle.

Another grouper in a different area, along with Triggerfish, Sergeant Majors and Yellowtail Snapper.

As a seasoned free-diver, my beau can hold his breath and swim effortlessly in deep waters for seemingly forever.  Without his spear and the thrill of the hunt in this protected park area, it was pure playtime for him.

Checking out something on the sea floor.

Looking under the rock, probably staring down a lobster or two.

Upside down again.

Now so far into a hole that you just see his blue flippers!

Our friends, Americans who are longtime residents of the Bahamas, enjoyed the exploration, too.

Queen of the Sergeant Majors.

Fish Whisperer?

Now, for my favorite part . . . a video treat!  This brief underwater video clip features my beau and a kajillion Sergeant Marjors swimming around him.  The video has a sped-up feel to it, but it is not edited or altered.  The fish are swimming at their actual pace.  However, it IS a faster pace than their usual - they are in a frenzy over the cracker that Beau brought with him and just crumbled into the water.  You may notice Mr. Grouper swimming through at a more leisurely pace.  The video is mostly silent except for the crackling sound of all the little fish - that is actually what it sounds like under there!

What a wonderful day!  I definitely enjoyed a Better Life kind of weekend, and I hope you did, too!

Visit to Long Island, Bahamas

A few months ago, my beau and I took a trip with friends to Long Island, Bahamas.
Although my beau had been numerous times, and our friends were from there, this visit was a first for me.  Long Island is aptly named - the island is approximately 80 miles in length and only 4 miles at its widest point.  Long Island is south of the islands of the Exumas, where I live (and it's split by the Tropic of Cancer!), but it is only a short ride in a small plane.

Our friend - with her cat and dog! - in the small plane en route to Long Island.

Long Island boasts several airports.  Due to our pilot's need for a quick turnaround, we landed at the northernmost airport, Stella Maris.  A friend picked us up, and the long drive south to our destination made for a perfect tour.  They narrated as we drove along - cat, dog and all.  Nearing our intended neck of the woods, we stopped for a cold drink and snack.  This popular bar is literally next to the road in an open air thatched hut.  Perfect atmosphere and delicious fresh conch salad!

Cold drink at the ready, awaiting conch salad.

Squeezing sour into the bowl of conch.

Eventually, we reached our destination, the lovely Winter Haven in Clarence Town, where spring was in full bloom.

Our charming blue room.

Gorgeous view from our room's patio.

I fell in love with the outdoor bar, overlooking the ocean.  The bar was covered with old pictures.  Because the Bahamas is a relatively small country - roughly 350,000 people in the entire country - many people know each other and the rest have only a small degree of separation.  The result is that my beau ALWAYS knows SOMEONE wherever we go.  Plus, from years of sailing and other connections, Long Island and the island where I live have close relationships, so even I knew quite a few of the people in the photos.

My favorite spot.

I spent hours in the shade of the bar, feeling the cool breeze and listening to the waves crashing below.  One lazy afternoon, the owners and our friends whipped up a batch of conch salad for another great seaside snack and cleaned some fish for later.  

Despite all the other wonderful attributes, what I loved best about this spot was the thatch roof on the bar.  Thatch around the Bahamas, made from the dried tops of certain palm fronds, is typically nailed to the wood frame.  This one, however, was individually hand-tied.  The result, as viewed from the underside or ceiling, looked like pure art to me.  Of course, you get what you pay for - this process is far more labor intensive and, therefore, expensive.  I wonder how long it would take me to tie . . .

Beautiful hand-tied thatch.

Close-up.

Over the next several days, we proceeded to relax and explore.  Lots of book-reading, a little pool time, visiting tourist spots, checking out all towns near and far, visiting other friends along the way, bar-hopping, checking out home-building and farms and anything else we came across.

Our first tourist stop was to Dean's Blue Hole, the deepest blue hole in the WORLD, dropping to a depth of 660 feet.

From the beach, the area right around Dean's Blue Hole.

I didn't get in the water, much less go even a foot into the deep hole!  But it was cool to see.

The actual hole is directly behind me, by the platform.

Although not a "tourist attraction," we also enjoyed visiting our friend's family farm.

Hogs at our friend's family farm.

Goats and sheep, too!

Slop!  Suppertime.

 In a different area, cows and sheep.

 

 And pigs.

As we drove along the (long) island, exploring over several days, we often stopped at various beaches.  I was impressed that the water was just as multi-hued and clear as the water around my home island, and the sand was a soft white, too.

