bula! welcome to Fiji

So my first journey to the Pacific Island paradise of Fiji finally happened. Although most of my time was spent either at the kiddy pool in the resort or on the “Bula Bus” (a bus that takes you to each of the resorts on the island as well as Port Denerau), I did get an opportunity to take a day trip to one of Fiji’s 300+ islands. We stayed at the Radisson on Port Denerau, and despite the beautiful beach and views, it wasn’t the “real” Fiji. It is essentially a swampland turned island which hosts several different resorts, golf courses, a port with shops and restaurants from which different cruises depart )such as the one I went on), and a few holiday homes. Anyway, the trip I went on was an all-day trip to the island of Savolo. The island was so small that I walked around its entire circumference in less than ten minutes. The entire day was amazing from start to finish. We started out on the cruise through the crystal blue waters with views of the mountainous terrain on Fiji’s main islands, including the Sleeping Giant. We get to the point where we put our snorkel gear on and jump into the water and swim the remaining distance to the island. Snorkeling in the water in Fiji was unforgettable. The water was turquoise and so clear that you could see straight through to the bottom. The only downside was the sea lice! They were constantly biting and with every bite I felt a quick sting. After getting to the island, we had a BBQ lunch with wine and a coconut demonstration. Then it was back into the water for some more snorkeling. This time, I sweet talked the captain of the boat, Peter, and he took me on a private snorkeling tour. He showed me how to swim through some of the reefs and I felt like Ariel from the little mermaid swimming with my little fish buddies. I swam through reef tunnels, during one of which I suffered a bit of an injury on my calf. I scratched it up pretty badly on the coral. It didn’t stop me though because the fish were so brightly colored and the underwater world was so pretty I felt like I could have been there all day. It was like a kaleidoscope there and I felt like I was in a freakin tropical disco ball with the light reflecting onto the coral off of the water. After the snorkeling, we all got back on the boat and Captain Peter let me drive us almost the whole way back to port! Seriously one of the coolest things I’ve done in my life. I’ll never forget it. The food, the people, the scenery, the beaches, the weather, everything was amazing. All of the Fijians greet you with their wide-toothed smiles and a hearty “Bula! Vinaka!”, meaning “Hello! How are you?” And I also can’t forget the sunset. The sunset was spectacular! Second best sunset I’ve seen (top sunset being the one in Wadi Rum easily)