We then had to clamber over the side of the boat, hanging onto the rail, and down into smaller boats as they bounced about at the side of the bigger boat. This was very precarious and would never be allowed in Europe, with our stringent health and safety regulations. Obviously we had no other choice, if we were to get across to the island and so after watching the Africans with their heavy bundles climbing down, we followed their lead into the crowded boat below.
Once safely on the beach we walked along the sand thinking how were going to spend the next four hours before the whole process was repeated in reverse. We saw a notice about snorkelling and other activities, but walked on initially. Then we returned and were approached by a local asking us if we wanted to join a small group about to start the snorkelling activity. Adam had never done this before and my only experience had been in Australia, where it was very controlled and relatively safe. Here, there were no life jackets and you were left pretty much on your own with a small motor boat nearby. It really did feel like you were floating in the middle of the Indian Ocean. We were told in which direction to swim to locate the coral, which was only a few feet below the surface. We saw quite a few small fish and different types of coral, but the waters were not as clear as in Australia, as there had been a typhoon within the previous week, which had stirred up the sand and other deposits on the ocean floor.
This is a boy, who called himself Steven, who showed us where the market was on the island. He spoke quite good English and wants to be a journalist, one day. We took him to lunch with us and spent a couple of hours chatting with him, learning about life on the island. I have since sent him a dictionary and some supplies for school and hope that they get to the address he gave us. It would be good to keep in touch with him and in some small way help him achieve his ambitions.
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