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By Rote or By Boat - Travel to St Thomas and Water Island - Part 1 · I Hate Talking

• 0:29
  Adam: Welcome to episode 124 of I Hate Talking.
• 0:33
  Steph: Hi, everyone.
• 0:34
  Adam: So we have a word that we used in our last episode that is going to be our word or phrase of this episode, and that is the word rote.
• 0:42
  Steph: Okay.
• 0:44
  Adam: So have you researched this in between episodes or have any ideas what it might mean?
• 0:49
  Steph: No, I like to be surprised.
• 0:51
  Adam: That's true.
• 0:52
  Adam: Have you heard the phrase rote compliance?
• 0:55
  Steph: Yeah.
• 0:56
  Adam: Interesting.
• 0:57
  Steph: I think I would have maybe thought rogue compliance.
• 1:00
  Steph: Rogue on rogue.
• 1:03
  Adam: I mean it's maybe in the same vein, rote compliance.
• 1:07
  Adam: I've we'll have to look it up.
• 1:09
  Adam: But when I think of rote compliance, because that's the only like particular phrase that comes to mind when using the word rote has like a formation with other words that are typically used.
• 1:20
  Adam: It's compliance that is not like joyful or very positive in nature.
• 1:29
  Adam: It's more you're just doing it out of duty or necessity.
• 1:34
  Steph: Oh, okay.
• 1:35
  Adam: And I think that probably has some of the aspects of the definition of the word rote.
• 1:41
  Adam: You're doing the same thing where you're doing something out of necessity.
• 1:45
  Steph: Okay.
• 1:45
  Steph: And not so it's not something you want to do.
• 1:49
  Steph: No.
• 1:49
  Steph: But you have to do it.
• 1:51
  Adam: No, I would categorize rote in the same vein as like routine or rut or like just repetition.
• 2:01
  Steph: Okay, but it's ro-t-e.
• 2:03
  Adam: R-O-T-E.
• 2:04
  Steph: Okay.
• 2:05
  Adam: Right.
• 2:06
  Adam: Versus route or root.
• 2:08
  Adam: Right.
• 2:08
  Adam: Or root.
• 2:09
  Adam: Or routine.
• 2:09
  Steph: Well, you may think about it when you said routine.
• 2:13
  Adam: Maybe it may be.
• 2:14
  Adam: It may be the same root root word.
• 2:17
  Steph: Okay.
• 2:18
  Adam: See?
• 2:18
  Adam: And then I used another root.
• 2:20
  Adam: And you can't spell routine without rut.
• 2:27
  Adam: It's a famous saying.
• 2:32
  Steph: I've never heard it before, but I believe you.
• 2:34
  Adam: Alright, so let's check the definition of the word rote.
• 2:39
  Adam: So from our favorite American Heritage Dictionary of the English language, 5th edition, it says, Well, eight definitions.
• 2:49
  Adam: I guess we're getting into words that have lots of different definitions.
• 2:53
  Adam: Okay.
• 2:54
  Adam: So it is a noun.
• 2:57
  Adam: You can also use it as an intransitive verb.
• 3:03
  Adam: So for the noun definitions, number one, a memorizing process using routine or repetition, often without full attention or comprehension.
• 3:14
  Adam: Number two, mechanical routine.
• 3:18
  Adam: Number three, a medieval stringed instrument, variably identified with a lyre, lute, or harp.
• 3:27
  Steph: Oh, weird.
• 3:28
  Steph: Okay.
• 3:28
  Adam: Number four, the sound of surf breaking on the shore.
• 3:32
  Adam: Didn't know that one.
• 3:34
  Steph: I wonder if the does the instrument sound similar to that?
• 3:39
  Steph: Like is that why the name is that?
• 3:42
  Adam: I don't know.
• 3:44
  Adam: I don't think so because it's a stringed instrument, but perhaps.
• 3:49
  Adam: Number five, the noise produced by the surf of the sea dashing upon the shore.
• 3:55
  Adam: So surf breaking and surf dashing.
• 3:59
  Adam: And both those noises are called rote.
• 4:02
  Adam: Number six, a kind of guitar, the notes of which were produced by a small wheel or wheel-like arrangement.
• 4:08
  Adam: Number seven, a root.
• 4:12
  Adam: And it's spelled like root, like a true root.
• 4:17
  Steph: Oh, okay.
• 4:19
  Adam: Number eight, a frequent repetition of forms of speech without attention to the meaning.
• 4:23
  Adam: Mere repetition.
• 4:25
  Adam: Example sentence is to learn rules by rote.
• 4:29
  Steph: Okay.
• 4:29
  Steph: And so that's what you were talking about before, about the meaningless or the unfavorable repetition of doing a task.
• 4:40
  Adam: Yes.
• 4:40
  Adam: Yeah, it would sort of be in line with definitions one and two.
• 4:44
  Adam: So definition two, a mechanical routine, or number one, memorizing process using routine or repetition, often without full attention or comprehension.
• 4:53
  Steph: Okay.
• 4:54
  Steph: So I don't like those because I really hate that mundane repetition.
• 4:59
  Steph: But I do love the waves crashing on the shore.
• 5:04
  Adam: Yes.
• 5:05
  Steph: So I can love that kind of rope.
• 5:07
  Adam: Mm-hmm.
• 5:07
  Adam: Indeed.
• 5:08
  Adam: I was completely unaware of those particular definitions regarding the surf and the noise that it makes, as well as the stringed instruments.
