A Backpacker's Life For Me!

Bula from Nadi!!!!

What an absolutely breathtaking country this is! The main island of Fiji, Viti Levu, which is where Nadi is located and where I spent the first couple days of my trip is incredible. Sugar cane fields span for miles and the Sleeping Giant mountain range casts an amazing backdrop over the lush, green island...

The flight to Fiji was incredibly painless. I was thankfully able to get some sleep and was thoroughly entertained by Kung Foo Panda (not so entertained by the latest Indiana Jones, however...I can't believe they cast the kid from Even Stevens as the son of Indy...what's up with that?)

OK...I've arrived in many airports in many different countries, and I can honestly say that there is nothing quite like arriving in Fiji. Even at 5 am in the morning, I was greeted with the warmest, happiest faces in the entire world. I know this sounds like an exaggeration, but I can honestly say that it is not. My friend Natalie had previously "warned" me about the incredible friendliness of the Fijians...almost to the point of suspicion. And I have to admit it was a wonderful thing to be "warned" about this small fact because I was immediately directed to everything I needed and everywhere I needed to be upon my arrival. I guess not everybody was "warned" like I was. As I sat in comfort on a plush couch waiting for the courtesy shuttle to my hotel, I watched as multiple tourists lowered their eyes to the ground and mumbled a "no thank you" as they passed the greeters, clearly unclear of where they were going or how they were going to get there. I almost felt compelled to stand up and help them myself! Apparently the hospitality here is contagious...and this has not ceased since I've arrived.

Before heading to the hotel, I threw off my bags, sat down with a cappucino and a suncake and watched the sun come up. With birds chirping excitedly in the background and the glee exponentially growing inside of me as dozens of new travelers arrived in Fiji that morning, I felt like I was in the middle of a Disney movie (Kay, you were right!). I figured that at any moment a rainbow would come out over the horizen and the locals would start singing and holding hands...unfortunately, that didn't happen, but I'm telling you, I'm pretty sure it came close...

My hotel ended up not looking anything like the website haha, but it was the perfect stopover before heading to the Northern islands. The first evening, (after a long, exhausting day of napping and laying by the pool :) I met some other single travelers, and as the night went on, more and more people joined our group. We all sat down and had dinner together, shared pitchers of beer, and talked into the night, sharing stories about where we were from and where we were headed. I had forgotten how incredible backpacking could be. Just to think that a couple of hours before I hadn't even laid eyes on these people, and there we were, 6 different countries represented at one table (New Zealand, Germany, Holland, US, Irelend, England), swapping email, blog, and facebook addresses as if we'd been traveling together for months.

New Favorite bar snack: Deep fried coconut covered in sweet chili sauce...um YUM! :P

I had my first try at Kava that night. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be...it honestly went down pretty nicely :) but it made my mouth and tongue tingle and I just couldn't stop smiling...maybe it was the fact that I had just arrived in Fiji...maybe it was the fact that I had just spent the past few hours chatting and learning about about these other incredible travelers from all over the world...maybe it was a combination of everything...but my cheeks hurt like hell by the end of the night and all through the next day.

Because my hotel was surrounded by miles of sugarcane fields, we were advised not to go wandering around the area on our own. This was extremely disappointing for me as my favorite part of traveling, hands down, is wandering around foreign places and getting lost. So my second day in Fiji I got dropped off at Denarau Island, where all the extremely posh resorts (we're talking lifestyles of the rich and famous here) are located in the area. I was craving some more pool and beach time, and wanted a place I could walk around and explore on my own. Denarau was the perfect solution. I threw on a dress and my most glamorous sunglasses and spent the entire day resort crashing. I made it a point to swim in every 300-yard, bridge-covered, infinity pool on the island.

In between resorts, I found myself walking through palm tree covered pathways or along beaches that looked out onto other islands in the distance. It was an incredible day. I guess my new motto is: If you can't afford it, fake the hell out of it!

The next day a group of us (South Africa, England, New Zealand, US represented) headed into town to check out the local markets.

It felt like I was immediately transported back to Mexico as we walked passed the street vendors and eclectic shops. The fresh produce, dried meat, and mounds of colorful spices made me feel right at home. There was also stacks and stacks of Kava root at every turn...very cool to see the origin of such happiness in the Fijian culture (not to mention all the tourists who drink it by the full shell into the night ;)

Random observation:
Fijians, both men and women, no matter how tall or short, heavy or frail, old or young, appear to have the most gigantic feet I have ever seen! Once I noticed this, I was hard pressed to find anyone that actually fit onto his or her sandals! Needless to say, they seem to be a very grounded group of people :)

It poured the rest of the day...amazing, big, fat, warm, tropical rain. I honestly don't think there's anything more relaxing and satisfying than sitting under cover, drinking cappucinos, chatting with fellow travelers and sharing experiences and future plans to pass the day away. As always, the two man band (with absolutely incredible voices) that plays at the hotel every night was spot on. I have nothing more to say than it was an amazing day.

Today I fly to an island in the North, Vanua Levu. Storms followed by minimal wind (go figure) has delayed Ocealys' arrival to Fiji by a week. The current ETA is Tuesday morning of the 23rd in Savusavu. Because the Savusavu airport is closed for renovation, I will be flying into Labasa and taking a bus down to Savusavu. The 3 hour drive to Savusavu is supposed to have some of the most beautiful scenery in Fiji so I'm excited for the ride. Savusavu is one of three ports where boats are required to check into the country, so it caters to internationl yachties and tourists and is supposed to be pretty nice. At least I'll be able to wander around on my own, which is great because it looks like I'll probably have another full day to myself upon arrival in Savusavu before the boat pulls into the marina!

I couldn't be more excited to see Austin, meet Joel, Maurice, Sophie, the kids, and get my first look at Ocealys in person...just 3 days more!!! (but who's counting? ;)