All good things must come to an end . . .

Day 5

Dad woke me about 6:10am and asked if I wanted to come along kayak fishing. I said “Of course” and made him wake mom to come too. We got to the activities shed right before 7am and no one was there. The equipment shed was open though so we could get to the things we needed. We pulled out three glass bottom kayaks, three paddles and then loaded up our kayaks. Then our little pod headed out to sea. We didn’t have high expectations for the kayaks, but they were amazing. The reef comes so close to the surface and you could see perfectly through the glass bottom. Mom and I rode around hunched over checking out the coral and fish life. Dad fished off in the distance but wasn’t having any luck. I had the spinning rod on my kayak and threw it some, but the fish just weren’t biting. I did drop my lil line in right by the kayak and attracted groups of fish each time. They were just curious about my shiny green fly. Mom and I also saw tons of baby Sea Kraits (sea snakes) on the coral. Most of them were just a few inches long, but with that many babies, I am sure they will see a lot more snakes on the island in the future. After about an hour and a half I had my fill and headed back to shore. We cleaned up our equipment and headed to breakfast. Dad was slightly frustrated about the fishing, but once we got some food in him he got a little happier.

He, of course, had to give the fish another go so mom and I lounged on the beach. Eventually it got pretty toasty so I decided to do a little snorkeling. Mom came along and we had fun pointing out fun creatures to each other. I showed her it was safe to pick up a starfish and she picked up four different ones until I told her to stop tormenting them all. Daddy was catching some small fish so we got a picture of one of his catches. After getting wrinkly and soggy we headed back to shore and went to lie by the pool. It was another scorcher of a day so we didn’t last outside of the water very long. Eventually all three of us were propped by the edge of the pool reading our books. At one point, dad fell asleep and face planted into the side of the pool. That woke him right up, haha. We decided it was time for a boost with lunch and some fun drinks.

After some more time by the pool, I wanted to go snorkeling again. This may be my last time on the reef for a long time so I really want to remember it well. Dad fished and kept a watchful eye and I ended up swimming out pretty deep. The reef was just too pretty to stay in close to shore. I saw a much wider variety of fish and even happened upon an eel. After that, I desperately wanted the underwater camera so I swam back to shore. Dad didn’t have the camera so I had to go all the way back to the pool. He had lost his belt and wanted to check by the pool for it so he walked on the shore while I swam right in the surf. Right before I was getting out to walk up to the pool, a little black tip reef shark swam in front of me. I followed him but he was skittish and I was so mad I didn’t have the camera yet. I ran up to the pool, found dad’s belt, grabbed the camera and jumped back in the water like a fish that was meant to be there.

I wanted to find the eel again to get a picture so I tried to retrace my path. I got close, but couldn’t find the exact spot I’d seen the eel. I gave up and decided to just enjoy the reef and take some cool videos and pictures. Just then I swam right over an eel, entirely too close for comfort. I slowly backed up, and then thrust my camera down to grab a quick picture. I also tried to get videos that would show you what it was like to swim on the reef if you never have. If I was still enough, the fish weren’t even bothered by my presence and would school around me. I would ebb and flow with the tide along with them and just became part of the scenery. There are little black fish that get pretty territorial over their holes. One was playing with me so I took a video of him challenging me and laughed to myself. I was out on the reef for a good two hours today. It’s so easy to lose track of time and get caught up in all the different colors and fish to look at. I looked in crevices and around corners and really wish I could have gone diving at least once. There were two Asian couples swimming the reef as well. I had on just my snorkel, mask and a bikini. They had on full upper body suits, life vests, snorkels, masks and flippers. I took a picture cause it made me laugh. Finally I figured I’d gotten a fabulous workout from all that swimming and swam back in towards shore.

Again, dad walked along the shore and I swam in the shallows. I was hoping to see the sharks again but I figured it was unlikely. Then dad called out that there was one straight ahead. He was swimming towards me and I stayed still with my camera out and ready. This little guy was quite curious and got a little too close. When he was about a foot from me I splashed to scare him off. I then jumped right onto the beach and told my dad that was a great way to end my snorkeling adventures.

Tonight we had drinks by the pool and met two families. We met a couple from New Zealand and a family from Brisbane. The family from Brisbane knew the street I lived on. What a small world! Dinner tonight was authentic Fijian and the tables were set by the pool. We got to pick from Fijian dishes, which were all delicious. The bats flew overhead and the guitar playing was fabulous. We ended the night with Kava infused coffee and hot chocolate and a rendition of “Sweet Caroline.” Tomorrow we leave the island and head to the mainland for another day before heading back home.

What an adventure it has been . . .

Day 6

I had big ambitions for this morning. I set my alarm for 4:25am so I could get up and hike the mountain so I could watch the sunrise from the top. Unfortunately, it’s a little hard to see when it’s still dark outside, not to mention the large screeching bats all around. I lost my courage and decided to just sit on the beach for a while and look at the full moon over the water. It was gorgeous. It was completely quiet except for the crashing of the small waves and the sky was clear. As I was looking at Orion’s Belt, I turned and saw a shooting star. I sat on the beach for about 30 minutes watching the moon change from white, to off white, to deep yellow. At first it looked like the “man in the moon” was upside down from this angle. But the more I stared at it, the more right it seemed so I couldn’t be sure. About 5:30am I finally headed back to the house after seeing yet another shooting star.

I got back up at 7:30am determined to climb the mountain. I had some issues finding the trail, but one of the cooks showed me the way. It wasn’t a bad hike. I pretty much climbed straight uphill but it only took about 15-20 minutes. The views from the top were amazing. I could see the entire island from the mountain, the beaches around the edges and the through the clear blue water to the reefs below. I spent about 30 minutes at the top admiring the view and taking great pictures. It was also quiet and I got a chance to clear my head and just look at all the beautiful things around me. Another guy had run up the mountain when I was walking down so we said hello. I then made my way back down the mountain. Most of you are probably aware of my issues with direction, but on the way back I tried to take the route that leads somewhere from our cabins. I thought I’d found it, but I ended up deep in the brush with sharp painful grass cutting my legs. Not an ideal situation. So I retreated and went back the way I’d originally come. Only I could get lost on a teeny island. I made it back to the room about 9am and got my mom up for some breakfast. We met up with papa dukes, ate and then lounged by the pool. We check out at 4pm today and then we’re headed to the mainland. We get a full day in Nadi tomorrow and then our flight home leaves tomorrow night!

Back to reality . . . see you stateside!