We were up and out early today. 7am departure for Port Denarau, headed to Tokoriki in search of sun, beaches, and island adventures. These next two days are dedicated to trying to capture on film the beauty and the magic of Fiji, and we aren’t complaining about that!

We arrived in Port Denarau and were very excited to find a coffee shop that served Chai Latte’s and blended juices. We both ordered one of each and boarded the catamaran that would take us over to the island, Tokoriki.

About one hour later we arrived at our “port” (the Sheraton Tokoriki) and were greeted with singing, shell necklaces, a footbath, and some orange juice with grenadine. Our room wasn’t ready yet and so we planned to go for a hike to the top of the island. One of the hotel staff overheard our plan and asked if we had any plans that day to snorkel. We said yes and he advised us not to wait to go, as the weather was supposed to get colder and windier. So we made a quick change and jumped in the water with snorkels and masks.

The Sheraton Tokoriki is on a coral reef and so the water around it is shallow and full of fish. We swam above the reef, enjoying the neon fish, the starfish, and the plant life- all dancing in unison to the rhythm of the waves. All of a sudden, the water changed from an almost neon turquoise to a bright emerald and the coral dropped off into a much deeper abyss. Here, many schools of fish scuttled around and the sea-life was most active. It reminded me of an underwater version of the traffic patterns we had experienced in Kampala, Uganda- everything and everyone in motion, seemingly in different directions, trying to go different places, with no apparent order. The only difference was that the fish looked more relaxed about the whole thing (both, to me, are beautiful though)!

After snorkeling came lunch and facetime calls to the families back home (we miss you guys!), and then a little free time before our pre-dinner photo shoot. For my free time I went on a run to the top of the island. There is so much beauty to take in here, even on a cloudy, windy, day. Admittedly, it has taken some internal self-pep talks for me to keep that mentality amidst the unexpected cold and rain we have encountered on our trip (who knew that it rained in Fiji? We certainly never see photos of that online!). But, come on Jess, here I am standing on top of a mountain, in the middle of Fiji, with no one in sight (the only things in sight are the 10-12 other islands just off shore), and I’m bummed that the water and the sky aren’t the “ideal” color?  How sad! #oceanviewsnob #notproud Anyhow, I think another blog will be coming on that subject in not too long!

Speaking of “subjects” The subject of our pre-dinner photo shoot was the local vegetation. If you’ve read my previous posts, you’ve seen several comments about how beautiful it is. Tonight was an attempt to capture some of it so we can share it with you!

As part of our photo-shoot, we walked over to the Tokoriki Island resort and shot some photos using their lush landscaping. We also enjoyed some incredible hospitality, amazing sunset views, live-local music, and dinner. This resort was one of my favorite stops on the trip because everything about it felt warm, intentional, and beautiful. There, we truly felt like we were on “Fiji time.” I’m really hoping to return.