More child power washing in progress – this time a French family cruising for a year sabbatical from their home in French Guyana.

It is easy to entertain kids here. Meeting at Manati, there is time for several spins on the carousel, a two-hour hike on the loop trail, a swim in the grotto complete with waterfall rock climbing and the aforementioned power washing, then back to the Manati for some more spins. When the adults are ready for a quiet beer at the bar, Annette brings out the toys, puzzles and games and the kids settle right in. There is wifi as well - which can be even more effective in this latter phase of the process – particularly for the older kids.

All this is great fun for the kids and, at the same time, I enjoy practicing my underutilized Grandpa skills. Language barriers do make this latter a bit of a challenge, however. I speak no French. The kids did get the joke, however, when I told them that the only French words I know are “Baguette”, “Fromage”, “Camembert” etc.

As an interesting side note, when I took this picture I yelled “Fromage!” and was informed that even the French say “Cheese” when staging a pic! Obviously a case of Americanisms creeping into the French language and culture – first McDonald’s, then Disney and now “Cheese”. Is nothing sacred?