Still in Fakarava!

After our last post, we did another check of the weather and.... it changed for the better! So, we decided to hang out in the atoll a little bit longer.

Unbelievably, a catamaran anchored near us in the bay which is registered in Basel, Switzerland! We had to dinghy over to introduce ourselves and say "Gruezi". Ends up Kurt and Brigit are from Zurich and spend half the year on their boat and the other half in Switzerland. We had a few laughs together and decided to do a 'tour' the next day.

We rented bicycles and rode the 10 km to the northern pass of the atoll to do a bit of snorkeling. The weather was hot and sunny - perfect for a ride and swim!! Here are some pics.

 

I wouldn't mind living here for a while! See the kids playing in the water?
"Kids, go play in the backyard" has a totally different meaning here!

On the way out of 'town' Bill, Kurt and Brigit take a break in the shade.

This is the main entrance at the airport in Fakarava.
It's a far cry from LAX or Frankfurt airports!

Kurt just had to ride his bike on the runway. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't lift off...

We passed a small kiosk and had a cold drink. What a treat!
Unfortunately, they ran out of Hinano beer so a cold coke had to do.

Bill and Brigit chatting with the proprietor. He spoke a bit of English as well as French and was a proud new father of a baby boy!

Brigit and Carolyn nearing the pass.

We found a snorkeling spot and decided to give the bikes a break

Aaah. The beach and reef for a good snorkel.

Kurt, Brigit, Carolyn and Bill in paradise

Just us this time....

We don't have an underwater camera so no pics of fish. At least you can see how nice the water is.

 We had a great snorkel on the reef. There were loads of colorful fish and coral. We even saw a few sharks - they weren't interested in us... thank goodness!!

We got back on our bikes and rode to the actual 'pass' to check it out. Bill and I will be traversing it soon so thought it would be a good idea to have a look. It didn't look very welcoming, and in the shallows we saw more black tipped sharks.

Black tipped sharks in the northern pass. See their fins?

Carolyn making a run for it after spotting the sharks!
Just kidding :)