We started our new year with the most challenging hike of our trip.  The walk was from the resort to a neighboring white sand beach.  From our group, only me, Lenny and Sandy were up for the hike, plus others from our B&R tour.  I have to say that I found this hike very difficult, and envied my friends for their decision to just hang out instead!  Lenny and Sandy did okay, but I needed quite a few helping hands to get me over and through various obstacles, which included scrambling up and down giant inclined rocks, lowering yourself down slippery slopes with a rope, and balancing along a narrow ledge with steep drops on both sides.  The reward was the lovely beach at the other end, but it took me so long, that I'm afraid I didn't get much time to enjoy it before we were whisked back to the resort by boat.

We took a well deserved leisurely afternoon at the resort.  It's quite windy out (I keep worrying that our bungalow roof top is going to blow right off), but sunny and pleasant temperature.  A bunch of us got treatments at the spa this afternoon.  I got a kumquat-basil scrub ... just because it sounded delicious.  The spa is a group of separate buildings, each with it's own treatment room, shower, etc.  Then I went in the sauna and women's dressing room, quite a bit of which is open air.  It's still private, as there are walls beyond, but the rattan screens let through the wind which is very pleasant.  (Jess, you'd like this place!).

Donna