So the next day just slipped by. Julian slept in, Tim and I had a long lazy breakfast and walked around the foreshore. There was a big table of guests in the breakfast room, mainly from Europe and a couple of North Americans so we spent some time chatting and exchanging stories and plans. We organised to join up with a puppeteer from the US for a swim / snorkel out to one of the nearby coral islands.
My back was still a little sore - so I decided to sit it out on the beach and read while the boys went in. It was a very pleasant time and we had good luck with the weather. The sun was out and the water calm so the boys got good coral views though there were only a few fish around. High tide was at about 12:30 which is the best time to go out so you can swim over the reef rather than having to walk on it. You need boots to walk on it - because you risk damaging it and cutting yourself.
I had a nice quiet time on beach by myself. I get a wierd "other world" feeling sitting on the beach by myself, reading , reflecting , remembering and planning. The boys came back after about an hour happy with the expedition. It was quite cold they said but not unbearable and not so bad that it would have been worth hiring a wet suit.
We had a late lunch at a nice restaurant on the beach. All the restaurants and hotels seem to have resident families of cats here - who either steal your food of your plate or just want to sit on your lap while you are eating. The cat at this particular place was a bit smelly so we had to keep pushing it away. (The kitten in our hotel is nice and cute and took a liking to Tim).
In the evening we wandered around again - stopping for a coffee and to chat with various other travelers we have met while here. Julian was meeting up with some people at a bar, Tim and I went back to our hotel and sat a while reading. We wanted to play table tennis but the balls were all cracked.