M-whY

Breakfast was served at 8:00am, so I had about an hour to kill. I spent the time writing and catching up my blog. Immediately after breakfast, I headed to the other side of the island, over a hill, for a walk along the crystal clear water. At the end of each beach, I would climb some rocks, and around each corner, be rewarded with another stretch of white sand. The beaches were totally unoccupied, the only person I came across all morning was a villager walking his dogs.

Cathryn and I rented some snorkel gear in the afternoon. We climbed some rocks ("It was like climbing Everest" Cathryn later remarked) to a place recommended for good snorkeling. Upon arriving, Cathryn was a bit put off by the fact that we would be jumping into the water off a rocky ledge instead of wading in from a beach. She decided to head back and do her snorkeling in shallower waters.

I had seen better snorkeling in other places. But like the rest of Mana Island, the magic came from it's relative distance from civilization. There were no tour boats anchored nearby, no throng of tourists splashing in the water. Just me and maybe two other backpackers exploring an acre of coral and tropical fish.

I passed the afternoon snorkeling in the warm water and resting on the rocks whenever I got tired. Once, I came across a large school of small translucent fish. The sun's rays reflected made them look like leaves fluttering in the wind. It was like autumn underwater.

Thanks to everyone for their support and comments! Knowing people are reading keeps me motivated to continue the updates!