9.27 - A walk to Lo's Tea House - Our Favorite Day

We slept pretty late. Had breakfast, then headed off on the cross-country island hike. It passes right behind our place. The first part is paved & goes uphill. Some great views. We visited the grave of the man who started the Resort (I think), Ivan Albert Parker. A beautiful place. Walked on thru lots of farming. Cassava mostly. We continued on to the famous Lo’s Tea House. We were greeted by 2 kids, Tina (9), & Losalini (10). We shared some crayons with them. There was a marama with them, Asanate. She was an aunt/mother? We ordered coffee, lemon leaf tea, & a donut. While it was being prepared, the kids showed us the view. We tried out our Fijian & they helped us. The tea was yummy! We paid & rod added $5 FJD for the kids. Then, the kids offered to show us the trail thru the mangroves…sota Lailai (shortcut). So, we splashed thru the mangrove swamp. The kids carried our shoes. When we came out, they indicated the way & we said moce ☹. We walked back along the beach. After a rest & lunch, we went on a guided snorkel trip at 2:30. Moses was our guide. He was an amazing diver! We saw lots of fish, coral & swam quite a way! Shower, then Happy Hour! We ate dinner with Marie who is traveling alone. She is from Montreal. Very interesting. We shared insights about The Cook Islands.