Bula! Greetings from Fiji!
Everything in Fiji moves on island time without rhyme or reason. This morning we were abruptly woken up from our bunk beds by a staff member because the boat came two hours early to pick us up. Despite that scramble to pack our bags and run to the departing boat, we have had a brilliant time island hopping and staying on Bounty Island reading, snorkeling, kayaking, playing ping-pong with the locals, swimming and making news friends from all over the world. Some of these people not only gave us helpful travel advice, but plan to meet up with us in other stops on our trip.
We have also been lounging poolside, trying our best to avoid mozzie bites and being hit by falling coconuts and mangoes- which are delicious by the way!
Nick has made friends with a local named Sam, a lovely, toothless old man with an affinity for ping-pong, dancing and playing his home-made percussion instruments. To my amazement, almost every female backpacker I've met is traveling for at least a year, has a backpack the size of Nick's (how they carry them, I have no idea!) and has packed every earthly belonging they own it seems. Watching them unpack reminds me of Mary Poppin's bottomless bag, it's a mystery. Most travelers mistake my pack for a carry-on, the irony though, is that my carry-on weighs more than my pack with all the essentials I am carrying.
Without divulging too many nitty-gritty details, let's just say we've quickly learned to sleep in our own sheets we brought, re-wear dirty clothes and do without luxuries like shaving or a shower. Even still, we still feel rich compared to the locals. It's difficult to comprehend the poverty here when tourism is booming and even the hostels charge relatively expensive prices.
Another lesson learned- don't use 99% Deet- the bugs still eat you alive and it literally melts your nail polish off and any other plastic it touches. It works better than my nail polish remover back home.
All that aside, the islands are magnificent, (400 in total around the west coast of Fiji- all with unique scenic beauty) truly God's creation at its very best! The endless coral reefs, colorful fish, sand sharks, clear, warm waters...are a sight to behold. Fiji reminds me a bit of Hawaii and Costa Rica due to the hot, humid, tropical climate with regular rainstorms keeping the vegetation lush. Men here wear skirts, which suits them, because as Nick says, "Most of the island men here are beasts, so no one will mess with them!" Think NFL linebackers.
The staff on Bounty Island also sing to visitors as they arrive and depart on the shuttle boats and also entertain us after dinner which is really fun (including dancing Sam.) We are learning so much from the people we've met and the things we have seen.
Three bottles of sunscreen down, we are now off to Auckland, New Zealand where we plan to tour the city and hopefully do a quick trip to the Bay of Islands before flying to the south island.