• 5:21
  Adam: So on to the etymology of this particular word, and there's not clear etymology.
• 5:32
  Adam: So there definitely was Middle English usage in the 1300s, and the word rote kind came to be used as a custom or habit.
• 5:47
  Adam: And there's some overlap with the phrases by rote, meaning by heart.
• 5:54
  Adam: So if you memorize something by heart, you would memorize it by rote.
• 5:59
  Adam: Because I guess if you do something rote, then it will be well known and you have memorized it by heart.
• 6:07
  Steph: Okay.
• 6:07
  Steph: Because you just you know it so well that you don't think about it.
• 6:10
  Steph: Right.
• 6:11
  Steph: It's just second nature.
• 6:11
  Steph: Right.
• 6:12
  Adam: It doesn't require comprehension.
• 6:13
  Adam: Yeah.
• 6:15
  Adam: And then by the 1500s, it began to signify a fixed or unchanging routine, particularly in learning or reciting.
• 6:22
  Adam: Now there's some particular theories here that it relates to the Latin word rota, which is associated with concepts of rotation and circular motion.
• 6:36
  Steph: Okay.
• 6:36
  Steph: Well, that definitely makes sense at least for the guitar.
• 6:39
  Adam: Right.
• 6:39
  Adam: That would be the rote guitar and perhaps the stringed instrument as well.
• 6:44
  Adam: And I guess when you think about it, the ocean is circular in nature with the waves breaking and then receding and then doing that again and again.
• 6:53
  Steph: Mm-hmm.
• 6:54
  Steph: And yeah, doing the same task or memorization thing over and over till it's second nature.
• 7:01
  Steph: So I guess that's what it makes a little sense why they're all connected.
• 7:05
  Steph: But at first glance I didn't see a connection at all.
• 7:09
  Adam: Indeed, yes.
• 7:10
  Adam: So searching for rote etymology for the surf sound.
• 7:15
  Adam: It is because it is mechanical and repetitive.
• 7:19
  Adam: The repetitive sound of the surf.
• 7:22
  Adam: Okay.
• 7:23
  Adam: Or rote as the noun.
• 7:26
  Adam: Nice.
• 7:27
  Adam: So something that was not rote, which I guess is not.
• 7:32
  Adam: I mean you've been using this word wrong because I would think of more of routine.
• 7:37
  Adam: But I guess it has more to do with repetition, mindless repetition for the sake of memorization, particularly.
• 7:44
  Adam: Adjacent, but it would probably be better to use the word routine than.
• 7:54
  Steph: There you go.
• 7:56
  Adam: So I guess I will correct myself.
• 7:59
  Adam: So not necessarily rote, but something that was not routine was our recent beach vacation trip, which I guess is related and apt that we're talking about the sounds of the surf because it was a beach vacation trip.
• 8:13
  Steph: Yeah.
• 8:13
  Steph: We had lots of how would you use it in a sentence?
• 8:16
  Steph: Rote waves?
• 8:18
  Steph: We spent a long time enjoying the rote of the ocean.
• 8:22
  Steph: Use it in a sentence.
• 8:26
  Adam: Yeah, so we sat on the beach and enjoyed the rote of the ocean.
• 8:32
  Adam: Okay, there you go.
• 8:33
  Adam: Because it's just a noun.
• 8:34
  Adam: Which is interesting because rote compliance would actually be used as an adjective.
• 8:40
  Adam: So is that even a correct phrase?
• 8:43
  Steph: Maybe because just mindless you're just doing the task, right?
• 8:49
  Adam: Right.
• 8:50
  Steph: You're not thinking about why you're setting those boxes over there.
• 8:54
  Steph: You're just doing it over and over and over again because you were told to.
• 9:01
  Adam: Perhaps I'll have to do some more research because when I search for rote compliance as a phrase, nothing really comes up.
• 9:10
  Steph: Is this a phrase that in the business world you all use?
• 9:13
  Adam: No, I would think more of it with like doing something like I said at the start, out of necessity.
• 9:21
  Adam: Not a particular positive thing, but I don't know.
• 9:29
  Steph: But it's not a business world.
• 9:31
  Adam: I mean, when I search for a rote compliance phrase with quotes in it, there are some results about rote compliance as it relates to ensuring adherence to regulations, particularly in the healthcare sector.
• 9:43
  Adam: So focuses on continuous analysis and monitoring rather than one-time audits is rote compliance in the medical world.
• 9:53
  Adam: That is not how I'm using it either.
• 9:55
  Adam: So I don't know.
• 9:57
  Adam: You our listeners can let us know in a comment, text, or email if you've ever heard this particular phrase.
• 10:04
  Adam: Maybe it's just me and I have no idea where it has come from.
• 10:08
  Adam: So back to our beach trip.
• 10:12
  Adam: I think that will be the topic for this episode, and then probably the next episode, and then maybe even a third.
• 10:19
  Steph: Yeah, we have a lot to talk about.
• 10:20
  Adam: We have a lot to talk about.
• 10:21
  Adam: So like I said, this was not routine because we went to a relatively exotic location, I suppose.
• 10:31
  Adam: And normally we would do a beach vacation maybe once every year.
• 10:39
  Adam: Sometimes there would be a break in between, and that would usually be a beach within driving distance.
• 10:44
  Adam: So we've probably talked about some of those in past episodes with some things to like Florida beaches or California beaches or things of that nature.
