When in Rincon

Yesterday, we had a good day gone bad.  When you’re on vacation, you tend to want to be adventurous and go with the flow.  Yeah, you’ll see where that got us. 

Ted and I walked the opposite direction down the beach to find nothing, nothing, and more or nothing until finally, we arrived at a little dive bar on the beach.  There were two other people there and we were in need of a drink (hey, I’m on vacation) after our long walk.  The place was cool and the bartender was great.  He made Ted an authentic mojito (we had been drinking ones that come in plastic Capri Sun-like containers) and I got some fruity girly drink.  We got a dollar's worth of coins and played pool to awesome local tunes until the sun was bright and inviting again. 

Then, we walked back and jumped in the hotel pool and laid out by the ocean until the winds kicked in and chilled us too much. (It's COLD when it drops down to 80 here.)

So far, so good.

That night, despite being a little tired, we decided to conquer the giant hill of Rincon and go to Smilin’ Joe's for drinks and sushi… because they are rumored to host the island’s premiere reggae band on Wednesdays.  We got there, after walking in the pitch black –there might have been two streetlights on the way there, thank God for the full moon – and avoiding two dogs that I think wanted to eat us for dinner. 

Joe's was great.  We got sushi rolls, but the coolest one had coconut shrimp, some kind of tropical sauce and a piece of pineapple –YUM! 

Then, we moved to the bar and made friends with the bartenders and a group of 25 year olds who were on vacation together to catch up on old times.  Around ten, we were getting tired, our buddy had jumped off the roof a few times into the pool and the old people were starting to think they fit it –um no. 

To spice things up, the bartender offered everyone at the bar a “cocoa bean” saying that it would give you lots of energy but be a bit bitter.  He cut one in half for Ted and I to share.  I took one tiny bite and spit it out.  Ted ate his –a manly feat.  Tons of people ate these things. God only knows why. 

We all kept partying for a bit and then headed home.  About ten minutes after arriving home, Ted said he felt VERY sick.  He was up all night long.  It wasn’t from drinking… you may think we are young and naive but we DO know how to handle our liquor –in fact much better than the old woman you smelt like men’s cologne and was wearing a hot pink sequin top with a clashing pink flowy skirt and mingling with unsuspecting younger boys at Joe's.

This morning, things weren’t looking much better for Ted.  Now, as I write this, and my tan fades, I am watching my poor guy lay in an emergency room bed in Rincon with an IV hooked up to his arm.  He had some sort of food poisoning. And, since we poor college students, we have been sharing EVERYTHING we eat. 

The only thing he ate that I didn’t: the COCOA BEAN. 

DO NOT eat raw cocoa beans.  DO not be THAT big of a mooch; just say NO. 

So when in Rome, do not ALWAYS do what the Romans do.     

*** UPDATE: Ted is alive and well.  Apparently, ocean waves, an IV, tons of meds and rest can cure you!