Friday, September 30, 2011

Fiji time



When we talked about going to Fiji earlier in the year, the first thing the girls wanted to know was, CAN WE GET OUR HAIR BRAIDED????"



And, you guessed it, they did! Well so far Lucy, Rosie and Char have (Bill has one, mini braid!), Sunday is booked in for tomorrow. The lovely hair braiding women sit under a hut by the sea and braid all day, they are such hard workers!


(Bill looks like he's been drinking too much Kava... :)  )

 Speaking of which I heard today that over 800 people are employed at this resort, amazing! It's the biggest employer in this region and provides jobs for many locals. Everyone we have spoken to seems to love working here, one guy, Johnny, has been here for 39 years! 


We got to experience a little local culture the other night at the amazing fire dancing show.


We ate local food and watched the very talented men and women dancers who also somehow got us up on stage dancing too! Very funny!


It was a blast. And also good for the kids to learn a little more about another culture,
we had hoped to visit a local village too but have run out of time.


At times I have felt a little awkward here and very aware of our privileged status as white westerners on holiday. I have tried to remind myself that this resort employs locals and provides other benefits to the local community, but it still feels weird being waited on.

I
The staff here are so warm and friendly, and their relaxed ways and generosity has made our holiday very special. I'd highly recommend Fiji as a place to visit and have fun in the sun. Everything runs on Fiji Time round here, which basically means it happens when it happens!! I hope I can take a bit of Fiji Time home with me :)


One of the best things about where we are staying is that the beach is right next to the pool. 


We have been happily wandering between the two.


Woo hoo!


You can see what I mean in this photo of Lucy jumping in the pool, the beach is just behind the palm trees.


I've heard that the weather in Melbourne is pretty ordinary and that there was a massive storm, is that right? Sorry for all these beachy shots, I"m not trying to rub it in, truly! I'll be back there again soon,
suffering along with the rest, and I'm not looking forward to it one bit! Well, that's not quite true, I will be glad to be home.

Mum, I hope you've enjoyed the photo's, and I do hope you are feeling better.We are missing you. 
Mark, if you happen to see this post, we miss you too. It seems like forever since we saw you, xo

Oh well, better go and get the kids to bed,
see you soon lovely friends xo


8 comments:

mel @ loved handmade said...

Ooohh, that looks heavenly! Enjoy the sunshine, the downtime & your gorgeous kids..x

Anonymous said...

Hi Honey, thanks for the lovely post. You all look so great and I miss you so much. Love, Mark

Selina said...

Oh it looks so lovely! Enjoy it!!

Floss said...

What a wonderful time you are having! So glad to see you all making the most of this opportunity. I quite see how you feel awkward being waited on, but I've heard of resorts that fly in all their staff from abroad, because 'you can't trust the natives', so I guess that this one, as a big employer, is helping rather than hindering the local people. So sit back and enjoy!

Sue said...

You look as though you are all having a wonderful time. The kids look great with all of their braids. Yes the weather here as been like winter, freezing cold, windy, stormy, and hail too. Tomorrow is going to be 15 with hail for the grand final so enjoy your lovely sunshine where you are Beck!

ZippyZippy said...

It looks lick such a beautiful relaxing time - enjoy, you lucky ducks! Bet you are missing the ducks too :)
Jacqueline.

Turquoise Gemma said...

that looks like so much fun, i wish i could have come too!!! i love the braided hair, very cool!!!

deux chiens et un garcon said...

So love the holidays pics. Looks so amazing with the beach as the backdrop.

Everyone looks so happy and relaxed.

To me the Fijians have the greatest sense of humour.

Have fun.

jill