Day 3

The following day, we headed for the beach. We checked into a water chalet and it was an experience for the kids to stay in a hotel above the water.

N was all excited at the mention of a beach as she has read much about the fun activities. She went all prepared – her buckets, shovels, spades, cups etc. When we got there, she retreated and exclaimed “ Uh…I don’t think I like the beach anymore. It is so dirty and I don’t want the sand to touch my feet. Can I go back to the hotel lobby and eat ice cream instead? ” I was like….urh..urh…..what? how to build a sand castle without touching the sand?? N and Rose went back to the hotel to enjoy the cool air with a scoop of ice cream.

The Chais were a more adventurous lot. They walked bare-footed into the sea in the hope of collecting some nice sea shells. I watched them from afar and it was a very sweet moment seeing the strong family bond between the parents and children.

Brave little E was captivated by the sand play. He literally squatted for almost 1 hour scooping the sand. Eventually, he realized that his legs were not with him anymore, he called for help “ Mummy, I can not stand up…I can not stand up…help!” His legs were numb and I found him a "stool" to sit on and he was pretty happy with the suggestion :). My little boy continued on for another 20 minutes before he called it a day. Needless to mention, I had to carry him back to the hotel as he refused to walk thereafter. :(

We wrapped the day up with a good meal of seafood. By 10pm, all the kids were worn out and we all had an early night.