Bula!!

It's our last day in Fiji and it's been an eventful 12 days. Our trip began like any other tropical island getaway...sun sun sun!!! We spent 3 days on an AMAZING beach on Nacula Island...swimming, snorkelling, eating and lazing in hammocks. We say snorkelling, but Claire had a few technical issues with her mask and so retreated back to the comfort of the beach. Snorkelling was BRILLIANT though, there were bright blue starfish and loads of pretty fish and coral. Luckily there was nothing too big so I didn't need to panic that I'd get eaten. I did manage to drink too much salt water though so always emerged from the water feeling pretty sick! We both also went on a cave trip to another island, which was cool.

Next stop after Nacula was a 2 day cruise (on the yellow Awesome Adventures boat in the photos). We got to sail around a few different islands...we would tell you the names but our Fijian is not that advanced, so we didnt actually know where we were!!! (they were all very pretty though). Unfortunately whilst on our little cruise, the weather got a little worse...thanks to Cyclone Gene! This meant we had to stay on the boat until the weather got better. It wasn't too bad as we were in a sheltered bay so we spent our time below deck watching films and eating...alas it did get a little hairy at times ( Sarah had to calm me down on a few occasions!!!) but we survived!!! So after an extra day on the boat (which we sneakily managed to get out of paying for..sshhhh!) we got a transfer to another island...

Kuata was our next stop, as we decided to change our plans and stay with a couple of people we met on our cruise... it's a little island with really basic accommodation but really good food! You may have noticed that we keep mentioning eating...it turns out that the Fijians REALLY like their food and seeing as the weather stopped us doing most things we've spent the last 8 days or so stocking up on our carbs! Every meal consists of rice, pasta, bread AND potatoes! We also experienced the delights of Kava - a traditional local drink which, unfortunately, looks and tastes like pond water, mmmmm! Apparently it's a mild narcotic but neither of us could stomach enough to experience the full effects!

Another activity the Fijians like almost as much as eating is dancing and we now know all the steps to the "Bula" and "snake" dances!!! One night they also got us to play musical statues...which after a day of not doing much is A LOT of fun!!! Alas, Sarah let her infamous laugh get the better of her, so we lost out on winning the beers!!!!

After 2 nights on Kuata and no improvement in the weather, we decided to cancel our other island trip and come back to the mainland. We were in desperate need of a washing machine and a hot shower!!! Despite the weather though we have both managed to have an amazing time, we have met some lovely people and the Fijians are so friendly and happy that its hard to let the weather spoil it.

We hope you're all well. We're off to New Zealand tomorrow so shall keep you updated on our adventures!

lots of love

Saraah and Small.xxx