• 10:52
  Adam: But that was not this.
• 10:54
  Adam: We had to fly there.
• 10:55
  Steph: Yes, we could not physically drive there because we went to St.
• 11:00
  Steph: Thomas.
• 11:00
  Steph: We did in the Virgin Islands.
• 11:03
  Adam: St.
• 11:03
  Adam: Thomas, U.S.
• 11:04
  Adam: Virgin Islands, and they all speak English there.
• 11:07
  Adam: So that was nice.
• 11:08
  Adam: I guess it wasn't too exotic, right?
• 11:10
  Adam: We still went to somewhere that spoke English, used American currency, and but they drive on the left side of the road.
• 11:16
  Adam: They do drive on the left side of the road.
• 11:18
  Steph: It was different.
• 11:18
  Adam: With right-handed cars, which was strange to me.
• 11:21
  Steph: Was it easier or harder to drive left side of the road with a right-handed car?
• 11:27
  Adam: Yeah, I guess it was easier because you didn't have to worry about like where the turn signal and the windshield wipers are.
• 11:33
  Adam: That was some mistake that I would always make in Australia, driving on the left side of the road from the right side of the car.
• 11:41
  Adam: So basically everything's opposite.
• 11:43
  Adam: And it's hard to remember your muscle memory for using the turn signal.
• 11:48
  Steph: Yeah.
• 11:48
  Adam: Oftentimes I would turn on the windshield wipers when I was trying to signal.
• 11:52
  Steph: Hey, I was at Costco and I kept walking on the left, like getting in people's way with my cart.
• 11:58
  Steph: And then I was like, am I walking on the left side of the road like or the left side of the you know aisle intentional?
• 12:04
  Steph: Like I was shocked at like why I kept doing that.
• 12:08
  Steph: I was like, is this already ingrained in me, or am I just like out of touch today?
• 12:12
  Steph: I don't know.
• 12:13
  Steph: But I did think of that and like, whoa, one week in the Virgin Islands, and I'm like walking all on the wrong side of the road.
• 12:21
  Adam: Indeed, they do walk on the left side as well.
• 12:24
  Adam: So that's something to keep in mind.
• 12:27
  Adam: And then normally we would, like I said, have a more domestic trip, but we've been saving up for Hawaii and opted to go to St.
• 12:41
  Adam: Thomas instead of Hawaii, and I guess it's good we did because of El Nino.
• 12:45
  Steph: Yeah, they are getting hit pretty bad right now with um weather.
• 12:50
  Steph: Has the hurricane hit them yet?
• 12:52
  Steph: It was about to, right?
• 12:54
  Adam: Yes.
• 12:55
  Steph: Hurricane Lau has there's like two that are gonna glide, right?
• 12:59
  Adam: Yes, they they hit Kwai, so they're pretty underwater.
• 13:05
  Steph: We had a hurricane.
• 13:06
  Steph: I don't scare if it's the right word.
• 13:09
  Steph: There was one dolly.
• 13:11
  Steph: That's when it was gonna hit right before we got there.
• 13:15
  Steph: You were tracking that.
• 13:16
  Steph: I opted not to track it because we'd already paid for everything.
• 13:20
  Steph: And so if it was bad enough, we wouldn't go, obviously, for safety reasons.
• 13:25
  Steph: Otherwise, we're gonna go, even if it's bad weather, because everything was already paid.
• 13:30
  Steph: So I was just stressed every time I heard about it.
• 13:34
  Steph: So I just pretended like nothing happened, and nothing did happen.
• 13:38
  Adam: Nothing, yeah, for all intents and purposes.
• 13:41
  Adam: Dolly broke apart.
• 13:43
  Adam: There was some rain, maybe a little bit of wind, but that was mainly the day before we got there with a little bit left over on the day that we arrived.
• 13:51
  Adam: So pretty much excellent weather throughout the entire week that we were there.
• 13:57
  Adam: A couple rain showers here and there, and I think there was one day that had maybe some thunder showers, but it did not really impact any particular activities or anything like that.
• 14:07
  Steph: No, yeah, we really lucked out, and even with Hurricane Dolly, it was supposed to hit and didn't, some locals were telling you that it was difficult because I guess a lot of people canceled their plans because of the Dolly broke away, and so you know, nothing happened, but all the locals were losing business because obviously tourism's big for them.
• 14:29
  Steph: Worked great for us because we had so much privacy and basically the place to ourselves.
• 14:36
  Adam: That's true.
• 14:37
  Adam: There are certainly were not a lot of people there, and the people that were there were only there temporarily because I guess people don't really go to St.
• 14:47
  Adam: Thomas, they more have it as a stopover, like one day a port call for their cruises.
• 14:54
  Steph: Yeah.
• 14:54
  Steph: So we kind of became uh local-ish.
• 14:57
  Steph: We even were invited to hang out with the locals at one point, you and I, like after a few days there.
• 15:03
  Steph: So I think after being there, and didn't someone ask us if we were moving?
• 15:06
  Steph: They asked me, right?
• 15:06
  Steph: Like, do we do y'all live here now?
• 15:09
  Steph: So yeah, it was not normal because that was on a different so St.
• 15:12
  Steph: Thomas is the big island.
• 15:14
  Steph: Quote unquote, big island.
• 15:17
  Steph: But we spent most of our time on Water Island, which is what, two and a half miles?
