Sarah goes to FIJI: Weekend in Nadi

Friday- Started by going to a village in Dreketi. They had another volunteer organization (mostly people from Canada) stay at this village for a week and they were working on a school. Friday was their painting day and we were invited to come help paint! So we did. To get there we had to take a couple of Mini Buses (aka Creeper vans that have more seating and we literally fit like 20 people in them). So we finally get to the village and start painting a classroom door. Audrey and I only got to stay for 2 hours (it takes an hour to get there from our place in Suva). It was sad, but we had a bus to catch for our weekend getaway to Nadi! So we got home, packed really quick and headed to the bus station (which is seriously a zoo all the time). We took a charter bus to Nadi (about a 3 1/2 hour drive, and only cost $16! Which is about $8 US dollars. crazy). We got to Nadi a little after 8PM and checked in at our hostel called Aquarius on the beach. Natalie, Audrey, and I were in a 6-person dorm room (3 bunk-bed sets and a bathroom) and Lucy and Alex were in a 12. Our first night we had 2 roommates- 1 from New Zealand, and 1 from Holland (didn't get to talk to her much, sorry Dad!). We ordered dinner at the restaurant at the hostel and then went for a walk on the beach, which was literally less than 50 yards away from back of the hostel. SO COOL. It wasn't the crystal clear blue water, white sandy beaches, but it was still very pretty.

Saturday- Got up and had free breakfast (delicious pancakes and OJ- which I'm pretty sure wasn't really OJ.... oh well) and then went to Denarau (the port where our cruise ship was leaving from, and it's like this big outdoor mall and has a lot of resorts and beaches there). Natalie, Audrey and I checked in for our day trip and walked around all the mall shops while we waited to board the ship. We got on and went and sat on top. OMG THE VIEW WAS AMAZING. The ocean was so beautiful- literally a tealish color. It was amazing. Then we started to see the island we were going to (South Sea Island). It was this itty bitty island! We got of the boat onto a smaller boat to take us to the island, where we were greeted by a group of singers in traditionally Fijian clothes! Then we had a buffet lunch and watched some dances and singers. It was so great. You could stand in one spot on the island, and do a 360 degree turn and see ocean anywhere you looked. We went to the beach for a little bit and then Natalie went and did a Scuba dive of a shipwreck! (Wish I had gotten certified!). Audrey and I went on a "submarine" tour which was....kinda lame. You could hardly see anything and we both felt sick after. But then we went snorkeling! We went with a small group to do a deeper snorkel. It was amazing! Not super colorful because we weren't very deep, but there were tons of cool fish and lots of blue star fish and we even saw an eel! In our group, there was a group of about 6 or 7 Asian girls (Korean I think). They were.....scared I think? They were all wearing life jackets (most of us weren't- you wouldn't be able to dive down if you were wearing one, and seeing as I somewhat know how to swim...hah! I was fine without one) and they kept holding on to this floaty thing and laughing and shrieking. The snorkel instructor, Joe, looked at me and Audrey and said "Uhhh... why did they come?! You girls follow me, we'll go see some cool stuff!" It was so cool. It was over way too soon. We went back to the beach, grabbed Natalie and went snorkeling just off the beach. It was REALLY shallow, but we still. saw some cool fish and got some pictures (Natalie has a GOPRO with an underwater case! But it was so hard to stay underwater for the pictures!). And before we knew it, a guy came over to us in a boat and told us it was time to turn in our gear and get ready to go. We were not happy. There was still so much to do! I had wanted to Kayak, but maybe another day. The snorkeling was legit. We got back on the boat and headed back to Denarau. Met up with Lucy and Alex and went and had dinner. Then in the middle of the open mall square, there was a free show! It was traditional dancing from some of the islands and ended with...FIRE DANCING. IT WAS SO COOL!!!!! Very impressive. Then we went back to Aquarius and walked on the beach and looked at the stars. They were SO bright and everywhere! It was truly amazing. Then went to bed. This time our roommates were Australian, and I'm not sure what the other 2 were... One sounded British and the other sounded Scottish, but we didn't get to talk to them.

Sunday- we got up and had our free pancakes and "OJ" again. Then we all laid on the beach for awhile and then headed to sacrament meeting. A boy there just got his mission call to the Philippines (not George and Lori's mission). Then we went back to the hostel for lunch and more beach time. Then it was time to go :( We got a ride from Godfrey (Lucy and Carly met him- he's a surf instructor!) to the bus station. We took a mini bus home instead of a charter bus (supposedly faster). Well, the driver definitely drove faster. I was fearing for my life the entire drive home. He would pass when there wasn't a lot of room and it was literally like we were playing chicken with other cars. Scary. It was packed. And the roads were bumpy. And I may or may not have thrown up when we got home. Anyways, this guy kept stopping to pick more people up and we were like "you've got to be kidding. THERE'S NO MORE ROOM! And this is a long drive!" So with the amount of stops we had, it took about the same amount of time as a charter bus. Got home, and I showered, didn't eat dinner (last thing I wanted to do after that drive home was eat!), nodded off during our scheduling meeting,and then past out on my bed.

Overall it was an amazing weekend. There's just so much to do here and it's all so beautiful. I'm having the time of my life! I'm so glad I decided to this. I'm so grateful to everyone who donated and made this experience possible for me! The experiences I'm having, the people I'm meeting and helping, and the adventures I'm on are truly remarkable! Thanks everyone!

Moce and much love,

Sarah

PS Picture time!

1- Alex representing HELP-International on the beach.

2- Paddle boarder on the ocean.

3- Our beach walks

4- Hector the dog! He scared the crap out of me while I was laying out! He just came over and sat next to me. Then whined until Natalie and I pet him. Then we took him in the ocean :)

5- South Sea Island!

6- The greeting party at South Sea Island

7- Beautiful water (and lots of painful coral) at South Sea Island

8- traditional dancers on the island!

9- Natalie going on her wreck dive!

10- Sunset on the way back to the main island (Viti Levu)

11- Dance show at Denarau

12- FIRE DANCING.

13-FIRE POIS?! WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!

14-Can we just take a moment and discuss the epicness that is this picture?! Not to pat myself on the back, but DANG. This picture is a favorite for sure.