The Magic of Fiji

As I was saying, I awoke the next morning to a lush, tropical paradise, an enormous pool, freshly prepared food, and a multi-blue expanse of ocean! I was immediately inspired to practice some yoga by the water's edge and was delighted that the sound of the water lapping against the sand was more similar to a lake than an ocean! Voli Voli Beach Resort was a fabulous way to unwind and deeply relax. It wasn't their busy season so there were times when I was the only person in the pool (and the surrounding pool deck, for that matter). In spite of the isolated setting, I made some great friends: Gijs from Netherlands, Rosie from England, Siobhan from Ireland, and Radik from Czech Republic. The staff were excellent and knew you by name. Sasha was a treat as he danced around and made exotic cocktails (he used to do a drag show at the resort, but then it was considered too risque....pity). The kava ritual was the most interesting cultural aspect I came across......again and again and again! Kava is a root found in Fiji which is chopped up so that it looks like tea, is then soaked like tea to create a 'muddy' water, and then drank. You find out later, as your tongue numbs and your brain slows, that Kava actually has a slight narcotic effect and is virtually drank in every resort and social gathering in Fiji! And you should see the looks on their faces when you try to refuse! Good lord! The ritual is an experience in itself as you sit on a giant woven mat on the sand and take the kava from a special, carved coconut bowl. After you choose your size (low tide, high tide, or tsunami) you cup-clap your hands once, say "BULA!", drink the coconut bowl full of kava water, return it, say MOTHA (meaning 'empty'), and cup-clap three times. This ceremony has been happening nightly for as long as the Fijian history can remember and it continues to happen today until the wee hours of the morning. After VoliVoli, I had an uneventful journey back to Nadi (other than a thunderstorm, which are frequent; and a stay in a 40 bed dorm....yes FORTY!! It's actually amazing that this stay was uneventful). The next day I was off to Blue Lagoon resort on the island of Nacula, the island furthest north in the Yasawa chain to the west of the big island. This resort was PARADISE! For a meticulously clean dorm and three 5 star meals a day, it was $110 FJD a day (or $65 canadian). Look at it this way: I would pay at least $40 a meal for these same dinners at home, and THEN we got breakfast, lunch, and accomodation. The lagoon sparkled 7 colours of blue and lapped softly against the blindingly white sand beach. At this resort, the love was in the details, such as the old sailing lanterns lit nightly along the pathways. I would lounge and nap most of the day, in a hammock or lawnchair, and it was here that I actually reached my life's pinnacle of relaxation! I felt it, and it was oh so nice. As for some activities, there was a giant sandbar at low tide located a half hour's walk from the resort which was stunning and we attended a church service in the local Fijian village (where the majority of the resort's staff come from) which had an angelic choir, and adorable, curious children in the front pews. We also went caving in the same cave which is featured in the movie 'Blue Lagoon', made bracelots from plant leaves, visited a small (very small) bakery on another island to have cake and tea, got a $20 cnd massage for an hour (i felt like I was lathered in a vat of coconut oil!), and it was a ritual for Kathrin (my 'sweat sister') and I to have pina coladas on the beach or in the ocean while watching the sunset dance upon the ripples of the ocean.....I can still taste the coconut. I also met some fabulous families, such as the Italian family who is actually living on Vancouver Island, or the Norwegian family of four kids under 12 years old and is travelling for six months around the world! (absolute respect for that one!) After Blue Lagoon, Kathrin and I headed to Octopus Resort, the sister hostel to Blue Lagoon, and again lived in lavish luxury for two nights. We had an interesting game of 'shot for shot' volleyball with the staff.....Fiji vs. Foreigners and you get a shot of alcohol for every good shot....and well, every bad shot for that matter. As you can imagine, it was quite a good time! Coincidentally, I met up with some friends whom I met on the Kiwi Experience bus in New Zealand! (amazing how small the world is....especially when you're all travelling on the same route!) At Octopus Resort, I enjoyed open-air showers under the stars and my first experience with a mosquito net (I strangely felt like a princess....not sure why! :P ), and an extremely large cockroach which had us on edge for the rest of the night. But all in all, we were sad to leave such a haven of relaxation. Due to an unfortunate accident, I was without my camera for this last week in Fiji; but fortunately, I've had several people promise to send me pictures of our time at the resorts, namely, Kathrin, Voltaire, and Kate :) This circumstance of being unable to take pictures made me realize the importance of actually LIVING in the moment instead of experiencing it through a 2 inch x 2 inch screen (sounds silly when you think of it that way, eh?). As a result, I can actually remember the experiences during this week better than any on my trip!! Nevertheless, I did give in at the Fiji Airport and bought a Sony camera for $160 cnd (woot woot! what a price!) It's not waterproof.....but it's a 2 inch x 2 inch screen .....and isn't that what we all want in life? ;) And so the plane lifted off of Fiji territory and landed in a place which has always been shrouded in danger and adventure (well, at least for me): the land of OZ!! (or australia, for those of you who are big Wizard of Oz fans and were feeling a bit confused). WHat was in store next?: a crocodile, a bungy jump, snakes slithering every which way!? Find out in the next installment of this travellin' blog :)