• 15:24
  Adam: Right, it requires a boat ride, a water taxi of sorts, and yeah, it was probably about mile and a half or two miles, I think, away from the main island of St.
• 15:35
  Adam: Thomas.
• 15:36
  Steph: Which is amazing.
• 15:37
  Steph: I loved your time on Water Island, highly recommend it.
• 15:41
  Steph: But yeah, that's when the locals invited us to start hanging out with them and asked us if we were moving there.
• 15:47
  Adam: That's true.
• 15:48
  Adam: So to give an overview, right, we flew from our home airport.
• 15:53
  Adam: Well, not really though.
• 15:54
  Adam: We drove four hours to a cheaper airport and then flew flew via Orlando to the Cyril E.
• 16:04
  Adam: King airport located on St.
• 16:06
  Adam: Thomas, and then from there transferred via water taxi to Water Island and stayed there three nights.
• 16:13
  Adam: Is that correct?
• 16:14
  Adam: And then we transferred back via water taxi from Water Island to the main island of St.
• 16:21
  Adam: Thomas and then stayed there an additional three nights and then flew back and then drove back.
• 16:29
  Steph: Then drove back the four hours.
• 16:31
  Adam: Yes, it was long days of travel on both the front and the end.
• 16:35
  Adam: But that's the general overview of our trip.
• 16:38
  Steph: Yeah.
• 16:38
  Steph: But when you're playing for flights for six people, it was worth driving four hours to save so much money on flights.
• 16:46
  Adam: And another travel hack that we did is the actual day of travel on the beginning of the trip was not quite as bad because we broke that up into the drive and then a stay at a hotel near the airport and then the day of f flying.
• 17:02
  Adam: And by doing so, you can sometimes have hotels that will offer a park and go rate.
• 17:08
  Adam: So we paid for the hotel room and an only an extra twenty dollars.
• 17:11
  Steph: Yeah, to park.
• 17:12
  Adam: To park for the entire week.
• 17:14
  Steph: So it was cheaper.
• 17:16
  Steph: I mean, almost.
• 17:17
  Steph: I guess it slightly costs us more than if we had just drove in straight to the airport and paid for airport parking.
• 17:24
  Steph: I think it was just a couple bucks more, and we got a night in a hotel.
• 17:29
  Steph: We didn't have to start the vacation.
• 17:32
  Adam: It was far less money.
• 17:33
  Adam: It would have been it would have been like $140 at the airport, because it would have been twenty dollars a day versus one twenty dollar charge at the hotel.
• 17:41
  Steph: Okay.
• 17:41
  Steph: Yeah, and then the night stay.
• 17:44
  Steph: So yeah, definitely check that out if y'all are uh having to stay somewhere far.
• 17:47
  Steph: Like park.
• 17:49
  Steph: Because yeah, a lot of hotels will have a deal like that.
• 17:53
  Steph: And then we just took the shuttle to the airport and then yesterday took the air shuttle back to the hotel and picked up our car.
• 18:04
  Adam: There you go.
• 18:05
  Adam: So I guess we'll focus on the arrival at the airport and then our water island stay for the remainder of this episode, and we'll see where it takes us, and we'll do St.
• 18:19
  Adam: Thomas next time or the time after or however it works.
• 18:23
  Adam: We have no plan if you can tell.
• 18:25
  Adam: We did have a pretty robust plan for the trip.
• 18:28
  Adam: We did, but not for the podcast.
• 18:30
  Adam: Recapping the trip.
• 18:33
  Steph: So yeah, I like that plan.
• 18:34
  Steph: Before we get started, would you recommend Water Island?
• 18:41
  Adam: If it's your style, it has a very distinct style.
• 18:44
  Adam: Okay.
• 18:45
  Adam: Like if you want if you if you want to go like resort.
• 18:48
  Adam: Yes, be weighted on hand and foot and like have activities to do and like have an itinerary where you're gonna like do something different every day, then Water Island is not the resort for you.
• 19:03
  Adam: Because it's not even a resort.
• 19:05
  Adam: It's far from a resort.
• 19:07
  Adam: Now, if you want like no people and no busyness, but if you are looking for a slow pace and not a lot of people and not a lot of activities and just want to relax, then yes, Water Island would be good.
• 19:26
  Steph: Okay, yeah, I agree.
• 19:27
  Steph: Yeah, if your ideal vacation is just a go-kart and reading books and swimming with sea life, then Water Island.
• 19:40
  Steph: But if you're wanting fast-paced cars or dancing or zip lines or anything like that, this is in it.
• 19:51
  Adam: Right.
• 19:52
  Adam: And even St.
• 19:52
  Adam: Thomas probably is not really that either.
• 19:55
  Steph: Yeah.
• 19:56
  Adam: St.
• 19:56
  Adam: Thomas has very specific things that you can go do, and that's about it.
• 20:00
  Adam: And it's not gonna have like a whole host of different quote unquote chorus T options to do.
• 20:06
  Steph: Yeah, I agree.
• 20:06
  Steph: I think it's probably a specific taste, but it is our taste.
• 20:13
  Steph: And so you want to talk about, like you said, the travel there?
• 20:18
  Adam: Well, I was going to start with our landing at the airport.
• 20:22
  Steph: Okay.
• 20:23
  Adam: Because I don't I mean, I guess we can talk about the car ride and the hotel stay and the flight.
• 20:30
  Adam: We did I mean, we told people that we did it, but I mean it was relatively uneventful.
