Day 20 - Thursday

Spa day. Facial and pedicure. Spa was next to the ocean. Drank tea, read the local paper, and watched the boats at sea while Tabi finished up.

Soccer is the main event here. The entire town is renovating for the 2010 FIFA. Went to a pub for dinner to watch a game. We told the waitron we wanted to see the game, and he walked us around the pub, offering different tables. He passed us through a room with a great table, and we said we wanted to sit there. He responded by suggesting another table in a different area. We declined and he seated us at the table we requested. Only after awhile we realized the segregation in the pub. All the white patrons were in the front room where he tried to put us first. The room we chose was filled with black patrons. It was subtle, but after thinking about it, he really was trying to direct us to the white crowd. I've noticed this kind of segregation a lot here. We've shopped at several groceries. We were the only white people in the one down the street, and noticed no black people in the grocery at the mall.

I may just be slow, but it took us a couple of weeks to realize how different the culture is here. Normally when I visit another country, I'm careful to adopt their cultural practices and fit in. However, this is one I'm not comfortable with. Personally, I would rather shop at the grocery down the street. It's closer!