Viseisei and Vuda Point

After the Sabeto Hot Springs we took a jaunt down to Viseisei - the first inhabited village of Fiji. As we were driving, we saw all the fields of sugar cane being harvested. Our driver told us that very few people in Fiji had machinery so it was all done by hand with a machete. While we were driving past one field, we heard the workers shouting. Our driver slowed down and rolled down the window to hear what they were saying. If I had been driving on the other hand and heard some men with machetes shouting at me, I would have locked all the doors and drove faster, but they do thinks differently over there. Turns out they noticed tourists in the car and they were yelling, "Take our picture! Take our picture!" So we did.



The first village was pretty interesting. We had a guide from the villag tour us around and we were able to ask her all kinds of questions about life in Fiji. Some things I remember:

- In the early days chiefs used to have multiple wives. When the chief died, his favorite wife was buried alive with him. Eesh. Apparently this was a great honor. But if I were part of a chief's harem, I would do my best to put myself as least favorite.
-The chief is the only one who still lives in a traditional "bure." Everyone else has switched over to concrete buildings.



- Family members all live together. In one house there are approximately 20 people living there.



- Parents have to pay for their children to attend school. If a family is to poor to pay, the village raises money to pay for that child. I know free education is great, but I think having to make sarifices in order to get an education really helps students realize what a blessing it is to have the chance to learn.
- If anyone in the village disobeys any of the rules, he or she is brought in front of the whole village to be punished publicly in the village square. Our guide said hardly anyone breaks the rules.



- Fijians used to be canninbals. In fact, in the large Methodist church at the center of the village, there is a frame holding several buttons. We were told that those were the buttons of the last missionary that was ever eaten by the people of the village. They ate everything else but could not figure out how to eat the buttons. So they saved them. And framed them. And hung them in a church.



Next up was the landing spot of the first Fijians called Vuda Point. Not much to it. Basically a beach and a plaque. Hooray.

Garden of the Sleeping Giant & Sabeto Hot Springs

The second day we rented a taxi to take us around to some of the sites that weren't so accessible by bus. We got a great driver named Luke (Loo-kay) who acted as a tour guide as well and gave us a narrative as we drove along. Even though this is considered the dry season, everything was so lush compared to Southern California. It was nice to explore some of the backcountry.

We drove up into this mountain. It is called the Sleeping Giant because it looks like a man laying down on his back sleeping. Can you see him?


They have a park with trails that takes you into a bit of the jungle. It looked just like a scene out of a Disneyland ride. I kept expecting to see monkeys jumping around the trees, but this guy was as wild as it got.





Afterwards, we headed a little further north just outside a village called Sabeto. We had heard there were some hot springs there and never being ones to pass up sitting in steaming hot water on a humid tropical day, we wanted to try them out.

The hot springs turned out to be just a giant mud hole. But at least a mud hole in a beautiful location.



We rubbed slimy, leafy mud all over ourselves and our guide wrote our names on us since covered in mud we look practically identical.





After we got all rinsed off and sat in the springs for as long as our bodies could stand, we were asked by one of the men from the village if we would like a massage. Nate had never had one before, the price was incredibly cheap, and the place we were in was so lovely, we both decided to get one. The man led us to the "massage area" -a giant tarp spread on the ground. Our masseuses were two wild-looking jungle women.

Nate told me later that the entire time he was getting his massage he would try to picture a beautiful woman rubbing his back, but then he'd crack open one eye and see two giant hands with black fingernails and feel her callouses against his skin and he just couldn't keep up the illusion.

Thirty minutes and ten dollars later, covered in stale coconut oil, we were back in the taxi ready for more sights.

One Time in Fiji...

Thanks to my husband’s unique, versatile, and apparantly very valuable set of skills, we were able to take a spur-of-the moment trip to Fiji at the end of July. To make a long story short, Nate did some work for a guy who didn’t pay him in cash, but instead said, “How about a trip to Fiji?” And of course we said, “YES!”

So about a week later we were boarding a plane headed to a destination that, aside from our Lonely Planet book and clips from the Bachelorette, neither one of us knew very much about.

And so the fun began…

We stayed right off the main island of Viti Levu at a popular resort spot called Denarau Island. Everything was perfectly manicured and ritzy. And it was overrun with Aussies and New Zealanders. We were the only Americans. One guy even came up to Nate to tell him that his teenage daughter thought he was so attractive with his American accent. And then he proceeded to suggest that they exchange contact information...with me standing right there. Gutsy folks those Kiwis.

Anyhow, our resort was quite nice. We were a little nervous about what kind of accommodations we might get, but the pool was huge and right next to the beach so we were happy.

Nate enjoying his life (and the view).

View from our balcony

Coconuts!

Our first day there we took a bus into the town of Nadi - only about 20 minutes away from where we were staying. Picture Mexico, but with Pacific Islanders. That's Nadi. Basially a barrel of fun.

Downtown Nadi

Sri Siva Subramaniya Temple

Nathan's first kava ceremony

Nadi Market

Everything was sold by the "heap" instead of by the pound

View from the bus...they're driving on the wrong side!

In a Pickle

When your garden gives you cucumbers...

make pickles!

This is my first attempt at pickling anything. I figure it is a fairly fool-proof way to ease myself into the world of canning. They have to cure for at least 10 days before eating, so only time will tell if I was actually successful.

For now though, my fingers smell like garlic and my house smells like vinegar. Which is a little welfare, but in a good way.

In My Lovely Deseret

Yes, that means what you think it does...BEES!!!

Get Out of Dodge Part III: The Bahamas

As if we hadn't had enough fun between Texas and Florida, Nate and I figured that as long as we were in the neighborhood, we should mosey on down to the Bahamas via cruise. We went with our buds Garrett and Kerra, or as Nathan calls them, The Garretts. The Bahamas consisted of three main activities: snorkeling, sunning, and eating. It was paradise.

Oh...there was another activity as well...dancing. I actually got Nate to dance with me. But after seeing this picture of us reenacting our spicy dance moves, I realize it is probably best that we both stay off the dance floor for good.



The End

Get Out of Dodge Part II: Florida

I'm a bad, bad blogger. But for those of you kept on the edge of your seat for the last month or so, here's the next installment of our trip.

After Texas, we headed off to the other side of the States to lovely Naples, Florida. Here's a little taste of what we experienced.

We're happy to be getting a tan in January.



Jellyfish were everywhere along the beach. I wasn't brave enough to get in the water.

The Everglades tour was one of the best parts of our trip. Totch was just what you'd picture a man with the name "Totch" to be.



What we saw going through the Everglades.

What the animals saw when we went through the Everglades.

Yay for Florida! Next stop: Bahamas!