Island Paradise

The team woke up quite early after probably the best night sleep of our trip so far in really comfy beds after actually using the sheets provided by the hotel for the first time as there was no fear of bed bugs here. Hoping to catch as many rays as possible during the day. However our plans were put on halt as we awoke to an overcast sky, so instead we headed to breakfast in the hotel restaurant while others headed to our favourite local 7eleven for a cheaper breakfast option. In the morning light we were finally able to see the full stunning beauty of the island. Our little villas with temple-like roofing were at the foot of a rainforest covered mountain and the rest of the island was covered in other massive beautiful mountains. We then headed to the luxurious pool were we quickly claimed the majority of the loungers and started our 2 days of (hopefully) tanning. After a few minutes we couldn’t resist the call of the pool any longer and we headed in to discover it was the perfect temperature. However after a few hours the heavens decided to open....yet again. We hoped it would soon stop and so continued to swim in the rain for a while before realising we had been a bit stupid and left all our stuff out in the rain, so we quickly grabbed our stuff and headed back to our rooms. We then met up for lunch where yet again Pad Thai was a favourite amongst the group before heading down to the beach. This had to be the highlight of the day, the stunning white sand beach stretched on forever with palm trees lining the shore. We were officially in an island paradise and lots of the group quickly got out their camera to capture the scenery. The big wooden swings attached to the palm trees were a big hit with the group until Cliff pushed Beth and I a bit too hard and we collided with a palm tree.. we were bit more cautious afterwards. After some had a quick dip in the sea we headed back up to the hotel stopping at a sundae shop on the way where most of the team treated themselves to some yummy looking sundaes (Gini’s and Sophie’s Banana Bliss Sundae’s looked especially good). We met for dinner early tonight as being a group of 14 teenage girls we wanted to get shopping done before we ate. A quick taxi ride took us to th e main strip of restaurants and shops where we split up to shop and eat. After spending far too much money on gifts and a few treats we headed in search for a restaurant where many opted for a western option as the thought of more rice still makes many shudder. For pudding many of the team headed to the same roti street food seller. Rotis are a kind of fried pancake with which most have banana and chocolate a new favourite food for the group. The man at this particular stall had serious skills flipping, throwing and spinning utensils around as he made our roti much to our excitement. Many of us then took our roti down to the beach where we sat under the twinkling lanterns hanging in the palm trees thinking of how crazy this past last month had been and how strange it will be to return to normal life back home! We then headed back to the hotel where we welcomed our big comfy beds with open arms hoping for another great nights sleep. Rhiannon