So much catching up to do!

Wow.... I feel like I've been lost in translation these past 5 days... where do I start??? I guess I have not written for good reason, haven't had any means of communication these past days while in Fiji.

Monday: California
Marci and I rented a car for the day, as our flight didn't leave till 9 p.m. We were able to accomplish/see a lot! We drove up the Cali coast towards Malibu. We were able to see Santa Monica and we ended up parking the car to walk through Venice Beach. It kind of reminded me of a total 'hippie' version of Miami. There was such an ecclectic group of people in this area... hippies, surfers, homeless people, tourists. The boardwalk was great... all these little shops selling trinkets and sunglasses. I think what cracked me up the most were the shops with 'walking advertisements' standing outside of them, trying to get you to go in to see a 'Pot Doctor.' I did not know that Marijuana was a legal substance in California. So I stopped, out of curiosity sake, and asked a few questions. The young girl told me that all you have to have is an 'ailment' for the doctor to write you up a prescription. Let's just say the "waiting room" chairs in all of these places seemed too full!

Tuesday: Nadi, Fiji
Well, after an 11 hour flight, I don't think there is anything better than feeling that amazing tropical air as you walk off an airplane. We landed in Fiji around 5:30 a.m. without any hotels booked. We thought we'd just go with the flow and see where it takes us.
Before I left I was so stressed over money, and my friend Carmela put it to me bluntly over coffee, "Niyla, this isn't a trip where you should be counting your pennies." Yes, I am travelling on a budget, but Carmela, you are so right... had I been counting my pennies I most likely would not have decided to spend the next 4 days on an 2 Fijian islands.....

Wednesday & Thursday: Bounty Island, Fiji
Coming onto this island didn't seem real. Actually, for anyone that saw the movie "Castaway" with Tom Hanks, it was filmed on one of the islands in Fiji. So Fiji on the map is just a tiny little dot, but what I didn't know was that there are about 330 islands surrounding the "dot" that is all considered Fiji too!
Bounty island we could walk the whole island in about 20 minutes. We stayed in a "Bure" which was a little house right on the beach... when we opened our door we were on sand, looking at the ocean and our own private hammock, which I pretty much lived in for 2 days!
There wasn't all that much to do besides, swim, read, snorkel, kayak, and sleep. Not a bad way to start this trip that's for sure!!