Red Mud and a Lagoon

Do you recall that short hike we were going to do yesterday morning? Well, we decided to give it a go. We did our research ahead of time and knew it would be a bit strenuous, but I'm not sure any of us knew exactly what we were getting ourselves into. To give you an idea, here was the end photo:

 

Yep, that's us covered in a mix of red mud and sweat. Do you see the girl behind us in the photo? Do you see how she sort of appears to be rock climbing and that there is a rope next to her. Yep, that's the way up.

This area is known for their rock climbing. Remember, there are lots of cliff walls. Tammie had suggested that, but while Jess and I are fairly adventurous, that wasn't something we were ready to tackle. However, we got a fairly good dose of it today. Was it a sheer cliff? No. Was it straight up? No, it was not a 90 degree angle, but probably at least 75 for most of the way up. The worn out pathway did have lots of rocks with narrow edges, great for holding onto and pulling yourself up, but not as great if you fell. Thankfully, none of us did more than a few slight slips here and there. Oh, and the path is red mud, the kind we Alabamians try to grow things in. There were solid ropes scattered about to hold onto if there wasn't a good place for your hands. 

 

It was steep, and a struggle, but at the top, we were rewarded with this view:

 

This has been our home for the past week. The closest beach that you can see on this peninsula is the Mangrove side of the peninsula. There are several shops, restaurants and bars on this side of the island, but the pretty beach part is on the opposite side. That's where we've watched sunset, kayaked and enjoyed most of our meals. 

Once at this viewpoint, we debated as there were two paths to choose from. Both of which were down. One led down to a secluded lagoon and one led to where we started. Of course, we chose the first. That side was even more slippery though, and included three long ladders made of bamboo, tied to the rocks. Was it scary? A bit, especially navigating how to get onto and off the ladders. Was it difficult? Yes. Was it worth it? Yes!

I had no idea what to expect of the lagoon, but it was huge! I believe a football field might me a fairly accurate description. The water changes with the tide, and we were there near high tide. One side hung well over the water with stalagmites hanging over while other parts were straight up and full of greenery. 

This was the view from the middle of the water, looking up:

 

 

The water felt great, refreshing and helped to wash off the mud, but of course we had to go back up and then back down the other side, so we were once again covered in red mud from head to toe.

Muddy, sticky and wet, we showered and then spent the afternoon by the pool. What a grand way to spend our afternoon: reading, people watching, devouring Thai take-out,  swimming, listening to the ocean and watching a monkey steal a piece of fruit.

 

Once again, we sat on the beach, enjoying the sunset with a lovely drink in our hands. The sunsets have been just stunning here, and I've loved watching every one of them!