Amanda Morrison's 2010 Travel Diary

I stepped off the bus along the coast of the Pacific Harbour with my headphones blaring "For those about to rock," but ACDC. I had just travelled 4 1/2 hours to get to the Uprising Resort from Tavurua to do the World Famous Beqa Shark Dive and as I walked along the road up to the reception I thought this is it, there is no going back now.

(The Beqa Adventure Divers offers an award winning Big Shark and Fish encounter with eight different species of sharks. Not only does that include Bull sharks but also Tiger sharks and you are not caged, meaning some graze right by your face!)

I booked my accomodation and settled in. I spent the remainder of my afternoon taking a swim, having some beers with some delicious seafood entrees. There was a Bula dance welcoming and a reggae singer for headliner performances tonight, I only made it till about 10pm until I called it a day as I had to be up and ready for 7 for my shark dive.

I awoke before my alarm went off and my stomach started doing butterflies instantly as I knew oh crap, it's today. I made my way down to breakfeast and forced some toast down. I was really nervous mainly for the depth that we were going to go, not the sharks, which everyone I told that to thought that was hilarious.
The mini-van transported a group of us to Beqa Adventure Divers building and we all signed our life away on the dotted line. Next was suiting up, we got fitted for gear and then board the boat.
We spent about half and hour being briefed on the dive site and safety precautions which were minimal but the guides were convinced that the sharks are their buddies.

We reached our dive site which is the Shark Reef Marine Reserve Our first dive would consist of about a 12 min dive at about 100ft, where they would proceed to hand feed sharks and fish as we the divers crouched down behind a 3ft coral wall. Then we would be brought up to I think 30ft where our safety stop would be done while they do some more feeding.
As I flip flopped my way to the edge of the boat with all my gear, I jumped off into the ocean, now I knew there was no going back! I screamed in a jokingly manner to release some tension as I released the air in my BCD and slowly started to desend under the water. I grabbed the rope that led to the bottom and used it to work my way down as I pressurized my ears. The hard part for me is controlling my mind as I think I get a little clausterphobia, so I do some breathing exercises and that seems to calm me down or it's all that oxygen I'm sucking back, lol!

I reached the bottom and the guide directed me to the coral wall where everyone was slligned and watching the feeding already, I am slow what can I say. It took me a good couple of minutes to quiet my mind but once I did that I enjoyed the show. It was surreal how the fat bull sharks would circle the feeder and then swim right up to him as he pretty much handed a piece of fish into his mouth. I think there was about 7 or 8 bull sharks, I didn't count the little sharks, I was to focused on the big ones. There was also hundreds of fish, I believe there was some barracuda as well. There was a couple of times I felt the glare of the shark as he swam towards us and then quickly darted the other way, they were mainly focused on the fish.
After our 12 min of feeding we head up to our safety stop, where there was a rope we were all holding on to, I was having major buoyancy problems as I was almost floating away and the current kept propelling me forward towards the shark feeding. Since I was higher than the rest of the others I got a couple more close encounters as reef sharks and tons of fish grazed by my face more than once, suprisingly it wasn't a scary feeling, it was actually a weird serenity feeling or the nitrogen leaking to my brain.

Monday April 12.
Originally I was heading to Suva for an agricultural meeting that Luke had. We woke up at 4am to get ready to go. One of Luke's neighbours was giving us a ride since he had to go there anyways, it was about a 4 1/2 hr ride and I slept most of it since I had been up late talking to the Pastor who would be staying at the farm while we were gone.

We got into Suva around 10am and head for the nearest McDonald's, it has been forever since I have had fast food. A couple things I really miss out here is good Alberta Beef and Pig because over half the population does not eat pork. Anyhow McDick's was delicious and I could of stayed there all day.
We went to Luke's meeting and spent a good 5 hrs talking about sheep which was mighty boring but it was neat to see a local farm and what agriculture had supplied to help it grow. The sheds and setup was pretty amazing. Regardless 5 hrs of sheep talking is way to long for my liking.

We decied that whatever place the cabbie had taken us to we would stay, luckily he took us to a nice hostel. It was a bed and breakfeast, it was probably the cutest place I have ever stayed; a very warm setting. The name is Colonial Bed and Breakfeast and it's a perfect distance from a couple of markets and the bus station.

We made a quick visit to the immigration office so he could get his Visa renewed and then we walked around checking out all the little shops. Unfortunately I get a little overwhelmed and have a hard time shopping when I get that way so I ended up not buying a thing.

We had supper at the hostel, it was the best home cooked meal I have had in a while, chicken, gravy, potatoes, yum. After dinner we were both exhausted so I started to fall asleep and we decided to skip our plans of drinking with some of his buddies. His buddy wasn't having it so he came and picked us up and went back to his house. We had a few drinks, I got a little buzz but I was more tired than anything.
We hopped in a cab and debated whether to go clubbing or not, we decided against it, after all it was a monday and we were tired. I got to try my first Fijian barbeque which they have on the side of the road. It was very tasty, lamb ribs like, kasava and rice I believe.

