Day 11: Happy Birthday Lisa

"Lisa it's your birthday! Happy birthday Lisa!" This became our theme song for Lisa's 21st today. At any time if anyone started this we all had to sing...and we did, numerous times. The bus cruised along the two lane highway easily and I could not work out how a 120km trip was supposed to take 6 hours? Then we hit the real road - a one and a half lane dirt track and the dust penetrated every part of the bus and ourselves.

We checked out a cool fish market at Iloca as boats beached themselves and oxen pulled them up the sand. Huge numbers of fish were plucked from nets by crew as young as 14yrs and ladies quickly cleaned them and started selling. It was full of sea smells, market sounds and bright colors.

We arrived at another fishing town of Curanipe where there is a famous wave winding off before beached fish fleets, very cool. But no camping ground since the tsunami wiped it out, so we headed further south.

After getting lost we finally arrived at Pullaye and excitement burst from the bus at the sight of head high left-handers spinning down the sandbank past two rocky outcrops. Tents were pitched and bags unloaded in record time and we hit the water till dark.

The open fire was sooooooooo needed as we were freezing and defrosted then peeled off wetsuits. Basic spaghetti and fruit never tasted so good!

We are quite an attention getting group of gringos in a open paddock camping ground with 8 other tents. Sore bodies collapsed onto board bags and no ground was hard enough to stop sleep...as dan and Taylor proved sleeping till 11, Jeff till lunchtime and Tim...well he slept all next day!?!