Hi All
The unanimous consensus from all aboard 'Cool Bananas' is that: Fiji is fantastic. We have spent three weeks here, mainly cruising the Yasawa group of islands. The local people seem so relaxed and friendly. They have so little and yet seem so happy. They base their lives around the principle of sharing and it seems to work well.
When we first arrive at a village we take the chief some kava roots, which is our gift to them. After a small welcoming ceremony we are then free to wander the village, swim, snorkel and fish. We have been invited to local homes for meals which have been a highlight. I stocked up on extras like clothing and biscuits before leaving NZ, so we have an ample supply of gifts to give them in return. What they seem to want most though is the 'Cool Bananas' tee-shirts off our backs!!!
A bonus for me is that the Fijian people seem to love to have their photo taken, so I have had some wonderful opportunities for getting local shots.
We have found a couple of resorts that welcome cruisers, so we have had time by the pool sipping on pina coladas. Nothing like some abundant fresh water now and again to wash off the salt!!!
We have been able to get our adrenalin fix by swimming with huge manta rays, free diving into dark caves and the usual swimming with sharks.
Did you know that less people are bitten by sharks that New Yorkers are bitten by each other? This is reassuring, considering Lyn and I had a shark come with a few feet of us as we were snorkeling. Luckily for me Lyn didn't tell me about it until he had gone.
We are still really enjoying the snorkeling and diving. The fish life here is amazing and we never seem to tire from spending time observing. There have been gorgeous shells here, so wandering the shores looking for treasures has been added to the activity list.
Dynes and Lyn have been fantastic company and crew, but sadly their time with us in Fiji has come to an end. They will, however, rejoin us in Vanuatu for some cruising there.
Katie, also, has departed. She has gone back to the UK to pursue her career in marine biology. While we will miss her immensely we are pleased to see her advancing her studies and it's good to see her finally considering getting a 'real' job!!
So numbers aboard have dropped to three. We are looking forward to exploring the islands and popular diving spots close to the mainland. On the 20 th we are joined by a young German girl, Miriam, we met in NZ. She will be with us for a month before leaving from Vanuatu.
Cruising has been more isolated than we imagine here, so we are relying on you to update us on local, national and international news. The rugby and Americas cup results have been about the limit of our contact with the outside world!!
Sorry to hear that winter has arrived in NZ. You won't want to know that it is bordering on being unbearably hot here, but we're coping.
Warm Wishes from Laurel, Daryl and Debs.
