Our last day aboard the Yasawa Princess was so memorable and wonderful. The sky was vivid blue, the ocean was aquamarine and the activities organised by the crew were fantastic.
In the morning we visited Yasawa High School, where the guitar-strumming deputy principal greeted us on the beach while a group of his students sang alongside him.
The students then took us on a tour of the school and we popped into a year 12 maths lesson before a group of teens gave a performance in one of the classrooms, culminating in a conga line!
It was inspiring to talk to the kids about their ambitions, which ranged from joining the army to becoming nurses, marine engineers and lawyers. Some students walk for an hour and a half each day to get to school, others board on the grounds during the week because their families live on other islands. They rise at 5.30am to do chores before starting their classes.
It was confronting to hear about the challenges the school faces, including no electricity for much of the day. There is a small generator, but the battery for the school’s social panels needs to be replaced and they don’t have the funds to upgrade it.
Many passengers slipped money into a donation box before leaving the school. One woman is even organising assistance for a female student who wants to study medicine.
I snuck over to the primary school to drop off the last of my clip-on koalas and stationery gift bags to the principal. I emphasised that I sadly didn’t have enough for everyone, but perhaps they could be used as rewards for good work or behaviour.
After our visit, the Yasawa Princess sailed to Drawaqa Island, which is surrounded by a marine reserve, renowned for its spectacular snorkelling. From May to October each year, there is also the chance to swim with manta rays in a nearby channel.
The above pic is from the nearby Barefoot Manta Resort. Sadly there were no mantas to be found during our afternoon visit, so we went to an outer reef for a fabulous snorkelling trip, filled with coral in every colour of the rainbow. We drifted with the current for around 45 minutes, gazing at schools of pretty fish and endless types of coral. Magical!
Then DD and Emily went line fishing while I attended an information session hosted by a marine biologist from Drawaqa Marine Conservation Trust, focused on the local reefs and efforts to protect them.
The photo above is from Drawaqa Marine Conservation Trust’s website, visit it here to learn about their work.
Afterwards, I headed to the back deck to chat to my favourite crew member, Leslie the bartender. He’s very passionate about his mixology, with a focus on farm-to-table ingredients, local spirits and sustainable straws.
He made me a delicious cocktail with muddled lemon, coriander and local Blue Lagoon Gin.
Then it was time for our last dinner of the cruise, seated at two long tables chatting to our new-found friends.
A disco kicked off on the back deck and we ventured outside to dance to crew member Robbie’s favourite singer, Whitney Houston, as he boogied with us.
Then we slipped off to bed and Facebook sent me a surprising memory: it was the one-year anniversary of our last holiday with Emily in the Kimberley!
We were sad to wake the next morning to our last few hours aboard the ship before disembarking at Denarau Wharf and making our way to the airport.
Emily messaged our WhatsApp group chat the day after we returned home: “Wonder where we’ll go next!”
DD replied: “We need a planning session soon!”
I have a few ideas …
Song of the day: Vance Joy “Riptide”
housegoeshome 
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