At the Auckland Airport we found out that in order to travel to Fiji, our passports needed to be at least 6 months from expiring by our departure date from Fiji. Tony’s passport was expiring in four months and technically it was illegal for him to enter Fiji. New Zealand Air was going to have to contact the Fijian government and ask for permission for Tony to board the flight and enter the country, but it was 5 AM right after the Easter weekend and we were notified that it was very unlikely that they would answer the phone as Fijians like to sleep in after a holiday. It seemed that Tony was going to be forced to miss the flight at which point he could send the Fijian government a letter requesting permission and wait on a response. We were told to prepare to make a decision for me to fly alone or for both miss our flights, greatly increasing the expenditure of the whole deal. We felt sooooo lucky when we finally got word at the last minute that the call had gone through and permission had been granted for Tony to come to Fiji. Whew!!
Our only plan in Fiji was to find a decent place to stay where we could relax on the beach for the last few weeks of our trip. Finding lodging on the internet was pretty much useless and it wasn’t until we made it to Fiji and were able to see the lay of the land that we discovered where we wanted to be. Our first night there we spent on an overnight ferry to Vanua Levu. We woke up in the morning and found the one place we were able to rent on the internet and had decent reviews. The hotel was pretty horrifying. No windows, no beach, cigarette smoke coming in the door of our room. We needed to get out of there!
We hired a taxi cab driver to take us around and help us find a new place. He ended up finding us a quaint little bungalow with everything we needed, a kitchen, shower, flat screen television that we could use for a monitor for our laptop which had a newly broken screen, a bed, and a thatched roof over our heads, not to mention a coral reef and secluded beach right outside our door. After the first night we realized the hot water heater was broken. I told Tony we should try to see if the owner would let us move into the vacant Villa next door. Tony and I were both very skeptical this would work. However, to our great surprise, he said YES!
We promptly moved into the Villa ,which was a large two bedroom house with a huge kitchen, wood floors, air conditioning, and a beautiful covered porch for the same cost as our little bungalow.
We spent our days lying in hammocks, snorkeling, practicing our Thai massage, and cooking tons of fresh fish and vegetables which were readily available at the local market.
The snorkeling was absolutely AMAZING in Fiji. There were volcanic cliff walls covered with living coral under the sea, home to an abundance of sea life, great and small. At this point we had snorkelled in several places around the world, but this topped them all.
Our neighbors, who were from Canada had just gotten their Scuba certification from a hotel down the street. We hadn’t considered working on our certification but it seemed like the perfect opportunity.
We spent the mornings of one of our weeks in Fiji working on our certification. We learned that Fiji was one of the top diving destinations in the world. It was an absolutely incredible experience. The weightless drifting through endless beauty. Words really cannot explain the exotic sea life we were able to witness. 
Even in paradise things aren’t perfect. One day while we were scuba diving someone came into our Villa and stole $600 Fijian dollars, some clothes, a cheap watch and bracelet, and some whipping cream from our fridge. We had been planning on paying for our Scuba certification with the money. From a miscommunication we had in the morning, Tony thought I had the money and I thought he had the money. The safe in our place was broken and we had notified the caretakers of the property, however it had never been fixed. Our neighbors from Hawaii also had an Iphone and clothing stolen. The owner of the property was an American who was upset that the safe had never been fixed and ended up giving us our money back. We were very grateful, but felt terribly about the entire situation. Because the police were accusing the caretaker family and searched their house, they were not as warm to us as they had been previously. It was a difficult situation for everyone involved. It was also difficult because there was no way to lock the windows in the Villa so one other day someone came into our house while we were away diving. It was a bit unnerving.
We felt very very lucky that we had not had any serious mishaps along our journey. It was unfortunate that we felt unsafe at the end of our trip, but it did make it easier to leave. We couldn’t believe it was the end of our journey after so many months of being away. Emotions were certainly mixed.
everything we could need or want is at our fingertips at all times. It was a shock to experience it again. Tony stood in awe when we walked into a big fancy grocery store for the first time since 
returning. It was complete luxury. There was nothing on a similar scale or of such quality and variety anywhere we went. Even in westernized countries where goods are plentiful it is still unlike what we have here, and often things are prohibitively expensive.
returning. It was complete luxury. There was nothing on a similar scale or of such quality and variety anywhere we went. Even in westernized countries where goods are plentiful it is still unlike what we have here, and often things are prohibitively expensive.
There is so much joy to be found in leaving what you have to come home and discover that you didn’t really need any of it. Everything we needed for the last nine months we could carry on our backs. You can survive without all of these things, live more simply, and enjoy life more because of it. We are so grateful to have had this experience and for the support of our family and friends (both new and old) along the way. We love you all!
