Moce mommy!

So at the end of our Matamanoa trip, we had to say goodbye to Aunt Katherine and Uncle Jim. However, mom and I both had 7 hours to kill in Nadi so we checked our luggage into the left luggage area and set out on our journey. I hadn't really been into Nadi at all yet and all we really knew was what my trusty guide book told us.

But we were told that the Garden of the Sleeping Giant was a great sight to see. Nestled at the foot of the Sabeto Mountains, it's Fiji's largest orchid collection and a really nice tropical jungle area to stroll through. All we knew was that the garden was located around 6 kilometers north of the airport so we literally just hopped on the next bus heading north and pleading with the bus driver to drop us as close as possible to where we were looking to go.

This is where he dropped us off:

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"

Sabeto Mts. in the distance

Haha it's a good thing we both had comfortable flip flops because we didn't know how long we were going to be walking for! If there's one thing I haven't stressed enough about the people here, it's how friendly and giving they are. While walking, a pick up truck actually pulled over and asked if we needed a ride. The lady in the front seat had mentioned her village was up the road and she was going that way anyways, so dropping us off would be no problem. 

Now the past week, I had seen my mom do several things I would have never imagined, liking partying in a night club and snorkeling in the ocean. But at this moment, it really hit me...I would have never in a million years guessed that my mom and I would be in the back of a truck on a random dirt road in Fiji. Reality check...this will definitely be a treasured memory:

I couldn't stop giggling! Fortunately, that truck cut out like 20 minutes of walking. Looking back, I probably would've preferred the ride back to the main road, but hitch-hikers can't be choosers :) They dropped us off right at the entrance of the park, and wished us the best! 

Made it!

Entrance to the garden

At this point, it had been drizzling just a bit, which made the jungle tropics even more humid. But the flowers were very beautiful and very interesting. It was a self-guided tour, and so I'm not much help in identifying what exactly we saw but here are a few:

There were also some flowers native to Fiji:

And what fun is being in a park when you can't goof off!!! 

A whole house made of leaves

For our last adventure together in Fiji, it was a pretty cool place. 

mother daughter pic :)

Unfortunately, nobody really passed us on the way backso we did make the trek back to the main road by foot. However, it wasn't nearly as bad as we thought, friendly Fijians greeted us anytime we walked by and we even befriended two little boys from a nearby village that were walking by us for a it. We caught a bus back into town and explored the vegetable market on the street, the handicraft market, and the shops along the main road. It was a great trip with my mom and it was sad to say goodbye at the airport. But we know that all good things come to an end, and with the end of my trip nearing, reality is hitting pretty hard. This place has been a paradise and I'm definitely not ready to go home! 

Matamanoa: Island Paradise

When I first told people I was studying abroad in Fiji, people constantly joked that I'd spend all my time on gorgeous beaches, tanning all day and lounging by the pool side bar. Hopefully by now, everyone's realized how much I've learned and how much I've grown here, and how little time I've actually spent on a beach. However, in celebration of my 21st birthday, I did just that! It's not everyday that you get to spend 4 days on the picture-perfect poster image of Fiji:

Matamanoa Island

Oceanfront bures at the resort

In fact, if you ever come to Fiji, you'll probably walk past the top image in the airport in Nadi! Mom and I were lucky enough to meet up with Aunt Katherine and Uncle Jim and have a wonderful stay at the Matamanoa Island Resort, a private resort on an island in the Mamanucas (pronounced Ma-ma-NU-thas), a group of islands west of the main island (Viti Levu). It literally was island paradise!!

Welcome to Matamanoa Island!

From the moment we stepped on the island, we were greeted warmly by the resort staff and had a very peaceful and relaxing vacation. In fact, this was my view for a lot of it: 

However, we did spend some time snorkeling in the water. The first day we just snorkeled from the beach, but the second day we took the boat out to a specific snorkeling site around the other side of the island.

Aunt Katherine and Mom ready to snorkel 

Never thought my mom would be a snorkeler!!!!

 We saw lots of cool fish, including a huge school of zebra fish, a puffer fish, a jellyfish, clown fish...even a barracuda:

Barracuda sighting!

The current was a bit bumpy so we were all exhausted by the time we came back to shore! The next morning we woke up early to enjoy a sunrise on the beach:

Sisters :)

Good morning, sunshine!

The steps from our bure to the beach

The next day we were pumped up to explore the other parts of the island and joined other visitors on a mountain trek. And believe me, at times it was a hike! I've gotten used to not wearing shoes because of how muddy the terrain gets in Fiji, but the tour guide wouldn't let me leave without putting shoes on! As a volcanic island, it got pretty rocky and steep at times, but it wasn't anything the three of us couldn't  trek.

View from the top

Our tour guide was great at pointing out local fruits like paw-paw (papaya), the bark on trees they used as medicine, and even some fruit bats that lived up in the canopy!

3 peas in a pod 

Our volcanic terrain at sea level

Unfortunately, it was a bit chilly when we got back and this is how we spent most of the afternoon:

Bundled up! 

The food was fantastic, very sophisticated in their preparation and all very very tasty!! Every night during dinner time, the staff had what was called "Bula Time" where they would announce the new visitors, wish a warm farewell to those who were leaving, gave out awards for the activities of the day, and listed off the activities for the evening. They were enthusiastic and fun, singing before and after each bula time. A few even came around during dinner serenading tables with their acoustic guitars. 

