FIJI, FLIGHTS and FRIENDS

FIJI was fun. The FLIGHTS were long. We love our FRIENDS. We are finally home and ecstatic to be here! This will be the last post on this blog, but I'll send you our new blog address when I start one. It won't be as exciting, but I'll still post pics of anything exciting that we do.

Anyway, we had a great time in Fiji! When you get off the main island it is a very beautiful place. Unfortunately, Fijians are not educated on environmental issues, so there is a lot of pollution on the big island. Once you take a boat to any of the islands, though, you are instantly blown away by the beauty of God's creation. White sand, crystal clear water, dense vegetation, coral reefs, tropical fish, etc. I know you just want to see pictures, so I'll stop writing, but just know that we appreciate all of the notes that people wrote us. Being so far away really makes you appreciate the people at home. Okay. So there it is. Check out the pics and call us to catch up. I'm out. T.

Isn't it amazing that He made this?

A coral reef around Fiji as seen from our plane.

The day after we arrived, we found our way to Natadola Beach. So beautiful and uncrowded!

Yeah, he looks good! But that's the biggest wave he could get to in Fiji!

I asked our taxi driver how you eat sugar cane, so he pulled out the machete from behind his seat (scary) and got us some.

This is how you eat sugar cane...

...or like that!

The next day we took a day cruise to Malamala Island. Absolute paradise (except that we weren't alone).

This is Malamala as seen from the boat.

This is the market in Nadi (pronounced nan-dee).

When you come visit me I'll show you the great mask we bought there!

No, this is not an optical illusion. Our friend Serevi is a big man! And Shane really is that white! His wife Melissa is holding their newborn, Peter.

Don't you just love the fact that a coconut is just sitting on the beach?

This beach is just down the road from Melissa and Serevi's home. Nice, eh?

The boys are gazing into each other's eyes as the sun goes down in Fiji.

We spent 2 days in the Yasawas (islands off of Fiji) and this was the view from our hut.

At this moment, I was not thinking about Victoria.

Our hut had a comfy hammock that I just couldn't balance on. Good thing we don't have a video camera!

We went exploring and found this tree growing from the ocean floor. So pretty!

Sunsets are unrivaled in Fiji. See for yourself!

This was our hut at Nalova Bay on Navola Island.

Shane loved snorkelling and even fed the fish! The rice went over alright, but the pancake was a big hit! Yep, I've got pictures.

Shane MADE me walk up the hill, and I whined all the way, but what a view!

From the top you could see all sorts of inlets and bays.

This island was postcard perfect! I'll miss you, Fiji!

Fun In Jungle Islands - FIJI

BULA!! (hello in Fijian)

We are having a great time in Fiji! We have been staying with our friends Melissa and Serevee in Nadi and have been exploring the beaches and the islands around here. We have some amazing pics, but I'll have to post them on the weekend when we are home and not paying for internet!

We have been to Natadola beach, Malamala Island and Nalova Bay on Navola Island. We picked up a beautiful mask from a local market and have experienced public transit at its best and its worst. Today we are heading to Suva for a day, then to the Coral Coast for surf (hopefully), then finally back to Nadi on Friday to grab our stuff and go! We leave Fiji on Friday night, but because we are crossing the date line, we also arrive in Victoria on Friday night. It's something like 15 hours of travelling, so please pray for our safety and our sanity!

So, I'll post Fiji pictures when I get home and I'll see you all soon! If anyone would like to join our camping trip to Tofino on August 11 and 12, email me and I'll give you the details. The site is booked and it's very cheap. Ta ta for now! T.

Australia - Speed Sightseeing

HIYA!!! We actually made it to Oz! Thanks to the Lord's answer to our prayer, we sold the van in NZ quickly...the night we posted our ad...for what we paid for it! Amazing! So, we bought tickets the next day and flew out the next! We only had 4 full days, so we crammed in a lot of stuff!

We flew into Brisbane and stayed with Shane's friend Mike for 2 days. We walked around Brisbane (great shopping) the went to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary where we cuddled a koala named Mark (I have a picture!), fed kangaroos (technically wallabies, but whatever) and saw tonnes of native Aussie animals like dingos, wombats, lorikeets, kookaburas, emus, and alligators. Then we headed down the Gold Coast to Surfer's Paradise (a nicer, newer Waikiki) and Shane surfed Snapper Rocks with a local (he had a fin!) Then we went to the famous Byron Bay lighthouse, spotted wild kangaroos and surfed at Coff's Harbour. After sleeping in Newcastle in the rain, we drove to Sydney in the rain. We attended a Hillsong service (amazing campus) and saw Sydney's lights from across the harbour. We didn't know if the sun would come out for us, but it did so we spent the day in Sydney then snuck a sunset surf in at Dee Why beach. What a way to end our days in Oz!

I know there's more I want to say, but I'm sleepy and I have to get on another plane tomorrow morning. So, good night, enjoy the pictures and I'll see y'all in less than 2 weeks! yay!

Congratulations, Ryan and Lori!!!! (they got married!) See you soon!

This guy needs a teddy bear!

"Finally! Someone who will eat out of my hand!"

"I don't care how HIGH you can jump! I'm still taller!"

How cute are these guys?

This guy was just waking up when we walked by! Sooo cute!

Shane is carving at Snapper Rocks! I think he's looking at his finned friend!

THE Byron Bay lighthouse. 1901, I think.

I still can't believe we were at the Sydney Opera House! Did you know it was designed with orange segments? I'm not even joking. Really.

And there's the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The train we took from Turramurra crossed it! Very cool.

And here is my cute husband in Sydney, Australia. What an adventure!

Aahh...warmth!

HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!! How were the famous Victoria fireworks this year? We had our own celebration down here with an early soccer game and some croissants, but that's about it! I hope you all appreciate the beautiful country you live in and the freedom that comes with it! Canada is truly God's country! Anyway, enough patroitism.

We left the south island a few days early and said goodbye to Kurt and Rhonda (and Olivia and Li-li) in Christchurch. We saw more seals in Kaikoura and Shane had one last surf. As soon as we got off the ferry, the weather was awesome! We said goodbye to Aphra and Jacob in Wellington then headed to New Plymouth and Raglan for surf. We're just about to head up to Mount Maunganui for a big swell, then we'll see the Coromandel and head to Auckland for our flight to Fiji. I can't wait for my pasty body to get some sun! The north island weather is so different from the south and today's outfit (tank and light sweater) were a welcome change from thermals and touques!

So, stay posted for one more picture post from New Zealand before we head to Fiji. See you Victorians at the end of this month! Peace out! - T.