Julia and I had to be at the Tour company office for 8 AM today. Luckily it was right beside our resort so we didn't have to get up too early.
We helped Mel get the kids changed and breakfast started then we wished her luck, thanked her in advance and left before she changed her mind.
The tour company put us on a ferry to take passengers and vehicles over to the island. It takes about an hour to get there. Only 4 wheel drive vehicles are allowed on the island as the island is comprised of only sand. There is a mix of traditional 4 wheel drives and tour operator vehicles. These can be small 4 wheel drives up to 40 seat behemoth 4 wheel drive buses like we were going to be on. Very cool !
When the ferry gets to the island it just pulls right up to the beach and puts down it's gate. No pier or wharf, just a sandy beach. All the trucks drive up the beach to a small parking area and then the people are allowed to walk off.
We boarded our bus and then started our one day tour. Richard was our tour guide and proved to be quite skilled at driving a 40 passendger bus down a sandy, bumpy, twisty one vehicle wide track through the forest. Not for the feint of heart or queasy ! It took about 45 minutes to cross most of the island and reach our first stop...a small fresh water lake on top of sand. Basically it is a depression in the sand where enough dead plant matter has accumulated to cover the sand and stop the water from draining into the sand. Some of these are huge, but this one was faily small. It was a little too cold to swim but we waded around a little bit and took it all in.
Then back on the bus and on to the next stop which was lunch at thier lodge. Just off the beach the company has a lodge with a restaurant, bar, and shop. The also have some cottages and dorms for backpackers and tourist who want to do more than a one day tour.
After lunch the bus headed onto the western beach known as the 75 mile beach. It is also the main highway on the island. The speed limit is 80 km/hour. Keep in mind that you have huge waves crashing over the beach and wash outs caused by fresh water creeks running onto the beach. It's amazing there aren't accidents everywhere. We drove down to a large fersh water creek where the water is crystal clear and drinkable. You're supposed to walk up the creek on a path and then float out to the beach, but again it was a bit cold for that.
Next stop was an area where the sand had formed a cliff that had been eroded by the weather and looks a bit like something from the Grand Canyon. Very pretty, but not all that exciting.
The final stop on the beach is an old ship wreck from the 1930's. It was a cruise ship that was being towed to Japan to be dismantled but was lost in a cyclone and washed asore. The owners couldnt get it unstuck so instead just sold everything they could remove from it on the beach. It was very erie but made for some good pictures.
Back on the bus and a quick stop at the lodge for afternoon tea then back through the island to get back on the ferry by 4:30. The route back took us through one of the sub-tropical rain forests on the island. It was by far the best part of the tour. Huge 50 meter high trees and palms all growing on sand ! The bus dropped us off and then took off up the road about a kilometer so we could just walk up the road in silence. Julia and I agreed it was the highlight of the trip.
We made if back to the room by 6 pm and were greated by 4 smiling faces which was a great way to end the day. Mel took all the kids to the local target and bought some groceries and toys. She also spent time at the pool with all three, very brave !!
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