After a quiet night and some Civ 5 in the A.M. I fired up the dinghy and headed into the marina. I immediately had massive sticker shock. Use of the dinghy dock and marina facilities is $20 per day. I expected a developed area but the marina is reminiscent of Shelter Bay in Panama. With the exception of a small chandelier and a number of marine businesses there is nothing here and "there" is a minimum 1/2 hour walk. The prices in the one restaurant make Bora Bora look cheap. The Internet, although free, is limited in daily use. It may be solid on the docks (I don't know) but the public areas on land are limited to two tables with barely adequate connectivity. There is a nice area set aside as a "cruisers home port." It consists of a covered area, a tented area, and a barbie. Whatever party is happening is the party you bring with you. Surprisingly there is no pub. Laundry is $4 per machine. On the up side the staff is very nice.
I discovered that the local IGY market had a free shuttle bus. They picked me up and took me to "there." The market was small but adequate to my immediate needs. Two big surprises: they don't sell liquor in the grocery stores and cigarettes are $30 per pack! My guess is that a lot of poor kids are going hungry so their parents can buy smokes. When will these governments figure out it is an addiction?
With nothing else to do but sit on a bench by myself I headed back to Reboot after an expensive and mostly unsatisfying lunch. It was a serendipitous choice as the wind picked up to 20+ knots and the chop in the river made the 3/4 mile dinghy ride uncomfortable. Fortunately Reboot is riding pretty well so I am not that uncomfortable. If it dies down I may go back this evening but I expect most people spend the evening on their boats.
Fair winds and following seas :)
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