Land of Wood and Water

The heat was unbearable. I could feel my snake print dress clinging to my body as small beads of sweat formed on my forehead. We had been driving for two hours, a little nauseous from the winding roads, all I could think about was sinking into the sapphire sea..

Portland is unspoiled by big resorts and tourist attractions and each turn we made seemed like the perfect composition for a postcard. I could see the sea on my left and verdant foliage on my right. The sea reminded me of a beautiful striped pattern I once saw. Each shade of blue distinct and instead of flowing together to create a gradient they each stood alone separate and beautiful as if they were proud to be just where they were.

Before we knew it we were smack dab in the middle of a town. Driving through towns like this is a nightmare for new drivers like myself. The paralyzing fear of someone jumping into to street at any minute kept me at a comfortable 10km/hr, which angered the taxi drivers and motorists hurrying to get on with their day. The town had a great mix of old and new architecture. The Saturday market was bustling and even the goats who expertly crossed the narrow streets seemed to be going about business as usual. The streets were packed with vehicles and pedestrians alike.

In no time we were out and talking excitedly about the lunch we were going to have at the newly reopened Trident Hotel. And then we saw it, what we called a coconut forest. Acres and acres of coconut trees. We pulled over to a dirt path to explore. It was cool, dark and untouched. With trees so tall and densely packed it was easy to forget where we were. As we explored a little further down the path we came across barbed wire which was clearly meant to keep nosey trespassers like us away but we couldn't resist. One by one we held the barbed wire up and shimmied under. We walked through the tall grass in our sandals and I secretly hoped that nothing creepy or crawly would get me from the emerald unknown. There stood one tree, broad and tall with its branches outstretched welcoming us to rest for a while. As we got closer peeks of blue were revealed and it was our own little secret beach. There didn't seem like there was anyone remotely close. The sand was black and fine, as I stepped on it my feet sunk right in and it felt like velvet. I stood for awhile staring out into the sea playing the game I like to play of avoiding the waves. It was perfect and for that moment it was ours.