^ Jade cutting up her birthday cake!

Today was a very special day, with Jade celebrating her birthday half a world away from family and friends. We woke early and enjoyed coffee and crepes for breakfast before once again donning wetsuits and heading out to try our luck in the Island passage, hoping we might get to see more of the Manta Rays.


^ Jade enjoying her breakfast crepes.

Hitting the water just after 10 am (slack tide) we patiently waited for the Manta Rays to come up from feeding and fleetingly grace us with their presence. With poorer visibility than before and arguably less plankton in the water for them to feed on the going seemed slow. Our patience, however, was rewarded and we did get to spend a few awe inspiring minutes observing these most majestic creatures.

3 hours later we returned from our snorkeling to enjoy a pot luck lunch with KTD as part of the birthday celebrations. The spread was immense, we had; a cheese board, pizzas, boerewors, mashed potato, peas, gravy, a fruit salad with custard and birthday cake. The day was scorching and festivities were interspersed with quick dips into the ocean.

To add to our festive moods was the exciting news that came today in the form of a revised notice pertaining to our blue lane status in Fiji which now allows us to go ashore!

Enamoured of our new found freedom we headed for shore, racing a sinking sun, to touch dry land and feel the bleach white sand between our toes. We met Rob (marine biologist looking after the Manta Rays) and Sammy (a local responsible for looking after the currently desolate resort) and headed for the hills, having to fight our way up a rather overgrown mountain while waving off a particularly vicious bread of local mosquito.


^ Rowing into the bay at low tide.


^ Our brief trek.


^ Our view from the top.

Before leaving Sammy rustled up some coconuts and Jade made friends with the resident pig.


^ Jade and the friendly pig.

Back at the boat we had a quick swim to wash off the sweat before coconuts were cracked and laced with rum (for the less abstemious crew), and a light dinner of cheese, houmous and crackers for those with an appetite after our late lunch revelry.