FIJI!
For our seven year anniversary (wait, let me just rewrite that...SEVEN YEARS!), we decided to treat ourselves to a little slice of heaven. Sydney has been so drab and rainy for the past month (168 mm) that it was time to get away and relax. On May 29th, our anniversary, we boarded the plane and took the four hour flight to Nadi, the nation's capital. After the flight, we met up with the resort's pick up guy and he drove us to the little harbor where our tiny boat waited. The boat took us to our resort on the Yasawa Islands (Waya). The ride was...unforgettable to say the least. It was very fast but was so powerful that I felt at points we may have been thrown out. The tour was still beautiful and I felt a little like I was in South Pacific but instead of a French plantation man, I had a Southern chicken farmer...I think I got the better deal.
Our resort was called Octopus Resort and it was beautiful! The boat ride took a solid hour but it was so worth it. It was awarded by Lonely Planet as one of the Best Romantic Getaways. It's a nice blend of backpacker and resort. When we got there, we were greeted by the staff (who are all local villagers) who sang a little song saying bula (hello). After being given fruit cocktails, we were shown to our rooms. We opted to stay in a cabin, but were upgraded to the premium suite, with our own hammock, lounge chairs, and outdoor shower!!
That night, we participated in the local welcome ceremony where you have to clap your hands once, say bula, drink this stuff called kava, then clap three times afterward. Fun, but I may need to make sure I don't have any diseases after sharing a coconut with fifteen other people. But whatever was in the kava stuff was interesting...it sortive numbed my mouth. Nothing too terrible, but it was just a funny feeling. Oh well! Can't live until you do things! The time change was two hours ahead of Sydney, so after dinner, we went to bed.
Next morning, we did the most amazing stuff...which was lying around, getting tans, swimming in the warm ocean, and snorkeling. The snorkeling was so amazing. To get to a good snorkeling spot there, all you have to do is swim out to some orange buoys and you're there! The water was crystal clear and turquoise. I could not get over how amazing everything looked. We saw so many different fish,even Nemo again. We could not have had a more fantastic day just by swimming and tanning.
That night, they had a big movie screen up for movie night where we watched Alice in Wonderland 2010. Good movie, good times. That night, they even put up our mosquito nets, which was so thoughtful of them to do...if you ever decide to go to Fiji, I know the resort that is absolutely perfect and doesn't kill you in the process.
Next day was our last day at Octopus and we were sad to see it go. But before we left, we kayaked around and then had massages (for only $30 Fiji dollars...which is nothing!). It was such a perfect weekend, it was so hard to say good bye.
We left the resort at 3PM on the big ferry boat for the mainland. We had to stay the third night on the mainland because our flight to Sydney was so early the next day. We stayed at the Westin and made a few friends...the kind of friends I loathe to see. Mosquitoes. At dinner, I was eaten alive in an hour. Of course, I forgot the bug spray. I had 20 bug bites by the end of it and found plenty more in our room. And yes, there were no mosquito nets in the hotel. So during the night, I waited for the pests and did get a couple more bites before the end of the trip. Sad ending, but I recommend that if you do go to Fiji, bring bug spray and stay on an island...the mainland has more to do, but a little less beauty. So now I am forced to scratch myself to death for a few days. Oh well!
This trip was still gorgeous and of course very meaningful to me and Paul. Seven years. We have been through so much together in these years. We've grown up together. Sometimes, I'm just so amazed and happy whenever I am just sitting next to him. I always think, man, high school Rachel was so very smart. I'm a little wiser in so many ways now, but back in high school, I made the best decision in my life: GET THAT PAUL MEGGS! Haha, I'm very grateful for him and for our life together. He's a wonderful man and I love him very much. Okay, I'm done with the mushy, but I just wanted to commemorate this post to the man who has made this craziness possible: Paul W. Meggs.
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