Chapter 8

“I've got nothing to do today but smile.”
― Paul Simon

Well, what do you do after having had an absolutely perfect day? Of course, there is the see if you can make it two in row approach. Instead we decided to just be thankful it happened at all while quietly hoping that there was not some karmic force at work waiting to deliver a giant wallop when we least expected it.

This day at Catcha started out very much as it had the day before. I love how dark the Gatehouse is. Personally, I find light far more of an enemy to sleep than noise. Not that there was that much of it, but scooters zooming, dogs barking or stereos blaring aren't likely to bother me at all. I can sleep right through. The gatehouse was cool and dark, so it was not an early start to the day.

Ivan's for breakfast and then to my lounger. As it’s the third day my butt has been on the same chair, it has officially become my lounger. You all can use it when I'm not around, but I'm retaining my claim.

The sea seemed relatively calm, so I decided it was time we went for a swim. Good friends of ours had loaned us snorkel gear, which was at risk of starting to collect dust. I don't know when I became a total fraidy cat about swimming in deep water, but it appeared as though I had. Though a bit of a distant memory, I was a competitive swimmer all through high school. I spent almost as many hours each week in the pool as I did in school. I may not be as fit as I once was, but I'm not at immediate risk of drowning.

I go to one of the lowest platforms at Catcha. Sunshine goes for the giant leap into the sea and comes up all smiles. I tense up and instead end up backing down the ladder. Just like removing a band-aid, entering the water is best done quickly. Instead, I'm drawing out the misery. At the bottom of the ladder and in water already up to my knees I 'jump' in. Sunshine had a pool noodle ready for me. Good thing, because the stress of that stupid ladder has my heart going a treat. I don't know how long we were actually in the water, but a part of me spent the whole time dreading the fact I was going to have to go back up the ladder. I roll my eyes at myself sometimes.

All that said it was still fun splashing about.


It was great to see Catcha from the water. It gave me a different perspective on how perfectly tucked into the cove the resort really is.


We hadn't brought fins, just the masks and snorkels. Next time I will get fins from the office, so moving about is a bit easier. I didn't realize they had snorkel equipment available for guests to use. I might not have dragged my own down if I had known.

Later, when I really examined the water issue, I came to the conclusion that it isn't really the water that is the challenge. The waves pushing me into the rocks freak me out. I am not a big fan of heights and I don't like ladders. So the water itself is good, it's getting in and out that is the problem.

Was it wrong of me to email this picture to my colleagues at about 3pm that Monday afternoon?


We pretty much spent the afternoon in la la land and it was good. I had grand designs on seeing the neighborhood around Catcha, but it was not meant to be. We talk about sand gravity, but what do you call it on the cliffs? Whatever it is, we had a serious case of it.