Tuesday April 13.
I slept under my blanket but managed to wake up scratching my body with a vengeance. The mosquitoes got me pretty good while I was sleeping, the thing about Fiji is there is alot of open windows everywhere you go so bugs and critters are unavoidable.

I really wanted to check out the Colo-I-Suva Forest Park which is a bunch of swimming pools and waterfalls, one of the guys at the hostel told us that it was pretty neat. Plus it was only a dollar to get in. We got to the Rainforest Tree Lodge which is a nice hostel with it's own lake. We had lunch there which was on the patio over looking the lake, there was alot of fish to observe as well. I had a BLT, it was more like a BBBLT, the bacon on it was amazing!

We grabbed a cab after lunch and went to the park, we cheated and drove most of the way in. I could of spent all day running around in the woods, I love this kind of stuff. There was a couple of local Fijians swinging off a rope into a pool, I of course was right behind them.
The water was crystal clear and refreshing.
I wanted to investigate every crevice of every waterfall and every stairway and pathway. Unfortunately we had to get going as we had to get to the bus station but the time passed by so quickly out here. I managed to get some great pictures of the scenery.
This Park was another highlight of my trip.

We got on the bus and spent about 5-6 hrs travel time on the way back into Lautoka which from there we had to grab a cab back to the village since the mini buses were done running now.
Running around in the Jungle sure tuckers a person out, let alone travel, I slept like a baby this night.

The Rosters were having a weekend cermemony at their house. An Australian divine healer was flying in for this event. They had expected a lot of people to show up for this event. I went over and sat for a bit but I get bored really quickly so I went inside and offered my help. I was under the impression that there was only snacks but this lady went all out. She made sandwhiches and put them in her panini cooker, she made a big thing of boiled peas and had enough tea for everybody as well.

I came for many reasons, one is because the group I did the dance with for Easter was here and they are a beautiful group of kids and they are so much fun. Also to visit the Rosters. Secondly is because I like watching everybody get uplifted. Thirdly because the food is always amazing and if you know me then you know I am always where the food is! lol

I managed to catch the end of the service and this divine healer was going around asking people what was wrong with them. There was one lady and she said she had a headache. The healer guy went up and put his hand on her forehead and yelled something I couldn't understand, then he said "your headache is gone." She confirmed it was. Then he yelled, "and where did it go?"
Everyone yelled, "back to hell!"
I just about burst out laughing, I don't know why but really a headache came from hell? WTF? I believe in miracles and such but come on. So this Diving Healer was teaching that every painful thing is from hell but I guess if you believe in that stuff, to each their own.

I helped with the dishes and one of the little girls from the group helped me out, she has been my little follower lately, I love it.

The next night I got sucked into attending the church service again but I didn't mind.
The crowd was bigger this time, there was some Fijians that came but didn't want to be seen but you could see the outline of many figures in the distance. The food was also better, there was sandwhiches, boiled peas, jelly beans (which look like sugary pretzels here) potatoe ball things. The Rosters made me a special supper, fish curry with dahl and rice, it was so good!

I helped distribute the food and clean-up and I got to watch the Healer guy do his work again but the people tonight weren't as energetic as last night's service. Overall I think it was a good experience and I know I don't have very many chuch experiences left in Fiji since I have less than 3 weeks now. I am really starting to feel apart of the village now. I feel accepted, some people still stare but now I just stare back, lol.

Thursday April 8.
I was suppose to go to Suva with Luke yesterday since he was to have a meeting there. He ended up moving the meeting to Monday which is a while away and I feel like a beach now. I fought with myself yesterday and some of today where I would go to find a beach, either the Coral Coast or Raki Raki both being about 2 1/2 to 3 hrs away. I went into Lautoka pretty early this morning and it was also my first time doing so as well. I walked around and shopped for a few shirts and grabbed some water and head to the bus station, I had to make up my mind right now where I was going. The plan was to go for the day, I had my shower stuff, swimming stuff and a couple new shirts I bought but no towel or change of clothes.

I decided Raki Raki was a good pick since I knew that I could go kayaking and swimming at an awesome beach. I got to Raki Raki bus station and found a cab that took me to the Resort which was about a 15 min drive, it's a good thing I decided not to walk. I went swimming in the pool as soon as I got there all though the weather was not the best. I sat and talked to a few American gals, Meaghan, Lacey, Jessie and Tori, who were all studying abroad in Australia, they were really nice.
It started to pour and everyone cleared the pool, I took the opportunity to have the pool to myself and swim in the rain, it was a relaxing experience. There is something about water that is so calming and healing, I spent a good hour and a half just swimming back and forth in the rain. I hadn't realized how much time had passed so I decided to stay the night at the resort, I got put in a dorm with all boys but who's complaining? Not me.

