You get to know the friendly Fijian island staff by name because they spend time with you. Cooking and serving fresh delicious food with genuine welcoming smiles. Teaching you how to weave a basket using palm fronds. Climbing a coconut tree and collecting a coconut for you so that you can taste the sweet milk and flesh inside.
Guiding you on a snorkle excursion through the warm blue pristine water. Sikeli taught me how to dive down deep to see a giant clown fish and sea anenome hiding beneath a forest of colorful coral. He also warned us to shuffle our feet through the sand to avoid surprising a beautiful green and blue polka-dotted stingray. We swam along side baby sharks that circle the island and schools of a variety of brilliantly colored fish and coral.
The Fijians included us in games of Vindi Vindi during the kava ceremony each evening. We spent time and became fast friends with couples from London, Italy, Australia, Poland and New York.
We Parasailed!
We were honored to be asked to be witnesses for Mark and Frankie's beautiful beachside sunset wedding which was punctuated by Frankie being escorted down a sandy path by two Fijian warriors. It was an unforgettable and beautiful ceremony and I wish them many many years of health and happiness!
We filled our days with snorkling, beach volleyball, sea kayaking and reading and napping under our palapa, surrounded by the ever-present sound of the surf. Shoes were taken off on arrival and left off for nine days.
No t.v., phone or newspaper to interrupt our 9 days of catharsis. I was even invited by a wonderful lady from Australia to do yoga with in front of her burre several times.
John and I left our troubles behind, experienced with wonder and excitement the world below the surface of the ocean, so enjoyed the Fijian people, cried some pent up tears and felt time s l o w down. Just what the proverbial doctor ordered.
5 comments:
Wow, you guys! It looks (and sounds) like you had a fabulous time! Thanks for sharing some thoughts and pics with everyone.
We missed you! Glad to hear that you had such a good time. Are you going back again next year? What a fantasy island literally! I missed reading about you. Congrats on the Top Health Blogger, that is so cool Picante Sauce. I love you.
Wow! Looks like you had a great time. Martha and I tried to stop in Fiji on the way back from New Zealand many years ago, but we had plane trouble and didn't make the stopover. John looks like he's enjoying the skirt quite a bit. Nice...
Welcome home. You've got hair and you look happy! I;m glad you're back.
What a great getaway -- and so richly deserved for both you and John. You look mah-velous -- truly!
Hi Laurie, it's Frankie. I just found your blog from John's blog, it was so lovely to read your entry about Fiji and I felt so excited that we were mentioned, thank you! I didn't twig what the blog was about at first and was absolutely shocked when I realised - Mark and I had NO IDEA you were receiving treatment for cancer (which was probably your intention on Navini, to just escape it, so well done you!), you both looked so happy and healthy, we never would have guessed in a million years. I have read some of your blog and it made me cry (and sometimes laugh). You are such an inspiration Laurie, you are such a cheerful positive person and we told all our family and friends that when we came home (John's a pretty cool guy too, natch...!); they were really pleased that we had such lovely witnesses at our wedding. We really wish you all the very best with your continuing treatment and will be thinking of you. I'm going to email John some of our pics from Navini that we took - including your paragliding ones! - sorry it's taken a while. Take care and fondest regards, Frankie xxx
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