Our traveling adventure began in late November 2008, and now finally we've come to the conclusion of another successful globetrotting expedition. The last leg of this amazing journey took place in the island nation of Fiji, and we spent the last 5 days of this 3-month holiday in this most beautiful paradise (our 3rd excursion together to the country). We were joined by some of the Byron Bay revelers - Larry & Mary (CO), and Bob (CA), as well as Kevin (CA), a friend of Bob's from Northern California, who's now our good mate too.
Fiji is a country that consists of over 300 islands, and we chose to venture off into the familiar Yasawa Island group, an area that is both gorgeous and easily accessed. We stayed on verdant Waya Island at a lovely resort called The Octopus, a place that came highly recommended by friends and other travelers. It's a fantastic property, located on an impressive stretch of beach, fringed with swaying coconut palms and backed by green and lush jungled hills, and featuring a vibrantly alive coral reef right offshore. We had the prime location at the resort, as we'd decided 
to "go for it" and upgrade to the secluded and private "point bungalow" at the edge of the resorts white sand beach. Our bure (Fijian for bungalow) was simply fantastic, and was adjoining to Larry and Mary's bure. There was a huge patio deck that was a shared common area and was only for the four of us (though we invited Bob and Kevin to join us for afternoon sunning sessions and the nightly sunset/happy hour party). We spent hours on the wood deck, gazing off at the horizon, and lounging on reclining beds under our large umbrella. Octopus resort also had a very usable swimming pool, a rarity in this part of Fiji, as well as an excellent massage hut that was fully utilized by our crew. 
We had several days of great snorkeling on our colorful offshore "house reef" swimming amongst friendly fish and the hard and soft coral that grew in "Dr. Suessian" shapes and sported brilliant rainbow hues. There was one day in particular that stands out in terms of snorkeling perfection, and that was the all day boat trip that we took to 3 very pristine and special snorkel spots - all out of this world. We experienced fish galore, underwater caves and caverns, and hundreds of phenomenal shapes and colors in a literal "Octopuses Garden." The day also included a feast of BBQ'd fish and fruits on a real deserted island.
Back at the resort here was nightly Kava ceremonies, beach volleyball games, movie nights, and heaps of other activities to keep us preoccupied if desired. One night there was a crab racing event, which is one of Deb's favorite island resort activities. Our gang's crabs did very well in the big race, with Deb's coming in 3rd, and Kevin's winning 1st place - the prize being a combined bar credit of $40 Fijian dollars (immediately put to good use!).
We met many other like-minded travelers at The Octopus with whom we shared tales of adventure and glory, and it was agreed that this was the perfect locale in which to wrap-up yet another grateful globetrotting extravaganza. We're now back home in Northern Cal, re-acclimating and reflecting on just how excellent this now completed trip was for us. To us it seems like a lifetime ago that we started the journey in Northern Thailand, and so very much transpired in the 3-months that we were on the road. We're extremely grateful that we're so lucky to be able to take these extended "world trips", and we feel blessed and so very fortunate that we live in a land that allows us such great opportunity in life. Traveling adventures like this one gives us great perspective on just how much we have here in the US as compared to many others on this Planet Earth. We thank our lucky stars every day!
Namaste ~
1 comment:
Awwwww!
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