Burnt........

Bula everyone (that's Fijian for hello)!!

I am happy to report that I DID make it to my resort afterall! Of course, this was AFTER sitting at the Fijian airport for over 5 hours as the shuttle was 2 hours late. I was actually very fortunate as a Fijian security guard sat with me the last 2 hours and we chatted about her village and about Fiji as she wanted to make sure that I actually made it to the resort. The shuttle was just VERY late and there were two other people sitting waiting, so I felt a bit better once I found out that. Once we FINALLY got on the shuttle, we went to the marina to get on the very small boat to take us on the 1 hour journey to the island. Luckily, it wasn't too rough, so I didn't get seasick, but I was super tired of sitting on that boat (and just sitting in particular) by the time I made it to the resort.

We were welcomed to the island by a band singing to us, and then they all shook our hands as we walked up to the bar. I have pictures that I will put up of this place later, so will try to put some of this into words.....Fiji is beautiful. The mountains/islands are rich with bright green vegetation covering every inch, and the water is that special colour of tourquis that makes you think of paradise. The resort was small, which was nice and made it very personal. My bure had a porch and then two bed inside with mosquito nets. They had put flowers everywhere (mom, take note for when I come home and MY room.... ) which were rich with pinks and oranges. The bathrooom was outside and the shower did not have a roof on it, so you did feel rather naughty showering sometimes .

I spent my first day trying to find shade to lay in on the beach, though this was after a fabulous lunch of Thai salad. The food at this resort was phenomenal. Breakfast was kinda boring - nothing special, but the lunch menu was huge and then we all sat together for dinner. The first night I was there, the staff put on a show of traditional dance and song before we had a traditional Fijian feast that had been cooking in the earth all day (again, I do have pics....). Of course, they made us get up and dance with them, and I got to dance with the guy who was leading (as I was alone) and he used me to demonstrate to everyone what to do, so I ended up getting pulled all over by him - it was quite funny. The feast was just that - a feast. Too many dishes to count - but I do remember having the most delicous eggplant I have ever had. I have no idea what was in it - though I may email them and ask!

The next day, I got up early and went diving. They took us out to the first site and I have no idea how they knew where we were as the boat stopped and we dropped and there was the reef! The water didn't even change colour! There was a lot of different coral and I saw a beautiful angel fish with fabulous long fins, but not very many other fishes. The next dive site was a bit different - it had huge fans and we saw a large lobster hiding in the coral. The dive master also found a teeny, tiny shrimp and I have no idea how she found it, but was pretty cool to see. Between my dives, I walked over to some rocks that were located down the beach and actually saw a crab that would be about 20cm in diametre scrambling along the rocks - very cool. The rest of that day was spent on the beach, and then had an amazing BBQ that evening for supper, which had this fantastic steak in which I have GOT to get the reciepe for the marinade!

My last full day at the resort I spent on the beach. I got up - snagged a chair in the shade and spent the entire day there. I did go out and snorkle as there was a huge reef off the shore, but the current was pretty strong and I was fighting it abit. I kinda fell alseep at one point and woke up with a wonderful burn on my back....even though I was in the shade AND had sunscreen on...sigh.... I went for a walk down the beach and there were tons of hermit crabs scuttling about. They were so funny, as soon as you came close, they would stop and retreat in their shell like a turtle! Then, saw about 4 of them all standing around a larger shell like they were having a convention to decide who would get to move into the bigger shell. That night, they had a movie by the pool - Airplane with Leslie Neilson - but I only lasted through a bit of it as my back was so sore I had to get my bra off of it!

Today - I took the transfer at noon to Nadi and my new hotel where I am now. The ride was rocky, but had taken some gravol before getting on the boat, so I did fine. There isn't much to do here and the hotel has a pool, but it just does not compare to sitting under a bamboo umbrella with the sea crashing infront of you while looking out at the lush green hills......so I got a pedicure as figured my feet needed it - lol.

Tomarrow is the big day that I finally get to Australia! I hope that I get to Townsville with all my luggage and find my new home easily. I am excited to finally get there - and be able to unpack and settle in. I have really been living out of boxes and suitcases since mid-December, so it will be nice to be able to unpack and really know what I have.

I miss you all and hope that you haven't lost yourself in all the snow that has happened there. FYI - did you know that Fiji water ACTUALLY comes from Fiji?????