The Robeys take on the Carnival Spirit Day 5

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Day 5

One of the first things I liked to do when I wake up was to open the curtains and admire the view. Today's view was turquoise and deep blue waters, an island full of palms and some pines and a rusty orange ship that was our introduction to the island of Marè..quaint.

We joined a couple we didn't know for breakfast and chatted as you do. It's always nice to make new friends.

Packing my larger of the two mermaid tails we took a small boat to the shore and a shuttle bus to Yejele Beach. There wasn't much in the way of tours at Marè. The shuttle ride provided glimpses of crystal clear waters, a few peak caps of white waves brushing against the shore, some magnificent rock/coral formations and plenty of greenery. The few local huts of stone combined with basic thatched dwellings spotted the short journey and made you wonder what life was really like on the island for the locals without the convenience of modern cons.

Arriving at Yejele beach there were people macheteing coconuts, the smell of chicken skewers cooking over old drum container fire pits, locals offering massages inside of basic wooden huts, hair braiding and beer and of course a picturesque beach that looked like a postcard...and full of hundreds of tourists. We chose the right side which had less tourists and what looked like more coral to explore and hoped for a few photo opportunities for myself in my tail.

This was my first time on a beach in my finfolk tail and it proved harder to get into than when I tried it in the pool. I struggled with the zip and couldn't get it up. For future reference I will get aqua socks as the combination of the rough sand (crushed coral) inside my monofin caused sand rash from the repetitive friction of using it. The sand also got stuck in the zipper and I couldn't get it up and this caused water to enter in and drag the fin down with the weight of the water.

Anyways we saw fish, lots of Nemo clown type fish peaking in and out of anemones as we swam past. Also saw Gil but no Dory...

The current was fast and strong and Kym and I both struggled keeping close to where we had set up camp. With the water dragging my fin I really struggled and ended up removing the tail and walking back to shore.

Kym and I hadn't had a coconut yet, it's just one of those things that you have to have while sitting on beach in a tropical location... alas we couldn't find them, its like everyone was thinking the same thing and they were all sold out (yes, I know.. we were totally surrounded by coconut trees on an island but there were no coconuts for sale ?)

Deciding to go back in the water without my mermaid tail, I attempted snorkeling once again. The current was even stronger and it took a lot of work to get out to sea to only be dragged several meters to the right toward shore. I didn't last long.

Walking back to the shuttle bus I drank in as much of the surroundings as I could before heading back to the water taxi. There were a few markets near where we were to embark and Nicki and I checked them out. Everything was the same as Nomeau and for me that was the same as Fiji a few years ago and to be honest it ends up somewhere in a drawer and later at an OP shop.

As Kym and I hadn't eaten lunch (I did bring a couple of danishes from the boat packed into sandwich bags, which btw are a necessity for traveling on a budget.. ) we were starving and checked out the BBQ Grill on Deck 10, the Sun Deck. Enjoying grilled meat and veg overlooking Marè the sun continued to warm our backs and the view to warm our sights.

As we hadn't been in the Adult Spa *we had also not been in the family spa ... we thought we would give it a go as many people were still over on the island. It was full but we sat in the pool. The pools are not big at all. There were 6 of us in it and if more people were to come in there wouldn't be a whole lot of room for 'swimming'. It was more a stand in the pool kind of thing and you weren't allowed drinks in... so really pointless...

A couple who were in the pool suggested we should all swim/run in one direction and create our own 'whirlpool' spa. Nicki and I did, the boys thought we were nuts no doubt.. 4 adults running in one direction around the tiny pool..

A couple got out and Nicki and I jumped at the opportunity to get in. It was hot and with the sun beating down on us we didn't last long in it. The smell of the chlorine was strong as well and turned all my silver jewelry a dull grey. You could drink in the spa and Nicki was able to enjoy her Mojito. I had a hankering for coconut water with rum but although it was on the menu list it seemed that the ship didn't have any.. it seemed I wasn't to have coconuts on this trip..

A quick shower and change and we headed down to beer pong, Kym and I entered as a team and Nicki and Curt entered as a team. We won our first round against another couple, thanks to Kym's accuracy (I suck at anything that requires ball tossing ). Curt and Nicki unfortunately lost their first one. We weren't so lucky on the next round, although I did manage one in.

We had a while to kill before dinner and spent time in the sports bar where I found a cocktail that ended up being my favorite for the trip, so I had 3. Just before heading to dinner we watching the sunset from Curt and Nicki's balcony.

Dinner was back at Empire and we were sat in a different booth with different waiters, its weird but I felt guilty and unloyal. Plus we liked our other waiters better.

Back to the Red Frog pub to play 'What's that Riff' and a score of 21 out of 24 and onto the Marriage Game. Nicki and Curt got chosen as one of three couple contestants on the ships game show with Curt and the other 2 men being taken back stage and the women contestants given 4 questions to answer about their husbands before they were swapped around. Some of the answers were hilarious and some made you cringe, thinking that they might be in trouble with their prospective partners. It was a good laugh and Curt and Nicki gained celebrity status from shipgoers for one of the answers.. and according to the ship.. what happens on the ship stays on the ship.. and this was definitely the case for the next segment. This was an Adult only scavenger hunt... and let's just say that you need to have an open mind, a bit of confidence, not be a prude or shy, have no inhibitions with a good sense of humor or just a heck of a lot of drinks in you... and I'll leave that game at that ?

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