Come Visit Fiji!

Fiji is such a beautiful island anyone who has a chance to go would be so lucky. It has the nicest people, The prettiest beaches and reefs. It also has an amazing wildlife there. It is so much better then anywhere else in the world. 

Fijis Bureau of statistics claimed " The number of Rooms Avaliable increased by 0.8% (7,720) in Licenced Hotels, Resorts and Lodging houses for 2nd Quarter,2012. This shows how Fiji is wanting people just like you to come visit, they are making more resorts so more pwple can experince an amazing vacation just like ours. 

It is worth the money. It is unforgatble experience. If you never make it to Fiji you are missing out! Please take the time to look into taking a trip anywhere in Fiji. 

Travel Itinerary and Budget Analysis

Travel Itinerary:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/15G6u4oCGsiMMav_AAavQyTPO6ljr2DiidCgGXbrLjyY

Budget Analysis: 
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AsnOJ96BIRi8dHZ5bGF0M0J0c2x3a1BrQWxZVFZZTVE&usp=drive_web#gid=0

FJD= Fiji Dollar 
One Fiji Dollar is equal to $0.55 in an American Dollar ($1.00)

Day Thirteen - October 20th, 2014

When we woke up from our nap on the plane we played cards for about twenty minutes.  We then colored in our sea island coloring books that we picked up in the airport before our flight took off. They came around and offered us full sized sodas, juices, and coffees. They brought everyone warm almonds and you could choose between a chicken sub or fresh baked pizza. Everyone ended up choosing the pizza except for Ashlyn. She chose the chicken sub. After we were finished with that, they brought us warm chocolate chip cookies and a glass of ice cold milk. I was surprised by how hungry I was, and I ended up eating everything that the flight attendants gave me. Once everyone was finished eating the flight attendants picked up our dishes and then the lights in the plane went out.



I watched a movie on my iPad and snuggled up with a blanket and a small pillow. Needless to say, I ended up falling asleep and before I knew it, Miranda was shaking me telling me to wake up. I looked out the window and we were at RDU!



Once we got off of the plane, we went to baggage claim, collected our bags and said goodbye to everyone. We had such a great time in Fiji and I can not wait to see what next years vacation has in store for the Fantastic Five.

See you soon,

Megan

Day Twelve - October 19th, 2014

Today was a sad day. It was October 19th and we were leaving Fiji.

We woke up around 7 and we had packed the night before. We got dressed and ready and then finished packing up all of our stuff. We headed downstairs for breakfast at The Pantry and called for someone to take our bags to the car. We said our farewells and drove to the airport. We returned our rental car and then checked our bags and printed our boarding passes. After going through security we found our gate and then boarded the flight. The flight took off and I was so sad watching Fiji get smaller and smaller as we got higher and higher into the warm air. We all fell asleep for Meghan. She played Candy Crush on her phone trying to pass the level that she had been stuck on during the whole trip. 

When the flight landed In LAX it was almost 5:00. We picked out a few snacks and sat down in the lounge area of the first terminal. We goofed off in the airport and played terminal tag. Ashlyn was it and Miranda and I were on a team. Krista and Megan were on another team.  Ashlyn found Miranda and I easily. Once we were it we found Meghan because we could hear her laughing behind a chair. After we were bored with that we looked at shops around the Airport and Miranda bought a LAX keychain to  add to her collection. 

 We ate dinner and after a five hour layover we finally boarded our flight. We all fell asleep so fast and I was so happy  about how our trip turned out. 

-Megan

Day Eleven - October 18th, 2014

Today, October 18th , We are going Snorkeling and Surfing!

Today We woke up really really really early to get driving for our best snorkeling day! Its now about 5 am and we are going to see if we can pick up breakfast and go. Before we left for vacation we bought some snorkeling sets and got them sent to our hotel in Fiji.

