Day 5--A Taste of India

We got up early and jumped into the water for some pre-breakfast snorkeling right off of our own patio.  The air was still (sort of) cool, and the it was a really nice swim.  We didn’t see much, but it was still nice.  After breakfast we sat in our room and soaked in the A/C!  Ahhh!  Then we headed all the way to the Sunset restaurant for lunch and an afternoon swim.  We had lunch.  But, sort of skipped the  swim.  Later in the afternoon, we went to the pier and went snorkeling again.  There were some interesting things there, and it was a nice little swim.  But it was sort of weird swimming near, around, and even under the platform they use for the airplanes and passengers.  (I’ve been on too many airports to think it’s “OK” to have that much access to the “airport”.

School time!

Seems like "jumping" over the pipe wouldn't be THAT fun?

Some places the water wasn't very deep!

By our steps, we saw some TINY little fish!!

The boardwalk is pretty, and natural, and all that.
But drop your room key...
and it goes into the water below and you have real issues!!

Theresa had been investigating this resort with other people that have been here, and communicated with a number of people, especially one that helped us find out what Single Malts Scotches we could expect.  As it turned out, he (R) and his wife (R) were arriving yesterday, so as we sat there waiting for our sunset cruise, watching a planeload of passengers piling out on to the dock, we wondered if they were among them.  She sent a Facebook message to say hi.  Well, we actually ran into them last night and decided to share dinner with them tonight. We had reservations for “The Veg”, a fancy vegetarian restaurant, and as it was our last night, so it was going to be “special” anyway.  So, sharing it with some new friends was intriguing!

We closed the place!!

We had such a great time!!  R&R are from New Delhi, so, turns out they knew a thing or two about Indian cuisine.  And they had been to this restaurant on a previous trip, so knew the food, the people, etc.  They sort of took us on a wild ride, suggesting the different things we needed to experience.  Hey, if you find yourselves in the hands of an expert, yield and let them guide you!!  We had so many amazing tastes, textures, and flavors.  The Indian culture seems to have a strong sense of sharing, so they got several things and we all just shared everything on the table like a family.  The discussion was as intensely textured as the food, as we covered culture, history, politics (national and geo), and all sorts of things in between.  But it was fantastic to learn, listen, and share with openness on both sides—all with the backdrop of great food!

We took the shuttle (what we’ve dubbed the “city bus”) back across the island to our villas.  As we struck out over the boardwalk, we saw the restaurant/bar there seemed to still open.  So, we ducked in to see if I could get one last shot of Talisker before we left.  Nope.  Though they were closed, they were willing to serve us, but they had no Talisker.  (The Glenlivet sufficed for a quick impromptu nightcap, and off to bed!)