2hr 49mins from Vancouver to Los Angeles then 11hr 30mins on to Nadi

Planned arrival : 1st November 2003

Planned departure : 15th November 2003

12th November

Nicola writes...

BULA!!!!

Words can't do justice to the friendly enthusiasm of this Fijian greeting! We have just got back to the mainland in Fiji after spending 10 days on the islands where there is no internet or means of communication. It has been bliss and I don't know where to begin. Essentially, we set sail and found paradise....

I am so emotionally full, soo so happy. The Yasawa Islands are unbelievably beautiful. Pure blue water, white sand, coconut trees, and quiet. The sun rises before 5am. The stars at night are unlike anything I have ever seen - like a cartoon in their perfection. Just perfect white light beaming against black skies. Stunning.

The people are so friendly, and we have made lots of friends with other travellers. One guy called Gideon is the spitting image of Hugh Grant - it really is uncanny - and we may be meeting him again in Sydney to road trip to Melbourne! Who knows though, things change so quickly. We also met a lovely Fijian guy called Niko who we may see in Oz as he is travelling. Then there were the Israeli guys who taught us salsa dancing. Rachel was with the really good Israeli dancer being spun like an elegant star, while me and the Hugh Grant-lookalike did our best to keep up. It was quite a laugh!

We went to Church on Sunday. This involved catching a boat with the Fijians to a little village on the island Wayalaili which was opposite us. Getting a boat to church was cool in itself! The service was in Fijian but we were made to feel very welcome in the village and sat cross legged on the floor. We made friends with a school teacher there and were invited the next day to go back and meet the children. We did this and all the kids sang us nursery rhymes with great gusto. It was adorable.

Breathe, Nicola, breathe.... there is just so much to tell and I know I'm gushing. Please forgive my tirade but I want to share every moment with you! We have had a few Kava nights. This is the drink of Fiji. Tastes like an asprin dissolved in water, not objectionable but not tasty. It is a root that is beaten to give you the effect of being very tired. There is a whole social ceremony around the drinking of it, and we all sit drinking under the stars, while the fijians play music and everyone tells stories. I love it. Some people feel quite light headed from it, or slightly stoned - I just needed the loo and was slightly slower catching on to jokes and things. At least, I blamed the Kava for my slowness!

We have done activities too. We went snorkelling and we swam through some incredible underwater caves. We hiked to the top of two islands and watched the sunset. The rest of the time we relax, swim, read and eat. It's a good old life here in 'fiji time'.

We really fell in love with the first island we stayed at - Tavewa. The people just made us feel part of the family and I cried when we left. They sang us a good bye song and I just knew the tears would start. The people here are just so joyful though, and the surroundings so perfect. You can't see life topping it. Still, the next island brought more wonderful things and new friends.

Even in paradise, I still think of you all even though I am so far away. Literally the other side of the world - you are 12 hours behind us right now. thank you for all your messages, it is wonderful to hear from home and all your gossip. It's all the little details that you really miss. Thank you for all your support and interest in our trip. I feel like the luckiest person in the world to be experiencing all this and know that I have the best friends and family to return to when it all ends. No idea when we will be back yet of course.

Rachel writes...

It has been really great to hear fom you. Nic and I have been out on the Fiji islands for the last ten days and they are nothing short of paradise! The people here are the friendliest yet and it has been a real highlight of the trip so far. The sea is just undescribable and so warm and we have been snorkling. Unfortunatly whilst Nicloa swims around like she is auditioning for a part on 'Flipper', all I seem to be able to do is fill my mask up with salt water, choke and procede to drown. Oh the indignity! They make it look so damn easy! We also passed the Castaway island where Tom Hanks spent so long. That was pretty cool. Swimming in underwater caves and having to duck through an underwater tunnel was really spectacular. One of them was pitch black and echoed so our guide preceeded to cackle and make inane sounds to scare the life out of us!

We went to church on Sunday and were welcomed into a little village community. We met this woman called Angie who was a teacher on the island and she showed us round the school. We even came back the next day. Their library was really great and took us back as they had Doctor Suess and Judy Blume and Enid Blyton.

The rest of the time has been 'Fiji time' and we have been sitting back doing nothing. The food has been great and a lot healthier than America. We met these Isreali guys, one of whom taught us Salsa. This was a boost to the ego as he twirled me as if I was weightless. Fantastic. I also got a full back massage out of it which was REALLY good.

We are off to Aussie just in time for the Rugby semi finals which should be fun.

Here are some pictures from Fiji

Click on a thumbnail to see a larger image