Hi y'all!

Just a quickie to say what we have been up to in the last few days. The weather has not been too great recently (just to make those of you in Britain feel slightly better), but we did have one good day in our two days off. So on that day, we managed to do the 'Waterfall Walk' from the Lodge. It's an hour in total, uphill to the waterfall and then back down the same path. Quite a narrow path though, through otherwise untouched rainforest, and as we went the day after some rainfall, it felt pretty tropical. Although the waterfall is pretty much an overzealous trickle, it's very attractive, with the 'cliff' that the water falls down covered in moss and ferns, and it's all very secluded and peaceful. Lovely.

I swam back from work to place where we stay the night before last as well, about which I felt very smug. Most of the other staff here thought that it was a silly idea and that we wouldn't enjoy it at all, but Ruth (another English staff member) and I went for it and felt great afterwards. Although the water didn't feel cold at the time, my fingernails were an interesting neon blue colour when I emerged from the water... After Ruth and I had swum, we inspired a whole group of the other staff, including Nick, to run off the end of the jetty and also go for a bit of a swim. So we then all rewarded ourselves for our exertions by drinking copious amounts of wine and cocktails and whisky that night with the whole lodge staff crew, as a farewell to Ruth.

Ruth and I also kayaked back to our accommodation the night before our swim, which was good fun. Nick and I had to paddle the kayaks back the next day, and I got very excited when I saw a stingray! Pretty cool. There are loads of green-lipped mussels in the water too, and sea urchins, and I managed (almost capsizing myself in the process) to get myself a beautiful sea urchin shell.

So that was the major excitement of the last week. We are back to work now, and I am anticipating perhaps another couple of 12- or 14-hour shifts this week... I ended up on two days this week doing a full day's housekeeping with Nick and Ruth and then a five-hour shift on the bar straight afterward. Fun. Thinking of the money though! And the possible skiing...

Hope you like the new photos.

Lots of love to all.

Vic and Nick.