14th October 2012

I seemed to have followed a set routine for my time in Mantaray Island. Get up, breakfast, snorkel, sunbathe, snorkel, lunch, snorkel, sunbathe. It’s truly a hard life. I seemed to be content with island life after a great day spotting sharks and seeing the sunset in the sea.

Today, I found more sharks and another Ray!

As the afternoon drew to a close, Michelle, Andy and I headed off to climb the hill on the island to see if we can see the sunset. We did. And we had the island cat to lead us the way. Cheers Pussy!

I was just so absolutely astounded by the view. It was so unique that I really wanted to have this view from my bed as I look out from underneath the covers to smile at what I see. Lovely!

Check out the pics. I managed to obtain them climbing a tree and started freaking out about how to get down.

Sunset mantaray

Sunset mantaray

Sunset mantaray

Sunset mantaray

Sunset mantaray

Sunset mantaray

Sunset mantaray

Sunset mantaray

After dinner, we went back down to the beach for more games! We love the games! This time it would be crab racing! On the success of my limbo win, I was truly motivated to gain a hat-trick. Picking out a feisty hermit crab that tried to take a chunk out of my thumb, I nicknamed it T-Rex. Making the shell with our designated number, we placed it back in the bucket, to which the party organiser seemed to suspiciously take to the bar. After everyone got into position around the circle, which the crabs would compete within (the first crab to reach the circle outline wins), we expectantly got ready to shout for each of our own crabs. The party organiser turned the bucket upside down on the floor and asked if we were ready? Of course we were! He swiped the bucket up so quickly and we only registered what he did when we jumped out of our skin off the floor and backwards. There was a massive crab placed within the bucket as a joke and it scurried so quickly towards of all people…me! I simply ran away as I had a traumatic experience with a crab back home in Filey, and it was still chasing after me on the beach!

Crab Racing mantaray

Escaping from the claws of doom, I returned and shakingly shouted on my hermit crab, viewing it with suspicion that it told the monster crab to attack me. Luckily, it repaid me in kind by reaching the final round!

Getting ready and assured my crab would win, I realised I should have named the crab, Mariah Carey, as it decided to have a diva hissy fit and refused to move. My attempts to prod it along was met with a slashing out of a claw. It went where it was found. In the sea by unconventional menthods…by flying!

The rest of the night, was spent chilling out with my Fijian mates and I was so sad that this was to be my last night in Mantaray Island. I could have stayed longer for the whole week if I wanted to, but I felt like I wouldn’t be doing Fiji justice if I didn’t go to another island.

Mantaray, you’ve been absolutely fantastic!