Goodland

I want to start today by saying how incredibly good our sushi dinner was last night. When it comes to all-inclusive I wasn’t surprised that the dinner-menus consisted of a set starter-main-desert option, which although not necessarily stingy, wasn’t quite the restaurant experience I usually enjoy. Not so with the sushi place. Soy had a generous menu of sushi, sashimi, rolls, nigiri, specialties, soups and salads, and a sake-based menu - all of which were unlimited. As an absolute sushi-freak who has to curb her enthusiasm because man sushi is expensive in London, I was absolutely on-board with the situation. Add to it the you saw the chef prepare your dishes in front of you and the two or three sake-cocktails I ordered, and last night was a good night let me tell you.

Anyway! Tuesday morning brought us back to the meeting-point for our second dive-trip of the holiday. S. was a little less anxious about time seeing as the day before despite the 7:50 meeting time the dive-bus didn’t get to s up until 8:30. So breakfast today was a lot more leisurely. We had more delicious cold porridge which had nuts and peeled mandarin slices in it, a stuffed omelette from the egg-bar (oh yes) and about three different smoothie options because, well, because they were there. It was good.

At the boat docks the cheerful and grandfatherly captain Mickey recognised us and greeted us with an “Andrea!” and I felt immediately warm and happy. I don’t know exactly what it is about this man, but he feels like the group carer, the feel-good take-it-easy man who god forbid you hurt any of the people he cares about (John Wick anybody?).

The dives were good. We did the Anse La Ray Wall and the Honeymoon Reef. They were both good, and we saw a few sea-critters. I do have to be honest: I think I was spoilt when CM and I went to Mexico, because we saw sea-turtles and little mental rays almost every single day. Although here the exotic sea-life didn’t seem quite as common though, what I did notice is a lot more colour to the reefs. Purples and yellows and greens, glowing with a strength that seems unreal for an underwater life-form (a coral is, in fact, an animal). We also saw two lobsters snuggled up together, and later on the boat S. excitedly (and adorably) told me that lobsters are immortal - apparently their cells regenerate at a rate faster than they decay, so they do not naturally age. “this is why,” S. tells me, eyes shiny with happiness like the romantic he is, “for lobsters, mating for life is really mating for life.”

When we got back to the hotel, we finally, for the first day, relaxed. We lounged on a canopy bed for most of the afternoon, and I rediscovered the fact that I am no good at relaxing. I was fidgety, and felt like I simply did not understand how to relax. “Do we just sit here and stare into space?” I asked S., slightly frustrated that this didn’t come naturally to me. “Just relax Andy, look at the sea and the trees, just chill.” I tried doing that for a little while but to no avail. “Literally, just stare into space?” S. gave me a look loaded with murderous intent, and suggested i take my magazine and entertain myself if I was incapable of relaxing on a relaxing holiday. Finally, I could relax! Sitting on a canopy bed, palm trees above us, sea in front of us, art magazine on my lap - that I could get behind (although I have requested we go paddle-boarding and kayaking the next time we have a whole free afternoon ahead of us. S. had little choice but to agree).

That evening we were going to Kimono, a tapanyaki restaurant (think Benihana in the UK) and it was delicious, portions were generous, and sake was rife. After that another tub-champagne-office routine to round up the night, before crawling into bed and dozing off the latest we had done yet: 22:30. Goals.Read more