Not less than three times in a row did we get visited by last year’s MantaFest winner Anke Rohrbach during the boot show.
While she proved to be an excellent photographer – professionals Marty Snyderman, Frank Schneider, Masa Michishiro and Ray Bullion fully agreed – she is not any worse when it comes to delicious cakes. So Anke pretty much became the “pastry fairy” for booth E32, and what a treat this was. Not to mention the terrible junkfood that is common for trade shows.

Much more important though is how much she liked her first stay with us in Yap. That’s what she told me:
“I found it wonderful how every member of the staff knew my name after one day! You simply get what you need – a fridge for your shopping? No worries… The service is superb whereas in other destinations how would have a brawl about that. An island trip was put together for me within one hour, can you believe that? This is absolutely not to be taken for granted. The staff is not friendly because they do expect tips, they are friendly for the sake of being friendly. Diving was equally top-notch. The guides go search subjects for you and they know how and where to find them.  That’s just the way it should be, especially if you’re equipped with a camera. For me two weeks are actually much too short of a stay.”

Wow, nothing like a REALLY happy guest. After all, Anke does not need to feel “homesick”. Her big prize was a liveaboard trip which will send her all the way through the islands to Yap, where she will soon meet again her shark and manta friends.