Dinner and a Sunset Dhow Cruise on the Creek
We were lucky to get good enough weather to go on this cruise at the end of the season. Not least, the children behaved themselves on the boat as well, so we all had a nice time!

We were served "Dawa" cocktails as we set off, made of vodka, honey and lots of lime. The cruise took us down a wide creek banked by mangroves. As we went along, chefs served some delicious food, like carpaggio of fish with fresh lemon and cold white wine. The kids got sausage and chips, so they were happy. Erik lay around on the cushions with his drink and only the sound of the wind in the air saying "this is the life"! He also liked standing at the prow of the boat.










As we sailed along, we kept an eye out for the Peri Peri restaurant where we had eaten dinner with Rob and Ernie & Giles and Claire 2 days earlier while leaving Erik, Daniel and Mathilde under the watchful eye of Irene at the hotel. What a night that was. The restaurant had a lovely atmosphere. The roof was a sail, stretched between the bar and kitchen buildings and palm trees by the shore were entwined with strings of coloured lights. There was only one other table occupied and the owner had started to eye his watch, when Ernie spontaneously stood on her chair and gave everyone a rendition of Patricia the Stripper!



That sparked off singing on both tables for the rest of the evening until the skies broke and it started pouring down with rain. The children at the other table got up and started to play in the rain by sliding along the floor of the restaurant.

Suddenly! there was a huge crash and the sail fell on top of the table. "You've brought the house down, Ernie!" we joked. In fact it turned out that one of the pillars supporting the sail (which was the width of a large tree and several metres tall) had collapsed and splintered the table where the children had been sitting. It could have been a very nasty accident.

Despite the near-miss, our spirits were not diminished and we bounced back to the hotel in the back of the jeep, soaking wet and laughing all the way. What a night!

Jeremy