Breakas

Another beautiful location is the Breakas resort which is only about 800 metres walk from our apartments. For the person wanting pure relaxation and up market facilities, Breakas is one of the places to go. Listed as a boutique motel it has great dining facilities, a beautiful pool, good entertaining area and a lovely beach. Not destroyed by too many people, it is a great way to spend a lazy sunday after all the chores have been completed. It is one of the many perfect places to relax and unwind. You can also sunbake and swim in normal swimming costumes

Another Farewell

One of the strange characteristics of volunteer life is the continuing welcoming and farewelling of friends. Whether it is people recently met or friends and family visiting, we constantly seem to say hello or goodbye. Recently some good friends (Don and Carol) finished their volunteer stint and have returned to Western Australia. They have been here for a year building a school at Epi and have become close companions. Individually we all got on very well but most importantly Don and Paul had the same humour and could amuse each other and not annoy us. We really enjoyed their company and hope they have a great time in WA at christmas. In the new year they look like taking a job in Indonesia so we wish them every success and hopefully we can meet them in some tourist location like Bali.

Here come the turtles

After travelling for hours over the top of the island to the beach on the other side, we finally started searching for turtles. Ron and Cheryl decided to rest on the beach. The official explanation was a nasty cut to Rons toe but the more interesting answer came from Trevor who suggested they want some romantic time away from the group. The rest of the group continued the journey and it was long before we came across two monster turtles.
The first turtle with a shell more than a metre long could not get comfortable, didn't lay any eggs and attempted to return to the water. Jacquie was surprised at how quickly such a large turtle moved and it proved quite difficult for the experts to stop and tag the turtle. The second turtle put on a great show for everyone and eventually laid about 250-300 eggs. It was amazing and lengthy experience and one I am sure Traecey, Mathew and the girls would have loved.
At the end of the night we made the long trek home (about 1.5 hrs) and we were totally exhausted by the end. We had left at 5.15pm and we got home at 12.50am. Much too late for us old fellas.

The faces of Tassariki

Village stay at Tassariki

Recently we decided to spend the weekend at a village being turtle monitors with a group of people organised through Wan Smol Bag. It was the first time people from the "outside" had lived as a group at the village and no one was dissappointed. We arrived to a very formal opening ceremony welcoming the "tourists" and also blessing the new bungalows built for the occasion. Much to the delight of members of our group there was also a brand new toilet and shower facility. We travelled to the village in Ron and Cheryls new car and then by boat. Saturday afternoon saw most of us snorkel and receive guided tours around Tassariki.

Our girls and Eton Beach

Just before the girls left their friend from upstairs Zoe bought them island dresses and the three girls looked beautiful. The picture shows that kids can be good even when they are awake.
Another favourite spot we visited recently was Eton beach. On the trip there we came across a bus broken down (flat tyre)and without anything to loosen the nuts. We gave some expert advice but also had no wheel brace. We wished them well but couldn't help so we left them and went swimming. (Rather selfish me think). Eton beach is very pretty and similar to beaches back home although it is also a very good snorkelling spot. Late in the day after church finishes the local villagers come down and join in with the visitors. Another must visit spot for tourists.

Rex Hunt runs a distant second

The boys decided they needed some quiet time so off they went deep sea fishing. What a wonderful day and a lesson for all people hoping to be fisherman. The three boys Stuart, Tim and Rex went fishing out near Hat Island and the fish were literally jumping into the boat. By the time we needed refreshments we had landed five large fish (4 tuna and something). It was the perfect way to fish, beautiful day, good company, no bait required,just throw a line out and wait for the screeching noise of fishing line being ripped from the rod. The photos really tell the story and being the good fisherman we are we came home and cooked the fish on a barbeque for about 16 people. Eat your heart out Rex.

Final examination for miss jicky's class

My first lot of students graduated last week from their 12 week course in nutrition and healthy living. In their final exam they had to chose a meal that they had cooked during the course, prepare it and present it to invited guests (about 25 people).Before they served their meal they had to give a small talk on why they chose the meal, how they cooked it and what was the nutritional value of the meal.
This proved to be very nerve racking for them but to their credit they all did a wonderful job. For the next six weeks we are teaching hospitality to 8 boys who are keen to go further in this area. We have turned the canteen into a cafe so they can get some real experience - this is really exciting and the response from everyone so far has been really encouraging. Who would have thought working at Gnostic Mana was preparing me for this role! The good news is I have delegated the job of mopping the floor - the worst job of all.

John Frumm village

After our visit to the volcano we decided to visit the famous John Frumm village in Sulphur Bay. It was a two and a half hour walk up a fairly steep incline followed by a walk across the ash plain near the volcano. Thanks to a wrong turn we also had a very steep descent which thankfully we had a guide who also carried Tamasin on his shoulders. At the bottom of the descent we walked through some hot springs to get to the beach. Some of the springs were boiling and some expletives were whispered by the ladies. We swam in the cooler section of the springs before commencing the walk home. As we approached the plain the wind picked up and as you can see from the photo it was like a sand storm in the Gobi desert. Half way home we were picked up by a driver from our bungalow and we all gratefully accepted the lift. It still amazes each of us that many local villages live so close to the volcano on a daily basis.