Hello everyone, This is slightly late but as they say "better late than never" so here is the Fiji adventure. We arrived in Fiji in the Pacific at 9:30pm on Thursday the 20th of July. We checked into the Nadi bay resort and hotel where we were sharing a dorm with a Canadian and American couple. On the Friday we headed out in the sunshine into the heart of Nadi which isn't as bad as we were expecting, as everyone was telling us how dirty it is, but it could have been worse. Up on the main road we were accosted by the owner of a shop who invited us in to see the "local products" This was an assortment of wooden carvings and jewellery. He then took us out the back where we saw locals carving out the Kava bowls and making other wooden articles. He then invited the 4 of us to join him in a Kava ceremony! (Welcoming of new people drinking Kava plant root which is mixed with water and water - muddy foul water) Our cousins Russ and Vonnie had explained this ritual to us in NZ and warned us that we should try to avoid it as it tastes disgusting, makes your mouth go numb and tingly and to say no is a personal offence to them. In truth there was no way out for us on this occasion. The 4 of us sat down and I was Queen as I was the oldest person in the group and the ceremony began with me! We were handed a small coconut cup with around 3 shots of muddy Kava, clapped once, drank the strange drink trying not to heave, gave it back said Bula (Hello & welcome) and clapped 3 times. This then went round the circle and we did this twice. I then sat back awaiting the numb tongue and cheeks. It was a strange sensation - just like a visit to the dentist and having an injection. I really did not want to try this drink again. Once was enough. We then got back to our hotel, had a meal and an early night as we were off to the Yasawa islands early the next morning. We were woken up however with the Canadian girl being sick next to Bens bed! Got picked up at 8am by Dan our friendly Fijian driver who drove us to the docks where we got on a tiny boat to cross the Pacific Ocean to Octopus resort on Waya Island in the group of islands off the coast of mainland Viti Levu - Fiji. 1 ½ hrs later I was looking rather white and my tummy was doing somersaults when we finally stepped onto the beach where we were welcomed with Fijian smiles and songs at a resort which is stunning. I had managed to survive the rough seas but 4 fellow passengers were not so lucky! We booked to stay at Octopus for 6 nights, staying in the 1st class 13bed dorm (one big chilled out room where you had your own bed - no bunks, with 2 fresh towels and fresh bed linen daily, a bedside table complete with lamp and your own mozzy net) The resort is small with guests who have been many times before - always a good sign. It's managed by a Scots couple who have made it into paradise. The restaurant with 4 big tables had a sand floor, and for 7 days we wore no shoes at all - bliss. The food was gorgeous and the beach had the best sun loungers, sunsets, snorkeling, massge on the beach and perfect sunshine. We divided our time on Octopus between sunbathing, chilling, swimming, eating and a lot more chilling. On one of the days we headed over to the village on the other side of friendliest island for a craft market, welcome from the Chief, craft market and to see them dance and welcome us with the dreaded Kava. This was a really interesting morning and their way of life is so interesting. The Fijian people are always smiling and happy, it's brilliant. I had a massage on one of our lazy days (research obviously) which was in one of the open Bures (Fijian bugalow) on the beach. It was gorgeous (lots of kneading and deep pressure point massage) as you looked out to sea over the stunning beach and the only sound was of the waves lapping on the sand. I spent the rest of the day floating around and saying Bula to everyone I passed. On one of the evenings we entered a quiz night with 3ladies from the Orkney Isles. (2daughters and their mum) We had about 6 rounds which involved some singing and dancing and then some local knowledge etc. We ended up coming first by 30 points out of 6 teams and won a champagne picnic for us all on a private beach!!!!!!!!!!!!! We spent the afternoon of our last full day on a beach that had no footprints on it but ours, soaking up the sun, snorkeling, sipping champagne and enjoying a gorgeous picnic. What a great way to end our time at Octopus. Perfect. We left Octopus (nearly had to be dragged away) to spend one more night on the mainland and we flew out to Rarotonga which is the main island in the Cook Islands on Friday 28th in the afternoon.