Yasawa Islands, Fiji  October 31- November 6, 2009

     OCTOPUS, PIGGY, KING! KING, OCTOPUS, PIGGY! KING, KING, PIGGY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

     You may be wondering what in the world we are talking about, kinda sounds crazy huh? Well, Octopus, Piggy, King is a game that we played at Octopus Resort against all of the other couples staying there. You see, I am the true gamer in this marriage and I played all of the games that night (including the Limbo, a beer chugging relay race and a crazy balloon dancing game), trying my damnest to win a prize, e.g, a bottle of champagne, or a massage. It was time for the last game of the night. I was sweaty and out of breath but certain I had this one in the bag. I will win this one.

It was the grandaddy of all grandaddies, the last game of the night, but with the best prize ever. . . a complimentary one night stay in their most luxurious oceanfront beach bungalow with a large flat screen TV, AC, oversized walk in shower (with HOT water, remember, we are in Fiji), king sized bed, and double beachside hammock (a prize worth $500.00!!). The only catch. . .  I needed to convince my wonderful husband to play with me. I said "Baby, I know you hate this whole game thing, but all you have to do is stand there and let me use you as my personal human jungle gym and leave the rest to me." He finished the last sip of his Fiji Gold and grabbed my hand with confidence heading towards the spotlight. He looked at me directly in the eyes and with burning determination he said "Game on!" We all know what he was really thinking. . . "A happy wife is a happy life" he he he.  Also, the next day was my birthday, and how sweet would it be to stay in the PIMP Pad for a night and leave the congested dorm behind?

The panel of judges gave all of us the stare down. The ring leader Nick, who is the owner of the resort explained the rules: "When I say Octopus, the lady must leap into the gentleman's arms like he is carrying her over the doorstep after their wedding. When I say Piggy, she must jump on your back 'piggyback style', and when I yell King, she must sit on your knee and you must hold her up. I'm going to say all of these very fast and in all types of order. When I stop, you must hold the position, and the last one to complete all of the moves is OUT!. . . Ready, set, GO! Piggy, Octopus King!".

 Ok, you get the point. We dominated that beach and won the Grand Prize! It was the best birthday present ever, not to mention that I also went scuba Diving , and had a beachside massage on my birthday. . . ok, ok, so what if I am spoiled??

Fiji is a beautiful country rich with culture and plenty of things to do and see. We experienced as much local culture as possible but were also able to dive into the ocean and spend many hours in the underwater playground of the Fiji Islands. The snorkeling here is as good as it gets and the diving was great, but the snorkeling was just as awesome. Our biggest regret; we don't have an underwater camera, so you will have to use your imagination!

     We had some issues posting the pictures on this blog, so please bear with us. . .the photos are out of order, and seem to be in a disarray, but don't worry because we bought a laptop today.Yeaahhh!!!! Can't wait to try it out! I am so fed up with Internet Cafe's I could write an entire article! But just wait, there will be tons and tons of new and improved blogs coming! I promise!

     Let's talk about Kava. The locals call it Grog, I call it absolutely insane and borderline repulsive, yet somehow I was nicknamed the "Kava Queen" by the locals at Oarsman's Resort. I'm pretty sure 30-40 cups of it is considered over -doing it for my first time, but I am an extremist by nature, what can I say.

Sambo=0, Kava=1

 Brad's Mom told us that Kava is amazing and that we must try it when we were in Fiji. OK Cyn (love you Momma PH), you must be a true Fijiian at heart because this muddy water was out of control eewww. Local Fijian's do not drink alcohol, they drink Kava, and there is a few sacred rules they follow. 1. You must be invited into the Kava ceremony, and should bring a gift if possible.2. Clap once before you receive your bowl, drink it, then clap three times before you pass the bowl back. 3. You must finish the entire cup in one gulp.

Kava comes from the root of the pepper tree and is a mild hallucinogenic. It makes your mouth numb with the first sip, and I am not even going to tell you what it does to you after 30 bowls. Let's just say we felt stoned for days.

We loved everything about Fiji, especially the sweet and genuine Fijiian people. We had such a blast and we were so sad to go we almost changed our ticket. But we must keep on moving, the inner Nomads in us are ready to move on. . . Auckland New Zealand is where we are now. We are freezing, but can't wait to see what New Zealand has to offer!

Love, from the Kava capital of the world- Kava Queen and Jungle Brad

That's Brad, me and Jimbo. Jim was our gracious host at Octopus. What an amazing guy. Thanks Jim!!                                             

Relaxing with our friend Thomas! You rock Tom : )

  Gazing out into the deep blue sea. Life is so fantastic!

The wonderful crew at Oarsman's Resort! Thank you for your hospitality. . . and the Kava!

The view from the boat at Octopus Resort

So sad to leave our tropical paradise!!! We will be back, oh yes, we will be back!

           Ducky loves Fiji, and yes Kim, that says "Kim we're in Fiji trick"!