Exploring Mandrem Beach

I had a terrible night. My body clock is all over the place! I was awake for several hours between about midnight and 5am. I read an entire book! Then, I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, it was 11.30am!! I got up, had a shower, and went for breakfast. Nobody batted an eyelid that I was so late. They don't start serving until 10am, anyway 😊. I had the same omelette as yesterday - this could definitely become a habit!

After breakfast, I sat chatting to Niha for an hour or two and then set off to walk to Mandrem beach, the nearest stretch of sand to here. It took about 50 minutes, but there was so much to look at on the way that it didn't seem that long. I noted a couple of small shops to call at on the way back. As I got nearer to the beach, I saw many more white faces and a lot of signs in Russian. Clearly, there are large numbers of Russian tourists here.

I reached the beach by crossing a bridge over an attractive lagoon. The beach itself was soft white sand, and a paddle in the Arabian Sea confirmed that it was clear and warm. It was also full of shells, which I discovered were inhabited by interesting little sea creatures 😊.

It was a bit late in the day to make use of one of the many sunbeds laid out at the back of the beach, but I did stop for a drink in the first shack I came to. Suitably refreshed, I walked back, calling at a couple of the shops to by essentials en route.

Back at Maya, I went for a shower, had my leftovers for dinner, and then went to the bar to check out the entertainment. There was music and some craft stalls. I spent some time talking to the makers, but I wasn't in the market to buy anything. I only stayed for about an hour. The singer had a good voice, but his repertoire was definitely made up of 'songs to slit your wrists by'! 😂Read more