Nevis Day #3 - Donkeys, coconuts, and a bike course preview

We woke up at 5:30am and dressed for a run. Our short run started on top of a cloud covered hill (the home of our new friend Greg) and ended at the home of his 8 donkeys! I LOVE THEM! First we met Rio, Michael and Star. They are very friendly and we got to play with them a lot. Then we got to meet some of the others who are still a bit tough to approach.

This is Michael. Look at that face!

Greg is training them for donkey tours. In exchange for their donkey tour work they get food and tons of love from one of the nicest guys I've met. I mean honestly, Greg loves these donkeys and can't even stand to miss a day of visiting them. He can explain their personalities and their likes and dislikes. I can totally see why he loves them so much. So we fed them all and walked around with them a bit. To get home, we hiked trails that are centuries old to get back to Greg's house in the clouds.

This nice lady was hanging out by the trail

When we got back to Greg's driveway, he walked into the backyard, pulled some green coconuts off of the coconut tree, then shared some fresh coconut water and coconut meat with us for breakfast. It was unbelievable and one of the best mornings of my life.

Fresh green coconut

Then we were off to the local radio station to be interviewed for their sports radio show! It was super cool to get to be inside of a radio station and to see how everything works. We even got to wear giant headphones and talk into a microphone. Just like in the movies! I mean... we're kind of a big deal.

It was a packed show because after us they interviewed Kristina and Nic of www.worldbycycle.info. They're leaving on Sunday to start a bike ride around the world. Kristina is going for the Guinness Book record as the first woman to complete the trip on the bike. Her story (she is a canadian referred to by the islanders as "our sister") is amazing. You should check these two out.

Then, we checked out the Agricultural Fair and Farmer's Market. I wanted to see everything all at once. There was so much to take in! There was live music and it had educational demonstrations about composting, water reclamation for irrigation, local animal rights, local animals in general, etc. We also got delicious guava smoothies and tasted other local treats. I wished I had a giant bag to buy one of every fruit and vegetable to bring home and eat!

Later, we got back down to business and did a loop of the 20 mile bike course. The race will be 3 loops of the course, plus a separate mini loop. We have *heard things* about the TriStar Nevis 111 race course. Scary things about an Anaconda. The Anaconda is a 5k climb at the start of the loop. Doing the loop 3 times means the Anaconda = 15k of climbing. The climb was definitely brutal, but I feel prepared for it after SLB and because I'm a strong climber. That said, after a fast descent, the course isn't exactly flat. It rolls steadily in a way that suits me well. I'm riding a road bike and VERY happy about that!

We made dinner at home after the ride. It was our stand by, simple, travel meal: a Veggie Rice Bowl. I cooked brown rice, topped that with 2 eggs over easy, black beans, lettuce, onions, and carrots. Also, hot sauce. Never forget the hot sauce. It was a perfect meal.

A perfect end to a day that I would never want to end... except that the days just keep getting better!