Two weeks in Fiji has been absolute bliss. It's true what they say about "Fiji Time", as the whole time I was there time literally didn't matter, unless of course it was food time!

We landed in Fiji at 4:30am and arrived at our Hostel in Nadi by around 6am. As our beds weren't ready we had to wait until after 10am to check in. It wasn't so bad, as we had a great view, due to the hostel being right on the beach. Once we'd checked in we spent the rest of the day relaxing and planning our island hopping adventure.

In the evening we were introduced to the traditional Fijian drink; Kava and introduced to the "Kavaholics" club. I have no idea what Kava is supposed to do to you, maybe I didn't have enough (although it's not alcoholic), but it looks and tastes like dirty water, with a chalky aftertaste. Despite the bad taste we sat in a circle at the Kava ceremony, continued to drink it inbetween singing and trying out some Fijian dancing.

Our first stop on the islands was Beachcomber island, one of the Mamanuca Islands (a 45 minute boat/ferry trip from Nadi). Away from the main island it is much more picturesque; whiter sand and clearer water. The ferry stopped aroung 500m from the shore and a small boat from the resort picked us up. As we arrived on shore there were Fijians singing the welcome song. The dorms were huge and very open to the elements, but its Fiji and very warm, so open plan dorms allow for a nice breeze at night.

Beachcomber is known as the "Party Island", so it was a matter of relaxing during the day, maybe playing a bit of volleyball and then drinking in the evening. By evening the island was much more lively and Beachcomber lived up to its "Party Island" reputation.

After two nights on Beachcomber we set off for Blue Lagoon Resort on Nacula Island, in the northern region of the Yasawa Islands. Feeling and little worse for ware after a few too many beers the night before, it wasn't a particularly fun trip. However, on arrival I was relieved; the dorm rooms were much nicer (even with air con), the surrounding water was aqua marine in colour and the sand much whiter than Beachcomber, along with two big coral reefs directly in front of the resort. The food was amazing and for the 3 days I was there, I ate like a Queen.

On the first evening we were entertained by people from the local village with singing and dancing. Audience participation was encouraged and of course we obliged :-)

Having been told to take the opportunity to attend church whilst in Fiji if I could, Sunday morning I went along. It was good to see the local village and it made me feel so privileged for what I have, it was basic and evident that they need economic support.

Before leaving the resort we got up early on the Monday morning to go to the underwater Limestone Caves (the main reason I had wanted to go so far north). It was amazing! We were the first people there, the water was so still it looked like glass. The first cave was open at the top, allowing light in. To enter the second cave, which was in total darkness, we had to swim though an underwater tunnel, about 1m down and 3m long. I was a little apprehensive at first, but I'm so glad I did it, as it was amazing inside. Everyone was led through by torchlight, both through the underwater tunnel and then through the second cave. Once at the end we all shouted "BULA!" (which means Hello in Fijian and is used regularly by all Fijians) to hear the echo through the cave.

Then it was on to Mantaray Resort on Nanuya Balavu Island. Within half an hour of arriving at the resort we were on our way to find the Mantarays! Having come all the way to the Mantaray resort to see them we jumped at the chance and it was amazing! At one point I was directly above one (within a few feet) that was aroung 2m from the tip of each fin.

The next few days were pretty relaxed, filling our time with kyaking and meeting other travellers. Not being able to let the opportunity pass me by, I booked some scuba diving for the second morning. The first was a cave dive site called "Babylon Caves". I was a little anxious before the dive, having never done a cave dive before, but once I was down there I thoroughly enjoyed it. The caves were very open and there was a lot of natural light. The second dive was at the "Fantastic Wall" site, with much more to see in terms of marine life, we even saw a turtle!

Every evening whilst at Mantaray there was entertainment, either playing games or more Fijian dancing. On the last night we played games and Dan and I each won a cocktail. Not bad, considering they're normally $15 each.

Our last few days in Fiji were spent at the Octopus Resort on Waya Island (a sister resort to Blue Lagoon). Another beautiful setting and a great way to continue relaxing. As for this part of the trip we did nothing but sunbathe, eat and generally do nothing before returning to Nadi for a final night before flying off to Auckland.