• 20:36
  Adam: So, like, there wasn't anything crazy out of the ordinary for any of that stuff, right?
• 20:41
  Adam: Right.
• 20:41
  Adam: We drove on the right side of the road, stayed at a hotel, flew on an airplane, did a connection, flew on the final airplane, and that was pretty much it, right?
• 20:51
  Steph: Yep.
• 20:52
  Steph: I the only thing I'll say is when we're talking about the hotel and the shuttle, our flight took off.
• 20:57
  Steph: We had to leave the hotel at uh 4 15 a.m.
• 21:01
  Steph: And it was us and our four children and one male in his what late 50s probably.
• 21:10
  Steph: And he was already waiting for the shuttle when we got there, and I could just see his heart like deflate when our kids came bouncing in.
• 21:19
  Steph: And he was like, Oh no, like I have to be in the car with these people.
• 21:24
  Adam: But the kids were good, they were they're it's only a four-minute drive, so it wasn't like he was stuck on an airplane with them.
• 21:30
  Adam: Right.
• 21:31
  Steph: But you could just see that he was just like, oh no, because he was tired, I think, and wasn't up for children's antics.
• 21:39
  Steph: But our kids were quiet the whole way and it was fine.
• 21:43
  Adam: There you go.
• 21:44
  Steph: But I was a little stressed, like guys just don't ruin his morning place.
• 21:48
  Adam: Yep.
• 21:49
  Adam: So we landed at the airport, and they did have a like a touristy welcome type thing.
• 21:58
  Adam: So that was something that they did.
• 22:01
  Adam: And are you gonna say what it was?
• 22:04
  Adam: Well, they had like greeters, so they were like, Welcome to St.
• 22:07
  Adam: Thomas and everything, and all that.
• 22:09
  Adam: Very Hawaii ish.
• 22:11
  Adam: Yes, no lanes or anything more.
• 22:12
  Adam: No lit now.
• 22:13
  Steph: But but they were dressed similar and welcome people.
• 22:16
  Adam: Yep.
• 22:16
  Steph: And then they had shots.
• 22:17
  Steph: Right.
• 22:18
  Adam: They had free rum shots for anyone of age, which I guess in the US territories is eighteen, yes.
• 22:27
  Steph: Yeah, so eighteen, that's what everything said.
• 22:29
  Steph: And uh yeah, there were just several shots lined up, and I took one.
• 22:35
  Adam: But well, I think that's all you're allowed to have.
• 22:38
  Steph: No, there were multiple places.
• 22:39
  Adam: Oh, multiple places.
• 22:40
  Steph: There's multiple people holding them.
• 22:42
  Adam: Oh, I see.
• 22:43
  Adam: I suppose so.
• 22:44
  Steph: I don't know.
• 22:45
  Steph: But yeah, so that was interesting to be like, okay, this we're starting vacation, strong.
• 22:49
  Steph: Here we go.
• 22:51
  Adam: Indeed.
• 22:52
  Adam: So then we took a taxi from the airport to the Crown Bay Marina.
• 23:01
  Steph: That might have been one of the most stressful parts of the trip.
• 23:04
  Adam: Was it a taxi ride?
• 23:05
  Steph: Because there were so many taxi people.
• 23:07
  Steph: There were so many, like everyone was, you know, arriving and trying to get places and do stuff.
• 23:13
  Steph: And we had talked about walking there to save money.
• 23:17
  Steph: But we were all so tired and we're like, you know what?
• 23:21
  Steph: We're just gonna splurge just to start vacations drawn versus everyone being grumpy and miserable.
• 23:28
  Adam: Right.
• 23:29
  Steph: So it was just kind of a little overwhelming to be like, I don't know where to go.
• 23:33
  Steph: Everyone was really hungry and tired and like just anxious, I think, to get situated.
• 23:41
  Adam: I suppose so.
• 23:41
  Adam: But I think it was a relatively easy taxi experience because they have like a taxi board that oversees all the taxis that go in and out of the airport and most of the major attractions.
• 23:56
  Adam: Now there are freelance taxis, and I guess those are maybe a little bit more shady with their fares and things like that.
• 24:05
  Adam: But the taxi board that oversees the main destinations actually has posted prices, and that is what the taxi drivers abide by.
• 24:14
  Adam: So you do know what you're paying for up front.
• 24:16
  Adam: Now the thing to consider is that you pay per person instead of per trip.
• 24:21
  Adam: Right.
• 24:22
  Adam: So I think to the marina, it was maybe like eight dollars a person or something like that.
• 24:28
  Steph: It was ten.
• 24:29
  Steph: Ten.
• 24:29
  Steph: Ten a person.
• 24:30
  Steph: And even yeah, we had to find one that was big enough for all of us too.
• 24:34
  Adam: Correct.
• 24:35
  Steph: Not all.
• 24:36
  Adam: Because they have a person that does that, and you just tell them where you want to go and how many people you have and what luggage you have, and they go find you the person and do all that.
• 24:44
  Steph: Yeah, so it was ten dollars a person plus tip.
• 24:46
  Steph: Right.
• 24:47
  Steph: And so it was a little I you know, I like to save money where I can.
• 24:52
  Steph: So a little like over a mile down the road was a little frustrating to pay that price.
• 24:56
  Steph: But we had our stuff, and it wasn't a convenient walk at all.
• 25:00
  Steph: No, it was main highways, like yeah, it was it was gonna be bad.
• 25:06
  Steph: So I'm glad we did.