I was so hungry, I had a steak sandwich for supper, it was freaking good but not the same as Alberta beef unfortunately. I joined the gals after and we chatted for a few hours as I sipped a few much needed cocktails. We called it a night around 10 as I had decided to go diving with the gals tommorow.

Friday April 9.
I got up around 6:30am because I am crazy. I was the first one down to the beach so I grabbed a kayak and head out into the bay, it was a beautiful day and I felt that I had a good start to conquering the day. I wasn't out in the water very long, half an hour when I head back, I don't really like being out in the open ocean by myself, I think I watched to many shark attack movies, lol.

For breakfeast I had toast with strawberry jam which is my favorite and bacon, their bacon is massive, yum, yum, yum!

I lazed around the pool most of the morning with the gals and I attempted a couple of laps in the pool all though the ambition slowly faded from me. We got our call to go get ready for our dive so us 4 gals head down to the beach.
We suited up in our wetsuits, flippers and googles. We got in our boat and headed toward Nananu Island Lodge Beach, it was a deserted Resort and we had all of the beach to ourselves. We spent a little while doing some exercises to prepare us for the diving like clearing our mask if it were to fill with water and some signals to communicate underwater. It was cheaper for me to do an Intro dive rather than a refresher course and I got to go with the gals. It was quite interesting to watch the girls getting used to breathing underwater, a couple of them decided not to go as I think they were a little clasterphobic of being underwater. I myself was a little anxious since I have not dived in over a year but I knew the love for it would grow on me again.

We desended into the water, it wasn't a great dive since it was an off shore dive and the water was a little murky. The coral was nice and the multitude of fish was suprising considering we only went to maybe 35-40ft and we were just off shore. I felt like I had to watch my buddy Lacey since she was all over the place. Sure enough I turned around to look for her right about the time we were all to ascend and I couldn't see her. We head back to shore and the guides took the boat out to watch for her bubbles, her buddies started to freak out. I told them it would be okay, they would find her but I was a little worried since she didn't have much air left in her tank. Next thing you know we see flippers and legs kicking away about a good 60 ft away from where we were diving. The boat jetted over and plucked her out of the ocean. Later on she explained how she started to get worried about bein gout in the ocean alone so she inflated her BCD and shot up to the surface and then she proceeded to try and dive again. She thought it was hilarious until we informed her about lung expansion, nitrogen poisoning and if she were to run out of air, lets just say that her smile turned into a concerned grin.
We dicked around for a while in the water, shaking off all the what if's in the back of our minds. We took many pictures in our dive gear and of a nearby starfish that we had found.

Our guide than escorted us through the abandoned resort and up to the top of the hill that over looked the ocean, it was beautiful. We cracked a couple of coconuts and shared the juice and coconut meat while we all took in the perfect scenery. A few coconuts later we hed back to the boat.

I swam around in the pool for awhile and got ready for tonights activities which were suppose to be pretty good. The Feejee Experience bus was here and that meant about another 20 people.
I managed to catch the last bit of the sunset which of course is phenomonal in paradise.

By the time I ate and had a couple of cocktails, I was pretty pooped. All of us girls had talked about having a couple of drinks and partying but we were all in the same boat, all tired. We did join in a couple of games and dance a little. I made it to 11:30 tonight, one of my later nights, lol and ran off to bed.

Saturday April 10.
I woke up at 7:30am, which is sleeping in for me. I was the first one at the pool and enjoyed a morning swim. I ate breakfeast and was eager for Jessie to join since we were suppose to go kayaking. Jessie and I spent a good hour kayaking, we took some fun pictures. I attempted to do some monkey stands and funny poses, I spent a good 40 minutes doing stan up paddling which is remarkably hard especially when it's a little choppey and on a kayak, I am a special breed though.

I knew I had to head back today since I had spent more money than I wanted to and I was trying to preserve my money a little more. Luckily the gals told me that I could probably hitch a ride with the Feejee bus and get off in Ba, use the internet and than hop a bus to Tavurua and that's what I did. The journey back was exhausting, the bus backed into a fence just as we were leaving so we had to stop in Raki Raki for about 40 minutes so they could fix a tail light, I didn't mind though.
I said goodbye to the girls and they invited me to stay with them if I decided to visit Australia, I just might take them up on their offer They were really great gals, nice and sincere, that's always great to run into when you are travelling.

Arriving back at the farm, I was relieved to be there since I wouldn't have to travel and I could relax after a busy couple of days. Relaxing is hard work sometimes suprisingly.

Friday April 2.
After my trip to the Yasawas, I spent a couple of days sleeping and watching movies plus the weather was crap and my mind permitted me to relax.
I had told Caroline before I left to the Yasawas that I didn't know if I would be performing with her at her church because I was shy and we had not practised. I had to contact her anyhow and today was Friday and the performance was suppose to be tommorow.
I didn't end up going over to her house but she urged that she would contact me tommorow to come over and practice before going, I was freaking out a little bit since I really, really didn't want to do it.

