04.23.11

The rest of our stay at the island was amazing. We spent almost every single day snorkeling, to the point where we had permanent mask lines around our faces, and blisters on our feet from the flippers. Each time we tried to visit a new location, and it only seemed that the coral got better and better. Less touched and explored. We snorkeled several times on the other side of the island where the sharks were, and the minute we dunked our heads in the water, we just as quickly were being approached by curious black and white tip sharks. Some were small, only 2 or 3 feet long, but one day we were greeted by a one that had to have been 5 feet. Still only a baby compared to the masses that full grown reef sharks can reach, but still equally as incredible and scary. I will admit that my heart would pound for a few seconds when the shark would start, head on, towards me, but after a while I realized that they are only just as curious about me as I am them.
The one day we had headed to the other side of the island to snorkel with the sharks again, and while walking on the beach I had stopped because out of the corner of my I saw something moving near my foot. Low, and behold, it was a baby turtle! In complete shock I had turned my head up the sand only to find a parade of baby turtles making their way through the grass, rocks and sand. John had run back to the tent to get the camera, and I examined the path the turtles were coming from to see if I could find their nest. Under a prickly bush there was a hole, and though I couldn’t spot any shells, sure as day, it was filled with anxious baby turtles trying to make their way out of the steep hole and make the journey into the ocean. I had remembered reading that you are not supposed to touch them. Their shells are soft and the oils on your hand can make them more susceptible to prey. They already have incredibly terrible survival rates, but of course, there is nothing you can do to prevent that. I just stood near to make sure that no bird or snake was nearby or had the nerve to come close. A single blade of grass, which to us, is so insignificant, but to these baby turtles, the grasses had become wrapped around their necks and little arms that kept that from moving forward. I have never before seen such an insignificant form of life; become something so trivial to another creature. For the most part, each turtle was able to break away from the grass and had successfully made its way to the sand, but one little guy was so tangled that he eventually gave up. Resting his little body too tired to fight against something so much stronger than he. I just gently broke the grass for him and gave him a small nudge to keep on, which he did. John got back before all the turtles had made it to the water and got some stunning video that I can’t wait to share! It was so amazing to see these flapping, stumbling babies make their way to the ocean. Once the first rush of the water hit them, they just laid there, waiting to be taken out, and swimming so gracefully out to sea, as if they have been swimming for years and years.
Once all the turtles had made their way, John and I continued to the rocks and ventured off more around them to see what lay past them. Admiring the view, I just couldn’t believe our luck at seeing the baby turtles and in mere awe of the experience, got a little teary eyed. I couldn’t have asked for anything more amazing. We jumped off the rocks into the water and snorkeled around for a few more hours before heading back.
Every night, the staff had a show or some special event planned for us to take part in. They would do traditional dances, fire twirling, we would watch movies, or sing all our national anthems. One night we had a cross dressing contest, and John won!
More towards the end of our stay we had taken the kayak out. We kayaked out to the boat channel where we stopped to snorkel. This was my favorite place to snorkel. All the coral was so developed and untouched. The fish were plentiful, more colorful and a much larger array of species. To me, this is exactly what it looks like when you watch underwater shows on Discover Channel or Animal Planet. It was unreal and so beautiful, I didn’t want to leave.
We got back on the kayak and made the hour paddle to Picnic Island. It’s just a small sand dune in the middle of the ocean, not far off the back coast of Mana. We didn’t have the money to spend paying for a boat ride out there, so we put in the muscles to get out there for free. The sand is so soft and white, and the water around the island is, once again, the most amazing light blue I have ever seen. The way the water ripples and curls looks like it is a sea of diamonds, so sparkly and dazzling! It was the most beautiful water we had seen! Around the island was another coral reef, which we snorkeled around after eating our bake bean and chip lunch. It felt so good to be able to reap the benefits of such a beautiful island after all our hard work to get out there.
