FIJI

Even before I was in New Zealand, Sarah and I planned to travel to Fiji. When I finally got there, we booked relatively quickly and then it was a matter of waiting... On April 12th, we finally flew to Fiji!! Even though the flight was only about 3 hours long, it took up almost the whole day because we had to be at the airport two hours early and then wait for our shuttle in Nadi, which took us from the airport to our remote island. Yes, it was truly a remote island - the only thing on the island was our resort and lots of palm trees and other trees. When we arrived, the resort manager (Berry) was standing on the beach with his guitar and Hawaiian shirt and welcomed us with a little song. It immediately felt like a dream because you usually only see something like that in movies. On the first evening, we didn't do much except eat dinner because it was already dark. After that, there was a 'Bula Welcome' for the newcomers, which included some songs played by locals to welcome us and all the other new arrivals. The people leaving the next day were also bid farewell - it was really personal and all the locals basically knew everyone :-) Since an older couple (Michael & Margarethe) had their anniversary that day, the resort owners made them a super delicious self-baked vegan cake - we still don't know how they knew it was their anniversary, but it was incredibly sweet! After that, there was a bit of a party with games where you could win free cocktails (which we unfortunately didn't manage to do :-()
However, since we were both pretty tired, we went to bed relatively early.

Since we had a beach bungalow, we were really excited to open the door the next day when it was light and see what everything really looked like. And it was truly fantastic - we opened the door and were on the beach! Simply beautiful :-)
The breakfast was very tasty and it made it even more enjoyable that we were eating right on the beach. After breakfast, we rented snorkeling gear for our first full day - it was all included in the price - and went snorkeling (not recommended during low tide :-D). We noticed that Dory is definitely easier to find than Nemo :-D In the clear water there, we saw a lot of fish and it was a lot of fun. We spent the rest of the day on the beach - there wasn't much else to do on this remote island. In between, we had lunch and then went back to the beach. In the evening, we went to the bungalow, showered, and then walked around the island, which took about 30 minutes - it was really small. From the other side of the island, you could see the sunset very nicely. After that, we went out for dinner and then hung out with the other guests at the pool or the bar and had nice conversations.

The next day was pretty similar, except instead of snorkeling, we went kayaking and then spent the afternoon at the pool instead of the beach. After breakfast, we rented two kayaks and paddled around the island - which was quite exhausting. I have no idea how long it took, but definitely longer than on foot :-D But despite the effort, it was a lot of fun. We were really glad that we could do something like that for free and didn't have to pay to rent them. We spent the rest of the day partly at the pool and partly on the beach. In between, we visited the baby turtles. They were raised there until they were old enough to survive on their own in the ocean. The turtles were soooo cute, but they also smelled pretty bad, which didn't stop us from picking them up and petting them. This evening, we didn't go on a sunset walk, but went straight to dinner and then back to the pool. Since it was Good Friday and Easter on Fiji, all the resort owners were wearing 'Happy Easter' t-shirts :-D

The next day was unfortunately our last full day :-( But since we both had really bad sunburn, that was okay. After breakfast, we actually wanted to go snorkeling again, but unfortunately all the snorkels were rented out because many people from the main island came for a day trip. So we didn't do anything all day except chill at the pool or beach :-) We also both booked a massage in the afternoon, which felt really good! After that, we went on a boat with some others to feed the fish. The resort offered this and it was pretty cool :-) By the way, it was raining almost the whole time on the main island, which we could see from our little island. You could really see that it was inside a rain cloud. In contrast, we had clear blue sky the whole time, even though we were only 15 minutes away from the main island by boat. After dinner, when we were back at the pool with everyone else, we had a very nice and long conversation with Margarethe & Michael. They told us that they sold all their belongings, have been traveling for almost two years, and want to go to Germany in the (German) summer. They have been on the road for eight months now and occasionally return home for three months, just to let everyone know that they are doing well, and then they leave again. Sarah and I were really envious of them. And on top of that, they were really nice!! :-)

The next day, after breakfast, we went snorkeling again (but a little later than last time, so most of the tide was already gone and we had to walk about 500 meters into the sea with our fins and could still stand). This time, my snorkel had a hole or something and water kept getting in, which was really annoying :-( In the afternoon, when the tide was back, we finally rented stand-up paddleboards and tried them out. It was really fun but also difficult to keep your balance (see pictures :-D). After that, we had a special demonstration just for us because we asked how fresh coconuts are harvested from the palm tree and how coconut milk is made. The whole thing looked pretty funny, as you can see in the pictures :-D In any case, I've never had such delicious coconut milk! I would have loved to bathe in it :-D Before our boat shuttle arrived in the late afternoon, we quickly showered and then packed our things and had to say goodbye to Bounty Island Resort :-( In the last hour, we met a really nice couple from Karlsruhe... It was really a shame that we didn't have the opportunity to spend more time with them before. At 5 o'clock, our boat arrived and we headed back towards the airport and New Zealand. Fiji was definitely beautiful and I would go back anytime! We were just so lucky with our resort, the locals there, and all the other people who were there at the time. The mentality of the people in Fiji is even warmer and friendlier than in New Zealand, let alone in Germany (which is not surprising). I'm definitely considering flying to another island in June (when I have a week off), maybe Samoa or the Cook Islands or something :-)

By the way, before Fiji, I moved in with my new family and then things really started there. My host mother makes an incredible effort and is really kind, and Paddy (my new child) is an absolute angel - I couldn't have asked for anything better :-)