13th October 2012
My back feeling stiff from the party antics from the night before, I basically did NOTHING the next morning. Well, apart from topping up my tan that is!
After a heavy morning of tanning, I came to this lunch! Truly deliciousness of Fish Kokoda had me energised for the day ahead. I was especially pleased to have a form of male banterness when Karen introduced me from her earlier Fijian experiences, Andy, who possibly has the driest sense of humour ever. This I liked! After 3 days of ‘girl talk’, I was especially pleased not having to talk about ‘relationships’ or even 50 shades of Grey, which all the girls seemed to be reading, particularly Irish Lisa who really really wanted to dramatise the whole book…
Anyway, to distract Lisa from her licking of lips and possibly biting, I offered to take her out snorkelling seeing as she had a massive fear of big fish and sharks, which we were told can be seen regularly. This was news to me as I haven’t seen any in my many hours of snorkelling since I arrived on Mantaray Island.
But assuring her that I hadn’t seen any, we starting paddling out to sea from the beach and again marvelled at the reef. There’s absolutely so much to see and I didn’t care if my fingers was getting wrinkled like a soggy prune, I was having the time of my life. Maybe, I should watch the sun on my back for a bit as it was slightly getting burned.
Pushing Lisa to deeper waters, I simply looked around at the emptiness of the water with the reef to my right and observing the marine life off the ‘reef cliff’, until something caught my eye on the left. My eyes bulged out and some bubbles burst out of my mouth. A SHARK. Its predatory glint in its eyes swivelled to look up at me as it ‘silently’ moved through the water underneath me. I didn’t panic, much to my surprise. I was so gobsmacked and so in awe. The sharks I’ve been told about were small, as long as your arm but this one absolutely massive! As long as my body! It kept to the seabed and glided around for a while as I watched it passively. I thought about alerting Lisa who was paddling nearby and oblivious to the shark…do I tell her? Better not, but I caught another snorkeller heading my way and I lifted my head out of the water and put a straight side palm to my head to tell her there’s a shark below us. We both watched as it still glided around, aware of 2 puny human beings above it, and as silently as it came into view, it silently disappeared. Wow!
I told Lisa after that we had a shark amongst us and she freaked out and refused to get in the water again. Oops.
After a productive afternoon of snorkelling followed by a small kayaking trip to an island nearby, it was time to do the activity of the day. The Sunset Cruise.
Taken out on a small boat, Claire, Helen, Katie and I sang along to the music supplied. Singing Stevie Wonder’s ‘I just called to say’ had us gesturing to each other with drama and in a fit of giggles! Taken around to the other side of Mantaray Island, we were set to watch the sunset and the stage was definitely set. Supplied with cans of Fiji Gold, we jumped into the water with rubber rings to climb upon to be dragged by the boat with the help of a rope. It was truly a spectacular evening as we watched the sunset and swigging the beer. Check out the pics to find how awesome it was:
Upon our return, after another scrumpticious dinner, we were back on the beach to play some more games. This time, limbo dancing! I wasn’t expecting to do well seeing as I’ve got a dodgy back. But you know what?! I won!!!! I couldn’t believe how flexible I was and especially how low I got. Everyone gasped as they watched a tall, thin 6ft + win the competition. I won a very large cocktail for my troubles and I could be grinning all night.
Even my grin could be widened when I discovered a note under my pillow from a secret admirer who said they were blown over by me upon seeing me at the limbo dancing…who could it be?
We will see. Meanwhile, did I tell you how much I’m enjoying Paradise?!
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