We continued to kayak around the rest of the island, stopping to snorkel whenever we saw coral. At times, while we were kayaking, the paddles would smack the water and scare the fish so you would see them jump in a frenzy out of the water. A big silver fish, about 2 feet long had jumped out of the water and was so close to us you could see his yellow eyes! The best part was that he kept skidding across the water like a skipping rock, and bounced of the water 3 or 4 times before finally going back into its depths.
When we got back to the hostel, it was just in time for sunset, and we were exceptionally tired. All in all, it was an incredible day!
When we first got to the island, we got asked if we wanted to be a staged couple in a wedding, so that the other people staying at the hostel could experience a traditional wedding, and it also was an easy way for the hostel to make some extra money. Of course we said yes, and Saturday was the big day. During the week the staff helped John and I make rings out of coconut, and other than that, they did everything for us. Anne was the maid of honor, Melanie, a local was the flower girl, and Brian, old man father, was to give me away. On Saturday, Anne made me a frangipani necklace and flower bouquets. She was quite excited to be the maid of honor : ) A girl from Malaysia, Bibi, did my hair and makeup, which turned out beautifully, and John and I used and old dirty sheet to fashion sarongs for wedding apparel. The staff asked that everyone pay 15 dollars so they could prepare a traditional meal, have liquor, and a cake. They made decorations from palm leaves, and hung tapa (it is a traditional fabric out here made out of bark) and strategically placed flowers all over the inside of the hostel where the wedding would take place. For food, the did a lovo, which is where they dig a hole in the sand and burn a bunch of wood until it is down to burning embers. Then they put all the food on top, and cover it with a special sheet and sand for a few hours for it to all cook. It was sooo delicious!
The wedding itself was tons of fun, and for a fake wedding, it was quite nice for the amount of effort everyone put into it. The hostel is excited to use the pictures for promotional purposes on their website, and of course, John and I are happy to do that for them. Thanks Mana Lagoon!
The last day of our stay at Mana, we did the island hopping tour. We got to visit a few other islands, and see some of the more popular beaches. White sandy beach, musket cove, and we snorkeled at Honeymoon Island. It’s a good size island, though it would only take a few minutes to walk its circumference. Uninhabited, it was a mecca for snorkeling, and here we saw a poisonous sea snake, giant gar fish that well exceeded 5 feet and a school of squid. I so loved the squid. I followed them and got rather close. As they swam through the different colors of coral, they changed colors, and their skin was spotted and luminescent; pearly and multi-colored like a powa shell.
One of the best parts of Mana was the village just behind the hostel. Modest, and down to the bare basics, the village people were just about as friendly as friendly can get. The children were all so eager to meet the tourists, and John and I took every opportunity to play with them. They would swarm around us every time we brought the computer out, so we would show them pictures and let them control the mouse and type until the computer went dead. One day, we had visited them at their school. They sang us songs, so in turn we sang one to them. They recognized John and I from the wedding, and knew John was the guy with the computer and camera, so they immediately stick to his side, hoping they will let him play with his electronics.
The electricity is only on from 6pm till 6 am, and during the day, you can never be sure if there will be water or not. Though it will eventually be turned back on, there were times we would have to wait a few hours. We didn’t mind though, and you realized what it was really like to live in a village.
Our stay at Mana was amazing. It was extremely hard for us to say goodbye to all our friends, and even harder to say goodbye to the village children and the staff. We recommend Mana Lagoon to anyone who is planning a visit to Fiji. Though we only got to visit a few other islands, our favorite one was Mana, merely on the fact that the water was so clear and the village was in our back yard. Other people had also mentioned that they preferred Mana Island, and there is not one thing I regret! (Aside from NOT having an underwater camera, though we did get some pictures with Thomas camera). Thank you Mana Lagoon, staff and friends for EVERYTHING! Your amazing… and Ravvi, I love your sausages!
When we got back to the main land on Thursday, we spent the day in town, but since then we have done nothing but relax around Diane and Paul’s again. We are planning to head to another stretch of islands after a few days break, but still are figuring out our expenses. We are only in Fiji for another 10 days and then off to Tahiti!!!