We will miss you, Fiji

Bula Vinaka, Fiji!  We had a wonderful time!

Moce, until next time!

Derp

This kid takes after me.

Random photo day

Here are some random photos from the trip

Beachcomber Island

View from the first lookout at Barefoot Manta

Hiking at Barefoot Manta

Family selfie

Told ya this kid loves hammocks

Nap time

Hiking at Waylailai

Pal loves to help

Pal makes friends everywhere he goes

On the bow of the Yasawa Flyer headed back to the mainland.

Say hello to my little friend.

Back to the mainland

Vacation is tough.

We are headed back to Viti Levu today.  We have 3 more days on the mainland before we go Down Under!

Sea Life

Yasawa Flyer

We made arrangements to island hop during our time in Fiji so that we could see as many different places as we could.   Every few days we get on a big boat that

shuttles us to a different resort on an island.  In most cases, the resort is the only thing there, other than the occasional wild goat or pig.  The employees of the resorts are usually from the mainland and stay at the resort for 35 days at a time.  They go home for a week before they are scheduled to come back.

Baby says HI!

Life at the resorts is pretty laid back.  Our day consists of playing on the beach, saying hello to anyone and everyone, and eating watermelon.

Adventure Pal

Pal loves his pack.  And Elmo.

Hike to the top

Fiji is a collection of more than 300 islands that were formed by volcanic activity a really long time ago… that means there are huge, steep mountains surrounded by beautiful beaches.  I got the opportunity to climb one of the mountains and took some photos from the top.  The climb was TOUGH!!

Sometimes you lose a shoe along the way

Too much fun was had today.

He's asleep.

Best snorkeling EVER

The snorkeling here is simply an amazing experience.  The colors of all of the fish and critters is astounding.  It's truly something I will never forget.

More mantas!

Every morning the dive guides pile into a bunch of little fiberglass boats and go out to the current where the manta rays swim to see if they are there.  When they spot them, they come back to the island and wake everyone up by banging on a drum.  Those that want to do the manta swims get into their snorkel gear and head out to the current.  They guides tell you when and where to jump out of the boat so that you can drift on the current with the manta.  Since Matt and I are good swimmers we can generally keep up with a manta that is swimming against the current while everyone else falls off.  It's been a pretty cool experience to swim along next to them.  They are very gentle and magnificent creatures.  And not to mention HUGE (9 ft across).

I was curious about the manta swims and whether or not our presence disturbed them in anyway.  They are very agile and strong swimmers with an entire ocean in which to move.  It didn't ever appear to me that they were ever distressed or concerned about our presence.  The guides said that the largest of the animals had been spotted at this particular spot for more than 15 years.

The Hammock Life

This kid LOVES hammocks.  It's really the only way we can get him to hold still.  He will sit in a hammock, by himself or with a mom/dad, for minutes at a time!!!  Anyone who knows this kid knows that that is simply astonishing!

Barefoot Manta

The next 4 days are going to be spent "rough it," so to speak… the bure we are staying in doesn't have much in the way of comforts (hot water, etc).  It's essentially a thatched roof hut located about 30 feet from the beach.  It's so beautiful!

This is our front yard for the next 4 days.

Blue Lagoon

Pal was pulled up on stage to sing with the local school kids during their presentation at the resort.  It was so cute!  All of the kids swarm him to shower him with kisses and high fives.  He's always a little overwhelmed, but it is still very cute.

Pal loves Fiji!

Fiji is such a family-friendly place!  Everyone loves Pal!  Sometimes people will just whisk him away to explore new things or meet new people.  He's having so much fun!

Snorkel (and scuba!) the day away

Life without internet!

The last 5 days were spent without access to reliable internet so I am back-posting for the days we missed.  We are currently at Mantra Ray Island Resort and it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.  We are staying in a little hut just a few feet from a beautiful beach off of which you can snorkel across a live reef!  I mean, this isn't just any reef; it looks like something out of a movie!  A few strokes out and you find yourself completely surrounded by hundreds of colorful fish.  It's so beautiful! And after yesterdays adventure, this place is like heaven!

Manta Rays - holy #$%^

Today is our first day at Manta Ray Island.  We got here around noon, had lunch, then spent some time snorkeling (which is incredible all by itself).  This resort is famous for snorkeling and diving because of its proximity to manta ray and shark breeding grounds.  People come from all over the world to dive here.  They told us that they hadn't seen the mantas in a few weeks despite it being their high season.  We were stoked when we heard the drum call signaling manta ray sitings.  They herded us (literally) into boats and dropped us off in the currents where the mantas swim.  A few seconds later, a beautiful manta ray swam right below us, up through the current.  Matt and I, being the strongest swimmers, had little trouble keeping up with him as he swam just a few feet under us.  It was one of the coolest moments of my entire life.

Oh, and happy anniversary to us!!!

Last day at Beachcomber!

Today is our last day at Beachcomber!  It has been a lovely and relaxing few days!