Mantaray Resort - For Mick and Di

We dedicate this blog entry to our good friends, Mick & Di, who were peacefully travelling around India, happened to be in Mumbai at the wrong time and received bad injuries, which means as we write this Mick is still in hospital. Mick & Di, from our friends and travellers everywhere, we hope you both recover well.

The Yasawa Flyer (island hopper boat) is not particlarly cheap, but well organised. Each day it winds its way up the islands and then down again radioing each resort with their ETA. As you embark your luggage is placed in order for each destination. When you arrive at your island people get on and then you are called to change to the little boat which each resort has, your luggage is already on the little boat. In this organised way, we arrived to an enthusiastic 'welcome song' from the staff at Mantaray Island Resort.

The first thing we noticed is that out of about 70 guests we were the only ones over the age of 25! However, we have a lovely bure, which this ime is not 10 metres from the beach, it is actually on the beach.

Snorkelling and diving are the main activities as the bay has a fantastic array of reefs. The Australian diving instructor claims that it is as good, or probably better, than the Great Barrier Reef. We considered a 3-day diving course which gave a PADI certificate, but at 200 pounds each, we decided against it and contented ourselves with snorkelling. Each day seemed to bring some new exciting sight, larger and more colourful fish. The pinnacle of this is when Michelle saw a reef shark! Terry spent many an hour afterwards looking but not seeing.

As each new group arrived (about 20 per day), they are met by as many staff as possible who clap and sing the Welcome Song. Typical Terry, taking time out from reading, joined the staff each day, at first clapping, then learning the first 2 lines of the song in Fijian. Michelle sunbathed!

Each evening we had entertainment of some form. The people from the local village came and danced for us, we had a bonfire on the beach, coconut breaking and limbo dancing, which inevitably, again, Terry joined in coming in the last 8 of about 35 'young things' despite the fact that he could not get either his knees, back nor neck to bend.

Our last 3 days were spent with Dan and the glamourous Ali from Chester. They were good company, they taught us new card games, Dan taught us how to drink more and Ali taught us how to talk more (in fact she reminded us of another female we know! Sorry, but we will not identify Linda).

At first we had trouble getting to know people, but now who can forget: the ever friendly from Nottingham, Scott and Susan from Wyoming, Kayla and Terry from California and the 2 lovely Leeds girls.

And now onto the much revered Octopus Resort.

---

---