17.26.297S 178.57.180E

Ayesha II
Mon 18 Sep 2017 09:11
These pics are from the island of Makogai, a beautiful but also sad place.
Up until the 1950's it was a Leper Colony for all the Pacific. We like to think the people who came here at least had proper care until they died. Many ruined buildings left over including a cinema. The graveyard in amongst the tropical forest with gravestones tumbling down the hill was very moving.
In more modern times this area became a gov. Maritime station developing and growing giant clams (the one in the picture was 18 years old). Apparently the big resort hotels pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to have these giants put onto their reefs for their guests to snorkel over. Cyclone Winston though destroyed nearly everything ( as pic of the dinghy doc shows) and they are just starting up again. The baby clams look like walnut halves!

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