Being tucked into the arms of an ancient caldera (volcano) may not be everyone's cup of tea. However, it suits me just fine. We have been playing in an anchorage on the northern side of Matagi, an island in eastern Fiji. The anchorage is a perfect semicircle. The shores are lined with tiny beaches and big chunks of rock. The water is filled with reefs and coral heads and is very much alive. At night we relax to the sound of doves, big bats and little bats (big squeakers and pipsqueaks respectively). Oh yes, I musn't forget the goats. They bleat. They bleat a lot. I now know why they are called kids. When they get going they sound just like squawking children. I have the urge to yell, "Okay, okay I'll raise your allowance, happy now!?". The days are spent exploring different reefs with snorkel and scuba gear. Each area reveals something new. Fiji is known for soft corals. Imagine a broccoli stalk except the stalk is pure white and there are no bumpy florets. The stalk is so white is almost glows. Now, place on the stalk branches of crystals. They are a bit like fractals or iron filings attracted to a magnet. Hang on with me a minute, don't wander off shaking your head sadly. Color the iron filings  lavendar, deep purple, electric yellow, pumpkin orange, or hot pink. Each crayon colored stalk is a different each swaying with the waves. The scene is fairly impressive with just the non-swimming or scuttling critters. Once we add in the movers and shakers is becomes overwhelming. There are at least four kinds of lionfish here. Lionfish are fish. Pause for the redundancy to sink in. They are fish with spikes flowing from their fins. These spikes are soft, colorful and poisonous. The peculiar part is that they have tiger stripes - orange and white markings on their body and fins. Why lionfish rather than tiger fish? Perhaps a fundamentally confused marine biologist not up on his zoology? Some of the lionfish are quite small. You snorkel down to the little guy and think, "Aww, how cute." Then it turns and shakes its tiny spines at you. The affect is quite like a kitten hissing, spitting and batting its tiny paw. Its terribly difficult not to think how adorable the tike is. Of course just like the kitten's sharp little claws, that bundle of cuteness can cause quite a bit of pain. At least six kinds of anemonefish (clownfish) play in the waters here. I have seen four types so far, pink with a white stripe down its back, orange with a single white stripe from eye to gills, tomato red with two vertical white stripes and orange with three vertical white stripes. Since anemones themselves are wildly variable in both color (white, purple, orange- tipped, green, pink, etc.) and shape (tentacle like, bulbuous, shag carpet, etc.) the combination is a kaleidoscopic mind blower. Anemonefish become one with poisonous anemones by rubbing themselves all over with the anemone's mucous so that the anemone will no longer discharge its stinging nematocysts. The anemonefish constantly cuddle up against the waving tentacles like a cat rubbing a couch. When a hopeful photographer wanders up to take a picture they dart out and nip at the camera lens taking a close-up way too far. So, Fiji, not bad. Jennifer and Richard