Drowned out

It'd finally arrived, our Rocky Horror Beach Party. Months of planning had gone down. Costumes were purchased, items for the different games were made/bought. Spirits were high!

Itinerary was as follows.

Saturday 3pm. Everyone gathers at my house for a pre-party and a screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

6-7pm we all get in cars and drive to the beach.
7pm set up camp and start to cook
8-10pm a number of skill-challenging games including
Drag relay race (a number of skill-tests like catching balls, etc, done in drag on the beach)
Bondage Twister (normal twister, the catch:you were handcuffed to your partner somewhere)
and the Three Legged Stiletto Race (high heels running on the sand, while tied to someone else in heels.... )
10-pm ~ merriment
Sleep in tents on the beach.

Sunday Wake up and go home

What ACTUALLY happened:

Louise James Courtney and Janet show up in my apartment complex with a blow-up doll in an afro wig painted up like Tim Curry strapped to the roof of Janet's car, and they were honking on their horn. Great, so now all of my neighbors see this display.

That aside we get inside and get dressed. All of our gusts arrive and we put in the film. We dance the time warp, enjoy Maya's guacamole, and those who weren't driving drank frozen margaritas made by yours truly.

Then we get in cars and start to drive to the beach. First we need to stop for food supplies. The girls are dressed tremendously inappropriately which summons horrified glances and shocked stares. Luckily for me we were outside my town at this point. Having gotten our food, we head to the beach. The bad news is, its raining.

Just enough rain to be annoying. Oh. More bad news, we have no lamps or worse, no grill for cooking. Whats there to do but ask the hotel nearby what to do. Bear in mind that there are 3 Japanese guys who are friends with Sean, 1 Japanese woman who's friends with Sean, Sean, James, and Matt all speak Japanese reasonably well. However no one does a thing except for Take. This really pissed him off how no one would help him. While he went to ask about the lamps and cost for camping was when I discovered there was no grill. I went back to him, who was waiting in the hotel, really annoyed. And together he and I asked the questions. As it turned out, the hotel was so kind as to let us borrow one of their outdoor grills for the night.

Then Take was the only one who was willing to clean it. He was properly pissed off, and I don't blame him. The other guys were just sitting around and when we came with a usable grill, they go "oh there's a grill.. cool" completely ignorant to the shit we had to go through to get it to them. Later that evening those 3 guys were eating everyone else's food, and in general really pissing everyone off. Needless to say, they were not well liked by the group, and it was several of our requests that they never join us again.

We're cooking. Those who care enough, guard their food from the thieving hands of some of the guests, and we're all drinking a ton. At this point its past 9. Food and drink in us, our attitudes improve slightly. The downside is that the weather is HORRIBLE. It is pissing down rain in buckets. Luckily we are under a wooden canopy and staying dry-ish.. but God help the tents... Despite the rain we attempt some of the games we planned so hard for. Bondage Twister was too slippery and the handcuffs cut into the participants, slipping and sloshing in the rain. The relay race never happened because it was too dark and too wet. And the stiletto race had only six competitors. It was too cold too wet, and the heels in the sand were a bit much. I was tied to Take, we were the only ones who fell. Louise and Terrina did fine, and Matt and Janet did fine too.

Our, everything is wet, we all hit the hay. Unfortunately the hay has been drowned in about 3 inches of rainwater. We will not be sleeping in the tents tonight. Several of us go to the cars to sleep. Louise and James brave the tents and sleep in puddles. Either the puddles, or the probably improperly cooked hamburger meat subsequently cause Louise and James to have a HORRIBLE stomach sickness a few days later.

Oh wait, it doesn't end there. I wanted to get out of there early, so I could go home and get a decent night's sleep (even mid day) since sleeping in a car is misery. I wake up at 5am, clean up the whole campsite while its still down pouring. Arrange every ones things in a pile and leave a note for someone to clean off the grill and return it to the hotel. I figured its not too much to ask since I cleaned everything else, and we took care of the grill in the first place. We get in my car and head off. Its POURING POURING rain. The hardest I've ever seen it rain. As we crawl along my gas tank steadily heads toward empty. Our relief came from driving under bridges, where the wipers had a chance to catch up with swishing away the rain water. Driving for what feels like ages, we finally reach Mugi, the town next to mine. Pass Mugi, and when I'm 5 minutes from home, cars are stopped ahead. A police man comes around and says that the road is flooded ahead and none can pass. I should follow the car in front of me who is going through a windy mountain road which will put is through, somewhere to the other side.

We drive behind this white truck, hoping desperately that this guy hasn't just given up and is heading home, but rather wants to lead us to the other side. My gas tank is on empty and my stress is high. The mountain road is windy. It is narrow, and it is covered in debris from the mountain. Waterfalls are sloshing down the slops of the mountains and rocks into the streets as we drive over sticks dirt and rocks (some piles barely manageable). Having gone from 5 minutes to being home, this new 20 minute journey through the mountains is unbearable. FINALLY were put out on the other side, 5 minutes from my home in the other direction. We get back home and fall into bed for a much needed nap. Later we wake up, have dinner, and I have to drive Take to the city to get back home. Further up, toward the city, the road is closed. For goodness sake. We have to add another 20 minutes to the journey taking yet another mountain road. At least this time I have gas. And finally we make it. The rain has finally stopped Sunday early evening, and I head home, wet and tired.

What a weekend...

PICTURES coming soon.

posted by Living and Teaching in Tokushima @ 10:59 AM Comments: 0