Better Late Than Never

Well hello there! 

Seems like it’s been ages since we’ve last posted a blog…and it pretty much has been…but the past weeks have been full of visitors, traveling, surfing, and some school in between. So to spare you all reading a painfully long post, I’ll go through the highlights of the past few weeks in minor detail and post some pictures that will hopefully contribute a few thousand words.

About three weeks ago (I think...wow time flies!!) we went to a three day, two night Surf Camp abput 2.5 hours away where we literally ate, slept and surfed. Every day began with a bright and early breakfast at 7am, followed by a 2 hour surf lesson, lunch, and another 2 hour lesson in the afternoon. This was a great way for us beginners to get to learn how to surf, since most of our lessons were spent in the water. It really was a challenge at first, going from practicing on the beach straight into the water, but like anything, it takes practice (some more than others), and by the end of the weekend we could all say that we’re able to stand up on our surf boards. The weather was a little too grey and rainy for my liking, but didn't really matter once we were out in the water.

Our cozy accommodation

Daily Schedule

This sport appears to be pretty addictive and the next weekend, Dave, his parents, Marina, and I journeyed to Broulee Beach in hopes of catching some good waves. We spent a perfect hot, sunny day at the beach, surfing for most of the day…until Marina’s board (Big Ugly Betty) decided to catch a wave without her and land on her nose. Luckily, there was no major damage, only a minor scar is left a few weeks later and at least she has a cool story to tell back home.

These pictures show us having fun in the sun...but I assure you, we DID really surf.

Finally, the last ten days of our vacation have been the best so far in my experience abroad. This, of course, is because they were spent in Fiji!! When I first bought my plane ticket to Fiji, I was unsure if I really wanted to go…the price seemed pretty high and I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into. But as the day got closer and I spent more time looking into the resort, my anticipation was building and I knew I would not regret it in the end. I mean, sun, sand, relaxing! I have no idea why I would think twice about it. Let me first say that this trip would not have been possible without Dave’s wonderful parents, Donna and Danny. They graciously offered to share their accommodation with us, free of charge and we are so thankful for their generosity.

We spent our first six nights at the Wyndham Worldmark Resort on Denarau Island. This was my first time staying at a resort and I sure hope it won't be my last. As soon as we arrived in Fiji, time seemed to slow down. This is what Fijians call 'Fiji Time' and they will use it for any excuse possible when things are running late, they are just on Fiji Time. This took some getting used to since I'm always on time and anxious to do things so I don't run out of time. But at the resort, the days seemed to go on forever and there was always enough time to relax, tan, swim, get a massage, eat, drink, and enjoy life. For our next two nights, Marina, Dave, Alex, and I booked an island stay trip at the Yasawas (a group of islands about a 2.5 hour boat ride away). We stayed in lovely little cabins on the beautiful blue ocean and had our meals prepared for us by the Fijians who owned and ran the resort (maybe not a typical resort but good enough). Here, we planned a few activities like hiking to the summit of the island and snorkeling with reef sharks. It was a surreal tropical environment and had a completely different atmosphere from the resort. I hope that someday I can go back and explore more of the exotic islands of Fiji.

There are so many little things to say about Fiji that I want to share them all, but could never possibly remember and you probably wouldn’t want to read it all...so here's a visual taste of Fiji!

Now we're back in Canberra and it seems to have gotten extremely cold during our time away. Not as cold as it gets back home, but cold enough to make you want to whack out your doona (take out your duvet). On that note, it's getting late here and I can think of nothing more I'd rather do than curl up in my cozy doona and go to sleep. 

Good night Australia and good morning Canada, bye for now!

Laura