• 25:08
  Adam: Yes.
• 25:08
  Adam: So we did the taxi ride and paid via Venmo.
• 25:15
  Steph: Yeah.
• 25:16
  Adam: So there you go.
• 25:17
  Steph: We were told that in cash, that they basically only do cash there.
• 25:21
  Steph: So we did.
• 25:23
  Steph: We uh went to the bank, made sure we got the cash and kind of thing like that.
• 25:28
  Steph: But a lot of places took Venmo, which was great.
• 25:31
  Steph: I was happy to pay Venmo wherever I could.
• 25:35
  Adam: Yeah, I was also surprised at how many places took credit card.
• 25:37
  Adam: I was expecting to pay much more of the transactions with cash, but we were able to use credit card successfully at a number of establishments.
• 25:46
  Adam: Some places even preferred the credit card.
• 25:48
  Adam: I don't know why.
• 25:49
  Steph: Yeah.
• 25:50
  Steph: So, yeah, and then we got the water taxi.
• 25:57
  Adam: We did.
• 25:58
  Adam: So we paid that by person as well, which was twenty dollars a person round trip.
• 26:04
  Adam: Well, for adults and ten dollars round trip for kids and two dollars per extra luggage.
• 26:11
  Adam: So you'd have like your carry-on for free.
• 26:13
  Adam: So our backpacks were free, but our extra luggage, which was one roller bag, because we did travel light, yeah, cost two dollars.
• 26:21
  Steph: So each one of us, because again, it's the airlines bags aren't free to check, anyways.
• 26:26
  Steph: So yeah, we each took our backpack that had our clothing in it and whatever we needed for the week.
• 26:31
  Steph: And then we had a roller bag that had like our snorkel gear and our one kid's life.
• 26:38
  Steph: He's a good swimmer, but our youngest is still young, so we like to have a life s for him, especially in like choppy water.
• 26:46
  Steph: Um, and things like that, water shoes, like things like that, and that roller bag.
• 26:51
  Steph: And we also brought a cooler too, with a bunch of food.
• 26:57
  Steph: We'll talk about that in a minute.
• 26:59
  Steph: We did, so we brought a ton of food with us.
• 27:01
  Adam: Yes, but that did save us on rental fees for life jackets or snorkel gear or water shoes or anything because we had all that with us.
• 27:08
  Steph: Yeah, so the airlines, then we didn't pay for baggage because everyone was allowed a personal item and overhead item.
• 27:17
  Steph: We only had two overhead items, and then yes, then we decided to pay for that on the boat, which is two dollars and again worth it because we own the snorkel gear and all that, anyways.
• 27:31
  Steph: And I think it was often like $15 to $20 a day or an hour.
• 27:36
  Steph: I'm not quite sure.
• 27:36
  Adam: Well, it's different by different places.
• 27:38
  Adam: I think the water island was far cheaper.
• 27:41
  Adam: I think it was for the whole day, you could have it for like $15 or something like that.
• 27:44
  Adam: There are other places that we went on the main island that were much more expensive.
• 27:49
  Adam: I think that was like $10 an hour or something like that.
• 27:51
  Steph: But we did lose some snorkel stuff, so we actually only have one.
• 27:54
  Steph: We didn't lose it, it broke.
• 27:56
  Steph: Hmm.
• 27:57
  Steph: You want to talk about what happened?
• 28:00
  Adam: Well, it broke and then we lost a piece to it.
• 28:02
  Steph: So one of our kids, you don't want me to tell?
• 28:05
  Adam: You can.
• 28:06
  Steph: One of our kids was using one of the snorkels, and we brought three with us.
• 28:11
  Steph: One broke fairly easy, it was a cheapy one, but we had two nice sets.
• 28:15
  Steph: And so one of our kids was using the second nice set, and he brings over something to you and says, Hey, what's this?
• 28:24
  Steph: And you're like, I don't know.
• 28:25
  Steph: And you just dropped it in the ocean.
• 28:27
  Steph: I think you just thought he found it, right?
• 28:29
  Steph: He likes to collect shells and all that.
• 28:32
  Adam: Yeah.
• 28:32
  Steph: Well, it ended up being the sealer part of the snorkel, and then it was lost in the ocean.
• 28:39
  Steph: So it was like small, it was clear, see-through.
• 28:43
  Steph: Um, and it's forever lost in the ocean.
• 28:47
  Steph: Hopefully, no fish swallows it.
• 28:49
  Steph: But then immediately we realized after it was dropped, he was like, Because the snorkel doesn't work.
• 28:54
  Steph: Oh.
• 28:56
  Adam: Yep, it was the gasket to the snorkel.
• 28:59
  Steph: And it doesn't work anymore.
• 29:01
  Adam: No, it is in the trash in St.
• 29:03
  Adam: Thomas.
• 29:04
  Steph: So we did have some casualties, but we've owned our nice snorkel gear for about 15 years now.
• 29:12
  Adam: Yeah, I guess so.
• 29:13
  Steph: So, you know, they had a nice long life.
• 29:16
  Steph: So if we have to rebuy new ones, at least another set, it's not a problem.
• 29:20
  Adam: That's true.
• 29:22
  Adam: So perhaps we will conclude this episode with our mode of transport, and then we'll talk more about the activities on Water Island in our next episode.
• 29:32
  Adam: But there are no cars, though there are cars.