One of many pretty beaches.

Ocean water as pretty as home - a rarity!

Like our home island, Long Island - and certain of its communities, especially - has a long history of boat-building and sailboat racing.  In fact, the two champion sailboats raced by my beau and others at Regatta, were originally built in Long Island.  Our visit was a few weeks prior to Regatta, so we enjoyed seeing final boat/race preparations by Long Islanders.

Beau checking out one of the A-Class boats, about to be painted.

We enjoyed dinners and night life back at Winter Haven in Rowdy Boys bar and restaurant.  Delicious, delicious, delicious.  And even a little impromptu dancing one night!

Restaurant/Bar, as seen from the ocean side.

Perhaps my favorite part of the whole trip was the unexpected emergence of thousands of land crabs and my experience hunting them down!

Just one of MANY.

We had a delightful trip, and I enjoyed seeing another island and spending a fun time with friends in a beautiful setting.

Farewell, Long Island, until we meet again.

Hunting Crabs

A few months ago, my beau and I spent some time on Long Island, Bahamas.  One of the highlights of the trip turned out to be my first experience hunting land crabs!  Or hunting any crabs, for that matter.

This was an unexpected treat.  It just so happened that, while we there, conditions were right and THOUSANDS of land crabs emerged.  It had been raining a lot, but that afternoon, the sun came out and so did the crabs.  And I mean, literally, THOUSANDS.  We were driving down the road and just began to see crabs coming out all along the edge of the road.  People started to pull over their cars and just get out and grab crabs!

Roadside hunting.

We took a few minutes to scrounge up some "gear," consisting of one pair of kitchen tongs and a few 5-gallon plastic buckets.  And off we went - '"CRABBIN'"

First crab into the bucket!

The crabs were so plentiful that it was easy pickin' in some areas.  My beau and his buddy didn't even have to set down their drinks along one road!  They just strolled along and would stop from time to time to throw a crab into the bucket.

Easy hunting.

 But, of course, what fun is hunting unless you venture into the bush?!

Beau deep in the bush.

I plowed my way in a bit to take pictures, but had to turn back.  Had I been prepared in long pants and sleeves, I'm sure I could have made a fine huntress.  Alas, in swimsuit and flip-flops, my scratched up limbs begged me to return to the road.

His buddy, even deeper in the bush, barefoot, with crab in bare hand.  They don't call him "Bushman" for nothing!

Back along the road, I caught my first crab!  Using the tongs as my cheater's tool to avoid getting pinched, I scooped up about 10 more into my bucket before returning to my photographer role.

I see you!

Going in for the capture.

My one crab was, literally, just a drop in the bucket!

Elated from my initial success, I cruised the edge of the bush for more prey.

Scurrying around to catch the crabs was fun!  It was far more exciting than I would have guessed.  Plus, we laughed extensively throughout it all.  For example, as we carried the bucket along, we had to remember to glance at it occasionally.  The crabs would start crawling up each other's backs and climbing out of the bucket.  We had to shake the bucket and knock them back down.  But a few times, we didn't notice until too late and had to shake claws off of our hands and re-hunt the escapees!

Meanwhile, other friends had arrived near our spot.  They had a truck with a huge oil-drum-type of container on the back of the truck.  When our five-gallon buckets would fill up, we'd dump the bucket into the drum and go back for more!

Hundreds of crabs in far less than an hour.

I can't even convey the amazing sight of crabs crawling everywhere you look in the bush!  At one point, Beau and his buddy joked that they felt the ground moving as the crabs scrambled all around.

Just a glimpse of crabs in so many corners and crevices.

Most of the crabs tried to run for cover when we approached.  Some, however, were distracted by other priorities . . .

Crab pornography.  Seriously.

When we finally quit, we took our combined haul to our friend's home and locked it up for the night.  We dumped all of the crabs - still alive - into a wooden pen with air holes, supplied with water.

Crab hotel.

Crabs usually come out at night - we had just enjoyed this afternoon fluke.  But our friends took advantage of it and went out crabbin' late that night, adding even more to the haul.

Close-up of the mass of crabs.

The next day, our friend's mother cooked up a phenomenal feast of crab-n-rice and other tasty dishes.  The following day, we boxed up a small portion of the crabs, taking them home alive with us on the little charter plane to deliver to friends back home for a nice change to the menu.

Every now and then, I'll see a crab around my island home.  They're usually smaller - too small to kill/eat - but I smile and remember my crabbin' adventure.