We are taking the rental car all down the coast to go to many different snorkeling spots. The guys from the bonfire are going to lead the way to the best beaches they know. We reached the first beach ( the longest one away) at about 7 in the morning.  It was just light enough to get in the water to see some coral and animals!

The first stop was INCREDIBLE the water was so clear! It was almost like diving into a pool. There was the most colorful coral ever, it looked like a rainbow under water! Hundreds of species of fish were swarming around us!

 

Now we are off to beach number two! 

This beach was so clear and there was even a big rock to dive off of! We all held hands and jumped off together! Then we started heading out deep to see bigger fish and deeper waters. Just as we got out there a boat came and stopped us and said if you hurry you might see the sea turtle that popped up! Of course we all swam as fast as we could! Just a few feet away laid a HUGE sea turtle. Just then I lost all thoughts and feeling. It was the most incredible thing I have ever seen and I hope one day I will get to do it again. 

Now off to the last beach of the day! 

We had about an hour left until we had to head off to our surfing lesson. At this beach a nice man we met in the parking lot took us out on his boat and dropped us off pretty deep. Below us stood coral and all types of fish. I didnt even know where to look due to all the comotion under me. One of the boys we were with spotted a stingray! All of us decided to follow it around for a while, except Meghan and Krista because they were too scared. Just as we were following it, a huge school of fish scattered. I went to dive down to see what might have scared them. Just to see a shark right in front of me! It wasn't to scary because it was not very big but iI was not expecting it! I quickly waved down the boys, Miranda and Ashlyn to show them!

Now it was time to dry off, get some lunch, and head to The Beachouse for our surfing lesson!

We all just got suited up for surfing and are ready to go hit some waves. The intructor said it was a great day to learn the waves are the perfect height! 

We started off the lesson with staying on the beach and learning the basics of surfing and all the things we may need to learn. Then we hit the water. We all decided to race out there. I won being the swimmer and all. Meghan, Krista and Miranda were all so close to second then there was Ashlyn still at least 20 ft away from us. 

The first wave came towards us. Meghan and Krista paddled out and went for it and both came crashing down. Then the next came. Miranda and I actually stood up and rode in (right past Ashlyn) all the way to the beach! All the instructors were there chearing for us! 

After that we all got the hang of it and were riding waves left and right. 

Now it was time to go back. The guys asked us to go to dinner as our last night in Fiji to go have a traditional meal! We all said yes and headed back to the hotel about 45 min away. We got ready then headed out to dinner. They said we would be eating Kokoda. This was a dish with all fresh vegtables, coconut and fish! We all loved it! Ashlyn loved it so much she ended up eating 3 bowls! 

 

Now off back to the hotel! We thanked the boys for everything they did this trip and gave them our emails to keep in touch! 

We had to get an earlier night so we could get sleep before our flight tommorow! We all had such a great time in Fiji. I would come back any day! It is crazy how fast it went! Today was deffinitaly the best and i will never forget such an amazing trip with amazing people. 

Goodnight!  

-Megan                           

Day Ten - October 17th, 2014

Today October 17th ,We are going to a museum for the day!

This is a science museum that has a HUGE campus. I hope to learn a lot today. Right now we are heading to a small cafe down the street to get a BIG breakfast before a long day of walking around. Ashlyn of course had the most with French toast, eggs, bacon, sausage and much more I can't even explain. The rest of us ate quite a bit too.

After breakfast I drove to the museum. It was SO big. Plus there were so many items there!  25 million objects to be exact!! There were things from Dinosaurs, to plants, to mammals. All of the objects at the museum answered questions about earth.

There were all of these cool sights like the Dinosaur exhibit which was Miranda's, Krista's, and Ashlyn's favorite. There were Dinosaur bones, teeth and so much more. There was a HUGE structure of one too. The cool part of the Museum was that you go to learn so many facts while being able to have fun. My first thoughts were iffy about coming but it is so worth it!

