Faluga Photos 1: the lagoon

The island of Faluga is horseshoe shaped and, once you get in through the scarily narrow pass in the surrounding reef, the lagoon is a beautiful place to explore. It's also a wonderfully rich fishing area for the locals who have a name for every one of the hundreds of little islands and rocks. Here are a few photos to give you an idea.

Odd-shaped rocks in silhouette

Sustaining tree life, somehow, but suffering a touch of erosion

The village has two 'fibers' but fuel is always in short supply so the fishermen often pole them through the shallows to conserve stocks. They sometimes take these open boats on four-hour sea passages to the nearest island that has a doctor if a patient needs urgent medical attention but a helicopter medevac can't be justified

Net fishing is a job for the women each Saturday

A ride in a yacht tender is always welcomed - and the water really is that clear!

Success!

Crabs, lobsters and octopus are also on the menu; Alfretti shows off his coconut crab

Sunset on our final evening in the lagoon

More photos of Faluga to follow