Highlights from the last few days in Fiji

Sorry for the delay – we’ve been busy...! (And Fiji’s internet is not the best to say the least!) The last few days in Fiji weren’t that different from the first! Although a few interesting highlights follow! Firstly, we had a lesson on coconuts, how to pick them, the difference between the green ones and the brown ones, that the green ones are just watery and flesh inside and that the very brown ones are ready for coconut milk or to eat – all very important information to know living in England... We also learnt how to make a handbag out of a palm tree leaf, although we were so useless the Fijian man teaching us just gave up and took over...they’re not the most patient nationality!

We also spent an afternoon kayaking round lots of little beaches in the cove our resort was in - about the most exercise we managed in the two weeks we were there! Later that night we watched a ‘native’ fire dance (similar to those seen on Britain’s Got Talent!) which was actually really good, except for the one guy who kept letting go of his baton as he was spinning it, sending it flying into a nearby tree! The highlight of the show for us!

Ryan was a bit more active towards the end of our time in Fiji, and got up at 5am to climb to the summit of the island we were staying on, with 4 other crazy people to watch sunrise! The guide who took them up was really concerned they all had proper walking gear the night before, but preceded to guide them bare foot, using the light from his mobile phone the next morning!

Culinary highlights for the last few days included pizza topped with carrot, cabbage, celery, pepper, green beans and sweetcorn, which although it sounds vile, was amazing after 10 days of rice and stew! We also sampled the Fijian root vegetable Cava during a traditional Fijian ceremony. They grind the Cava and mix it with water to give a drug like affect, but it just tasted like muddy water and we were fine! The Fijians sat round all evening drinking large coconut halves of it though, so it must have some benefits! Slightly more appealing was the fish that Ryan, and a guy we met, Daniel, caught on a fishing trip one afternoon. They brought the fish back early evening and the chef at the resort cooked them for us specially for lunch the next day – very tasty!  

Bye bye sunshine, hello cold and snow! New Zealand next...