Fiji: Vacation Time

Now this is the Fiji everyone thinks of! For our last day in Fiji, the group boated to Mana Island, one of many small isles off of the mainland. We stopped at a series of islands along the way, some with small resorts that are more for couples and one that was the tiniest island possible with a few small structures and some beach chairs on it. I loved the site of the islands: blue water that turns turquoise as it gets shallow a few meters around the shore and lush, green land jutting from the sea with tan beach surrounding it.

Mana Island Resort, was one of three and the biggest on Mana Island. As soon as we arrived we headed for the snorkel gear. The girls had a quick photo shoot before putting our gear on and making way to the reef.

Snorkeling is one of my favorite things to do, and of course, being in the water is my favorite place to be. I was so excited to be swimming a foot above a reef with colorful fish of all types. Looking back at it, the fish that sticks out in mind was one that was the brightest blue I have ever seen and a blue starfish. I have never seen coral that reflects the exciting colors of its inhabitants. I noticed some white coral, which I am almost positive was due to coral bleaching, which is caused by warming water temperatures. I had a great time swimming around with my friends visiting the magical creatures that thrive underneath the ocean’s surface.

After snorkeling, we laid out on the beach, and I took a quick snooze. Then, we walked to lunch, which was a buffet. Score! The resort dining hall is located on the other side of the island, and when I heard this, I thought we had to drive. Alas, it is about a two-minute walk.

Once we satisfied our stomachs, we jumped in the pool which had a small water feature and a brown wooden bridge over it. I also went down to the beach on the new side of the island and splashed around in a couple of inches of crystal clear water. At one point, we saw an off-white, speckled crab carrying a smaller crab. We only saw a glimpse of it before it buried itself in the sand. We also found some more beige colored fish and hermit crabs.

After lunch, we were supposed to go paddle boarding and kayaking, but the winds picked up on the original side of the island we were on, and we decided it would not be easy to perform either activity. The rest of the afternoon consisted of lounging on beach chairs and taking in the warm sun and cool breeze.

By the time we had to go, it started raining ever so slightly. I am so thankful the weather cooperated for our island time, considering it seemed to rain any other time we were outside. I am glad we finally experienced the vacation side of Fiji. The only thing that would have made this day better is if we could have stayed over for one more day of fun under the Fijian sun!