After five amazing months it’s finally time to say goodby to Fiji. We’ve certainly had a lot of wonderful times here. Circumnavigating Vanua Levu with our wonderful friends, Lutz & Gave on SV SuAn, exploring island villages, meeting Chiefs and villagers, drinking kava, snorkeling, having great friends visit and sailing Fiji’s amazing waters…we’ve certainly packed in a lot into such a short time.
We’ve met some of the most incredible villagers who have made such an impact on our lives. Many of whom we will revisit when we return next year. And the children in the villages certainly captured our hearts and left an indelible mark on our souls. Their sweet and gentle personalities, beautiful smiles and willingness to help in whatever way they can make these some of the most beautiful souls we’ve encountered along our journey. We have pledged to return to some of the villages bringing books for them. Books are what they asked for most often. Imagine that!
And of course we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the awesome people we’ve met in the service industry here. There’s Va, Ziggy & Josie at Musket Cove. Wilma, Mary and the crew at Rhum-ba. Ma, Dee, Bai, Jeff, Lisa, Monica, Ponya and Keith at Vuda. Mita & Angela at Copra Shed in Savusavu and, of course, our favorite “naughty boys”, Leli, Mac and Sailor of the Coral Cats. We will miss them all but have every intention of seeing them again!
There is no doubt Fiji has some of the most beautiful scenery on earth. She has crystal clear, aqua tinted waters, magnificent lush, green mountains and jungles, white sand beaches and an underwater world that is second to none. But, it’s not the scenery that makes Fiji so beautiful. It’s the warm, thoughtful, welcoming people who live here. We’ve been completely overwhelmed by their kind spirit and generosity. It’s so easy to see why cruisers come here and never leave. We know we haven’t had enough of this magical place and her beautiful people. Who knows, maybe we’ll be back for more than just one more season!
As we take off our on passage back to New Zealand we thought we’d post a gallery of some of our favorite pics from Fiji this year. Hope you enjoy the photos as much as we’ve enjoyed the adventure we had getting them.
Until next time…
Jilly & Dan
