Bread baking is Fernando's steady income, especially now that the pearl industry is suffering. ( The lagoon used to have 25 pearl farmers, now their are barely 5 ) When we went to buy bread the next day, he proudly showed us the bakery, begun some 50 years ago by his father. All the equipment comes from France, the mixer was 30 years old! The flour also came from France or Holland. (Aus. flour was no good he said ) He showed us also his little veggie garden, and especially keen he was on his compost pile, with fish meal.
There is no sign of commercial fishing in these waters and the fish life is abundant. We snorkeled down the pass, floating along with the outgoing tide, and our dinghy. Again, Fernando was there to meet us later, and jumped in the water with all his clothes on, to make sure we saw the best things.
That night, Fernanado and Stella, his wife, joined us all for a meal at the resort, where by at the end of the meal, he and a friend sang and played the ukulele, and gave James a demo. on how to dance!
Next morning as we departed, Fernando was at the end of the wharf in the pass, throwing flowers out to sea, bidding us farewell, with his gleaming smile. What and amazing character!
-Snorkeling Through the Pass-