What's new, Pussycat?

It was a catchy title, wasn't it.  And quite appropriate for today's post.  

One of the things that Ian especially has been waiting to see, is what has changed here since our last visit.  Not only has it been two years, but also a pandemic between our snapshots into the life of this island.

And, surprisingly, not much.  Carolina, who graciously stored our bicycles, told us that just 2 weeks after we left, basically everything on the island shut down.  This hotel where she works, was closed, as were the others on the island.   The police even drove up and down the streets telling people to stay home.  I gather it was quite like our experiences at home.

But now, the hotel is open again with some enhanced cleaning measures.  There is an interesting gadget at the front door that scans your temperature automatically.  One wears a mask inside everywhere except in the apartment itself.  At breakfast, you make your selections and serve yourself, but don't unmask until you sit down to eat.  The same routine goes for other restaurants and cafes.  There has been no checking at shops or restaurants for vax certificates.  

But we did do something different today.  We walked through a cemetery.  People are buried either in little houses with shelves for caskets inside, or, in underground crypts with large concrete slabs over the top with rings so that the tops can be opened.  The family plots are numbered and the rows designated to facilitate easy location.  And this is where the cats come in:  the place has shy felines roaming through it in greater density than we have seen anywhere else here.  

However, one item has struck us in our wanderings.  Two parking lots have been outfitted with large, heavy tent roofs above the spaces for cars.  At the grocery stores they even have lighting.  Were they to keep shoppers and their packages from the rain, or recognizing that people couldn't eat in the restaurants associated with these lots, were they for the convenience of eating in your car?  We will have to investigate further.