Saturday April 3.
Sure enough Caroline called me early in the morning to go over and practice, so I went over there and waited for the rest of the group to show up, a big group of them had come, all different ages, I was suprised.
We spent the morning practising away, I secretly felt embarassed since I was not used to dancing to a worship song and knowing I would be the only white person at this church. Also they thought it would be a good idea to make me Jesus in this dance play. It consisited of following Jesus with some interpretive dancing and then me standing with my arms open as they pretended to nail my hands and feet and put a crown of thorns on my head. At first I thought I would end up laughing but suprisingly I got into it. I ended up loving the group, they were all such great people.
I went with the Rosters (Caroline's family) to Caroline's Grandma's house where we proceeded to get ready. I tried on a traditional Indian dress but it was way to hot to wear it to I dressed as a Fijian which is a long sulu or skirt with just a normal shirt.

We head to the church, it was a little intimidating when I walked in as all the Indians were staring at me but I shrugged off the uneasiness and socialized a bit. We watched several groups perform, it was really neat. There was groups doing plays about drinking grog, stealing and some indian dancing. Finally our turn snuck up on us, I took the middle of the floor and the other group members got into position. As the music started I just focused on the moves and I got into it, I pretended to feel what Jesus must of felt like as they raised my hands up and pretended to nail them, it was a surreal feeling. People seemed to like our performance and even little girls commented on my acting, aww.

After some spiritual songs and dancing supper was provided. I have never experienced a feeding like this before. Outside was lined with make-shift benches and tables and helpers systematically dropped off plates, then cups and food came in order. There was rotti, 2 types of curry, rice, vegetables and juice. I think every 2 minutes they asked you if you wanted more, they just keep feeding you until you are completely about to burst. Also everyone eats with there hands so there is someone to wash your hands for you after the meal and people to wash the dishes.
We relaxed after dinner and socialized a bit before heading home, after all I think the whole church service was about 4 hrs and it was about 10pm and I was tired.

Sunday April 4.
Luke and I went shopping in Lautoka for some groceries and we went to a movie, we watched Clash of the Titans, it was pretty good. I liked it.

Monday april 5.
I was woken up by a 6:30am call that I was not to pleased about. Caroline had mentioned before about Youth day which I was told was full of games and such. I decided to go since I thought what the hell else was I going to do on the farm today. We took an hour and a half bus ride to Tavua and pulled up to a house with a seating area with a covering, they set up the instruments and we prepared for a church service. Little did I know I would be performing the dance, again. Once again we did our performance and another great meal was served afterwards, I could get used to this. I love my group members, they are all youths and all smart, respectful young people, I'm glad to have met them.

After everyone head down to the soccer field down the road. We all started to play until the boys organized an actual game which I didn't like since they were all the bigger boys so no girls or kids could play, it pissed me off. Also none of the indian girls aspired to play with the boys, they are all girlie girls which is not like me. So I socialied for a bit and consoled Reggie who was upset that they were playing with his ball and didn't let him play.

After the game we all piled back onto the bus and head back to our villages, I got a call from my Mom. She missed me, she was crying and saying how she couldn't take it if I moved away, she made me cry a little. I told her to relax and don't worry. I got back to the village and watched some movies at the house, I was pooped from the weekend

I got up pretty late this morning, which was about 8am, my foot still felt a little numb but I knew it would be alright. I packed all my stuff and head down to breakfeast, it was sunny and hot; it was going to be a great day!
Brreakfeast was once again amazing, pancakes, fruits and all.

Martin, Sune and I sat around waiting for the boat to come pick us up and discussed Jess's face when she would see me; she didn't know I had stayed an extra day and switched my Sailing to the same day as hers.

Upon boarding the Flyer we ran into Mr.Cock Sandwhich which is a horrible nickname and I have no idea how he got it. We also ran into the Swiss gals from Kuata. On the top deck is where I spotted Jess and as she turned around her face became a giant grin as she hugged me, I love suprising people.
Our group was back together and we all decended into the air-conditioned deck. This time Jess was the one who started the beer ritual and we all followed.

Our stop came up pretty quickly and we boaded our Sailing boat. It was like a boat you see in the movies, with the masts, deck and the cabin below. We spent a a great remainder of our time drinking free beers at the front and recreating scenes from Titanic. Also we had this ongoing song from Saturday Night Live called I'm on a boat and everytime we were on a boat we sang it, probably about 20 boats in all and so we took this opportunity to record us singing it while all the other passengers watched in amusement; I think. The voyge was pretty amazing, there was alot to see and the weather was just perfect.
As we pulled up to Monuriki Island which is also known as Cast Away Island that the movie was filmed on (there is also a Cast Away Resort on another island so these two sometimes get confused) it was picture perfect. The sand, the water, the trees, although it wasn't as remotes as it seemed in the movie there was a couple small islands close to it.
Everyone seemed to love the water here, people were snorkelling and swimming and running around the beach. However I was looking to jumping off the bow like the brochure had showed, I was the first one to jump off, naturally. I think I spent the next hour or so jumping off the bow, I loved every minute of it and then I saw one of our guides jump off the roof of the boat and I wanted to do it too, so I did. I was the only one, I think a lot of the guys were scared of heights because no one else wanted to do it.
I also ventured onto the Island and into the group of Palm Trees to find the perfect coconuts to make a coconut bra with Jess, Sune and Martin.
The Barbeque lunch was absolutley amazing, it was filled with muffins, dessert rolls, fish, chicken, sausage, salads, fruits, buns, beer, wine. It was so delicious!