• 29:37
  Adam: So I was this would be a theme in the next couple episodes, I think, because I personally did a lot of research by watching YouTube travel people, and I was very frustrated at their lack of information because it seemed like they knew what they were talking about, and they did just a degree know what they were talking about, like for the actual destinations, but like the mechanics of actually getting there or like the accuracy with which they described certain things was lacking.
• 30:09
  Adam: Yeah.
• 30:10
  Steph: Yeah.
• 30:11
  Steph: Um, so hey, you know, we're on podcasts, so maybe Spotify is more reliable than YouTube.
• 30:18
  Steph: But I guess we're on YouTube.
• 30:21
  Adam: Well, I don't know.
• 30:22
  Adam: We're not in video.
• 30:24
  Steph: So um, yeah, we did a lot of research beforehand.
• 30:27
  Steph: We were told that there were no vehicles on Water Island.
• 30:31
  Steph: There are a few, but not very many.
• 30:34
  Steph: So I think we could not rent a vehicle, is probably the purpose of the conversation.
• 30:39
  Adam: That's true.
• 30:40
  Adam: But there were vehicles on the island.
• 30:41
  Adam: There were people that were driving cars on the left side of the road, but the only thing available to rent, and what we did rent was a golf cart.
• 30:49
  Steph: Yes.
• 30:49
  Steph: It was a little tricky because they only have four two or four per passengers, and we're a family of six.
• 30:56
  Steph: Now we could have opted to rent two, but instead we like to save money, and we rented one, and you did multiple trips.
• 31:03
  Adam: Right, which worked out pretty well because Water Island is not all that big.
• 31:07
  Adam: Like I said, I'm pretty sure that over the course of our time there, going to different destinations and going back and forth from the beach to our rental unit and doing a little bit of exploring that I drove on every road of Water Island that was publicly accessible.
• 31:26
  Steph: Yeah, yes.
• 31:27
  Steph: So and yeah, everything was like four minutes away or so.
• 31:31
  Steph: All of it was walkable even, except it is worth it to get the goat cart because everything's hilly.
• 31:40
  Adam: Did you uh actually walk up and down any hills?
• 31:42
  Steph: Yes.
• 31:43
  Adam: Which one?
• 31:44
  Steph: The one from the I walked down the hill from the Garra Fort.
• 31:49
  Steph: Um that one was a really steep hill, and two of our kids were terrified on it.
• 31:54
  Steph: Uh how steep it was.
• 31:56
  Steph: It had a ton of potholes.
• 31:57
  Steph: Most of the roads were pretty good, but that was a really rough road.
• 32:02
  Steph: And so you were taking down our older ones.
• 32:05
  Steph: So I walked with the other ones down the hill.
• 32:08
  Steph: And oh man, that would have been miserable to walk up that.
• 32:12
  Steph: That was so steep.
• 32:14
  Adam: That's true.
• 32:14
  Steph: Walking downhill was okay, but yeah, that's what I'm saying.
• 32:17
  Steph: Like walking downhill's okay, but everything would have been walking uphill, it would have just not been fun.
• 32:24
  Adam: Agreed.
• 32:24
  Adam: Yes, I was asking because when I dropped off the golf cart at the end of the trip, the shuttle was not ready.
• 32:31
  Adam: So I opted to walk to You walked?
• 32:34
  Adam: I walked from the dinghy's bar to the To the boat.
• 32:41
  Adam: To the boat.
• 32:41
  Steph: Oh, I didn't know you did that.
• 32:42
  Steph: I didn't know that.
• 32:43
  Adam: Yes, you did.
• 32:44
  Steph: No, I didn't.
• 32:45
  Adam: Oh no, I told you that I did.
• 32:47
  Steph: Oh, I don't know.
• 32:48
  Adam: And then that was uh it's not very far, but it is very steep.
• 32:52
  Adam: Yeah.
• 32:52
  Adam: Because I had to walk up the hill and then down another hill.
• 32:56
  Steph: Okay, well see, I didn't never had to walk up a hill.
• 32:58
  Steph: I walked down always.
• 33:00
  Steph: But yeah, so that's why I mean the golf carts are definitely worth it.
• 33:04
  Steph: Even if it was just a four-minute golf cart ride, walking is not enjoyable.
• 33:11
  Adam: Correct.
• 33:12
  Adam: Because of the hills.
• 33:13
  Steph: Yes.
• 33:14
  Steph: Yes.
• 33:14
  Steph: Everything's very hilly, but very fun.
• 33:17
  Steph: Was it hard?
• 33:18
  Steph: You rode the golf cart, drove the golf cart the whole time because we would have had to pay extra for me to drive.
• 33:27
  Steph: So I fully enjoyed just being a passenger princess and enjoying it.
• 33:34
  Steph: But was it hard one to drive left-handed and was it hard on the left side of the road?
• 33:40
  Steph: And was it hard to drive a golf cart?
• 33:43
  Adam: I would say it was easy to drive the golf cart.
• 33:46
  Adam: The hills did make it a little bit interesting.
• 33:49
  Adam: And then, like you mentioned, the drive up to Fort Segura and down, and then back up, and then back down, because I did multiple trips.
• 33:59
  Steph: Because you dropped me off with kids, and then you had to go back at other kids.
• 34:03
  Adam: Right.
• 34:03
  Steph: Luckily, and again, that's a good thing.
• 34:05
  Steph: We have older kids now.
• 34:06
  Steph: If we had a bunch of toddlers, obviously we couldn't leave them.
