Dave & Margs' Travels

I wasn't sure that I would bother with email or blog whilst at Otto and Fanny's on Tavewa Island in the Yasawa Islands. However, Neill did ask that I describe my setting whilst writing the blog and most have been tucked out the way in a back room at a backpackers (Franz Josef and Stewart Island excepted). This is superb. I can look out the window and see the sea less than 100yards away alon a narrow sandy path with palm trees either side. The sand is pale and the sea is tropical island blue with coral and other reefs in patches. The other bonus and the reason Dave is with me is that it is airconditioned and a welcome cool from the heat outside. Where are the cocktails?

Before more on our current whereabouts, a mention has to be made of our exploits after my last entry which invloved the two of us trying to get on a double hammock. You have never seen anything so fun as the second one of us, regardless of which one it was, sent the first falling to the sand in their attempts to join them. Eventually an Ozzie guy held onto it to prevent anymore laughter on our part and we clambered on. We were too lazy to go for a walk to see the nearby hostels and bars and just chilled out and ate in.

We caught the boat yesterday (Monday) to our current island. The boat is a bus service rather than a cruise dropping and collecting people all along the route to the far north of the Yasawas. It was 4.5 hours the beginning of which we spent in the sun but ended up downstairs in the airconditioned area. At first the islands were interesting, one very small you could walk round in about 10 minutes, another quite mountainous, some with several resorts on, but after a while we ceased to take much notice of other islands.

We arrived on a small boat just after lunch and were shown to our beach bure. A typical thatched building made from palms and bamboo and with a high roof it looks the most traditional of the accommodations we can see and has both toilet and shower inside. It is only a few feet from the beach but with a few palm trees between the two to protect us from the winds. The Lonely Planet has described the island as windy but in truth it has so far been nice that it has been breezy as it is a warm breeze. The window behind our bed looks over the sea.

We have lazed in the hammock, read our books (ironic that in this heat I am reading a book on the events on Everest in May 1996), slept and chilled (?) out. We have been for walks on the beach and today went snorkelling in the warm sea. At first we were a little disappointed as the dark areas that we thought was coral turned out to be grassy areas under the sea. There was a fish about 20inches long, small this yellow fish, a clown fish that foraged in the sand and then dispersed the excess sand and food extra from its body as it swam along so it had a cloud follow it along as it swam and a few shoals of white fish. There were small white fish that seemed so swallow sand and spit it out to move the sand from pile A to pile B and a few other fish around. Then we stumbled on the coral (not literally and we are very impressed by our reef shoes, a cheap purchase in NZ so it would have been ok if we had done). The fish were colourful and interesting, bridesmaid-blue coloured ones, swarms of zebra like fish, green, brown red ones and a variety of colours in between. (Not so nice is the large (more than 1cm) ant just crawling across the keyboard!) We enjoyed our morning.

The food is great, lovely breakfast, lunch dinner and if you need it afternoon tea - including chocolate cake. There is an Irish girl doing a 6 week diving course and a girl from Vancouver staying here and a couple that are staying nearby but join us for meals so it isn't very busy for a place that can accommodate around 20. Last night we played cards for about 3 hours with some of the staff whilst unfortunately being plied with Cava. Thankfully I learnt that low tide - mean only a little and eventually they understood, "No more thanks." (Big ant fallen on floor near feet!).

++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Can someone from DVC email us the results of the mixed games at the weekend?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

So the latest questions:

Q We have 3 nights here and are heading back for one night somewhere else - which island are we going to?

We pretty much know where we are staying for the rest of the trip, so won't be influenced by answers.

Q During our trip how many times have we spent 4 consecutive nights in the same accommodation?

Q During our trip how many times have we spent 3 consecutive nights in the same accommodation?

Q During our trip how many times have we spent 2 consecutive nights in the same accommodation?

I'm cool enough now so off to see how the tide is doing or more baking!