Fiji: Part 2

Day 3:

From Pacific Harbour, we headed out early in the morning because we had a lot of driving to do! We were heading to Volivoli Beach! But before we got there, we had a few more stops to make that were just as exciting as days prior! Our first stop of the morning was to go to Wailouta village to meet the chief and for our group to participate in a real sevu-sevu ceremony (Kava Ceremony!). We made sure our knees and shoulders were covered and we began our journey. The ceremony wasn’t like anything I’ve seen before. There was about a 5 minute prayer that was in Fijian before we could start and all women have their feet to their left or right, while all men sit cross legged. We were able to have Kava again, but this time it was not as strong, and I actually semi didn’t mind it. Once the ceremony was over, we were split up and I went with the chief’s wife. There we learned how to make bracelets out of Bandana leaves. We were able to keep the ones that we made, which was really cool, because now I have a bracelet that I made myself! 

Once we were done at the village, we then went to the local school. This was the most rewarding, because of course; children just instantly make your day. This school had 3 teachers, 3 classrooms and 6 different grades. Grades 1-2 were together, 3-4 together, and 5-6 together. It was amazing to me, grade 1 hasn’t learned English, grade 3 understands English and Fijian, and by grade 6 they are fluent in both Fijian and English, and are then learning Hindu.  Very different school system but the children were so happy with so little. That was probably one of the highlights of my trip.

During that day we also drove by Suva, Fijis capital city and we were able to stop at their “white house” and take a picture with the guard. After a full day of this, we found ourselves at a BEAUTIFUL resort called Volivoli beach. It was what you would imagine Fiji was like! It had a pool, sand, great rooms with only 8 people in them, amazing views of the sunset and sunrise..just amazing!

Day 4:

This was our last full day in Fiji, and as a group :-( . We started late that day, so that morning, the girls and I woke up early for the sunrise, went back to bed, and then woke up and hung out around the pool for the rest of the morning. We headed west to complete our circle of the main island and our first stop of the day was lunch. In Fiji the second largest population there is Indian. We were able to stop in Ba Town for a traditional Indian curry lunch. It was all about the Indo-Fijian culture and it was diffinatly different but I loved it! I never really ate curry before, and I feel in love with it. I also was able to make my own tortilla and everything! After a delicious experience in Ba Town, we headed to the Sabeto Valley mud pools and hot springs. It was a select few from the group that decided to strip down and go into what looked like a black hole, but don’t worry, I of course was the first one in :-). It was really gross at first but then a lot of fun. 

Who wouldn’t have fun in the mud! I didn’t wear my bathing suit in because I heard that mud pools could ruin it, so I decided to wear a sports bra so I could just throw it away afterwards. Once we were done with that, our adventure was pretty much over. We met for dinner in the town center of Nadi and we were able to have another traditional Fijian meal for our final dinner together.  The girls and I called it an early night though because we had to be at the airport at 6am.

Overall, this trip was 100% worth it. If I had the time and the money I would have loved to stay longer, but reality had to hit me and we had to go back to school. The FeeJee experience was worth the money, the places they took us, was so unique and I was able to learn so much about the culture and the Fijian way of life. I’d recommend it to anyone :-) 

Bula! (means hello and goodbye!)