Tues 17 Feb 2015

One loses track of time here. Or, rather, one gains a different perspective of time. We no longer look at our clocks. We gauge our day by the position of the sun. The best times of day to be active are in the early morning and late afternoon, when the sun is not blasting UV rays at full force. It also creates a magnificent light and contrast of colours between the water, beach, sky and forest. Maja calls it the photographer’s golden hour. It’s actually just an excuse to take an obscene number of photos of the same object then obliterate the free space on my hard drive by using my laptop as a back-up.

We’ve discovered another, younger litter of puppies. Super cute, but covered in fleas. Two puppies, from the older litter, have adopted Maja as their supreme leader. They follow her everywhere and even join us on our walks. Although, they get carried back, as they are not strong enough to make it that far. Maja named them Shnuggles and Bitey, because one likes to shnuggle and the other enjoys ripping the flesh from my ankles. She orders an extra portion of rice at every meal and brings it back to the bungalow, with six puppies right behind her.

One of the ladies here has been bringing us different treats every day. Either she’s generous or she’s fattening us up for the next full-moon festival. We have sampled grilled calamari and crab, marinated and spiced. She brought us a desert of banana, coconut milk and other unidentifiable ingredients. This morning she gave us water potato. I found it quite bland, but Maja, being the Scandinavian savage that she is, scoffed them both.

This morning, at high tide, we walked to the rocks where a local man and wife were fishing. Their rods were simply long, flexible branches with gut tied to the tips. The water was so clear we could see the fish, taunting us, from quite a distance. Not having snorkelling gear is a major regret right now.