Day Thirty-Two - 22/12/25
Day 32. The hub is officially done, but there are still quite a few families hanging around, so it doesn’t feel like a hard stop, more like a slow fade-out.
I kicked the day off with another run with the guys. Nothing intense, just a solid run and good chats, which has honestly become one of my favourite rhythms here. Breakfast with the family followed… and yep, breakfast is still bad. So once again, we headed out to grab decent coffees elsewhere. This has pretty much become part of the routine now.
Mid-morning, we decided to head out with another family to check out a local waterfall about 15 minutes away by scooter. Easy ride, no stress. When we arrived, there was an entry fee, which caught us a bit off guard, but once inside it made a bit more sense. The place was… strange, in a good way. Kind of a cross between a botanic garden, nursery, and a theme park that didn’t quite commit to being a theme park.
There were concrete animal sculptures everywhere, massive bonsai trees, huge raised garden beds, old buildings with different roof styles, random artefacts in glass jars, just lots of odd, interesting things all layered together. We weren’t totally sure what the place was, but it was fascinating to wander through.
The walk up through the rainforest to the main waterfall was really nice. The kids jumped straight in and had a swim at the top, while the adults sat nearby with our feet in the water, watching the kids climb around and explore. We stayed there for about an hour, just letting them enjoy it.
Around lunchtime, the other family decided to head off, but our kids were still having a great time, so we hung back. Not long after, a big group arrived, and that was our cue to move on. On the walk back down, we stumbled across another waterfall, completely empty. The water looked cleaner and calmer, and we all had that “oh wow, this is the spot” moment. Emmett sat under the waterfall for a bit, but we didn’t stay too long. Definitely one to come back to another day.
From there, we headed into town to our favourite lunch spot, the one we keep going back to. We love the family who run it, and this time we finally took a few photos with them, which was really nice. Lunch was great, as always.
Back at the resort, Emmett and I jumped straight in the pool. Maddie was a bit upset, she’d been hoping for tacos instead of where we ate, but she still ate her lunch and, after a bit of a moment back at the resort, eventually came and joined us in the pool. We spent a couple of hours in there just mucking around, throwing balls, and cooling off.
While we were swimming, I got chatting with a young Canadian couple who’d just arrived at the resort. It’s funny how easily conversations start here. Everyone’s travelling, everyone’s open, and everyone has a story.
Later on, I headed out to grab dinner from a local noodle place. Simple noodle soup with chicken or beef, but honestly one of the best meals we’ve had. Comfort food done properly.
That was pretty much it for Day 32.
We’ve decided to give the kids a couple of weeks of proper “school holidays” before we tighten things up and work out a better homeschooling rhythm moving forward. No pressure, no structure for now, just space to reset.
What’s interesting is how normal this all feels now. Being in the same place for a while has shifted something. It feels like we live here. This feels like home. Even though we’re heading off somewhere else in a few days, right now this is our normal and that’s a strange, grounding, really cool feeling.
Another quiet, full day.
Let’s see what tomorrow brings.