Fiji / Australia 2024

Moreton Island is not to far off the coast from Brisbane. Tangalooma Resort in the island welcomes cruise ships, or at least ours. There’s food/drink and activities like helicopters rides, ATV excursions, and more. The beach is magnificent, and that’s where we spent our time while on shore.  Some marketing genius had a string of small ships sunk just about 50 yards from the shore about 1.5 miles north of the resort pier. It draws snorkelers and the resort sells plenty of seats to ride out and snorkel. We decided to walk, which was a very lovely stroll along the beach, and do our own snorkeling.  While the weather was overcast it was a very pleasant day. The water though, was about 70 degrees. Kristi doesn’t do cold water, so while Jim did a little snorkeling, she lounged on the beach. There were some fish, but not the variety of colorful fish like in Fiji. After a short swim, Jim also did a little sunbathing.  We were back on board relatively early for a late lunch and th...

We got up and had coffee and a protein bar before packing up to head to the cruise terminal. We Ubered this morning. One can build in a couple extra stops before the destination, which we’ve never done before today, but we needed to go to a pharmacy to pick up a few things. The driver waited as Jim ran in. The pharmacy was located in an area called Newtown and on the way to the terminal. It’s an older, trendier area which looked like a place to come back to. The driver told us it has a lot of good restaurants and suggested a couple. Our first impressions are that Sydney gives off vibes of Los Angeles x San Francisco.  After the pharmacy stop we arrived at the cruise terminal. Check-in was very smooth and we were aboard by 1:00PM. We made our way directly to the buffet for a bite to eat. This first lunch at the buffet on a cruise is usually bustling. We found a couple seats at a table with an Aussie couple. They were very nice … and they were talkers — 🤣. A cruise is a really nice ...

Vinaka vaka levu means thank you very much in Fijian, but in the dialect of Taveuni Island, they drop the K’s so it’s Vina’a va’a levu. We couldn’t say thank you enough to our hosts for such a wonderful four days.  Just before leaving the small village Charlie and Nita sang a  Fijian farewell song for us … We said our good byes to our Fijian family and hopped in a cab for the 6-minute ride to the airport. Not only was this the smallest commercial flight (plane size) we’ve ever taken, it is also the smallest commercial airport we’ve ever been to. One check in window, one gate — no number, no security checkpoint! Jim swears he could hear Tatoo yelling, “The plane, the plane!”  😂 It was another smooth flight back to Nadi.  Moce (pronounced mo-thay, means good bye) Fiji! Everything went pretty smoothly on our 4 1/2 hour flight to Sydney — although it was the first time in all our travels that a flight attendant came on the PA to ask if there was a “medical practitioner”...

We had a bit of an early start today to be ready for our snorkeling adventure. Sia, and Charlie her husband, who came home yesterday after a few days out fishing, put out breakfast. Today, in addition to fresh fruit and eggs, Sia made coconut scones. Everything was delicious as usual.  While we ate, Josh was out and about, all by himself at 2-years-old, practicing his rooster hunting skills, 😂 — he is quite adorable.  Byron picked us up for our snorkeling excursion. He has a small boat and took us on a three-hour … just kidding … 10 minute boat ride to a teeny-tiny islet surrounded by corral. It was very nice; and the highlight of the trip … Jim saw a four-foot reef shark. It was more scared of him than visa versa; it quickly moved along.  Snorkeling is a draining activity. We were only in the water for about 45 min but we were both ready to get out. It was the perfect amount of time. Saw some cool fish and coral — the video doesn’t quite do it justice.  When we got...

We really slept well last night — didn’t get up until 7:30AM. Breakfast was great — eggs, fried breadfruit, pancakes, and fresh fruit. We also enjoyed the company of Josh, Sia’s grandson.  As you might have noticed, we are seeing Fiji just about as economically as one can. Yes, there are 5-star resorts — maybe not as many in this island as others  — but not only are we saving money, we are experiencing real Fijian culture, actually living with a Fijian family.  Most of us only think of the fancy resorts when we think about most Polynesian nations. The fact is that most indigenous inhabitants live a very simple life in very humble conditions. Any of you who have traveled to Central America, parts of Mexico, etc. can easily picture what life is like in rural Fiji.  Our family’s house only has electricity from about 6-10 PM each day when the village generator is on. The construction of the homes is not to the same standards most of us are used to. There’s no air conditi...

Sega na leqa (sang-a-na-len-ga) means no worries. It’s the Fijian version of Hakuna Matata. We had a great night sleep after traveling and yesterday’s activities. The Sun and roosters get up at about 6:00AM and we weren’t far behind. Breakfast was served at 7:30. After breakfast Nita took us on a walk behind the village to explore. On the way we ran into Steven who was successful in catching a wild rooster - it’s actually rooster hunting season. They asked Jim to name the new catch … he chose James Thomas … they will call him JT. 😁 Upon returning we walked through the village and met a few other residents. Liza was preparing sea grapes to have with lunch.   The excursion ended with Nita picking a couple young coconuts — we drank the water and ate the tender flesh (very different from the mature coconuts we can buy in the States.  At noon we hopped on the bus to visit the international date line marker and the natural rock waterfalls.  Nita went with us.  Kristi is s...