Waking up to a view of charoletteville and man-o-war bay takes some getting used to. A view like this should not exist, and it certainly shouldn’t be right outside your bedroom. May as well enjoy this dream while living in it.


A slow rise with surprisingly good instant coffee, books and parrots chatting about the morning in the jungle below is followed by a simple breakfast. Rice and beans left over from the night before topped with some scrambled eggs.

We head into town for a longer visit to Pirate Bay, parking close to the base of the single track heading there. Another sweaty walk with amazing views and descent down the staircase finds an even quieter beach than the day before. One other family is there, probably annoyed that we ruined them having a beach to themselves. Perspective.

Hours of snorkeling, swimming and hunting for shade to relax under punctuate the central hours of the day. A few other groups come and go, and some brief showers speckle the beach. But the pace is not quick, and the sights continue to astound.


We do some light grocery shopping in town on the way back home, including a stop at the fish market. Eleven US dollars later we have nearly 4 pounds of caught-two-hours-ago tuna to bring home for dinner that night (and likely a few others given the quantity…)

The evening centers around the view from the balcony: book reading, trip planning, run drinking, game playing. As long as it’s near the great view and ample breeze afforded by the open space, what more could you ask for? Maybe for the loud music and DJ in the village below to quiet down a bit…but that seems such a trivial complaint on an otherwise fantastic day.