July 8: Meant to Be

Which road would you choose? 

When I got back to the house I reach my hand out to open the door but then...click…it was locked.

Uh-oh.

I could wait until I drove to the next town to shower but I wouldn’t leave without my stuff.

Martha was at the wedding and the other girls were working at G.I.G.

I went back to G.I.G. and ordered coffee while I tried to come up with a game plan.

At the table, next to mine were a guy and a girl who sounded American. They were talking about uploading pictures and writing.

“Are you writing a blog?” I asked them.

Their names were Brooke and Matt. It turns out they were writing a blog, The Salty Cruisers. The two of them met at a surf camp in Sri Lanka and then started traveling and surfing together.

Brooke and I hit it off instantly. It turns out, she was from Vashon, Island in Washington and I told her I went to UW.

Twilight Theme Music

We started talking about surfing and I told them how I just got my ass kicked. 

"Those are the days that make you a better surfer though," Brooke said. 

Ugh, I guess. 

I was playing with a straw while we were talking and then I had a genius idea.

“Brooke, will you guys be here for a while? I think I figured out a way to get back into the house.”

She said they would and I took the straw back to the house with me.

I noticed the mail slot on the door was open and I could just barely reach the pull lock with my fingers.

Hmm, I took the straw and bent it into a rectangle shape. Then I push it through the mail slot, hooked it over the lock, and pulled.

Viola!

Just call me Drew, Nancy Drew.

I ran back to the café to grab my things.

“I got in! I’m going to shower and then I’ll be right back,” I told Brooke.

“Well be here!” She replied.

Yessss, hot shower time.

Little did I know that this episode would be the first in an adventure I like to call Goldilocks and the three showers.

I gathered the rest of my things in the house and hopped in the shower.

Martha told me that that the shower had a funny touch and I had to move the knobs in a certain direction…but we were up talking most of the night so we never got around to the shower instruction.

Remember how I said I couldn’t wait for a hot shower?

Well, I didn’t mean scalding hot!

No matter what directions I turned the shower knobs, scalding hot water was my only choice.

My feet started to burn and I had to quit the shower game.

Ok, the first shower Goldi tried was too hot.

I went back to the café and Brooke and I started talking about…everything.

We had so much in common: Seattle connection, surfing, yoga, astrology, spirituality, outlooks on life, experiences with sexism and doing community work related to trauma.

Chico was messaging me about meeting him for lunch and I told him I was going to be late. But that quickly went from 20 minutes late….to an hour late.

In that moment, I realized the reason I was supposed to stay in Ericeira one more night was because I had to meet Brooke.

“I think we were supposed to meet,” I told her.

“Yeah, I think we were.”

I had to leave to meet Chico but Matt and Brooke invited me to go surfing with them later. I told them I’d think about it and we’d talk later.


When I got to the other café, Chico wasn’t there.

Oops.

We texted for a bit. I was trying to decide what to do? Should I stay and surf with Matt and Brooke later? Should I look at the map and pick the next place? 

I decided it was time to continue on the road trip. I messaged Brooke and Matt to let them know and then it was on to Vila Nova de Milfontes.

Thank you, Martha, Brooke, and all the other amazing people, I met in Ericeira.

Brooke and Matt, I hope you're enjoying the Philippines!