kyle week, part three

So next, we hopped on a boat to go to this Emerald Grotto. It was only four of us on this boat plus the driver, who looked like he couldn't care less about the whole thing. Nonetheless, the ride to the Grotto was incredible. We were surrounded by water of the most brilliant blue color, and all along the coast were these amazing houses and hotels, clinging precariously to the cliffs. We kept pointing at them and joking, "I bet that one has working toilets," "I bet they don't have an ant infestation at that place." (oh did I forget to tell you about the ants? hahahaha another story for another day I suppose, but rest assured they were out of control. Like an entire dresser was covered in ants. You don't even know.)

We got to go under this tall, tall bridge between two cliffs, but we had to be careful because there were people fishing from the top. There were also a few secluded beaches along the way (not unlike the one in our town, which was probably less than a hundred meters long and flanked on each side by sheer cliffs- so incredible) and little ports. After about 15 or 20 minutes, we arrived at a dock, and were lead off towards a big rock. Like a really big rock. There was a guy out front selling tickets in and then before we knew it, we were inside the cave and on a tiny tour boat, rowing circles around the dark waters. All around us were stalactites, dripping down from the ceiling like spaghetti (as our tour guide said). He gave a cute little tour, adding some bits in English to try and appeal to us, although I was translating for Kyle. He had a little trick that he did with the oar, telling us he would show us a miracle, then rippling the water in a certain way so that it became really choppy and then cleared up (saying, "I part the waters like Moses!"), so that we could then see a nativity scene that someone had placed under the water. All together, it sounded a lttle something like this: "Do you want to see a miracle? Yes? Okay here we go. . . Ah, aha, I shall part the waters like Moses, like Moses I say, wait for it, wait for it. . . and look! Joseph, the Virgin Mary, and the Baby Jesus! Is a miracle! IS A MIRACLE U.S.!"

So that was it for the tour pretty much. He took us back to the starting point and asked that we 'don't forget the boatman!' The guy behind us said in Italian, "It's because Americans have lots of money," so I turned around and said, "That's not even true," and he was surprised, as I'd hoped he would be.

After that, we took the boat back to Praiano and got lunch, and then spent the rest of the day on the beach.