Bula!

Leaving the US was much more difficult than I thought it would be. I started with the worst plane ride in the world. The mixture of nerves, two margaritas, and motion sickness medicine resulted in my using five sick bags throughout the flight. But then I landed in Fiji.

 

Fijians are said to be the happiest people in the world, and that’s probably true. Everyone I met from my cab driver to the hostel workers were wonderful. Instead of avoiding eye contact with strangers and rushing past them, they say hello/welcome (or bula!) to everyone.

 

 

My first night I found myself in a four-person dorm; only three strangers to deal with. Luckily one girl quickly introduced herself and we bonded. I met the other two soon after. It was an amazing feeling to be quickly surrounded by people who were travelling long-term, like myself. Here I wasn’t an outlier, rather one of many enjoying a hiatus from ‘real life’.

 

 

I quickly learned that the standard for meeting people while traveling is “what’s your name, where are you from, how long have you been traveling, where to next?” It is a great icebreaker if you are shy when meeting new people, like myself. Even non-English speakers can say hello and let you know which country they are from.

 

I made friends with several people in Fiji, in both hostels I stayed in. My first and last nights were on the main island, Nadi. The middle nights I spent on Beachcomber Island.

 

Beachcomber Island is described as a ‘party island’ in some of the brochures. Back at home going to a party alone, let alone a party island alone would be crazy. Here, it was normal. I arrived via a water taxi to an island with white sandy beaches and checked into the only budget accommodation available, a 100-person dorm. This really helped push me out of my comfort zone.

 

My favorite activity was the fish feeding and snorkeling, which I did daily.

 

 

Most of the travelers I met in Fiji hailed mostly from Australia and New Zealand, since it is geographically pretty close for a tropical getaway. Meeting people from countries I would soon be visiting was really great. I started feeling less alone.

 

 

I spent the week embracing the backpacking lifestyle. I did my laundry in a sink, got comfortable sleeping in rooms with strangers, gave up makeup and styling my hair. Ultimately those things didn’t matter because I realized that everyone else is in the same boat.

I will miss the beautiful weather, awesome friends I made, and the friendly Fijian People. Ni sa moce, until next time.

Next up, a three week bus tour around New Zealand!