…The Canadians, plus Sue, who was now sleeping with one of the Canadians, and of course Gabe, who was sleeping even when awake, all camped about fifty yards from our spot on the beach. One could say that we were close neighbours.
The number of bodies meant that we could live cheaply, sharing the cost of food, etc., but it also meant that we could share the load, i.e. the chores, e.g. fetching water from the sunken well, lighting fires and gathering wood for the fire, shopping, feeding and caring for Gabe, who was now well and truly helpless, etc.
Both camps were easily visible from one another, but the fact, that they were separate was merely a convenience, as most of our time was spent at the Canadian camp. Matthew was also a nearby neighbour, but he preferred to enjoy a modicum of independence. by this time Gabe’s servant had run off, stealing all he could in the process, (what a surprise?) and leaving us to care for Gabe.
Other ex-bus people were scattered nearer the town end of the beach, e.g. the Clacton gang, Mike who was always borrowing, (but never paying back) and his young girlfriend, who was quite friendly with Wes, and began at Colva by living near Wes, but soon he moved into our neighbourhood.
My initial impressions of this part of the world, led me to question my sanity, for indeed here was a paradise right on earth. The struggle to get here after all those weeks was well rewarded. All the problems we had had, all the difficulties slipped with ease from my memory.
The warm Arabian Sea washed onto expansive, empty sandy beaches, that burned into one’s feet, unless one took care and wore shoes or sandals. Coconut-bearing, palm trees towered overhead, the natives were extra-ordinarily friendly towards us, food was almost free, one could survive indefinitely on next to nothing, no hotels, tourists, etc…
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