Fruit Bats

Photo Gallery 2005 Fiji 3

A slow start this morning as we were waiting for high tide, having been told that the river here cuts through the entire island and when the water is high we can navigate it all the way to the other side of Beqa, passing on the way an island where the fruit bats live in a grove of trees. We gave it a go in the dinghy, spending a few hours navigating the mangrove swamps, but never quite found our way through to the other side, even though Mike climbed a tree most impressively for a better lookout. At least we did find our way back to Raven!

We hiked ashore on the bat island but spooked them when they heard our noisy approach (steep again, using roots and vines for hand holds as we clambered through the overgrown brush). We did eventually get a good view of them as they circled the trees overhead and eventually relaxed enough to come back to roost. Taking photos was another story, but I did get a single clear shot of one hanging from its branch.  Our bats at home in Tucson flit about like small swallows – the fruit bats here flap across the sky like small slow ducks. We think they’re skittish because the Fijians hunt and eat them, although I can’t imagine they are very tasty. I did ask Mike if he had ever envisioned that his retirement activities would include traipsing through a tropical jungle in search of fruit bats.

From our current location, in a few more days we plan to sail across to Suva to take care of the formalities needed to depart Fiji and also restock our supplies one last time. We’ll have a chance at the internet there as well, so will post some more photos. From Suva we’ll depart to the island of Kadavu and hang out there waiting for a good weather window to New Zealand. Whenever that opportunity comes along, we’ll strike off for Kiwiland, hopefully enjoying a relatively pleasant trip although we’ve been warned that this isn’t necessarily the most fun passage.