Hello dear ones! How I’ve missed you these past few days.
I arrived in Fiji in the wee hours of the morning, groggy but smiling as I wandered through Customs to the sound of four jolly Fijian chaps singing their hearts out in welcome. It was gloriously warm and humid and I basked in the weather so very different from the snow and ice I’d left behind.
The day started off right with the airline losing my luggage then finding it ten minutes later! Hooray! I stopped by the ATM for some Fiji dollars, found a cab and headed out through the countryside to my hotel. It was a gorgeous morning, the sun rising over lush green hills and fields of sugar cane. My taxi driver was a delightful Indian man who told me all sorts of stories from the area and even pulled over by the side of the road so I could capture the sunrise.
Much to my surprise, instead of driving me to my hotel, he dropped me off at a small dock and informed me that a boat would be by shortly to pick me up. I was thrilled to discover that I had inadvertently chosen a hotel on an island, one reachable only by boat. 🙂
Sure enough, within a few minutes this beaming fellow welcomed me aboard and soon I was grinning happily as brisk sea breezes tossed my hair wildly and awakened my oh-so-tired self. I was greeted at the dock by another beamy chap. I LOVE the genuine smiles and loving natures of the Fijians. They make you feel like long-lost friends coming for a visit.
I arrived at the Sonaisali Island Resort in time to get an early morning breakfast, and found the perfect perch beside the pool, mere yards away from the ocean. Fresh passion fruit, watermelon, and red papaya with lime juice made me a happy camper.
At last my room was ready and I hurriedly showered, changed and headed out for some treks around the island. More on that next time… 🙂
Good morning, dear ones! After getting home late Monday night from Amsterdam, I am now nearly packed and ready to leave for Fiji and Australia in a few hours. Phew. I’m SO excited to see my dear, dear friends over there, but I’m one tired girl I tell ya.
My first stop will be a long layover in Fiji. I’m hoping for blazing hot sunshine to warm my bones, but since it’s the rainy season…
…I’ll probably get skies like this. I don’t mind a bit though. I’m just so grateful for this trip, for the chance to rest, be warm, and visit with people I love so dearly – even if it’s to the sound of torrential tropical downpours. 🙂
It’s going to be a long two days of travel from Vancouver, Canada to Los Angeles, CA then Nadi, Fiji and finally, Brisbane, Australia. I can’t wait to hug my friends SO tight then settle in for good, long talks and jolly adventures as we go camping, hiking, and exploring in beautiful Queensland.
I’ve got my camera and extra batteries and am all set to chronicle it all for you. 🙂
Now I MUST get packed!!! Love you all dearly and am so glad I get to share this adventure with you. Big hugs!!
Happy New Year, dear ones!! I hope your year is off to a wonderful start. 🙂
I am tucked up on the couch at my brother’s apartment in Amsterdam sipping coffee and looking out at birds soaring over the gabled rooftops. It’s my last day in Amsterdam and soon I’ll have to finish packing. I already hugged my brother good-bye, Mums and I yoohooing to him from the window as he peddled his bicycle to work like a native Dutchman. It’s been a beautiful trip and I’m so very, very grateful.
New Year’s Eve was extra special for my family this year because my brother Ryan chose it as the night to propose to his wonderful girlfriend, Melissa.
He hired a gorgeous, old, wooden canal boat (see below) and proposed to her on the canal where you can see seven bridges all lit up beautifully. Even the swans obliged by swimming past at the appropriate moment, making it even more romantic.
After the proposal (she said YES!) my family and some close friends joined them on board and continued on a wonderful nighttime cruise, stopping at various fantastic restaurants along the way where our captain went ashore and brought out piping hot dishes. It was fabulously fun!
The happy couple was positively BEAMING!! 🙂
After dinner, two desserts, champagne and coffee, we headed over to a friends’ house for a fabulous New Year’s Party with splendid expats from all over the world. A few minutes before midnight we clambered up several flights of precariously steep stairs to the rooftop terrace to cheer wildly at the fantastic fireworks display going on all around us.
Melissa had warned us it would be like a war zone and she wasn’t kidding! It was INCREDIBLE! Fireworks went off all over the city, above us, beside us, in every direction, popping like mad. We couldn’t stop laughing in sheer amazement at the beauty and cacophony. I took a video for you that gives an idea of what it was like:
It was a wonderful night spent with dear people I love to bits.
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