July 7, 2015  Blue Lagoon, Coral View Resort

I took my charts into the bar and asked the staff and locals for recommendations of places to go.  Oe of the places suggested was Coral View Resort, just across the Lagoon and out on the point.  Among other things, it was said to have a market where we could get bread and eggs.  So next time we got a clear and not too windy morning we headed off to see what we could find.    The trip, of course, had us bouncing over waves and threading our way through reefs.  Eventually we rounded a point and saw a cluster of buildings and a breakwater.  The channel was barely 4 feet wide and not much deeper but inside was a lovely sandy beach with a couple of shore boats drawn up.  Steps led up from the beach to a wide wooden veranda built around a couple of large trees.  There was a dive shop, a large dining area and kitchen and the market.   wonder of wonders, they even served cappuccino and muffins for $2.50 each. Of course, we had an elevenses.  What a wonderful, peaceful spot.  There are a number of lovely cottages scattered around the tree shaded ground.  The guests are young backpackers from a variety of countries.  The staff as friendly as everyone in Fiji always is. We were surprised when one of them addressed us by name and said he had recognized George (our dingy)  Turns out he works part of the time in Vuda and remembered us from there.  We spent several hours sleeping on the beach, collecting shells.  Turns out this is a nursery and sanctuary for giant clams.  We had not brought our snorkel gear with us so we will have to come back again to see them.  Just after lunch an shore boat turned up and the backpackers shouldered their packs and waded through the surf and climbed aboard as the staff sang the traditional leaving song, isa lei.   We stocked up on groceries and headed back in the afternoon.

On our second trip we arrive at high tide and quickly don our snorkel gear and head out to find the giant clams.  We drift along over beautiful, multicolored coral with scores of bright colorful fish.  And then suddenly there are the clams.  They are huge, al least 6 feet across.  The flesh is studded with bright florescent spots, green, blue, purple.  In the center of each is a round dark opening that looks like and eye.  Actually it is a mouth but it is hard to escape the feeling that they are watching us.   After an hour or so we swam back to shore and had pizza, hamburger and cold beer for lunch.  As we were relaxing after lunch a larger shore boat arrived and anchored just outside of the breakwater.  This was the supply ship bring provisions for the store and the kitchen.  The smaller  boats went out to meet it and soon were ferrying bags and boxes and crates of groceries ashore.  They would load up the small boats and bring them into the beach where the staff formed a chain and carried them up into the beck to be inventoried.  It was all done with lots of good humor and teasing.  Not hurried but moving steadily it took over an hour to get everything off.  Alan and I sat in the shade and ate ice cream and watched.  When they were all done, we moved into the store to make our purchases, loaded up George and headed back to Rhapsody.  A lovely, lovely place, one of our favorite places in Fiji.