• 34:10
  Adam: Yeah, but then they would have been light enough to fit on there and be like two passengers as one, though.
• 34:17
  Adam: If they were little.
• 34:18
  Steph: Yeah.
• 34:19
  Steph: You did try you did try to say that at one point.
• 34:22
  Steph: Like, well, if you put these two together, they're the size of an adult.
• 34:26
  Steph: But um they were watching us.
• 34:30
  Adam: Yep.
• 34:32
  Adam: And then you didn't really drive on the left side of the road because of all the different potholes and bumps.
• 34:38
  Adam: So you sort of just went where the road's narrow too.
• 34:41
  Steph: Like two cars.
• 34:44
  Steph: How many times do you think you actually approached another vehicle?
• 34:46
  Adam: I think I've only passed anybody going the opposite direction twice.
• 34:49
  Adam: Uh yeah, yes, over the whole three days and all the different driving that we did.
• 34:53
  Adam: I think only twice.
• 34:54
  Adam: I encountered a vehicle or cart going the opposite direction.
• 35:00
  Steph: Yeah.
• 35:00
  Steph: And it's very I mean, then it was narrow if you both have to go side to side.
• 35:05
  Steph: So that wasn't it was a nice start, probably, for you driving on the left side, just to kind of get used to it.
• 35:13
  Steph: Because once you get to St.
• 35:14
  Steph: Thomas, it's a road.
• 35:16
  Adam: It's a road, and there's some crazy drivers.
• 35:18
  Adam: So that was our preliminary golf cart experience.
• 35:24
  Steph: Yeah, and our one kid, that was his favorite part of the vacation.
• 35:27
  Steph: You took him at one point in his was exploring, and you guys just hit the road.
• 35:33
  Steph: And I don't know where all you want, but he had the best time.
• 35:39
  Adam: Yeah, I think we went on every road.
• 35:41
  Adam: I mean, like I said, not that particular trip, but I think that trip was the one that we rounded out all the different things.
• 35:48
  Steph: We do have one of my favorite photos from the vacation um was you taking a selfie of you two together.
• 35:54
  Steph: I don't know if you were driving, I think you were, but maybe you were stopped.
• 35:58
  Steph: Safely.
• 36:00
  Steph: And you're smile, you're driving, and you're smiling, and he looks terrified and so disapproving.
• 36:07
  Steph: And so it's just so funny because I can just see you be like, smile, and he's like, look at the road.
• 36:13
  Adam: That's true.
• 36:15
  Steph: But that was his favorite part of vacation.
• 36:17
  Steph: And I think that's what he'll remember always is that afternoon when you two just went rogue, not rote, but rogue, and all around Water Island.
• 36:29
  Adam: There you go.
• 36:30
  Adam: So that is our preliminary recap of Water Island.
• 36:34
  Adam: We haven't even talked about the beach or Wi Mart or Dingy's Bar and Grill, quote unquote, and granite beach and our rental unit.
• 36:46
  Adam: So more to come in the next episode, and maybe this will turn into a four-part series because we haven't even got to uh St.
• 36:53
  Adam: Thomas hardly at all.
• 36:55
  Steph: But once again, if you want the laid-back, kill life, this is where to go, and I will forever love this place and happily go back.
• 37:06
  Steph: So keep listening, and maybe we'll convince you all to go, or maybe you're planning on going, and hopefully we can give you better advice than other people gave.
• 37:17
  Adam: So, real quickly, because I wanted to see what the population of Water Island is and this is not something we looked up beforehand of our trip, or even before this episode, but would you like to guess the population of Water Island?
• 37:34
  Steph: Twenty.
• 37:35
  Adam: Yeah.
• 37:36
  Adam: 182.
• 37:38
  Steph: Oh.
• 37:38
  Adam: But I bet they probably weren't even there all the time because a lot of these places might be like beach houses or summer vacation homes or something.
• 37:46
  Steph: Right.
• 37:46
  Steph: But they don't have a church, right?
• 37:47
  Steph: I did look that up.
• 37:48
  Steph: There's no church on the island.
• 37:50
  Steph: They all have to go to St.
• 37:52
  Steph: Thomas on Sundays, right?
• 37:54
  Steph: Yep.
• 37:54
  Steph: Is that true on there?
• 37:55
  Adam: That's true.
• 37:56
  Adam: Plus, we didn't get into the gated communities, so maybe more people live in the gated community.
• 38:00
  Adam: I didn't see that.
• 38:02
  Steph: So 180 people.
• 38:04
  Adam: 182, yes.
• 38:06
  Steph: Interesting, because we saw the same workers in many different places throughout the day.
• 38:12
  Adam: That's true.
• 38:13
  Steph: They they serve working at the store in the morning and at the restaurant in the evening.
• 38:19
  Adam: And on the boat.
• 38:20
  Steph: And on the boat.
• 38:21
  Adam: At other times.
• 38:22
  Adam: I guess they closed the shop and went on the boat.
• 38:24
  Steph: They were all over, yeah.
• 38:25
  Steph: The same handful of people the whole time.
• 38:28
  Adam: Indeed.
• 38:29
  Adam: So Mordar on Water Island next time and then St.
• 38:33
  Adam: Thomas.
• 38:34
  Adam: Sounds good.
• 38:35
  Adam: All right.
• 38:35
  Adam: So from your friends at I Hate Talking, until next time, remember it is only through talking that we begin the journey to understanding.