Bula! Day one down, and it was great! We are sitting in the outdoor dining area (as seen here)
drinking coffee and internet-ing friends across the globe. Bryan Adams “Everything I do, I do it for you” is currently blasting over the speakers. For some reason. In just a bit we will pack up and figure out which bus to catch to Suva for our stay at Raintree Lodge. The following two days we’ll be at Bobo’s Farm on Ovalau. Our last day in Fiji will be spent going on a sunset fishing expedition with our new friend, Junior Christ, who is a non-practicing Fijian Muslim. Pretty much one of the most amazing people we’ve ever met. Here is the breakdown of our first day:
Arrived at 5am in Nadi and went through the customs and currency exchange process, then took a taxi to our hotel, the Wailoaloa Beach Resort:
Instantly loved it here, and they have some of the best coffee I’ve ever had.
We got settled in and started out on the 7 minute walk to the beach, where we came across some random dude wanting to sell us some coconuts. So we started talking with him, and wound up buying some kava and drinking it with them for the next hour in the space where they live and work. All kinds of fresh fruit and sugar cane growing, and roosters everywhere.
We promised to come back for lunch after going to the beach. We both loaded up with sunscreen but still managed a few streaks of minor sunburn (on the shoulders, which is good because we have to carry our heavy back packs today). The beach was of course amazing.
We headed back and stopped for lunch with our friends. Jr Christ cleaned a fish he had caught and cooked it with fresh coconut milk over a fire. So good.
We probably spent at least 5 hours of the day with them, drinking kava and smoking suki (Indian leaf) as Jr shared his many bits of wisdom with us. It’s really crazy to meet someone who is extremely genuine, hospitable, intelligent, and who actually lives out their philosophy on life every day, just for the simplicity and pleasure of it. He’s in the process of getting involved with the Workaway program, and he’d be perfect for it. I’m not sure I could adequately put into words how profound and wonderful it was to meet these people and enjoy our first day of the trip with them.
The day kind of left Nicole and I at a loss. It was so great. We invited Mr. Christ to stop by the hotel for a few beers, then parted ways until we get back from Ovalau.
Sunset and stars were awesome.
It’s going to be kind of hard to top yesterday, but we’ll see what we can do! I’ve spent enough of the morning on the internet now, so it’s time to pack up and get out of Nadi.
I have a lot more photos on facebook and will be working on videos and posting here as often as possible. Til next time!