A village visit was included in the Sea Spray Adventure, we went to a village and looked at all of the schools and , youbuildings, there was tons of little Fijian kids running around and taking pictures with tourists, they were so cute! We went to a building where they talked about this village for a bit and then went on to perform a Kava Ceremony, none of us 4 had the desire to drink any since we had enough on this trip already so we walked down to the village market where all the woman had booths set up and were selling all kinds of stuff. There was ceremonial paper, war clubs, Fijian drums, bracelets, necklaces, shark jaws and all kinds of odd and pretty stuff.

After the village visit I felt I had to work extra hard to get my buzz back and knock back some more calories, it was my duty since the beer was free! As our sailing trip was coming to an end we stopped at another island where we would get off and board the Flyer to go back to the main land. Sune and Martin took our stuff as Jess and I dove into the ocean and swam to shore, I had a bit of a buzz on and Jess was making me laugh so hard I almost drowned. Apparently she mooned the boat as she was swimming away and all you could hear is laughter from behind us, god I love her! Finally making it to shore we carried on with our energy and did some cartwheels, handstands under the water and goofy stuff.

Loading onto the Yasawa Flyer for the last time was very sad but I was looking forward to my last night partying with my buds. We continued to have a couple of beer and play some Uno before arriving at Denaru Marina in Nadi.
We boarded the bus and head for our accomodation at Smugglers Cove. I didn't book a room so I waited in line but it was taking so long that I decided to go for a swim and enjoy the long awaited Margarita that I had desired. Finally I got a room but I must of mis-understood them for when I went to my room, it was a smaller dorm and I was suppose to be sharing a double bed with some fat lady I didn't know and they expected us to share sheets, I must have been thoroughly relaxed as I really didn't care. I head back downstairs and joined my buddies for a couple more margarits and after a couple we were all so pooped and so we called it a night around 9, lol. Sune and Martin were leaving fairly early so we were going to wake up and say goodbye.
Getting back to my room I went to fall asleep and later was awoke by the other boys and my bunk buddie who apparently was leaving to get laid at some other hostel, I didn't care, I was getting a whole bed to myself, hooray!

March 30.
I woke up at quarter to seven and raced down to see if the boys had left yet and they had. I was really sad, I wanted to say goodbye but oh well. I woke Jess up to join me for breakfeast, it was raining so we both felt really sleepy. It sucked it was crappy weather so the beach that was sitting before us was out of the question so I opted to do laundry so I didn't have to hand wash it when I got back to the farm. I also attempted to blog my trip but so much had happened I'm having a hard time catching up.
After getting fed up with the weather, Jess and I decided to venture into Nadi to check some attractions out. We went and visited the Sri Siva Subramamaniya Swami Temple which is painted every color and is draped in traditional Dravidian architecture. It was beautiful all though the rules were weird like you couldn't enter if you had eaten meat that day, many people might be angry if I said I lied because I really wanted to get in but I don't think it's offensive since I don't worship that God and I am not hurting anybody.

Jess bought many souveniers, she was like a souvenier addict just trying to get rid of her money, she was funny. It was getting late in the day and I still had a couple of buses to take back to Tavurau so Jess waited with me while I waited for the bus, our goodbye was rather quick as I had to pounce for my spot on the bus.

Arriving back at the farm, I was very sad and also very happy as I had met so many great people, friends now, but I will never know if I will see them again. My experience is just what I needed to relieve the stress and pain that I had pent up from the tragedy of the village girl. Even though it seemed I partied and drank alot, it was mostly innocent social drinking that created rock hard abs from laughing so much, it was easily one of the best experiences of my life!

I lazed around this morning on South Sea waiting for the 12:30 boat to take me to Bounty, it was cloudy when I woke up at 7. Breakfeast was the best I have ever had on the whole trip, it was a smorgessboard of pancakes, toast, fruits, cereals, eggs and beans.

I decided to join a couple of activities before lunch since they were all free, not only did they have free weaving but they had free kayaking, snorkelling and glass boat trips. Also a lovely Fijian group came and did some Fijian dancing with grass skirts and sang in a beautiful melody as always, this was one of the better shows as well.
Lunch was pretty spectacular as well, it was a buffet of salads, fruits, potatoes, pasta, fish, chicken and sausage.
Although this island is one of the smallest, there is so much to do and the food is great!

