December 2023
On my way to Fiji 🇫🇯
Relaxing on a sandbar in the Pacific before we head over to Castaway Island 🥂🍾
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Today was so much fun, I helped in the coral planting program run by local marine biologists at the resort. Castaway Island has vast coral reefs that they study and protect. Because of the way hard coral reproduces and heals, small pieces can grow to eventually become mature colonies. We secure these fragments to the grates using cable ties and then put it back into the water. I felt like I was back in Panama studying coral reef ecology 🪸🐠🧡
Cloud 9 is a famous floating bar in Fiji. It is a great way to spend the day relaxing on lounges, drinking cocktails, dancing to a DJ, jumping off the top deck, enjoying their delicious wood-fired pizzas, swimming and snorkeling in the turquoise blue waters…a perfect day!
Many Fijian villages are located on the banks of rivers with beautiful mountains and tropical wilderness. We took a fun and very fast speedboat to the village, trekked up a forested path from the river banks and were treated to the most beautiful afternoon. We brought kava as a gift, we were accepted as guests in the village with a ceremony and then offered kava. While Fijians are amongst the friendliest people in the world, it is important to respect their customs and traditions so the women had to have covered shoulders and long skirts. No shoes inside, sunglasses or hats anywhere, it is considered an insult to the chief of the village. They made us a delicious traditional lunch and then they sang and danced, it was such an amazing experience.
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The perfect day started with a relaxing massage and ended with a gorgeous sunset 🌅