Oh Fiji!  What an amazing country, with crystal Clear waters and beautiful people.  When flying into Fiji I did not know what to expect, most places have google images that showcase the absolute best scenes one could hope to find.  Landing at the airport in Nadi, it was not quite clear if the images from google were just great marketing. Driving through town I saw glimpses of what could be found in Honduras,  Jamaica or Mexico.  Buildings of concrete block with tin roofs, cinder blocks holding down the sheet metal, soda bottles and plastics littering the roadside.  Dozens of goats and cattle tied by the horns, grazing along the roadside.  Billboards for Coca Cola and McDonald’s brightly standing out against the backdrop of rolling mountains and lush greenery.  When visiting Fiji I have learned, you are not visiting for the city sites , but for the beautiful South Pacific waters surrounding the many islands.  The people of Fiji are beautiful and proud, most we spoke to claimed they love the ocean and belong in the waters.  Most of their food comes from the ocean, at low tide every day we would see the locals in the tide mud harvesting mud crab, mussels, lobster and seaweed. Aside from fishing many of their jobs are created around tourism, many people working on fishing charters, snorkel tours or dive boats. On this trip we stayed at a waterfront resort about 45 minutes from the city of Nadi.  The drive to the resort was along winding roads filled with stray cattle and an occasional horse, usually tied by a long rope to a tether nearby.  Through rolling hills and jagged mountain peaks to the southern ocean we drove.  Arriving at the resort we are greeted by the locals singing and playing guitar in a beautiful melody.  Everyone in Fiji say Bula!! as a way of greeting, it means many things, including “life” and “wishing you health and happiness”, it is pronounced Boo-Lah…and you will hear it a thousand times a day in Fiji.   The waterfront is a staggering color of sea green, at first glance we thought the resort must be dying the water!  In our suite the bed and bath are covered in beautiful fresh picked flowers, and the sea breeze is blowing in the curtains.  The entire grounds were a sight to see, and after the drive through the hills the Oceanside is a major change of landscape.  In the far distance we can see see volcanic islands, their mountain peaks dark against the deep blue sky…just like the google pictures, breathtaking!  On a 5 day stay we spent 4 days on the water and have no regrets.  The hotel Lagoon is nice and relaxing but the reefs and islands are what take our breath away.  Fijian culture is friendly and warm and the hot nights are spent at waterside restaurants with seafood dishes and music.  We have found the bay bugs to be popular and although they sound strange they are actually a type of lobster commonly found in these South Pacific waters.  Fresh caught fish and prawns are always readily available and Cassava is a local root vegetable like a yam, used in many meals.  Our first tour is guided by a local fisherman on his small boat, his name is Emosi and he was a spear fisher and diver before an ear injury.  For $100 USD, approximately $200 Fiji dollars he takes me and my husband out for 4 hours with fishing poles and snorkel gear in his topless boat.  The sun is hotter and Fiji than in Florida and we have to wear shirts and hats to stear clear of too much sun.  The heat is worth it as I catch a King Mackeral within 15 minutes of leaving the dock, a major surprise to us.  Out on the reefs about 30 minutes from land the water is crystal clear and about 90 degrees.  Under the water we see all kinds of coral, tropical fish in every color and kind, and starfish are scattered everywhere.  The clarity of the water is unbelievable.  We can’t get enough of the reefs and underwater life.  The starfish here are the brightest blue you have ever seen!  We leave Emosi our catch, he says he eats fish every day and he belongs in the ocean, in another life he would be a fish.  Back at the resort the atmosphere is relaxed and tranquil.  Perfect for weary travelers with a big day planned early the next morning.  Up at sunrise, we head out on a 45 min drive back to town to catch a bigger boat for a day of island hopping.  Fiji time is not the normal time we are used to, everything moves slower here, and our tour concierge has us arriving at the marina 2 hours early, “just to be safe”.  In hindsight we could have booked our own ride to town and made it 20 minutes before the boat departed but we learned that for next time.  Out on the boat we head first to a sandbar and Reef near Solevu Island.  The reef and drop off into the deep blue is amazing and here we see all varieties of clownfish (not Nemo) and angel fish and other beautiful exotic tropical fish.  The sandbar is pure white sand, miles away volcanic island mountains sprout out of the ocean.  The water changes by depth from crystal clear to teal to deep koolaid blue.   Back on the boat we tour around several more islands with resorts, our crew pointing out the sights.  We head to Monuriki Island, which is the island where the move Castaway was shot with Tom Hanks.  The reefs are beautiful and the island is rugged.  Large volcanic boulders stand out against the northwest corner.  After a picnic lunch on the sand of cassava, tuna sandwiches and roasted chicken we spend a couple hours in the water again.  The tour we were on was called Cruisin Fiji and the boat and crew were great, we enjoyed the information provided and the tour was amazing.  The next few days were spent hanging out in our over water villa at the resort, the back deck had stairs down into the water, which was amazing, and inside the perimeter floors were glass.  It is really easy to relax and do nothing in an over water villa.  New Years Eve at the resort was quite a spectacular production as well, the firework show could rival most large cities.  We were very impressed!  One of our last nights in Fiji it was a full moon and we fished off our back dock, my husband caught a fish with just a hook line and sardines!  Overall we had an amazing time in Fiji and will most definitely have to return again one day!  Highly recommended location for underwater lovers.   xoxo