Even though I liked South Sea I was about ready to escape it especially since there are day trippers that visit so it's likean over populated island during the day and there is literally no where to hide for quiet time, lol. I boarded the boat and jumped on th Flyer and jumped back off onto a little boat and head for Bounty.

Arriving to Bounty was beautiful, there was some more singing as I jumped ankle deep into the water. Bounty is where Love Celebrity Island was filmed and there was a nice pool on the patio backed by a bar overlooking the ocean. After checking in I was lead down a long sandy walkway lined with trees and flowers to a cute little air conditioned girls dorm, which was fine with me. Not only was this the fist air conditioned dorm I have slept in since the Islands but we had really nice sheets and blankets; very homie.

After I had settled in I head down to the beach and attempted to walk around the island but a cut from foot from Korovu was kind of stinging so I relaxed on the beach, it was cloudy all day and started to rain but I didn't mind. I get bored really easily, I'm not good at sitting still so I head back and walked around the resort and sat with my feet in the pool for a while. I had discovered that all the people here were really boring, everyone was keeping to themselves and reading or sun tanning, I was so bored! I decided to get up and have a beer, I was going to wait for Sune and Martin's arrival but I was going to go mad. After about my second beer I went and joined a game of cards with some gals from Switzerland, they were very nice. Now I had a group that would want to party tonight. As I started my third beer I saw the boat coming in which meant the boys were on it, I discussed with the girls quickly what should be my intro to let them know I am here. I quickly decided, as the welcome song started and the boat was coming in I ran up and joined the group and did some dancing and yelled Bula, the boys faces where priceless, it was awesome!

After they had settled in they joined us and of course they had to catch up beer wise. We spent the afternoon on the patio listening to music and catching up with a few others that we had seen along the way. Supper was pretty damn good and I loved that this place had cocktails.
I had a good buzz on after supper and the music was getting me going. It just so happened that a Bula performance was put on and needed a couple of volunteers to sway with the group, so there was Sunny, Martin and I swaying away; it was beautiful!
There was some Fijian men in the corner a while later and we decided to go join them, we drank some Kava and had some good laughs, especially when Sune decided to throw me in the pool because I made fun of him. It seemed to be the on going prank for the night.
Things were good and all of us were having a great time until the Swiss gals thought it would be fun to go skinny dipping, I obviously thought it would be a good story to add to my book.

We made our way down to the ocean out of sight, Martin and the Australian Dive guy were the first in the ocean, I didn't even see them take there clothes off. Us 3 gals got in the ocean and swam around until a local came and told us to get out because it's not safe, we had to fight with him and try not to reveal that we were naked. After the local guy left we started to get out, it was hard to since the bottom was rocky. I was almost out when I felt a shooting pain in my foot and I looked down and instantly I knew that I had stepped on a Sea Urchin. As I hopped my way out of the ocean and got dressed, the Aussie bud helped me hop to the patio where all the local men were. My foot was hurting pretty bad and as I investigated my foot, there were indeed 3 spikes inside.
It took a little motivation to get one if the guys to go get a pin and some vinegar, they wanted me to wait until morning but I told them to get me a knife and I would cut it out myself. After a few minutes my foot started to go numb from the posion and as I layed down on the patio, 3 of them looked over my foot and watched by flashlight as 1 began to pick it out with a pin. My buddies sat across the patio talking away and once in a while would ask how I was doing as I yelled it tickles. I think the mixture of Kava, beer and the numbness made it not hurt. It seemed forever which was only about 20 minutes after he got them out, he cleaned it out with vinegar, I thanked him numerous times and hugged him. I walked back over to my buddies, finished our beers and pretty much went to bed, we were all tired and I figured that was enough adventure for the day. Tommorow was the Sea Spay Sailing adventure to Cast Away Island with free booze and a Barbeque so I needed to be rested up.

Waking up this morning, I felt so energised all though the weather did not match my emotion, I was ready to do something. Breakfeast was immaculate, finally some pancakes, it was so good! I had to wake everybody up, Martin did not show up to breakfeast. I brought him a plate since we had been talking about pancakes for so long, turns out he had a Kava hangover, I told him not to mix!

Sune, Martin, Jess and I were the only tourists who signed up for the church service on Waya Lailai which was the island across from us and since our boat wasn't coming until late afternoon and their are no activities on sundays. We arrived at the village and our guide took us around and showed us the kids schools and took us to the church. The service today was for Palm Sunday which was pretty cool since the Fijian kids lead the ceremony, they did some plays and the singing was mindblowing, it was so pretty I wanted to cry. The service did go on for some time as I found myself falling asleep by the end since I couldn't understand anything since it was in Fijian. melt.
We shook all the kids hands after the service as we head back to the boat, I saw the cutest little puppy in the world, it made my heart melt!

Back at the Resort their was nothing really to do, everyone was kind of keeping to thereselves so us 4 sat at the table and played Uno with a couple of beers while I waited for the boat since I was heading to South Sea Island today and they were staying another night.

