THE FIJI EXPERIENCE

Dinner on the last night was a "No Sulu (sarong), No Dinner" night so we got into the spirit and threw on the sulus and enjoyed a great feed. BS was on his way to Kids Club while the adults had their dinner time.


Thats my SIL in the gren sulu and the big pot in the foreground has kava in it (Its made from taro and tastes foul). Irrespective, we followed Fijian tradition and skulled a cupful ... and then washed it down with a good swig of rum punch :-)

I rediscovered my love of kayaking and really put some grunt into the paddling movement. For several moments there I was imagining that I was paddling on the Aussie Olympic Team - oh except for that ugly roll of fat around my middle ... looking embarassed ... What a great upper body workout that was!!

Staff at the resort performed for us on our last night. It was great show with lots of loud singing and dancing and a magical atmosphere. The perfect end to a fantastic holiday.

In case you're wondering we stayed at Castaway Island Resort which I would highly recommend to anyone. Its family friendly but also great for couples. We loved it. Whilst the weather was good we did lots of beach / water activities and did a guided tour around the island (literally). This was amazing as we didnt know what to expect. We were told that it would take 1 hour and we had to wear shoes. BS was with us and so were my ILs (aged in their mid 60s and both quite overweight). Our guide was a lovely Fijian woman who worked in the Kids Club. Her name was Aseri and she was 37 years old and had 6 kids. Amazingly fit too!!

Well we set off after she reluctantly allowed BS to come with us saying it was a long walk and that WH would have to piggy back him. After a short stretch of sandy beach we hit some rocks that had to be climbed over. No drama. It slowed us down a bit but all good. Then more rocks and more rocks and the ILs are now way behind and I'm doing ok just slow as I assess how to best navigate through this neverending expanse of rock. (BTW, BS is doing a great job climbing over the rocks considering he doesnt have a sporty bone in his body!!).

Then we get to a spot where we have to step over a chasm and scale a rockface before we are on flat ground (rock) again. Our guide does it effortlessly but I am literally cr*pping my pants. And what about BS???? This is NOT GOOD!! Anyway Aseri says that BS must get on her shoulders so she can take him across. (BTW if she or anyone falls its into the ocean, albeit shallow but with large dangerous rocks below as well). BS is not keen but after some stern words he realises there is NO choice and allows her to lift him (all 20kgs+) onto her shoulders and take him across to the other side where she leaves him alone and comes back to get the rest of us across. WH is next and I'm terrified for him as I know he is very afraid of heights. His legs are all cut on the rockface and he's bleeding but by some miracle he makes it.

OMG its my turn now and I cant bear the thought of scaling that rockface so I choose to climb down into the water (its just below my crotch in depth), wade through the rocks and climb back out and up on the other side. Its still scary and dangerous but I feel safer knowing where my feet are and the ILs both do the same.

The 1 hour round the island walk took our group 2 1/2 hours - a new record according to Aseri LOL!! But we made it and BS did it all on his own without any piggybacking. There were many times that we had to step up high and lift ourselves up or step down very low and lower ourselves down. I was so thankful that I had good strong legs and the expedition wasnt physically challenging for me or WH. The ILs suffered though. Mentally it was tough as every step had to be carefully navigated. We saw poisonous snakes, wild goats, crabs galore and other marine life so it was certainly eventful and interesting and one of the things I'll never forget about Fiji.

There is so much more I could write about but I'll wrap it up there. I developed a headcold whilst away and I'm still feeling very blaaaah. I've eaten well today but couldnt train due to BS also getting sick, me feeling like cr*p, having to shop for groceries and other post holiday stuff that needed doing. Cest la vie. Tomorrow is another day.

Cheers all

Magda