While the landing was a little tight for the Jurassic Jumbo Jet, everyone was able to get off safely. The offshore landing strip should be finished by the time they're ready to move on to the next colony. Now the Dinotopians could explore the Mieni Archipelago.
But first, there was the matter of checking in. Considering the size of several Dinotopians, they were too big for most of the rooms for guests at the converted airbase that served as the main hotel on Mieni Islet, not to mention the condos there. However, the hotel that had been built on Banmul Islet had rooms built for the larger Animalians such as elephants and giraffes. It was still a little bit on the tight size for the sauropods, but the other Dinotopians were able to be accommodated. Though not every Dinotopian checked in at the Banmul hotel. There were still some Dinotopians small enough to use the more conventional-sized rooms on Mieni Islet. Also, the members of Dinotopia Aquatica (namely Molly and the two coelacanths) checked into the sea cave hotel on Zampa Islet, mostly because it was closer to the sea for them.
Of course, checking in was only the start. Once the Dinotopians had their luggage put away, it was time to start enjoying the tropical islands.
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Naturally, Molly and the coelacanths were quick to start swimming in the sea. Though it really wasn't that much different for Darla and Maya as they had been born fish. They had already adjusted to their new limbs and were quite capable of swimming. Molly was excited to finally be able to swim in something less confined than a swimming pool. Dolichorhynchops perhaps might not have been the fastest plesiosaur, but Molly was certainly very swift in the water. Though she was more hampered in the coelacanths in that she needed to go up occasionally for air.
The sea around the islands was rather wondrous, with many species of tropical fish present, some partially bio-luminescent because of the mild radiation. The trio did get a bit of a start when they saw sharks swimming, the coelacanths because of instinct and Molly because of personal experience. But the sharks didn't try to go after prey that were too big for them to eat. Meeting the uplifted fishes at Mieni was also an interesting experience.
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Of course, quite a few Dinotopians had come here so they could put on swimsuits. Sora and Yuki had also come here, eager to try design some swimsuits for their fellow Dinotopians. Naturally, the females favored bikinis, though there were a few complications, namely those with big protrusions on their backs like Rachel's plates and Regina's sail. But it was a fun challenge for the raptor twins to come up with swimsuit designs that allowed to get around these problems.
Of course, there were those who wanted rather specific designs. For instance, Tyra wanted a particular sexy swimsuit, though this wasn't a real surprise considering her youthful personality. Rex watched as Tyra tried on a orange bikini that didn't look that much different from the one that Halle Berry wore in "Die Another Day". Tyra was hefting her breasts as she looked in the mirror, watching as her top squeezed them together to make a deep cleavage. "This one looks good, but I'd like a small adjustment," said Tyra.
"Is it too tight?" asked Sora.
"Actually, I was wondering if you can make it smaller," said Tyra.
"Tyra, you can't go to the beach in a micro-bikini," said Rex.
"Why not? It's summer vacation," said Tyra.
"It's also your granddaughter's honeymoon," said Rex, "And I don't think she'd want the memory of you being all but naked among her honeymoon memories."
"If you want to go nude, go to Anka," said Yuki.
"Ooh, that does sound like fun," said Tyra, "We should bring Heather and Jeremy along."
"Tyra, no, just no. That is the last thing we should do to them," said Rex.
"Spoilsport," said Tyra with a slight pout.
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Of course, when Dinotopians actually did get in the water, it was often noteworthy. Rex was actually interested in seeing which dinosaurs were most capable of swimming. True, they weren't pure dinosaurs, but he was wondering how well they'd be able to swim anyways.
Some Dinotopians did surprisingly well in the water. Regina glided through the water like a sailboat. Or more accurately, a sailfish. This wasn't a surprise since Spinosaurus is now thought to be more of an aquatic-based animal. A fair amount of Dintopians didn't fare better or worse when swimming, though that was more due to their human-based anatomy. Rex found that he could swim pretty well. While Tyrannosaurus was thought to be a poor swimmer because of its tiny arms, its legs were good enough to keep it from downing, though it probably didn't spend long times in the water.
There was a bit of excitement when Andrew and Jen got in the water. Of course, they didn't just wade into the water. There was a short cliff that made an excellent diving spot. Quite a few other tourists were there and were chanting excitedly for the two Brachiosaurus to jump. Not surprisingly, when they did jump, it caused quite a lot of water to splash up and soak the spectators. However, they didn't quite swim as everyone expected. Many thought that sauropods walked along the bottoms of lakes with their necks sticking out. In reality, they would suffocate if they did that. In fact, they couldn't do that anyways because the air chambers in their bones that made it possible for them to walk on land made them buoyant in the water. As such, Andrew and Jen bobbed in the water like a pair of oversized corks.
Of course, this was only the start of the Dinotopians' stay at Mieni Atoll. There was bound to be more fun ahead.