Advertisement
Published: October 5th 2006
Edit Blog Post
Living in Fiji!
I stayed in these authentic grass huts while in Fiji- watch out for cockroaches! My first stop on my quest around the world was Fiji. Aside from the fact that I had everyone around me telling me I was crazy for just taking off alone, the forecast for Fiji right before I left did not tell me great things either. Rain, rain, rain, all week! Well, what could I really do at this point. The weather gets involved in everything, but lo and behold... I went to Fiji.
After visiting a friend in L.A., I stepped onto a long overnight flight to Fiji. Let me say, I was nervous! All those months of planning had dissolved and that paper ticket turned into the real thing. Fiji was the first and last flight that I was able to sleep on for the next seven months. Why? I still don't have that one figured out.
Arrive Fiji early in the morning, forecast: rain over paradise. However as I stepped off the plane into the outdoor airport I became totally transfixed by the surrounding scenery. It was absolutely gorgeous! I remember feeling the same way when I stepped off the plane in Maui. I love flying, I always have and I always will. I think it
Lush, lush lands!
My new Aussie and English friends and I were lucky enough to catch some sun during the rainy week. I felt like I was trekking through some surreal, humid land. is the best feeling to step onto an airplane knowing that the next step onto actual ground will be an entirely different place. Fiji felt like an entirely different world.
After much madness, I was on a four hour boat ride up the Yasawas to an island called Sunrise. I loved the island, I loved the grass hut (except for that cockroach that landed directly on my forehead my first night), I loved the four Aussie and English people I had just met. Fiji can feel like childhood camp. Families cook us guests home meals, games can be played after dinner (such as crab races), and the days are free to play in the water or explore the lush, jungle-like islands. My favorite thing about Fiji was the speedy little boat rides. I love how differently other countries operate. Throw me on a boat and speed me off to the next island. I went on this really wicked cave trip while in Fiji. We all swam through a pitch black cave that was believed by fijiians to be haunted by the Gods. Fijiians are very spiritually connected from what I could tell. In fact one fijiian woman even literally
Simply Beautiful
The most incredible thing about Fiji in my opinion is the colors of the water, even when the sun isn't shining. read my mind! I'm not going to go into it though, because many westerners can't seem to believe such a thing anyway.
After two days on the first island, I spent the next two nights on a boat. Although it was pouring rain the whole time, it was exciting because there were crazy, wild, night thunderstorms- scary, but fun. Considering the weather there really wasn't much to do, so I spent my time reading and of course drinking a little Kava with the fijiians. For one whole week in my life I didn't have a cell phone, a phone, or an internet, and it was everything I thought it could be. To this day I still don't have a cell phone again (but let me tell you I'm dying for one!)
One day while in Fiji I took a trip to the village. It was so cute, all the little fijiian kids go to a boarding school and live together on one island. How fun would that be! I went to the market where fijiians sat on the floor and showed off their neat hand made crafts. I tried to weave my own bracelet, but I failed miserably
Cook me some chicken!
What are they doing? Looks like we're not in Kansas anymore Toto, in Fiji they handweave cooking baskest, put who knows what in it, and place that baby on a fire. All I know is, whatever they eat, it is GOOD. so I just left that to the experts. Going into the village was a bit of a cultural experience for me. It is amazing how sheltered the U.S. is from the rest of the world. I felt like I fool because I showed up wearing a spaghetti tank top in a village where shoulders and knees must be covered at all times. I was sure to not embarrass myself again for the rest of my travels. Rule of thumb, don't dress like an American.
Of course with every dream comes a few nightmares. Let's see... I nearly drowned, I was stalked by a creepy dutch "predator" all week, and I was thrown in a 20 person hut just craaaaaaaaawling with roaches. Other than that, I HEART FIJI! It is one of my favorite places on this earth that I have discovered by far. And it is fun- even in the rain!
As Fiji was my first stop and my first experience traveling alone, I learned one thing- that I'd better get better at goodbyes. I can't even tell you how many e-mail addresses I collected my first week. The reality is that you meet so many amazine people
Hanging out in the ocean
These were my buddies in Fiji. I was so nervous to travel alone, but it didn't take me long to find out that you are never really "traveling alone." while traveling and form so many great bonds, but truth be told- you probably won't ever see them again. My first week, I didn't want to believe that was true. However, I will never forget Fiji, the people I met there, and how hard those English people made me laugh!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.078s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 10; qc: 48; dbt: 0.0335s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb