The first thing you do here in the Mamanuca Group (islands west of NadI) is lose the watch…. Or in my case go snorkeling with a supposedly waterproof watch and have it die on you. This is the best way to enjoy the place. Perhaps you need to know the time in order to make the appointment you booked for a chocolate facial (hmmmm….yummy and refreshing!) or to meet at the boat for the dive you booked. But this is Fiji and time is whatever you want it to be. If you are a little late chances are you won’t be the only one.

When we arrived the man who greeted us apologized to us because the room we had booked was not available. “Would it be OK to book you in to the honeymoon bure?” Hmmmmm…..seemed OK to us.

So, with a little golf cart provided to take us to our secluded location, we wake up every day with the sea about ten steps from our porch as coconut palms and magnolia bushes sway in the breeze. The bure has a large Jacuzzi tub, huge living area and a king size bed overlooking the ocean. Did I mention it seemed OK to us?

So lose the watch and enjoy what the island has to offer! In front of our bure the area is protected by a coral reef with thousands of brightly colored fish waiting for you to discover them. It really is like something out of a dream in spite of a few cloudy days and some rain. The clouds are a relief from the bright sun and the rain is nothing like we experienced during our homestay. I could get used to this type of journey.

Mayumi, Takamichi, Sota and Gosuke arrived from Japan the day after we got here and left all too soon. Today, our eighth and last day here on Mana Island I have the time to reflect on our experience.

We were on the pier when our Japanese family arrived. Sota, who has not seen us since he was two and a half, ran down the pier with arms open and a huge smile on his face…. The week was just like that which is probably why it went by so fast.

Sota’s English is pretty good. He knows enough to get his point across and body language does the rest. Mayumi and Takamichi took a Padi Diving course which gave us the opportunity to spend time with Sota alone. Gosuke was in daycare (they provide 5 hours/day free). Sota spent some time at kids camp and the rest of the time with us when his parents were diving. I got him to steer the little golf cart we had… thank God he can’t reach the peddles or we would have hit every tree and every puddle in the complex! We spent time exploring the beach, looking for crabs and fish, watching the fruit bats and playing ‘English’ games.

It was fun to meet Gosuke and make memories. He is a sweet natured baby who touched the hearts of just about every staff member on the island. The women just loved to hold him. Even the school children came buy to say hello and give him a kiss on the cheek (boys and girls all took their turn). He likes the water which gave me lots of time to hold him and play.

Mayumi and Takamichi are wonderful parents. We love to watch them together as a family….though no one on the island could figure out our relationship with them. Mayumi tells them we are her Canadian parents and the stories begin. It has been 17 years since she stayed with us on exchange in Canada. Since then we have strengthened our relationship so it feels we are family. Can’t wait for our kids to go over to Japan with their families. Would be great if we could all go together one day.!

So, back to Mana…..what can I say but sun, beach, beautiful fish, coral, wild windstorms, more sun, friendly people, good beer (Fiji Bitter was our favourite), clean cool swimming pools, long beach walks, beautiful sunsets….just a wonderful place to spend a few days and lose yourself.

Not only did I lose the watch but I actually lost a day. Shane and I thought we were down to one more day here then found out we had two more. We actually asked our daughter (on Skype) what day it was in Canada and didn’t believer her when she told us it was Thursday. You know you are on holiday when only the people at reception know when you are booked to leave and where you’re going!

Tomorrow we head to Denarau Island for the last couple of nights before flying back to LA. Decided to have another different experience in Fiji. So, Denarau Island is really part of the main island of Fiji. It is a tourist mecca with fancy resorts and all the hype that goes with it.

One thing I should mention about that ‘lost’ feeling here on Mana….. When you sit on the beach watching the sunset you are looking straight across at the island where Castaway was filmed. So we’re not the only people to get lost here….we haven’t started to talk to basketballs yet but given time I’m sure that could happen.

Need reality…..or do I????????????????