Our map in Fiji is no where near as complicated as our map in New Zealand. And that was a perfect change, just like the perfect change in weather... We went from 15 degrees to 33 degrees. Anyone who knows me well knows that I have no problem with a few degrees on the thermometer. :)
Fiji had your Hawaiian like hospitality and welcome, but dare I say, they were on a higher level than Hawaii. You arrive in the airport and people are playing ukulele and singing to you while you wait in the immigration line. People are extremely friendly. We wanted to take the bus from the airport to the marker B on the map, where the Beachouse was located. We didn't see any signs in the airport but eventually were lead to the right spot. While waiting there a women said she was taking the same bus so we could wait with her and then a guy came around selling food, and she grabbed us and told us to buy it. It was actually my favorite meal the whole time we were in Fiji.. Air New Zealand did not serve anything to us except Tea and Coffee on the way, which we were not aware of. Inside of this mans container was taro, taro leaves cooked in coconut milk in the lovo, a chicken leg, and a super spicy pepper which Joel tried to eat. Lovo is a style of cooking that they do under the ground, and cover things in banana leafs and heat it slowly for hours. The taro leaves were so yummy. We ate as the locals told us to, with our hands. This deliciousness cost us about $4 AUD.
From Beachouse, we headed to Robinson Cruesoe Island, which was definitely not the actual R.C. island, but a pretty cool experience. To get to the island we were picked up from a resort near Beachouse, and then took a "River Safari" cruise to the island. It wasn't far from the mainland, we could see it, but I definitely wouldn't want to swim to it. RCI had tons of activities for us to do. When we arrived, we learned all about the different uses and how to open coconuts. The shredded coconut was soo delicious. As was the coconut cream which they squeezed directly into our mouths. The variety of things they make and do with the coconuts was very impressive as was the weaving with the leaves. Our accommodation was this little beach hut. The roof was made entirely from coconut palms. It was super cute, and had decent circulation. We slept really well at night. The stars were also incredible on the nights where there were no clouds. The toilets at RCI were a hot mess. Never totally working, if you catch my drift. Otherwise the cold shower was refreshing. 
Joel was choosen to chop open a coconut!
Great work Joel. :)
Coconut Joe basket weaving with the coconut palms.
Fresh Coconut Cream.
Face of the coconut! Never chop here!
During the three days there, we had no internet. We did do a lot of reading, relaxing in hammocks, swimming, eating, and socializing. The "buffet" was usually pretty tasty but there was not a lot of variety and the meals were somewhat similar eat night. Usually lots of potatoes, salad, bread, steamed veggies, and some sort of meat in gravy. The pasta salad served everyday at lunch time was one of my favorites. We also went on a short snorkeling trip, "line fishing", a natural remedy walk, coconut tree climbing demo, and the amazing fire dancing. The snorkeling sadly was unimpressive. There were a few fish, but the coral had almost no color to it, not sure if it was dying or what. The beach in front of the resort was not what you would imagine a Fijian Island Beach to look like. The water was pretty brown and dingy, with tons of sea grass everywhere. So that was a bit disappointing, because from the photos we expected something much different. The line fishing trip was funny. The fishing lines were wrapped around wooden rods, and we were given some fish to use as bait. Our line immediately got stuck on some coral and we snapped the hook off to try again. No bites, but one Japanese girl caught a little tiny fish. Sadly they kept the fish despite its tiny size, and they wouldn't even be able to eat the fish. The natural remedy walk showed us a bunch of the trees in Fiji which they use to make some of their traditional medicines. Apparently a lot of the medicines are exported all over the world.
Our first night, we were invited to participate in a Kava Ceremony. Kava is a from a root in the pepper family. The Kava used to be chewed and spit out to ground up the fibers to make a drink. Now they use just water to create the ground powder. After the powder is made, it is poured in a bowl with water and poured. There is no alcohol in the kava, however similar symptoms to drunkenness can occur. Sadly, long term use of kava is associated with liver damage and several other problems. According to some Fijians, it is a big problem in their country and causes lots of damage to families. Joel never felt anything from the kava and I just had a numb mouth for a little bit. Maybe we didn't have enough for big symptoms. Before drinking we had to say Bula, (Hello/Welcome) then clap once, and drink all the Kava in the coconut shell bowl. After finishing the Kava, we must clap three times. We drank a few more bowls of kava then saved by the dinner time bell. At each meal, they would play on some sort of drum or ring a bell so we knew when meal time was.
The main event at RCI was definitely the Saturday night Fire, Dance, etc show. The people who were guiding us in the activities and some of the chefs, and maintanence people on the island were the entertainers in the show. We had the prefect front row seats and absolutely enjoyed all the dancing and at times I was scared of the fire being to close! I had actually read a review ages back on tripadvisor that stated they missed and caught one of the sheds behind the show on fire and it took all the staff to put it out... which would of course ruin the show! Sooo I knew that mistakes were possible. But they seemed to have a few extinguishers around. Seems like they learned. Joel took some awesome photos using the tripod and long exposure on the camera.
After the show, the two boats full of maybe 80 people or so headed back and we had the island back almost to ourselves again. We were a little sad to leave the island but also ready for some other food and civilization. While we still had a great time at RCI, I had higher expectations from their website, and trip advisor comments. A new owner, an older Australian woman was there and introduced herself and asked us for some feedback. Hopefully she puts it to good use and improves a bit.
The day we got back was Easter, so what better food to eat on Easter than Indian for lunch and Korean for dinner?! The rest of the day we just enjoyed lounging at the pool, swimming, reading and kicking back. Sounds familiar to the rest of our trip in Fiji?! :P
Fiji was filled with beautiful and kind people. However on the mainland and even RCI, there were not the picturesque white sand clear blue water beaches, even where the locals say is the best beach was nothing impressive. So that was a bit sad, but we heard from people a few times how much climate change is effecting Fiji. Some of the smaller islands in the South Pacific, including Fijian islands will not exist in a few years if we cannot change the way we treat the earth. The massive cyclone they had two years ago also caused a lot of mudslides, and that also could be part of it. The more places I visit, the more saddened I am that my children will probably never get to see the places that I have seen is so saddening. It is hard to take it all in knowing that. The clown of a president in the USA who has made horrid choices, constantly turns his head to the fact that this earth is changing because of humans , and all he wants is money. The world and myself are so ashamed of Americans for letting this guy run the country. When lots of people ask me about Trump, they usually always end with the fact that they hope it prompts Americans to step up, vote, and take action, and I agree. While no country is perfect in this regard, at least lots of places are really trying to change. I wish the US was one of them. Seems like it will be another 4 years before that might possibly be able to happen though. Seeing places like Fiji, and glaciers in NZ melting at rapid paces makes me really think hard about the issues at hand. I can just hope for people to make changes in their lifestyle and for changes in leadership in the future.
I hope to create a video of all dances and the snorkeling soon, so stay tuned!
Lots of love!
xox
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