Glowing Fishes and Island Wisdom

Last night, we had another wonderful surprise from Mother Nature. After dinner, Kevin and I went outside to see the moon again but found something even better. In the water just in front of the restaurant were small pools of glowing green swirls.

Yes, the picture sucks. (I already told you I don’t know how to work my camera.) But the effect was amazing.

The swirls were excretions from small fish that were all swimming in circles and drifting across the water on the tide. The next day, I asked Miguel, one of our fishing guides, what they were. He said they were fry, which is what the islanders call all little fish, it seems. So that wasn’t much help. But he also said that it was a sign that we would soon be rich (or poor, which is probably more likely the case).

The islanders have all kinds of local wisdom. Here are just a few they’ve shared since we’ve been here:

• If you walk barefoot on the floor, you’ll get a sore throat.
• If you get hot and then go for a swim, you’ll get a cold. (We have to plan the staff’s work around this one sometimes.)
• If it rains while the sun is shining, there will be an earthquake.
• If you see a glowing light in the woods, it is a duppy (ghost). If you see a light in the same spot three times, it is a duppy showing you where a pirate treasure is buried.

I am especially hoping the last one is true!