It’s my last day in Fiji😔

I don’t wanna leave! I’ve had such a great time meeting new people, experiencing the culture, seeing things I’ve never seen before, and relaxing in the sun and beauty around me. My last night at Mantaray, they had a special meal for dinner, called Lovo, where they prepare the food by cooking it underground. And they showed us the traditional song / dance / story telling, called Meke. Here is a clip of part of the performance:

The Lovo had whole fish, tuna, two types of chicken, potatoes. Then they had kokoda (their version of ceviche), vegetable curry (my fave), various salads and sauces. Stuffed!

Yummmm

I don’t know how they hire people at these resorts, but all of the Fijians who work there (guides, house-cleaners, kitchen staff, maintenance) performed the Meke and sang. It ended at 10pm, and I saw most of them in the morning at breakfast already working at 8am. Since the island is 3 hours from mainland, they work in shifts – something like 30 days on, 7 days off or 10 days on, 2 days off, etc. They’re working like 15 hour days sometimes, with no days off. Not sure how I feel about that, considering I don’t know how much they get paid, and also that I didn’t see any of the white people working hours like that 😕 Barf. I just hope they are all happy, and then none of that ultimately matters.

Here are a few pics from my last day:

On the little boat, getting on the big boat to the mainland (my sweet Stuttgart friend Alicia and her basket😄)

layers of ocean blues

view from the restaurant on the hill

don’t wanna leave…

dirty feet (don’t wanna leave…)

don’t wanna leave…

don’t wanna leave…

A few things I’ve learned about myself in Fiji:

1. I like not having air conditioning and being cooled by the ocean breeze
2. I don’t like self-composting toilets
3. I really don’t like living in a room that has ants crawling around everywhere
4. Fiji was every bit as beautiful and wonderful as I always dreamed it to be
5. Because it was so amazing here, I really love snorkeling now
6. I’m afraid of snorkeling alone

This is the song that the staff sang for us right before we left the resort (check out my boy on the bass they made from a box and a stick😂)…

Next Up: Today I leave for Japan, with a stop-over in Melbourne