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Janurary 21st & 22nd:
The first Island we visited was Waya Lailai, which is a small Island about 2 hours off the mainland. We took the Yasawa Flyer, which is basically a boat taxi that goes through the Yasawa Islands twice a day and takes people to different Islands among the Yasawa's. It's kind of crazy because there are no ports for the big boats to dock up to so each Island resort has a small fishing boat they send out to pick up its guests from the Flyer. So we hopped on the small boat and headed off to Waya Lailai not knowing what to expect! Upon arrival we checked in, or should I say, tried to check in. They didn't have a reservation for us and said that they had been getting some of their email reservations hacked into by other travel agents. Bill, the big-boss at the Island told us not to worry and that he would figure it out. We got our own Bure, which is a traditional hut the Fiji's use in there villages. It was very nice and clean, even came with a mosquito net to cover us at night! This particular resort is the only one we stayed at that was owned by the village rather than an individual or family and so we were really able to interact with the whole village. The Island was beautiful with crystal clear waters for snorkeling, great hiking trails, and a very culture filled atmosphere! We stayed on this Island for two nights. The first day we setteled in, met some of the people on the Island, and relaxed. That night we took part in drinking cava which is a local tradition. It basically looks like dirty water and is a type of pepper root that is ground up and then mixed with water using frabric to strain it. When you drink it your mouth goes numb for a moment and eventually it is supposed to make you feel really relaxed. However, the first time you drink it you may stay up all night. Which is what I did although Kristi had no trouble sleeping. We drank it sitting in a circle with the villagers and other guests watching a fijian video that was singing bible verses and then explaining them. They are extremely Christian here....I guess a better alternative than canabalism.
The next morning I woke up abnormally early, probably because I was in a dead sweat from the heat. (Side note: they cut off all electricity at night so the one fan we had turned off in the middle of the night, brutal. We would learn later that a nice breeze and a widow are essential for a good nights sleep) I think it was around 5:45am when I woke but to my surprise, the sun was just begining to come up so I decided to get up and watch the sunrise. Aside from how early it was I was happy that I got up, it was absolutly beautiful watching the sun come up over the ocean. The water was so calm and there wasn't a person around. The next day we both found some hammocks in the shade. Kristi was "Super-Reader" all trip long and I sure as hell tried to read but I kept falling asleep in the comfortable hammocks! Kristi went diving that afternoon, which aparantly was a bit of a debacle in the begining but everything worked out in the end. That afternoon we went on a sunset hike to the top of the mountian on the Island we were staying at. We took a guide who we would have been lost without and his machete came in handy. We hiked to what is called the wobbling rock which is a large boulder that is balancing on a larger boulder. With enough momentum we were able to move it. We viewed the sunset from one of the Three Sisters (a grouping of three large rocks at the summit). The sunset and views from the top were amazing and the hike down was a bit scary considering we had to hike down in the dark with only one flashlight between 4 of us.... The next day we packed up and headed to the next Island, Tevewa!
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