Big City Civilization

After 3 weeks of relaxing and island hopping we've suddenly been plopped into the metropolis of Sydney. We had a great time in Fiji, though we did find it pre-packaged and a bit overpriced. Fiji can be done 2 ways, honeymoon or backpacker. To do backpacker we used a company called Awesome Adventures. If you go to the site www.awesomefiji.com you can get an idea of what we did. We got a Bula Pass ( a boat pass that allowed us to do unlimited island hopping over the course of 21 days). Hop we did visiting Nacula, Tavewa, Nanuya Lai Lai, Naviti, Wanna Taki (a moored ship we slept on actually, not an island), Kuata, and South Sea Island. The accommodations on these islands didn't vary too much, so I will offer a general idea of how were were living. The islands come in several sizes (walk around in 10 minutes to walk around in 1 hour). Usually each island had one village and maybe 100 inhabitants. Most people speak Fijian and English. Running water is typically a mixture of salt water and fresh water, showers are refreshingly chilled, drinking water is provided by the rain. There are no markets, cars, or roads and electricity is limited per day on a generator basis. When the electricity went off at night we were enveloped in a blanket of Southern Hemisphere stars unlike anything we have ever seen. We slept in thatched roof huts with bunk beds and mosquito nets. The places we stayed at ranged from having 5 guests to about 40. The price of accommodation included a meal plan. At 8, 12, and 7 when the stick was banged on the hollowed log, we would join the other guests for meals. We ate fish, veggies, and a lot of starchy fillers. The food was nothing to brag about and it was frustrating not having choices, but it was tolerable. We went to bed at an average time of 10pm and simply enjoyed the simplicity. We made friends with locals and partook in Kava Ceremonies, we perfected hammock lounging, had long walks and even longer talks, we got so bored that we craved a city, and then we realized how lucky we were to be away from it all. We saw the island where Brooke Shields filmed the Blue Lagoon, we snorkeled and held a sea cucumber, a sting ray swam 3 inches from my ankle, we met people from around the globe, we eased ourselves into the Travel Mentality. And he were are now, at an internet Cafe full of people, in Sydney Australia, loud cars and honking just outside, business people, fashionable people, cell phones, subways, trains, busses, choices. I guess I would call it the exact opposite of Fiji. We are staying in an apartment with an Italian guy, Gionata whom we connected with via Couch Surfing. Gionata left Italy 2 years ago with $2200 and his motorcycle. What he has done with this is profound. Please check out his website: www.partireper.it We feel so lucky to be hosted by such a kind fellow traveller. There will be more on Sydney to come. We have been gone just shy of a month and we are learning and experiences new things everyday. In two days we will be off to Indonesia to continue this global whirlwind!
Cheers Jordan

A note from Megan

Well, I can't say that I have been the best about writing e-mails since I have been gone. But I have very good reason…Sarah, Jordan, and I have been living like the islanders. It has some major perks: taking amazing hikes to view the perimeters of an island, allowing yourself loads of time to think about everything from the book you are reading to the nature of the tides in the sea. It also means that you are on 'Fiji time', however, which can mean waiting a long time to get something done. We have been journaling like never before, though, and come up with some really great ideas within the pages of our little books. We are very excited to get to Bali, though we are sad to be saying goodbye to Sarah!! She is heading back to New Zealand tomorrow and Jordan and I will visit Australia for a bit before making our way to Indonesia. We have been on the main island in Fiji for the last few days, talking to fellow global travelers and meeting many wonderful Fijian people. Two days ago we were invited to a going away party for a local girl we met and we were treated to an amazing Fijian meal, great insight into Fijian life, and our friend's 83-year old ukulele-playing grandfather. For the majority of our trip, though, we have been out island-hopping. Every island that we saw gave us a new and amazing landscape to traverse and new and interesting people to interact with (there was also the occasional island experience that caused us to leave the very next day…I guess we aren't quite rugged enough to hang with some of the conditions). It has been so relaxed and amazing here, but we are ready for another adventure. The islands did offer great ways to pass the time (i.e. kayaking, visits to the local schools and villages, snorkeling, swimming, coconut-eating,, biking, etc.), but you can only chill out for so long before you tire of relaxation and find new ways to enjoy the place. Most recently, we have participated in kava-drinking ceremonies (a local drink that tastes like muddy/sock water, but is supposed to be beneficial to your health and allow you to sleep in the heat), painted the dresses that I made with my grandma (the locals loved this and started painting all of their shirts, haha!), and perfected our vocals with a crew of fellow traveler's on the beach via a two-hour song festival starring us and two Brits. At times we are shocked by how resort-like many of the places are, but other times we are equally as shocked by the solitude and simplicity of some places. Our best moments have been those times when we are welcomed into the community and shown things that make us truly happy. I am very aware of the exhaustiveness of some travel emails, so I will try not to go into too much detail, but suffice to say, we have learned about many of the cultural dynamics that exist in the global community that we have entered. From now on, Jordan and I have decided that it would be better to use this blog for some journal entries and let the pictures that we send on 'snapfish' tell part of our story as well. It is so hard to describe all of the things that we have experienced in the past month, but it has already been so incredible, we can't wait for the next country!! We send love to all of our friends and family and miss you all!!
Megan

Some Quick Links

Hey guys. Here is a link to some pictures from Fiji.
http://colorado.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2133939&l=b29ff&id=10211609 You can also check out www.awesomefiji.com and check out the sites of the boat we were on and some of the islands we stayed on. More detailed postings are coming soon!