Preparing our Caesar salad

Yummy :)

Preparing for Bula Time

 The final night we were there, we celebrated my upcoming birthday. The whole staff of the resort was around our table singing and laughing and giving me hugs and kisses. I couldn't stop laughing and I'm sure I had the biggest cheesy smile on my face!! It was a bummer because it was our last night there but all good things must come to an end.

Birthday girl :)

I'm grateful for the time I had with my family, and shout out to Aunt Katherine and Uncle Jim for choosing such a spectacular resort. This will be a birthday I will treasure for a lifetime, thank you for making the time and sacrifices to come visit me!

Momma Bisket comes to Suva!

A visitor from home!! I was so excited to have my mom come visit me while I was here. I had known since Christmas that my aunt and uncle were going to visit but it was sort of impromptu that my mom was joining. She spent a few days with me in Suva prior to the two of us meeting up with my aunt and uncle.

It isn't until you really have to meet up with someone that you realize how difficult it is not having cell phones! Plans didn't go as expected and she ended up making her way to Suva in a taxi as opposed to meeting me at the Suva airport. Miraculously she was able to make her way to USP, and after passing by a few times, finally saw me waiting at the bus stop for her.

She was such a trooper that first day, I knew I was only going to have three days in Suva with her so I had to make the time count!

We spent the first day strolling around downtown, going in and out of the shops.

Along the seawall downtown

Andrew was a trooper for joining us downtown!

 In celebration of her arrival, we went out to a restaurant called Tiko's. It's a permanently anchored boat right on the waters of the Suva Harbor and had delicious seafood! Since the drinking age is only 18 here, we even split a bottle of wine. I even convinced her to stay out a bit longer and meet up with my friends out at the bars! Told you she was a trooper, she lasted all the way 'til 12:30!!!

Dinner Date :)

Sunday, we had planned on venturing to the Colo-i-Suva national park where the waterfalls are.  Unfortunately the rains of Suva hindered our original plans. After Mass in the morning (which was unexpectedly half in Hindu for commemoration of the Indian Catholic population at the church), and a coffee date downtown, we decided the rains weren't stopping anytime soon. So a whole bunch of us went the movies instead and had a mini-birthday celebration following with pizza and cards back at the apartment.

Monday I had most of my day free and we went back downtown to souvenir shop for the day. Talk about shop til you drop! We conquered the handicraft market, and the flea market, as well as some of the more touristy shops in the area.

Handicraft market

SO many things in every little stall

 Tuesday was my day to show her around campus as I had classes most of the morning. While I had my first bunch of classes in the morning, she wanted to go downtown one more time so I was proud of her when she figured out the bus route and shops downtown by herself! I met back up with her on campus at lunchtime and showed her around. We enjoyed lunch at the cafe on campus and found her a quiet place to read during my last class.

Reading...? Or people watching...!

After class we said goodbye to Suva and began our adventure west to meet up with Aunt Katherine and Uncle Jim in Nadi. The plane ride from Suva to Nadi was 22 minutes...I've never been on such a short flight! It was a great time with mommy in Suva, but our vacation together had only just begun! Next stop - Matamanoa Island!

Spinner Dolphins

Hiii, it's been awhile! I meant to catch up this past week while I was on vacation with my family but quickly learned that internet wasn't readily available...so now its time to catch everyone up!

The weekend of April 28-29th, my friends and I journeyed up the east coast to an area called Dawasamu. My Economics of Tourism class had a field trip there over Mid-Semester Break when I had my plans to visit Australia. I thought it would be a neat place to check out for one of our weekend adventures. The reason my professors had chosen this accommodation was that the surrounding 11 villages worked together to maintain the resort; all food was produced or caught locally, the workers all lived in one of the 11 villages,  it was an example of the height of tourism's effect on the local people of Fiji. There are two lodges, the Natalei Ecolodge and Takalana...due to renovation issues, we stayed at the Takalana one.

While my class was there, they did surveys and data collection to explore how tourism had affected the locals; everything had been a positive result. The general feeling was that people were more involved in community meetings (both men and women) and both health and education levels had risen significantly. It was no surprise going into this trip that I knew the locals would be friendly and open, the only night we were there, the whole family who cooked us our meal came and serenaded us on the steps while we ate!

Home for a night

The living room area

Beds w/ mosquito nets

We spent the evening with traditional Fijian entertainment: kava, guitar playing, and a fire. Couldn't have asked for a more peaceful night!

First real bonfire in Fiji

Kava time

Shawn, myself, and Kelly

The other main reason for choosing Takalana was to see the Spinner dolphins in Moon Reef. For as long as the Fijians can remember, this one community of dolphins enters the reef every morning and leaves every evening. Often, there are researchers and marine biologists visiting to study the dolphins and explore their attraction to this one reef. 

The view from our porch

Famous black sand-surprisingly it's really soft!

As with many things, the natives have their own stories and reasonings behind the dolphins' visits. They also believe that the spirits of the elders who have just passed away wait at one of the peaks and are carried out to moon reef on the backs of the dolphins that swim there. 

Ronnie, our tour guide and storyteller

Dolphins!

After our dolphin watching, we hopped in the water to do some snorkeling around Moon Reef. When we returned to the mainland, we traversed the local roughage with one of our new local friends to a very pleasant (but very cold) waterfall. 

Waterfall

Shawn, myself, Kelly, and Andrew

Providing clean water from the man-made dam above it, all of the surrounding villages get their water supply from this one river. We enjoyed cooling off in the river and hanging out for a bit before the trip back home to Suva.