Lazy Days and Sundays

It turns out that Mango Lodge has a sister company called Sagittarius, located on Cote D'or Beach, also known as Anse Volbert. Sun-beds, kayaks and all other water sport paraphernalia are included for free if you are staying at Mango Lodge. There is one minor problem: the 1 mile long, knee crunching descent whilst adorned with books, beach towels, enough sun scream to cover a camel, change of clothes, cool bag, water, beers, money......you get the picture. Whenever you say where you are staying, even the locals refer to it with aghast faces and call it "up the mountain".

So with beach camp set up and supermarket visited by 12pm (because the entire place goes into shut down and the tumble weed rolls through for the rest of the day on a Sunday) we both decree we are doing nothing else whatsoever other than baking in the equatorial sun and at a push rolling from sun bed to sea in much the same manner as a Walrus might drag its sorry backside around on a rock.

Lunch has cost the grand sum of £7 for a take away ham and cheese toastie with fries, and the supermarket visit cost £12 and included soft drinks, beers, tonic and MSG-loaded snacks. So the shoestring mission continues, with the above representing the sum total of the days expenditure by 5pm.

There really is nothing much else to report apart from: we still haven't seen a single other British tourist; the French love luminous budgie smugglers and wear the side parts so high they look like a mass ode to the mankini; and some people really should stop wearing bikinis, as parts seem to be lost within their person, so I am therefore going to worry less in the future and not spend half a day in Marks and Spencer's trying on 10 pairs of the same size beachwear to find one that fits. Steve has made a new friend, a little terrier type dog who has sat under his sun lounger all day, been fed all the bottled water and played catch the coconut on the beach. In fact, so taken is she with him, that we have even found her sat waiting on his on his towel when we summoned the will to leave. Whilst she borders on the side of requiring a dose of Bob Martin, I am eternally grateful as it means I have been able to sit in marital peace and at last got to page 384 of Marian Keyes.

Eating out is relatively easy with 5/6 restaurants sporting various Creole based fare, along side the standard "everything with chips" range, and we are finding that on average we are spending about £35 for two on an evening out, which compared to the alternative cost of staying in an all inclusive resort, is working out very well. Additionally, there is the excitement of mountain climbing in flip flops in the pitch black back to your room!