SE Asia 2014 Day 22

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We awake in paradise. The view from the back patio of our room, which faces inward to one of the pools, is idyllic. We enjoy a leisurely buffet breakfast with a huge variety of choices (even ice cream!).

Hmm, this is going to be a short blog entry. Here's what we did the rest of the day–nothing, with a capital N. We spent the day almost entirely on the resort's small but lovely beach. The ocean is very calm here because we are in a sheltered bay. We swim in both the ocean and the large infinity pool that meanders around the resort, passing under many bridges. We actually enjoy the pool more, because even though it's bath-water warm, it is, incredibly, cooler than the ocean.

One of our party spends most of the afternoon sculpting a woman's face in the sand. His efforts attract the attention of hotel staff, and before the end of the day, we are told that a photo of the lady is on the resort's Facebook page.

And, of course, this is the ideal opportunity for me to catch up with the accursed blog, and I spend a good part of the day typing away at the beach. It's a pleasure in such a beautiful location. It's extremely hot here, in the mid-30s, but whenever we can't stand it any more, we just throw ourselves into some nearby water.

Happy hour arrives early here, at 1 pm. Drinks at the floating bar are great. You sip at your exotic tropical drink until your body overheats, then just throw yourself backwards into the pool. Rinse and repeat.

For supper, we all get together for a buffet dinner on the beach. Amazing spread. We are about halfway through when there is a sprinkle of raindrops. The staff springs into action, covering up all the food. We are thinking it's an overreaction to a few drops, when the heavens open. What a downpour! We crowd into the beach bar to get under cover. But it doesn't last long, and within 15 minutes, we are back at our table to finish our meal.

A day in paradise, with four more to go.

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