FIJI

"Fiji. You can't get any further away before you start coming back." - Truman (The Truman Show)

Well, it's not as far if you're leaving from Australia. But for my parents who met me there after a long six months without seeing them, it's pretty much as far as you can get. Fiji was a dream - it seemed so unreal looking around at the crystal blue skies and sea, as we were among the 300-some islands that dot the perimeter of Fiji in the South Pacific Ocean.

My parents arrived in Fiji a few days prior to Scott and I arriving, so that they could overcome the severe jet lag from 22 hours in flight time. (They told me the first morning they woke up at 1:30 a.m. to start their day haha).

We arrived around 3 p.m. to the Hilton Resort + Spa on Denerau Island, just 25 minutes outside of the Nadi Airport. It was a convenient spot, that after our 4 hour plane ride made for an easy transition into paradise. My parents were waiting in the lobby eagerly for us to pull up to the driveway. My mom gave us a quick tour of the grounds before we made our way to our suite (this was seriously the nicest hotel room I've ever been in). And at last, we were reunited.

We enjoyed looking at the splash pool and private deck just outside our rooms. That night we enjoyed dinner at the Marina at a restaurant called Bonefish, where the seafood was divine. I tried the King Fish Walu and Mahi Mahi. We all went to bed early in anticipation of our exciting day excursion planned ahead.

BOAT TOUR: CRUISIN' FIJI

The first stop on our boat tour in Fiji was the sandbar called Mana. It was just a patch of sand sticking out of the blue water - picturesque, really. Our boat stopped here and took us on a snorkeling tour (Scott, my Mom, and I opted out and instead just explored the sandbar) where they saw the 'dropoff' - where the ocean floor drops about 50 feet or so. My dad even saw a bull shark, so I'm really glad I stayed out of that snorkeling tour haha. However, when one of the women asked where the shark's whereabouts were, the Fijian guy responded "Somewhere in the water..."

We walked around the entire sandbar and enjoyed the warm crystal blue water. There was reef all around the sandbar so we still had a chance to swim with our snorkel flippers and masks.

The second stop on the boat tour was the island of Monu. This one was much more than a patch of sand in the sea - it looked so lush and tropical, untouched. Here, we anchored and snorkeled again, taking in the turquoise water and scenery.

It almost seemed like we were inside of a postcard, or an ad saying "Come visit Fiji!" because it all seemed too perfect. I could just float there for hours... until people joked on the boat that there was a sting ray near me.

My dad likes the below photo because he looks like a giant - but in reality, he was just standing on a higher slope of the boat front haha. Sorry Paul.

The last island we visited was Monuriki - the place where they filmed "Castaway." I had never seen this movie, but I am eager to watch it now. Our tour guide's family actually owns the island! He told us about different plants that grow and help as medicine (such as for sinus issues).

The best part of the trip was the fact that I could be with my mom during her birthday (even though she was hoping to skip it crossing the International Date Line on her flight over). Six months was too long they said, but for me the time flew by in between. We enjoyed her birthday dinner at Bonefish at the Marina (it was so good we had to go back for seconds).

I had to part with my parents the next day as they flew back home to Florida. As for Scott and I, we enjoyed our last night at the resort having dinner at the beach and testing out the luxury robes we found in our closet.

We finished our stay at the Hilton with a morning kayak adventure before our flight back to Sydney.

Yeah, you could say Fiji was alright... until next time :)