Back on the mainland!

I am back in Nadi after 3 weeks cruising up and down the Mamanuca and Yasawa Islands! I am sorry for not keeping in touch with everyone! It has been a bit hard since most places havent had any electricity...phones...or internet!

Nanuya Lailai:
I finished up 2 days at Nanuya Lailai at Sunrise Resort. A woman named Tui helped all the girls make coconut bracelets that took FOREVER! I am going to have to sneak it into New Zealand though since they apparently dont allow those into the country! I spent one of the evenings over at another resort and met two Fijian men that call themselves Queen and Britney (after B. Spears). They do Britney Spears impressions for their guests and LOVEEEE hearing about CA and movie stars. They ended up naming their new kitten Deanna because I wouldnt stop playing with it the whole night. We spent the rest of the night at another Kava ceremony...I am getting used to them now! Fiji lost the world cup in Rugby to Samoa so the Kava drinking to drown their sorrows went til 6am!

Wanna Taki Cruise:
I left for the Wanna Taki cruise, and it was my FAVORITE part of my whole vacation. I have been travelling around and meeting a ton of people, and they all turned up on the ship at the same time! We did a bunch of snorkeling and spent the night at the bar with the ship crew and diving instructor. The ship dorm was air conditioned, and I got to watch a movie :0) That was the first time I saw a tv... I didnt want to leave the ship after 3 days with all my friends there!

Mantaray Resort:
The resort at Mantaray had a gourmet chef, and we were served the biggest buffet I have seen in a long time...although it could be bc of the lack of substantial meals i've had over the past 3 weeks. There wasnt much to do there since the Mantarays are not in season :0( But it was nice to relax for a night.

Naviti Island
After Mantaray I moved onto my last stop at a resort called Korovou. We had a big celebration with Fijian dancers and group and partner dancing.
My second day there I got to visit a Fijian village on the Eastern coast of Naviti. Nothing makes you realize how much you truly have in life until you are put in a place like that. The ride over to the village was 45 minutes of hell....it was straight out of a movie. There were 10 of us going on the visit, and the boat almost flipped and we were almost tossed out of the boat multiple times! It was storming and water was pouring in from the sides and the whole way there our boat driver was singing a happy Fijian song at the top of his lungs. When we got to the village, we had a welcome kava cermony and then shopped a little in their market and then toured the village. The best part, by FAR, was the visit to a kindergarten and Primary school. The kids all came out of their classrooms and sang and danced for everyone. I recorded a ton of video and will be posting them when I get the chance!

The next day I left for the mainland...it was storming again, so it was a 4 hour ride in the pouring rain! I met a man from CSU on the boat that turned out to be my faculty advisor for New Zealand! I stayed at Nomads Skylodge last night...said goodbye to a few friends...and spent today in Nadi with one of the diving instructors from the Wanna Taki cruise. Rob showed me around the markets and we ended up hopping in random vans to get around (dont worry mom...everyone does it). Now we are here at an internet cafe, this will prob be my last internet post until I reach New Zealand! I have to be up at 4 am tomorrow to catch a bus to the airport! We are going out celebrating tonight...PIZZAAAA yum :0) No more curry for me! I hope everyone is Fantastic!

YAY FOR THE FINAL HARRY POTTER COMING OUT!!! I have been reading like crazy here bc you exchange books at all the resorts and nothing can compare to HP. Cant wait to see the movie and get the book when I come home! 4 months left! love you all!