Running With the Pigs

Running on Majuro is not like running at home. There is no sidewalk or shoulder but just about every yard has someone either sitting along the road or working around their house. Everyone says good morning or yokwe (hello, good bye) to you as you run by. There are dogs but they all seem to have a healthy fear of people and they are very road smart, unlike our dog who just seems oblivious to the traffic on the road. The other thing about running in Majuro is that no one else seems to do it. Some of the locals look at me like I’ve got rocks in my head but I have to keep that cabana boy good looks that my lovely bride expects. Now in Spain they run with the bulls but in Majuro we run with the pigs. This morning I ran past a yard with three pigs foraging on the side of the road. They actually trotted along with me to the end of their yard and then returned to their eating. A few houses further along I encountered two more pigs but these two ran from me like I was asking them to be the guest of honor at the next luau. Running here is a bit like running in a steam bath. With the temperature around 80 and the relative humidity about 80 you can’t run fast but you can sure work up sweat.

After a run you would think a long cool shower would be just the thing but there is no natural water supply here on the island. You have to wait an hour or so till you have cooled sufficiently so that a quick shower will suffice. Our house has a large plastic catchment reservoir that is filled by the gutters with rain water. Fortunately it rains usually every day and sometimes twice. And when it rains, it’s a torrential downpour that lasts about 30 minutes or so. If the rains ever fail us the catchment is also hooked up to the island water supply and at some point if the water level falls too far, the float will keep a minimum supply of water in the catchment. The rain is free but the island water is very expensive so we hope to use as little as possible. We don’t drink the tap water but just use it for washing and showers. For drinking water we have a water cooler in the kitchen that takes five-gallon bottles. We go through one of those about every four or five days and then I get it refilled for two dollars.

I have been shopping for a hammock to put up in the back yard but haven’t found the right one yet. I‘ve noticed that the space out back is pretty much in the shade all day and would be a great location to spend a little (or more) quality time with my Kindle.

Becky’s at work and I’ve had my run, cleaned our house, walked the dog, and up-dated the blog so I guess it’s time for a dip in the lagoon. Life is so busy when you’re a cabana boy (TaDa)!