Sad Day on Mantaray

The morning we left for Mantaray Island the weather reflected our mood; sunshine for the most part but with dark clouds looming, as the end of the boys' trip drew worryingly near.

However, by the time we'd loaded our bags onto the small fisherman's boat it had turned into a fully fledged storm. As usual we met the ferry out in the middle of the ocean but what was normally a relatively easy transfer was made near impossible as the rain hammered down on us and the small boat was thrown from side to side. With all my worldly possessions on board I wasn't sure whether to prioritise myself or my backpack - though the latter is replaceable it definitely can't swim. 

One by one we tried to hop across but as the waves grew taller the small boat was forced to retreat with Stuart and I still on board. I felt like we were playing out a scene from a movie and just hoped that like most, there'd be a happy ending! 

The situation improved slightly on the journey over but even once we reached Mantaray it still wasn't great. Luckily, as it was our last night all together we'd decided to splash out on some nicer rooms (though some nicer than others) and so relaxed in those for the afternoon. 

The food on the resort was amazing and we ate our last supper at the hilltop restaurant with great views out across the island. It was the boys' intention to go out with a bang so drinks started early; Mai Tais, Long Islands and the last few drops of Jack's Wild Turkey. A few hundred dollars of a bar tab later we were all well on our way but whilst we should have made our way to bed, instead we found our way to the beach. Every single one of us piled into the same hammock and took it in turns to wrestle each other to the ground. 

The next morning we woke up with sore heads and sad faces as the time had come for the boys to return to Sydney. We've all loved having them here and haven't stopped laughing for ten days straight. The worst part now is not knowing when we'll see them but with a few plans already in the pipeline we're just waiting for someone to book it on a whim again.