We were off the ship early to take a zodiac ride over the incredibly blue waters around Lelepa Island. I can hardly find the word to describe how rich and beautiful the color was but I guess sapphire would probably be the closest. See for yourselves.
As we got closer to shore, the waters became more turquoise and crystal clear. We could see the beautiful colors of the coral and the fish below us. It was so clear, we could see exactly where the reef dropped off and it made me want to leap into the water for a closer look. The fact that I can’t swim was all that kept me right where I was on the zodiac, so I settled for a few photographs which don’t do the scene justice.
After our ride, we went ashore to be greeted by the locals and to visit Feles Cave, a mixture of limestone and volcanic ash. This cave is enormous (about 100 feet tall and 150 feet wide) and the walls are decorated with ancient petroglyphs that are thought to be about 3,000 years old. It was a bit of a steep climb to get up to the cave, and my asthma kicked in about half the way up, but it was definitely worth it. Here you see a bird on the bottom, then fish and a shark above them. Other scenes had a turtle, the sun, and the red imprint of a hand.
I took this picture of the entrance as I was leaving and thought it was perfect for black and white. It reminds me of parts of the Four Corners area in the US. I am quite certain of the volcanic ash component here because as I struggled to get back far enough for my shot, I backed into the wall and had ash all down my back, in my hair, on my camera… yes, I’m still sending out bags of laundry!
Tomorrow is another day at sea, our last, as we travel from Vanuatu to Fiji, our destination.