For today, I had booked an outing with VI Ecotours, to consist of kayaking out to a small island and snorkeling while there. Since I’m going without a rental car (for now), I took a taxi to get there. I can honestly say that I’m not looking forward to driving on this island once I do pick up the rental I have reserved. There are a lot of impatient drivers doing a lot of honking and yelling, they drive on the left side of the road, the city streets have crazy intersections and traffic, and the roads outside the city are insanely steep and curvy. But I made it to VI Ecotours and got my first taste of kayaking. Having spent 20+ years in Colorado, I thought I knew what a kayak looked like. Specifically, I thought my legs would be covered. But these sea kayaks are more like canoes, so from the knees down, the front of my legs got nicely sunburned. I remembered to apply plenty of sunblock to my bald pate, but forgot to put any on my forehead, so I have an oddly shaped burn up there now. Evidence:

---

Now…about that kayak and snorkel adventure. First, the kayaking was MUCH more strenuous than I expected. We weren’t even halfway out to our destination, when I started to feel REALLY dehydrated. It also took me about that long to figure out how to effectively steer the damn boat. And it’s not complicated! So, I was the last one of the tour group to pull up onto the beach – of course, there were only two other kayaks on this tour, and one of them was piloted by the tour guide.

Now it was snorkelin’ time! I have been snorkeling in the Caymans and in Hawaii; both times, I was in water that was too deep for good snorkeling. So, I have long been looking forward to this shallow-water snorkel trip. And yet, I freaked out. Every time I put my face in the water, I panicked. I had to stay back with the kayaks. I’ve been experiencing anxiety over the last month or so, whenever my Levodopa doses wear off. And I was probably overdue for my 11:00 dose. So, I took both my Levodopa and a dose of the Serious Anxiety Killer, Lorazepam. I can always count on the Levodopa to take effect 30 minutes after I take it, and the Lorazepam always takes about an hour. This meant that by the time I felt ready to try again, it was already time to head back.

The meds kicked in on the way back, so I felt much better, but I still lagged behind the others. Was it because of Parkinson’s? Was it because I hadn’t eaten anything yet that day? Or was it the lack of sleep due to the rooster outside my hotel room? I place the blame squarely on the chicken! In any case, I ended up falling so far behind that the guide hooked a tow rope onto my kayak and hauled my butt back to the dock.

After another taxi ride through the crazy roads of St. Thomas, I found a place to have a quick lunch, then walked back to my hotel for a nap. The kayaking had me so exhausted that I didn’t do anything for the rest of the day. In the evening, I walked to a local grocery store to get some dinner, because all the restaurants around here close at 7:00. Bizarre, ain’t it?

The next question is: Will that damn rooster keep me from getting any sleep again tonight?