Saying goodbye was pretty sad although I told Jess that I might stay an extra night and suprise them on the last day aboard the Sea Spray Sailing Trip since mine was suppose to be the day before theirs. I got to write my name on the Northbound sign so check it out, that's me if you ever make it to Kuata.

I hugged my buddies unsure if I would ever see them again and trekked with the group to the other side of the island to catch a boat. It was getting pretty bumpy on the water, their was lot of waves and the boat was smacking the water pretty hard.

I waited a while and fought with myself what I was going to do, stay at South Sea with Jess a second night or got Bounty and meet the boys and visit that island or go home. I opted for Bounty since I would not only suprise Jess on the last day for the Sailing trip but I would see the boys and visit Bounty where they filmed Celebrity Love Island. I thought all day what their reactions would be like and how I would show up.

Getting back on to the Flyer was different since I didn't know anybody until the next island and I turned the corner and ran into my Fort Mcmurray buddy and a couple of other buddies. We talked until I had to get off and board the boat to South Sea.

Arriving at South Sea was nice, the island was cute and seemed like their was alot to do suprising to the size that this island was. South Sea is one of the smallest island in the Fiji Islands, one of my buddies told me that it took him 1 min 20 seconds to run around the entire island. My dorm was airconditioned and supper was pretty good, I had steak, so so good, I took a picture to brag to Sune and Martin when I would see them. I met a lot of nice people on South Sea, alot of peope from England, Switzerland and Europe in general. I signed up for the crab races, which is where you pick a crab and they number it and draw a circle and whovere's crab crosses the cirlce first wins and moves to the next round. I think I gave my crab brain damage since I dropped him twice, either that or he was mad at me because he didn't really run the first round and I lost. The next couple of games we played are really awkward to play sober with strangers, the ball under your chin, suck and blow with the card on your mouth and pass the carrot between your legs.
I stayed up for a while and got a couple of social drinking games going, it was alright but I think I was one of the older ones there so I was surrounded by a few girls and the dumb game that they play with boys so I went to bed. I was really looking forward to the next couple of days with my buddies and so I have to prepare myself for Bounty tommorow.

Saturday March 27.
So I figured out on this vacation I do not like to relax and I do not like to sleep, I want to see as much as I can and I am afraid I will miss out on something if I curl up in a hammock and shut my eyes.

I woke up pretty early, I think this whole trip I have been waking up around 6:30/7am and going to bed pretty late but I know in the long run I will appreciate the torment from my body, lol.
It was an alright breakfeast although we have been craving pancakes and bacon for some time now, even in paradise their is something to complain about, haha.

I think it was about 8am when I cracked the first beer so the rest of the group had to follow, I was suprised the Swiss boys couldn't keep up. My buddies Sune, Martin and Jess were all leaving today to go to Kuata and I was suppose to stay at this resort for another night but I wasn't ready to give up the good time I was having. I fought with myself all morning whether to go to Kuata with them or stay with my new Swiss buddies. I went to go inquire about changing but figuring out that stuff on an island is impossible, first I asked if they could call and find out but it would cost me, so I asked for a phone card but they were sold out, then they went to send them a message and the internet was done and my cell phone was out of range and the boat was coming in a couple of hours.
I figured oh well, I will just jump on the boat and figure it from there, if worse comes to worse then I will just come back to this island. I packed up my stuff and tossed it in the loading area. After a few beers and a relaxing swim I saw my bag getting into a boat, I spoke out loud, hey wave to my bag! Good thing too because Martin spoke up and said that boat is heading North we are going South, I thought he was joking until everybody was like ya that actually is going North. So here is stupid me running out along the cement dock yelling sorry I put it in the wrong section, I'm going South. Have another beer Amanda, but seriously I didn't think they were that organised because everything else isn't, lol.

We said goodbye to all our Swiss buddies and waved goodbye as the locals sung a goodbye sung, man they all have beautiful voices. Upon boarding the Flyer, I went and figurured it all out and it seemed it was no problem and now I was heading to Kuata with my buddies. We also ran into a couple of other buddies from the first resort, I love reuions!
Of course the next challenge was what beer would satisfy me and our buddies had to follow! We spent the next couple of hours talking away and drinking beers on the top deck. It came as a shock when our Island was called out, it seemed time had passed by so quickly.
I grabbed my stuff and we made our way down to the bottom deck to load onto the boat that would take us to Kuata, oh shit! I realized I had left my shoes on the top deck so I raced up and got them and saw Max on the way down, so I gave him a quick hug and got onto my boat but after being on a boat so long and a few beers I almost over shot my landing into the water, lol.

Arriving at Kuata was alright, one of the main reasons I wanted to come here was for the Shark Snorkelling. I sorted my stuff in our dorm, there was only like 6 of us and we had mosquito nets around our beds, I felt like a Princess, lol.
I inquired at the office about snorkelling with the sharks but they said it would cost me 80 Fijian to go so I pouted and my buddies said they would go with me, so I cheered up, after all I had come all this way.

