A day in Paradise

I had my first "real" weekend in Fiji this last week and Friday we just relaxed, watched a movie and enjoyed being together - all 18 of us. Saturday, 8 of us went north up to RakiRaki to go snorkeling. Fiji has some of the worlds best reefs and that is very well deserved. I've never been snorkeling before and it was quite the experience! I loved it. Having those flippers on, breathing under water and watching "Finding Nemo" in real life was so incredible and it made my childhood dream of being a mermaid more realistic!

After snorkeling in a reef in the middle of the ocean, our guide - a retired Peace Corps officer who retired to Fiji - took us to a nearby island. The tide was so low that we had to snorkel onto the shore - scariest experience snorkeling 1 foot above coral, fish and sea creatures. We all hyperventilated a little bit until we got to land.

The beach was gorgeous. I felt like I had been dropped right onto "The Pirates of the Caribbean" movie set. We stayed on the beach for a few hours to wait out the low tide. We ventured into the jungle that bordered the island where we found coconuts and were taught how to open them by using rocks, or a sharp tree branch. Very informative if I'm ever stranded on an island. :) We treated our guide to dinner at the VoliVoli Resort nearby and I got a hamburger to satisfy my craving for beef! Its impossible to find beef here in Fiji because the cow is considered sacred to all the Hindu's here. So we walked away from the day, tanned (some sunburned), satisfied with a coke and hamburger and the experience of a lifetime! This truly is paradise.