A Starry Sky

"Get out of the hammock Noah, everyone is waiting for you." I hear Luna say as she shakes the hammock from behind me. "Relax, suave - I'll just get the goggles and snorkel. I hope you'll manage to wait two minutes more." I reply jokingly and climb out of the hammock. Shortly after the group, which consisted of two Chileans, one Brazilian, three Germans and one Canadian, is walking over a muddy path covered in leaves which directs us to the sea. A pier with a beautiful little hut with a palm leaf roof leads out to the clear, turquoise blue water. We put on our snorkeling gear, get the buoy ready to prevent being hit by any boats and swim out to where the sea changes from its crystal blue into darker colours. This change of colour is clearly visible as we approach the coral reef that stretches in a long line in front of the island and also forms the barrier between the starkly different shades of the blue ocean. We exchange a couple of words before venturing out and I hear the sound of the waves crashing on the beaches nearby. As I dive down into the warm and wet water to start exploring the world below I enter into a heavy silence which is only interrupted by the occasional thoughts in my head. Fishes of all colours and sizes imaginable swim in big swarms before me in between the living and moving plants of the ocean. Many hide in the thousands of little holes which are offered by the different kinds of corals as I approach. However others are quite the opposite and are not disturbed by my arrival, they go on plucking food off the stones that cover the ocean floor. A big rainbow coloured fish, which reminded me a lot of a fish that I had eaten in the Philippines during an island hopping tour, passes right below me with some of his friends. I dive a little further down to examine them closer, only to breathe in what seemed like litres of the salty water. It stings my throat painfully as I peek out of the water to spit it back out. I venture deeper and feel the different kind of plants growing on the corals touching my skin. The big hotel I always went to to get internet also had outside showers which we used freely after snorkeling. The fresh water refreshes my skin as it washes the salt off my body. We spent some more time on the beach afterwards, playing the drums and watching the group of artisans cook their food on the open fire. The strong winds on this side of the island made tasks like this quite difficult and tiring. I head back to the other side of the island to relax, read and spend some time on my own. Quicker than expected I am sitting in my hammock in the dark. I put on some music and watch the calm sea sound its waves to my right. I gently start moving my hammock with my feet and every time I swing out from under the roof I see an amazing star filled sky above me.