PADI Oreally

Thought I had better get a blog update in before my buddy Wayne complains again. Apparently you are supposed to update it daily, but the internet is suspect here and the opportunity isn't always available. Much easier to do Facebook updates, and I am a regular chatter box there. Speaking of the internet, it is pathetic enough to affect a decision to move here. Not on it's own but it is a big negative. I was told last night by Ari, my real estate agent, that there is a big initiative in tripling the available bandwidth, something that the monopoly that owns the telephone and internet here, is finally cluing into lost potential.


Meeting a ton of people here, in bars, offices and even walking on the beach. Discovering that I am not that hard to get along with after all.  Everybody has a story to tell me: knows someone I have  talked to the previous day; has met James Ward another good ole Fredericton boy; offers tips on running a business in San Pedro; give background on a particular bar, and on and on. Scuba Steve, my instructor, even pointed out a mobster  to me that  the US and Russian governments are trying to extradite (CNN news story), when he picked me up in his golf course as I was walking into town this morning.Very friendly and open people, probably a little too open for some, but I find it amusing.

So the past few days have been busy. Looking at opportunities, and until yesterday there was nothing even remotely interesting, and working my way through becoming a PADI certified open water diver.  Time is flying by and I am enjoying it immensely.

In the past three days I have done three check out dives, which were really open water dives, written my test and prepared for my final dives tomorrow. I have seen enormous rays, tons of brightly covered fish, and swan with sharks. That was one of the coolest things that I have ever done, watching a line of four sharks following us,  with one of the sharks nudging me on my mask. I selected my instructor for two reasons: he was $150 cheaper than the fancy places, and I would get one on one instruction all the way thorough. In effect, my dive buddy for the five days will have been a certified Master PADI instructor.

Last night I was invited to Happy Hour with Ari and Bob, meeting a pile of people,  including the San Pedro s most famous blogger and the owners of the Wahoo bar. Spent an hour chatting and getting to know them. They hold an event that is internationally known, called the Chicken Drop. They shove a bean up a chickens butt, then put it on a game board and people bet which one it will crap out the bean on. They get 400+ people on their bar and beach and sell a load of beer and tee shirts.

After all that I picked up a Cohiba, and walked 45 mins back too the room along the beach, stopping every so often to fill yup my cup at the various bars along the way. I was told to stick to the road , but Steve says no one is going to bother a "big humble bear like you man, you are OK". I chuckled about that on the way. Baloo it is.

Though the three days have been eventful, it has been much the same, though I am not complaining. Beautiful weather, beautiful water and beautiful view as on the beach.Three more days here then I have to figure out what is next.