Greetings from the Coral Coast of Fiji.
We spent the majority of the last week at the Octopus Resort on Waya Island (about an hour or so boat ride from mainland Fiji). Before heading out we toured around Nadi a bit. We walked into town and checked out the local shops and a Hindu Temple. We managed to take a cab out to the Garden of the Sleeping Giant which is an orchid garden with a series of trails and streams in the shadow of a mountain called the Sleeping Giant (named as such because when viewed from a distance it looks like a giant laying on his back yawning). On the way back to town we had a minor snafu with our cab driver when we accidentally left our camera in the cab. Forunately he had given us his number in case we wanted to get a ride elsewhere. With the help of a local woman we managed to get our camera back. She let us use her cell phone and when the cab driver said the camera wasn't there she grabbed the phone from me, got his cab number, and threatened to make it a police matter. Somehow he managed to find our camera and return it to us in 10 minutes. We went from crestfallen to elated over that and are so thankful for the woman that helped us out.
The next morning we learned that Fiji time goes both ways. More often than not things just move at there own pace and generally behind schedule. However this time our ride to the marina showed up an hour and a half early with no warning that we would be taking a different boat than the one we had booked. Luckily we were packed and ready. We took a boat out to Waya Island (part of the Yasawa chain). We were greeted warmly by the staff and soon enjoyed a Kava Ceremony and bon fire on the beach. We met a lot of nice people, some of whom are doing similar trips and that we hope to meet up with in other countries. We spent a lot of time beachside and probably spent around 10 hours snorkeling. There is an expansive coral reef just off shore with loads of fish. We managed to photograph much of the underwater scenery with our tough camera (it is able to go underwater down to 10 feet). We also did a short guided hike to the local village, Nalawaki. It is a village of 347 people, many of whom work at the resort. After a short tour we engaged in yet another Kava ceremony followed by song and dance. One night we went handline fishing, which was a blast abd Megan caught a fish... we aren't sure what kind but it had sharp teeth. We enjoyed great weather during our five days in the islands with exception of our last day in which we had to take a boat back to mainland Fiji. The rain poured and soaked us. The boatride wasn't terrible but the water was a little rough making for a bumpy ride. After arriving at the marina we caught a local bus out to the Coral Coast (about a two hour ride).
We arrived at the Beach House last night and have five days here. The weather is gray and rainy but they have a stable internet connection (which has been hard to find) so it is nice to feel connected to our friends and family back home. They also have cheap beer and cheap activities. I see a waterfall hike and snorkel excursion in the near future.
Well that's all for now. About a week left in Fiji then off to New Zealand.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone back home! We miss you.
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