 Meghan and I really enjoyed the Bio-Luminescence creatures. This was a new exhibit this year. It was a huge exhibit where there were THOUSANDS of creatures that glow, flash, and blink. It was like looking into a starry night. It lit up the room like nothing else. My favorite part personally was looking up and seeing the glow worms dangling from above. I was afraid one was going to fall on me!

Just as those thoughts came to mind I heard a scream from Ashlyn. As I looked over there was a glowing worm on her head! We all laughed so loud and everyone in the exhibit did too!

We decided after this incident it would be a good idea to head back to the hotel and go to the pool for a few hours, then get ready and head to town. It is our second to last day in Fiji and tomorrow we will not have time to go shopping so tonight is the last time!

The pool felt a lot colder than normal, so we did not stay long. We all hopped in the shower one after another and started to get ready! I already have my night in town outfit planned. I want to wear my shorts with my long sleeve sweater due to it being a bit chilly!

While in town there was a stand to get Henna Tattoos so of course we all ran there first! Meghan, Krista, and Ashlyn all got Dolphins and Miranda and I got Starfish! Hopefully they dont wear off to quickly because it is a great way to remember Fiji! Most of us spent the rest of our shopping money on great new things to bring home! I am pretty sure we are going to have to buy another suitcase after tonight.

Now, we are back at the hotel. We all decided to go to bed early because tomorrow was going to be a long busy day!

Goodnight!

- Megan

Day Nine - October 16th, 2014

We woke up around 9:00, ordered breakfast, and then got ready. Once we were ready we headed out to Kula Eco Park. When we got there we bought our tickets and headed straight to the bird sanctuary. The birds were so pretty!! They would fly up to you and land on your finger if you stuck it out. One bird pooped on Megan's head and it was so funny! After we took lots of pictures of the birds, we headed to the aqua life section of the Eco Park. 

Once we got to the aqua life section we all downed a bottle of water and Krista ate a few peanut butter crackers. There were a ton of cool species of fish and we got to pet the sting rays. It was so cool! We watched two guys feed the sharks while we listened to a tour guide talk about different species of fish. The aqua life section has definitely been my favorite so far. 

Next, we headed to the last section of the Eco Park. This section had a bunch of cool animals and a really big iguana!! It was so cool! I got to see a chameleon change colors and that has to be the coolest thing ever by-far. 

We were all hungry for lunch so we finally left the Eco park and headed out to the car. I drove and Ashlyn sat in the front seat. We stopped at a small restaurant. The food was okay but I've had better. Once we were back at the hotel we changed into tank tops and jean shorts. We left again to go to the Garden of the Sleeping Giant.  

The garden was so pretty!! There were tons of flowers in all different colors. Ashlyn and Krista went in one direction and Megan and Meghan and I went in another. We looked around at all of the flowers and then admired all of the different sizes and shapes of the shrubs. We went to all three gardens and then met Krista and Ashlyn back at the grand entry. We left and headed back to the hotel. We gave the car to the valet and bought firewood from a store a few blocks down. We headed down to the beach and set up a campfire. Once it was lit we sat in a circle around the fire. 

That is when the boys we met arrived!  I swear it was the best day of our lives. The fire was perfect because tonight was a little bit chilly. The boys asked us about our trip so far. We told them how lucky they were to live in such a beautiful place. We all decided to make s'mores so Megan and I quickly drove to the store. We brought back a TON of s'mores ingredients. I think we could feed everyone in Fiji! The boys made sure that we were going to go surfing and asked if they could come. Of course we said yes! We decided that we would spend the last day of our vacation with them. 

All of a sudden we were sitting on the beach and the boys pulled out water-guns  Surprisingly they brought some for us! We got soaked, but let me tell you, it was one heck of a night! I'm pretty sure everyone enjoyed it. The boys walked us back to the hotel and gave us all a kiss on the cheek goodnight!

Now Ashlyn, Meghan, and Krista headed up to the room to go to sleep. Megan and I went to the pool for a late night swim. The pool is so quiet at night and it was really relaxing after a long day. Now off to bed! 

- Miranda