When I began this journey, I had no idea what to expect. I knew it was going to be an incredible adventure. It has been a WILD ADVENTURE, full of surprises and new challenges. Fiji is made up of 333 islands and is a stunning place to visit. The photo above, is the view from the summit. This was on Waylailai island, it was one of the most steep jungle climbs, I have ever done. It was a sunset summit walk, we started walking around 4.30pm for a 6pm sunset. It was a vertical climb and the footing was hard, because the rocks were covered in slippery grassland with bushes, trees and wild dogs everywhere. Dogs are very smart, on sections of the journey they would pave the way for the safest route. The dogs always turned around to check we were ok, then they would go on ahead so we could follow. I was very impressed and grateful for these guide dogs.

I ended up spending 3 weeks in Fiji which was a brilliant time to chill, try new food and water sports. I made beautiful coconut rings, which I spent hours carving as we started from scratch. I learned how to weave baskets and husk coconuts, using just a stick. It was a really enriching experience to spend time with the local people. On one of the islands, we went into the village for the school fundraiser. The journey to the village was by foot only, we had to trek through a jungle. I remember seeing huge toads everywhere. One jumped on my foot and I jumped too! The dance hall was really simple and beautiful, they raised enough money to take the children to the mainland.

First Time Scuba Diving

It was my first time to try scuba diving and it was absolutely brilliant. My instructor took me straight into the sea to a neat spot near one of the Manumuca islands. It took around an hour to get there, we took a tiny speed boat. The water was so choppy and our boat was very small, it was like a water rollercoaster. Once we got to the island, I had to practice a few skills before we went for my 45 minute dive. It was surreal to be close to all the wildlife from blue spotted sting rays, damsel fish, dory and lots of other tropical fish. It was a brilliant first scuba dive! I must have lost weight underwater because near to the end of my dive, the weights she put around my waist started to fall down. The boat ride back to the mainland, was a bit smoother. I spent a few days on the mainland in Nandi before I started my island hopping adventure.

Manumuca and Yasawa Islands

1) South Sea Island

2) Castaway Island (island where Tom Hanks filmed Castaway)

3) Wayalailai Island

4) Mana Island

5) Nabua

6) Nacula Island

7) Long Beach

8) White Sandy Beach

9) Beachcomber island

Shark day (Reef Sharks and Bull Sharks)

I went snorkelling with reef sharks in the morning. I made the mistake of eating breakfast before going snorkelling. The boat ride to the reef was around 40 minutes and the sea was really rough! I don’t normally get sea sick, but it was the first time I felt nausea. I was fine once we stopped and reached the place, where we were going to be snorkelling.

The Reef sharks were sweet and smaller then I anticipated. They swam right beside us. I was amazed by the Fijian divers, who could stay underwater for minutes, without coming up for air.

In the afternoon, I went open water Bull shark scuba diving. It was only my second time to Scuba dive, but I was going with 5 Dive Masters. I didn’t feel scared, actually very excited. The boat ride was an hour from the island to the deep ocean. In this area of the ocean, there was a family of around 5 Bull Sharks. The sharks swam right up to my face, almost touching me and then at the last moment they turned the other way. I realised just how crazy I was, but it was very peaceful watching them swim.

Thank you for all adventures! Vinaka Vaka Levu!