The Flight to Mieni Atoll for the newest members was relatively uneventful, mainly because everyone was learning about Mieni Atoll. Ling, for example, was immensely interested in everything, but fortunately there was not only an information booklet but also advice from the flight attendants.
"The most important thing to remember on any vacation in any Animalia Colony is to pace yourself." said the flight attendant at one point, "This is one of the most common mistakes that all first time visitors and vacationers make. Try to do everything at once, you'll be fast asleep in your poi by lunchtime."
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By far the most surprising thing was how many tourists there were at Mieni Atoll. While it was no secret that the IAC was going on and there was beach sports that were considered part of the IAC Games, it was still surprising to see how many tourists there were.
When asked about it, Luke of Luke's Surf and Stuff shop confirmed, "Yep, we've been invaded by shoobies."
"What IS a shoobie?" asked Mr. Hyun, having never heard of the term before.
"You are." said Luke.
"It's actually a term from Southern California and New Jersey for tourists who wear shoes on the beach," said a member of staff at the airport, "Locals (whether year round or seasonal) often only go around barefoot or remove their shoes when they reach the sandy parts."
"They're generally considered a mixed blessing." said another staff member, "They generate a lot of revenue, but they also have a tendency to get in the way of locals. Susan and Tzan are prime examples of this. Susan is always excited to meet new people, but Tzan has a tendency to get irritated when tourists get in the way."
"We have something similar," said a tourist from New Jersey who was passing by, "But they're generally called Bennies."
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One thing that was a little surprising was a video that helped alert newcomers to common beach hazards, what to look for, and what kind of damage they would do if "crossed". It was no secret that at least one person a year got stung by stepping on a stonefish, but fortunately when Mieni Atoll first opened as a tourist attraction, stonefish antitoxin was considered priority to ship there. But one of the more surprising things was the various bacteria that lived in sand. While most of it was true, some of it was exaggerated (and made clear at the beginning) to encourage people to shower after visiting the beach.
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After the video, everyone was able to enjoy their Vacation, but there were some new things that were considered revelations, especially to Mr. Hyun and Ling. For Example, Allura and Beatrice booking a "conversion package" at Lover's Lagoon was a little surprising, but there was a PA system to announce to visitors to clear out when a reservation time came up.
One that was considered a priority was the Mieni Atoll Nautical Museum, mainly because everyone wanted to see the Mieni Atoll Kraken. Part of its exhibit was the video of its attack on Ran, Gaz, Rapier, and Gladys near the USS Pennsylvania. While there was the unedited footage, as well as footage where most of the blood was edited out for those who were sensitive about such things. But one relatively new thing was the fact that, once the footage reached the surface, it was reported on by news organizations all over the world, including one at a major Hollywood event at the time. It was also being studied by marine biologists interested in giant squid. Ling's favorite souvenir from Mieni Atoll was a t-shirt in her size that had a pattern of giant squid sucker scars (based off of those on Ran and Gaz's back) on the back and Release the Kraken on the front.
The highlight of the Mieni Atoll stop, at least for Xena, Allura and Beatrice (post-conversion) was their visit to the "gravesite" of the USS Pennsylvania. This was considered good practice, especially since after conversion, Beatrice still needed practice breathing with her new gills, and it was also a chance to learn more about their (new, in Beatrice's case) bioluminescence.