Create to Play: Capucian Beach

Day 4 - January 30, 2012 (First Rest Day)

Breakfast: pancake mix made with powdered milk, no eggs, topped with peanut butter, jam and honey

Almond tree

Ahhh....deeeeeep morning stretch as we awaken in the shade with the sun already high in the sky. Since first getting to Santa Catalina we’ve camped in our mesh tent with no shade around and I love it - it makes for early sunrise, up-’n’-at-em mornings that’s for sure! So it was a treat to take a morning off from rushing to get on the water before sunrise, or to be woken by the heat of the sun.

While eating breakfast though, I find myself distracted and staring off in space. I leave the rest of my breakfast to Jaime and get up, walking down to the waters edge to be alone. I feel an overwhelming need to cry. I’m emotional all over again but this time it’s nothing to do with kayaking. I’m finding that Jaime is triggering a lot of old issues for me over my ex, and it leads me down a path of worry and sadness about family, ex-lovers, future babies, friends‘ babies, stuff that just doesn’t make sense right now but is rearing it’s head for me to take notice and sit with it. I can’t even release the tears (Wendy, I’m thinking of you here and laughing uncomfortably at that statement!) so I think that I can go back to the tent to sleep it off.

He has one look at me and all it takes is for him to ask simply "what's up?" and one long hug to release the tears and all; a lighthearted sigh of relief, ahhhh. Afterwards we take a much needed walk down the longest beach that was even nicer than Coconut Beach, and oh how we were rewarded too!

Jaime darts off into the palms because he hears monkeys, just as 6 scarlet macaws fly overhead. Sure enough, as I creep up behind him, we spot about 10 capuchin monkeys, and we sit still on fallen coconuts as seats, watching them watch us. Tricky cheeky monkeys they are! A few are brave and come close, never on the ground but darting across palms branches so that we keep a watchful eye following them. The brave ones keep turning back to the smaller ones further back in the trees, reporting what they see. The smaller ones will then creep further out on their palm branch, spot us, and run squeaking back out of sight, shy and giggling. Very cute. Walking back, I collect some pretty shells along the way, and soak up the sight of the long line of palm trees that stretch to the horizon. 'Ain't nobody here but us chickens' I can hear my mom or dad saying.

Back at home base, I have the worst nap laying in the sand and leaves, with all the hermit crabs that decide I’m something interesting to explore as they noisily rustle through the leaves and over my limbs. Not wanting to nap in the tent as it’s far too conducive to sleeping away the day, I am at a loss for comfort and want for a beach towel to lay on, a log to rest against. Anything than just sand that gets in everywhere.

We decide to take the boats back around to the river to find that croc from yesterday! Sure enough, there he was, keeping a safe distance from us, with his beady eyes keeping careful watch on us from the surface of the water. We spot more capuchins too, playing in the trees hootin‘ and hollerin’, and wondering what we are. Off in the depths of the jungle we can hear howler monkeys, always keeping an elusive distance from us. Further up, we get out of the boats and on the rocks for a perfect spot to wash the boats and of course, ourselves. This is always my favourite part of the day as it’s one of the best things to lift my spirits after the hot sun and crusty salt, massaging almond oil into my sore muscles and nourishing the burnt and dry skin.
Back at camp it’s a simple dinner of Lipton alfredo sidekicks and fresh baked bread prepared for tomorrow’s meals.