It was great that we had such a relaxing day yesterday. In addition to enjoying the beach, snorkelling in the lagoon, hanging around (literally) under the palms, and playing endlessly with our gear, the organizers had activities to help us learn about Guadeloupe traditions and culture. First of all, we were staying at the Plage a Fifi, right where Desirade’s annual goat festival takes place. I managed to check it out just at the perfect moment - when the finalists were on the stage for Best Goat Disguise! Whole families - moms with a bunch of kids - were up there parading their dressed-up goats around, and they were more than willing to pose for photos for me. In the afternoon, those of us who were interested learned how to weace placemats and little decorative birds from palm leaves. And we were fed really well, for breakfast, lunch and dinner, tasty and race-appropriate meals at a restaurant right on the beach.
So, at a few minutes after 7 this morning the starting gun went off. I’ve been a bit nervous about being slow - but there was a group of about 5 of us moving slowly at the back of the pack, so I was glad to have people to start out with. We headed east along the paved road that runs the length of the island, right against the coast, with the sun rising ahead of us. The spirit of the locals throughout the day was incredible - gathered on their front porches and on the road, shouting <i>“Courage!�</i> Even at 7am it was already hot, in spite of there being mixed overcast and clear sky about 3 km along the route, a man stood in front of his house with the hose on, spraying us as we passed.
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