I have been in Fiji for three days and it just gets better by the second. I felt quite reluctant about a few aspects here to start with, especially the Kava welcome ceremonies, where you are pretty much forced to drink what looks like dirty dish water from a bowl during some sort of ritual. I am pleased to say that I have survived my second Kava session. It is actually a root, which is grown for around twelve years, that is then dried and grounded. It is placed into a bag and squeezed into a large communal bowl of water (not unlike a huge cup of tea). On the first try your tongue becomes a little numb. As you continue to drink more, it gradually makes you feel more and more light headed and 'chilled'. As we head to the Islands in the next few days, we are expecting to be greeted at each new one with a Kava ceremony. By the way, it tastes absolutely foul!

Fiji is wonderful. It feels really 'humbling' already pardon the cliche, and I have only been here for three days!! Our trip into Nadi town today was so interesting. The bus stops at practically every house on the way back to our hotel to drop school children and workers off. The people are so friendly. The sunsets are incredible and we have come to expect small lizards crawling very quickly around the walls and frogs frequently visiting us at night. It is amazing to sit a few metres from the sea each night, just listening to the waves. I cannot get enough of the sea at the moment..

I miss the people who have been messaging already and I hope you are all well and having fun times. Love you all loads. I think I will continue to keep these blogs short and frequent. It's much more interesting that way.

Love Mx