Day 191 - Five Hours of Waves and a Well-Earned Dessert

Day 191 started much like many of our recent days here in Sidi Kaouki, slow, relaxed, and centred around coffee.

The morning was fairly busy around the accommodation, so we settled in downstairs with our coffees and ended up chatting with another guest who was staying here. He was from the Dominican Republic, and before long we found ourselves deep in conversation about travel, life in South America, and the places he’d explored.

It was one of those unexpected travel conversations that stretches far longer than you anticipate. For an hour or so we talked about different countries, cultures and experiences. In a funny way, he almost reignited our curiosity about South America. We’ve gone back and forth on whether it fits into this trip, and while it still sounds incredible, we keep coming back to the reality that fitting it into this adventure would probably make things more complicated than we’d like.

Eventually Kia needed to duck away. She had a kinesiology session booked with a friend and her baby, so she headed off to prepare while the kids and I grabbed breakfast at the accommodation.

Not surprisingly, the kids already had a plan for the day.

The beach.

More specifically, bodyboarding.

I was feeling pretty tired after another rough night’s sleep and wasn’t overly excited about spending hours in the water, but I was more than happy to walk down and hang out on the beach while they played.

Before reaching the surf, we spent some time exploring the rocky section of coastline nearby. The rocks here create all sorts of little channels, pools and interesting formations, and the kids had a great time scrambling around and investigating everything they could find.

After our little adventure, we found another surf shop in town and hired some bodyboards. The guys working there were incredibly friendly and made a fuss of the kids, which always makes the experience a little more enjoyable. Maddie hired a wetsuit again because the Atlantic water here is surprisingly cool, even on warm days.

Once we had everything sorted, I hired a couple of deck chairs on the beach and settled in while the kids charged straight into the surf.

Within seconds they were gone.

Bodyboards under their arms, huge smiles on their faces, racing into the waves.

I think we arrived around 11:00 or 11:15 in the morning, and from that point on the kids were almost impossible to get out of the water.

Kia joined us around lunchtime after finishing her session. By then the kids had already spent hours chasing waves.

There was one moment during the day that provided a good learning experience.

The kids found themselves drifting into a rip current and were slowly being pulled further along the beach and towards a rocky section of shoreline. I could see what was happening from my chair and was trying to call instructions to them, explaining that they needed to come in first before moving across.

Like many kids who are having the time of their lives, they were more focused on catching waves than listening to Dad.

The lifeguards noticed what was happening as well and started directing them back toward safer water. As I began heading down toward the shoreline to help, a local man nearby stepped in and assisted them back in toward the beach.

It was a nice reminder of how many people keep an eye out for one another here.

Once they were safely back in, we had a quick chat about rips, currents and how to handle situations like that. A few pointers later and they were ready to head back out again.

And that’s exactly what they did.

Kia went off to grab some lunch, brought it back to the beach, and we sat together in our deck chairs eating while attempting to convince the kids to come ashore.

Our efforts were largely unsuccessful.

Eventually they emerged long enough to eat, barely stopping for more than a few minutes before disappearing back into the surf.

For five straight hours, those two lived in the ocean.

Wave after wave.

Ride after ride.

They absolutely loved it.

The only downside to such an epic beach session was that I completely forgot about sunscreen.

By the time we packed up and headed home, the damage had been done.

Emmett was sporting an impressive goggle tan line that instantly became the source of endless family jokes. Maddie escaped with only a red face thanks to her wetsuit, but both kids definitely received more sun than they should have.

Back at the accommodation, everyone slowed down for a while.

The kids watched a movie and relaxed after their marathon ocean session, while I spent some time working on a couple of software projects I’ve been building. One of them has reached the point where I need to connect a paid API, and I’ve also started work on a second application idea that’s been sitting in my head for a while.

As the afternoon rolled into evening, we got ourselves ready and headed to our favourite restaurant on the edge of town.

It’s become one of those places we genuinely look forward to visiting.

The food is consistently great, the atmosphere is relaxed, and after a big day in the sun it felt like the perfect way to finish things off.

Dinner was excellent.

There were plenty of laughs about the kids’ sunburn, particularly Emmett’s now-famous goggle tan line, and we treated ourselves to dessert afterwards.

Banana and chocolate crepes.

Absolutely delicious.

Kia enjoyed a glass of wine, something she hasn’t had in quite a while, and I enjoyed a cold beer while we sat together reflecting on the day.

It wasn’t an action-packed day full of sightseeing or major adventures.

It was something much simpler.