We drove back to PATS pretty early - kind of a shame as I would have loved to sleep in. Back at MERIP I mucked around getting things ready, then after lunch we set off to do some fun dives - my first since leaving Micronesia almost a year ago! We'd been hoping to dive outside the reef but it was a bit rough so we ended up diving inside Auru Pass. Neither dive was absolutely fantastic, but both were really enjoyable. Back on shore we cleaned up and it was time for diner. We sat around planning out the weekend (making a packing list, dividing up responsibilities, and just figuring out logistics) - Stacy, Sue, Eleanor, and I are meeting Matang in Kolonia and heading out to camp and dive on Black Coral Island. After we finished up we went over to the maintenance shed and drank sakau with a group of the school staff. Sakau is a mildly narcotic drink made by pounding the roots of the sakau plant and then straining the resulting mush through hibiscus bark. I'd always heard that it tasted like mud so was pleasantly surprised to find I liked the taste - it was sort of like clay flavored with celery and cilantro. We drank for a couple hours, but I never felt any effects.