Training for Ironman or vacation?

Day 1: 

People, people, people. Here I am again. Exhausted from the day, my back is burning, my head is pounding, and my legs feel like rubber. You're probably wondering why, but it's easily explained. 

The day started bright and early at 5 am - yes, I was awake because I was well-rested, and no, I don't usually wake up this early. Anyway, I made myself a nice breakfast that I could enjoy on the terrace at almost sunrise. That was a great start to the day. I set off at half past eight - the goal: somehow reach the beach on foot, because I didn't have a car, bicycle, or scooter. It was all bearable until kilometer 7 approached and there was still no sign of a beach. I underestimated the size of the island, I must admit. Finally, after a 10 km walk in the morning, I FINALLY reached the beach. It was so beautiful! Hours of being all alone, lonely and abandoned by the deep blue sea with white sand. Truly a dream. 

The hours passed and at lunch time, I decided to go in search of food and then walk to the floating Königin Emma Bridge. As planned, I found a small food stand on the road. A corpulent black woman (probably, I don't want to assume she has children) smiled at me from ear to ear. I asked her about her favorite dish and she prepared it for me after we had a chat: mini ribs. Yes, I'm actually a vegetarian again, but on the island, I would probably starve, so it's cheating time! So I enjoyed the tasty pieces while looking at the sea - very delicious, fresh, and affordable! Hats off to real street food and not the pseudo-shit from Berlin!

Afterwards, as planned, I went to the bridge and took a little stroll through the city center. On a square there were huge letters: once Curacao and once Dushi. What does Dushi mean? Dushi means many things here: nice, tasty, lovely, sexy ... choose whichever you like. 

Unfortunately, it wasn't very dushi for me that I had to somehow walk all the way back. So I looked for a bike rental, because I honestly don't trust myself to ride a scooter - at least not for the first time and on an island where they don't have the same traffic rules and customs as us. I started walking the route and was already exhausted - on top of that, there was the heat and I just didn't want to go on. I've heard several times that the buses here are not for tourists. It's true! There are some 'bus stops' at certain corners (that's what they're called here, funny, right?), but without a fixed schedule (there's not even one hanging), so you can't really know where the bus is going, how much it costs, and when it comes. On quarter of the way, I saw a bus stop with benches - I actually just wanted to take a sip of water and sit down for a moment, but then it appeared like a mirage: THE BUS!!!

Naturally, I didn't hesitate and thought I'd give it a try. So I got on, greeted the bus driver, gave her 2 NAF, and just waited to see where it was going. I had Maps running on the side, so I could follow the route. The bike shop was getting closer and closer, and before I knew it, I got off and only had to walk for 10 minutes. It was a real jackpot! The bus driver could have gone anywhere else. 

In the bike shop (a sports mountain bike professional store), I was the only one there. So all 3 salesmen dedicated themselves to me, and in the end, I walked out with a 20-speed and €3,000 mountain bike. The whole fun cost me 200 $. But for 12 days, that's totally okay, and besides, now I can really explore the whole island - grass, rocks, roads, and everything. Great, isn't it?

Now I'm back in the apartment and totally exhausted. My back is sunburned because my arms aren't long enough to reach everywhere with sunscreen. That's the downside of traveling alone, I'm telling you! Here's a little statistic from my Google Timeline: I walked 16.2 km (3 hours and 2 minutes) and rode 5 km on the bike. Good job! Day 2, here I come. Greetings!