We grabbed our fins and snorkel gear and proceeded into the boat, I though Sune had me and the boat hit my leg funny and I fell beside the boat, completely soaked while all the locals watched and laughed, sweet!
A couple of the local boys that came got out with their fishing gear and just jumped in the ocean and we drove away, that's pretty crazy. We arrived at our spot and I hesitated being a little afraid but after the others got in I was fine. It was a weird feeling floating around in the ocean tipsy, I felt like a shark could bite me and I wouldn't care, I was so relaxed. The guide grabbed a couple of fish that was caught before hand and gave us a couple of pieces and watched the little fish come eat it out of our hands, it was pretty neat, one stole it from me so I swam after it and got it back, haha. Finally we saw a reef shark, it swam along the bottom, it was not as scary as I thought it would be, I attempted to dive down to get a better look, not to close but close enough, I was really mad that my camera had died just as we got there. Seeing the shark was amazing although I think after a while like anything the awe and shock wears off especially if you aren't threatened. I thought it was funny when I stuck a piece of fish in Martin's mouth, he got me back by throwing pieces of it onto my back, I was wondering why the fish were following me, lol.
The swim was beautiful but I wish there was more sharks but reef sharks are not dangerous, they are harmless. Unfortunately it will scare my family to know that my shark dive desire is not fufilled and now I must dive with bigger sharks, lol.
Getting back into the boat was a challenge, I was sitting on the side of the boat when I became unbalanced and fell backwards into the boat, legs sticking up and all, I could hear Matin howling with laughter from the water while Sune and Jess laughed from beside me. I got back into the water to go pee and the guide pulled me up onto the side but I slipped back into water, I felt like an idiot but he pulled me up into the boat again, my body felt like a noodle and I kind of ploped into the boat, everybody seemed to be getting a kick out of my lack of coordination and balance today.

Arriving back at the Resort, I can say I gracefully disembarked the boat and got ready for supper. It was a nice supper and we watched a new set of Bula Boys do their dance, every island the dance was a little different. We watched a dance that involved a guy standing on top of another guy while they both twirled fire batons, it was pretty cool until the top guy dropped his and burned the other guy, they both just laughed.
After dinner everyone went outside and learned how to weave, I made a bracelet, it took me forever, it was the hardest design, the lady kept making fun of me because she thought I was drunk but I wasn't. It's pretty sad when a boy can weave better than you, Sune made a bracelet and a bookmark by the time I could finish mine.
When weaving had finished we sat in a group with the locals as they strummed their guitars and started the Kava Ceremony. I believe I am local as I have drank Kava many times now, lol. I only had a few bowls when I decided to cut myself off and continue with beer instead as Kava just shuts your mind down.

We played some Uno until the power went out which was around 1am, then we called it a night, I think we were all a little pooped out from the constant activities and beers.

Friday March 26
I packed up all of my stuff and prepared to get on the boat in the afternoon to go to Naviti Island.
All the boys, Jess and I sat around and talked in the sun until we had to board the boat that would take us to the Yasawa Flyer, it was kind of neat that all the people we were hanging out with were getting on the boat.

When we got on the Yasawa Flyer we tagged our luggage to what Island we were going to. The custom than became whoever cracked a beer first the rest had to follow. Of course I was first and we gathered around a table and played a card game. Sadly I ended up saying goodbye to eveybody except Sune, Martin and Jess.

Arriving to Naviti Island, Korovou-Eco-Tour Resort we were greeted with a lovely song and a nice fruity drink. To my liking I had found most of crowd to be boys. I made my rounds and gathered some people for a volleyball game, 10 boys were from switzerland and then it was just me, Jess, Sune, Martin and a few of the local boys. The game went pretty well all though it was disquistingly hot.

After a nice cold shower we head down to the patio where all the tables were aligned overlooking the ocean and in the direction of the sunset. The meal was beautiful, fresh fruits, chicken, salads and chocolate cake for dessert, yum!
Our table of course was all Scandanavians except for Jess and I. After we finished supper we had the Bula Boys welcome us with their dances, I liked the War Dance. They dance around in grass skirts, their muscles all oiled up and lunge at you with a war club yelling Bula, it's quite neat. Then we joined in a weird locomotive dance thing, it was kind of fun. A couple of gals from the resort over stopped in and they were from Switzerland as well. Of course after that the bar was game and our table partied into the late night playing yeehaw and just shooting the shit even far after the power had gone off. There was alot of conversations and somehow we all ended up doing curlups from the wooden umbrella. One of the Bula Boys showed me how to use the fire baton, I was getting pretty good by the end of the night. The night ended one by one disappearing into the darkness towards the dorm, it's only proper that Sune, Martin, Jess and I were one of the last ones up starring at the stars from the deck.

I made my way to the top bunk and passed out completely, it was beautiful when the power came back on and the fans started to run again. Sometimes you never want an night to end and feel like you could stay up forever, that's how I felt this night.