A few days ago we arrived in the upper Yasawa Islands, into a bay referred to as the Blue Lagoon. As some of you may have guessed, it’s named after the movie that came out in 1980 starring Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins as shipwrecked, love-struck teens. The anchorage is located just off of Nanuya-Sewa Island and it is just as beautiful as it was in my hazy memory of the movie.
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| The view to the south of Nanuya-Sewa |
We were soon surprised to find almost 20 boats in the anchorage, about half of which we knew! We hadn’t seen this many boats in one place in all of Fiji apart from Savu Savu or Muscat Cove – so obviously this is a popular spot! We were delighted to catch up with several friends here, especially Muwari who we hadn’t seen since May…
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| Amazingly colorful coral |
When we awoke on our first morning here the weather was as perfect as it gets. Sunny skies with just a few clouds and a light breeze to keep you cool. No rollers coming into the anchorage, sending the boat careening back and forth – just smooth water with Bella Vita barely moving on the glassy surface and the nearby reefs clearly visible through the bright blue water. When I used to dream of what cruising would be like, this is almost exactly what I imagined!
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| This shy little guy blends right in! |
We soon decided that such a day deserved a reprieve from the long list of chores and odd jobs we address each day – that we should just enjoy and make the most of this seemingly perfect day. So after breakfast we got together with John on Mystic Moon to explore some of the local snorkeling spots.
We arrived at our first spot, scouted by Brett the evening prior and quickly slipped into the water. GASP! Even with our “skins” (a lightweight fabric that provides sun protection and helps keep you a little warmer) the water felt very brisk! But we soon adjusted and began our explorations. Though the water here was a little murky the fish were plentiful and we also saw some nice bits of coral.
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| Amazing how soft and lush coral can appear. |
After warming back up in the dinghy, we made the short trip to our second spot, just off the beach a little south of the resort. We immediately could tell this was a popular spot for feeding the fish as we were positively swarmed the minute we got in the water. While I greatly enjoy being surrounded by colorful fish I must say I’m not a fan of people feeding them as these fish are not meant to eat bread and can’t really process it properly. But I’ll get off that soapbox for now….
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| These almost look like mushrooms... |
It is definitely a little startling to have several fish right next to your face every time you look in a new direction, but once they figured out we didn’t have any food for them, they started to keep a little further away. There was nice variety of small fish along with some larger parrot fish that were beautiful. I would definitely consider it a successful snorkeling trip!
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| The view looking back to the pass |
After a quick beer on Mystic Moon and a visit from Muwari, we made our way back to Bella Vita for lunch before gathering on the beach with Mystic Moon and the crew from Calypso for a walk around the island. The conditions were perfect – on the way to low tide, not too hot and a light breeze to keep us cool.
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| Treading carefully through the muck... |
The mellow hike took us across a wide expanse of sandy beach, around to the pass between Nanuya-Sewa and Nanuya-Levu, to a bit of a mucky bog (tide was on the way out after all!). After carefully picking our way through the shallower parts of the pass we soon made it the sandy beach in front of the the reknowned Lo’s coffee house (Really – a coffee shop out in the middle of nowhere? YES!). It turns out that Lo’s makes a pretty tasty chocolate cake – especially when paired with a sweet orange soda. LOTS of sugar to give us energy for the walk up and over the hill back to the anchorage.
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| Chocolate cake at Lo's! |
The walk along the ridgeline was chock a block full of excellent views, which each new crest showcasing yet another beautiful perspective of reef strewn islands and crystal blue water. Matching the beauty was the excellent company of some wonderful new friends – Andy, Nina and Antje off the boat Calypso. We had originally met at the anchorage on Mana Island two weeks prior and our paths had been almost completely the same since. Unfortunately, we won’t likely see Calypso again after leaving here as they are soon on their way to Vanuatu – but we’ve really enjoyed spending some time with them. Hopefully our paths will cross again.
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| From left: Andy Antje, Nina, John and Brett |
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As always, electronics can be a
hodgepodge of things in the
third world, as seen here for the
local wifi antenna. |
We finished off the perfect day by joining 6 other boats – Muwari, Rafiki, Mystic Moon, Calypso, Ray Margarite and Mersoleil – at the Blue Lagoon resort bar for happy hour as the sun was setting. We are very partial to a chilled beverage in the company of friends as an excellent way to end the day…
From start to finish, I couldn’t think of a better way to spend a day with such perfect weather and such a picturesque location. Sun, water, sand and friends – definitely everything I hoped this trip would be. The fact that days like these are surprisingly rare just helps us appreciate them more and to realize how lucky we are to be out here living this life. Thanks to the friends (new AND old) who shared it with us!
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| The view from Lo's coffee shop |
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