I think I sleep better at night knowing my closest neighbors include Tonga and Tahiti. As you can see Fiji is just a hop, skip, and a jump away. Fiji is not just one island, it's actually made up of over 300 islands. I've always thought of it as a land full of happy people and fantasy suites, and while that certainly exists the reality is it's a 3rd world country and a place that many wish to leave in hopes of a better life.
Adam met a Fijian guy before we left for our trip and was excited to get travel tips and the inside scoop, i.e. is the guava juice safe to drink there? But the guy shut down that conversation quickly and was basically like, "I hope I never have to go back to that Godforsaken place." We did get glimpses on the mainland of why he might feel that way, but overall as tourists that was not our experience. However I want to make sure you are not only entertained but learn at least a few facts, kind of like your Fox News of the blogosphere. We were happy to get off the main island and found that the Fiji magic began when we set sail for one of the smaller islands.
Our little slice of heaven, Tokoriki Island, was located an hour by boat from Port Denarau. We took a big boat to meet a very small boat and were rowed safely to the shores of our island escape. I was so excited to get there that I cried upon arrival. It was incredibly beautiful, the water a perfect blue, and the air so warm that I was beside myself. There were lots of lovely things about where we stayed but the best thing hands down was the pool:
It was amazing! You want to see what joy is for a 7 and 1/2 month pregnant woman, here you go:
I pretty much spent my days on this ledge sunning myself and staring out at the ocean, so happy to be in the pool and feel temporarily weightless.
Adam was pretty relaxed too and enjoyed soaking up the views:
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| Yes, this Italian woman was at the pool every day |
As if this wasn't enough, Adam treated me to the unlimited spa package. I can't believe I'm admitting this but I did in fact manage to squeeze in a full body massage every day as well as a facial and a pedicure in the short time that we were there. It was decadent and felt so freaking good as everything is tending to swell and ache at this point. I managed to tear myself away from the spa and the pool to go snorkeling two of the days. A five minute boat ride from Tokoriki is an amazing reef full of all sorts of beautiful fish and marine life. We even saw a starfish that looked just like this:
It was lots of sun and lots of fun. Beachfront bure with hamock- check:
Gorgeous sunsets - check:
Fresh seafood:
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| Local specialty - kokoda |
Spectacular flowers:
Adam rubbing hand sanitizer all over himself thinking it was aloe - check:
We, meaning I, had a good laugh when I put that little tidbit of information together. It really was a great trip and such a special way to do it up before baby comes. I was the only pregnant woman in a sea of honeymooners, but we were ok with that because honestly felt like a 2nd honeymoon for us.
Happy Happy Birthday this week to my dear husband. My partner in crime, the yin to my yang, the Stedman to my Oprah. Here's looking at the next year and what's to be our biggest adventure yet - parenthood.
Thanks for making my Fiji dreams come true!
