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Published: March 4th 2012
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Happy, sad, excited, scared and tired are all the emotions we have experienced in the past 6 months! We have just spent two glorious weeks in Fiji and the emotion we are both are feeling right now is RELAXED!!
We have been in paradise for the last 10 days, palm trees, white sand, clear blue waters and endless sunshine!
We stayed at Octopus Resort which is based on Waya Island in the Yasawa group! We arrived there on the Yasawa flyer and saw that it was perfect from the start! We were greeted by a traditional Fijian song as our feet touched the white sand and a welcome cocktail to wash it all down with! On our first night we were welcomed in true Fijian style, drinking the muddy water that makes your Tongue numb called Kava! Clap once before your drink, say Bula, drink and then clap three times after you've finished!
Our time here was spent doing a variety of things. We went snorkelling most days just off the beach, where millions of colourful fish and coral entertain you whilst you swim! The snorkelling was just as good as diving in the Great Barrier Reef but without the occasional
turtle or shark!
The staff were really friendly and why wouldn't they be, they live on this beautiful island everyday! We had entertainment on every night including quiz night, which usually meant a guy from the island dressing up as a woman and giving questions out in 5 rounds, each round with a great prize on offer, such as, lobster dinner, champagne breakfast or a jug of cocktails!
Bonfire night happened once a week where more games would be played with great prizes again! We played limbo, balloon games and a game that was a cross between musical chairs and statues! After the excitement of the games had finished a bonfire would be lit under the stars on the beach whilst the local band 'The Bula Boys' played until the early hours!
On Thursday's the biggest event of the week happened with a volleyball match! It was Fiji vs. The rest of the world, Fiji had to stick to all the rules whereas we didn't! 6 Fijians vs. 25 rest of the world players... and yet we still lost both weeks!!
In second place for the biggest event of the week was international crab racing! FJ$4 to enter, all going
to the local village, pick your hermit crab and if you come in the top three you win a drink, first prize gets a bottle of champagne! Who needs the grand national!!
Our crab decided to hide under a leaf on the first round so we weren't in it for long! At the end the crabs can go back home and flaunt there new shell number and designs off to their friends!
Friday is Fijian day, all the staff dress up in their traditional clothing and give the visitors a song and dance, it is an amazing thing to watch and one of the highlights of our whole trip! The village really appreciates the support that Octopus Resort provides from taking the Naluwaki village children to school and helping provide jobs and better living conditions for them! We even had the chance to go on a free trip to the kindergarten (which is also funded by octopus) and meet all the little kids! They are the friendliest, cutest, high 5-ing little kids you will ever meet! They greeted the group by singing the many nursery rhymes that we sang when we were younger in English and in Fijian!
With all
the activities they have going on everyday its hard not to make new friends, we even got talking to the staff who were always willing to listen to your stories!
Natalie got up most mornings to do Yoga on the beach as the Sun was rising whilst Chris stayed in bed, dreaming of the place he was going to wake up to. The main thing we did everyday was SUNBATHING, the sun was out everyday,an excuse to go by the beach, lay in a hammock and read a book, sometimes a cold Fiji Gold was in the other hand!
We left the resort on Friday, we both held back the tears as the staff sang us goodbye, just as they had at the start! We can't recommend Octopus Resort any more, 4 groups of people left the island during our time only to return the following day because the place they came from wasn't as good!
We are now at Aquarius on the mainland getting last minute tans, we spent two nights here either side of our time at octopus and it's a nice base to start the island bananza that awaits across the clear blue seas!
Well after
6 quick months, 8 countries, 10 flights, tonnes of different activities and different locations from beaches to jungles to snowy mountain tops to famous cities, meeting people from all over the world, tasting different foods and local beers, and experiencing a variety of spectacular cultures NATALIE AND CHRIS ARE COMING HOME!!!
Its been great to hear so many have read the blog back home and we hope you've enjoyed reading about our adventure as much as we have had doing it!
If you can 'Like' the status on Facebook so we can see who has been reading it that would be great!
As Vinnie Jones once said "It's been emotional"
We look forward to seeing you all back in England!
Over and OUT!!
In loving memory of Alice xx
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Mum
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Not on Facebook- we have loved readin the blogs- so roud (and jealous) of everything you have achieved over the last 6 months, but cant wait to see you on the 5th!!