Last day in Fiji 🇫🇯

It is 12:30pm on Tuesday June 6th, at home. I am working tomorrow AND Friday this week (although I should do ok as i worked 6 days in a row in Fiji on the medical mission with Loloma Foundation) so i want to at least finish up the last day in Fiji post today.

https://www.instagram.com/linking/fundraiser?fundraiser_id=894077468354435&source_name=SHARE_LINK

The link above should take you to a fundraising page on Instagram I created. I paid $3000 to the foundation to cover my travel and housing costs but all the costs of medicines, supplies, logistics, local support staff depend on charitable donations to the foundation.

http://lolomafoundation.org

Wow, I just saw that I can make a combined “media/text” block in WordPress, this might be better at times than adding a photo and then “comment” below it…. After a busy morning of unpacking, paying bills, doing some household chores and dog care I decided to Blog outside. The iPad is not as efficient as a computer but better than the phone as i do have a Bluetooth keyboard. It is 70 degrees with a slight breeze and smoke tinged sky (Canadian wildfires still, I can actually faintly smell smoke even with my VERY poor sense of smell).

It was raining and windy when I woke at 5am and the waves were very loud as the full moon high tide was going to be at 6ish. If it had been windless and blue sky I would have gone out for another surf session in the boat but I was fine with alternate plans. I packed and waited for it to get light enough out to go for a run. Normally it would have been bright out at 6am but it took a little longer as mostly overcast.

I didn’t mind running in a drizzle (especially as it was 79 and humid) but the super high tide left me very little beach only the steep part. The photo above was several hours later with much more beach. At low tide one could walk on dry land around the black rocks in the distance but at high tide that was the end of the beach. I did a few runs back and forth on the sand (very slowly, it reminded me of the sand staircase part of the run at the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon) and then also added loops on the sandy paths around the resort. I got to see the staff quarters inland and the amazing vegetable gardens and numerous papaya trees.

I saw an entrance to a hiking trail in the back of the property but it only took me 20 steps to see that it was too steep, muddy, rocky to “run”. I came back to it later for a 10 minute hike. By now the rain had stopped and it was almost sunny.

I had done a few Yoga sessions (usually only 10 or 20 minutes) on the trip but always in the air conditioned comfort of my room. Since no A/C here it was beachfront Yoga time. Warrior 2 I can make look good since both feet are on the ground.

After a quick shave and shower I went to breakfast. I took a table by myself after telling the indo-Fijian couple that I was not being unfriendly but just needed my last breakfast in paradise to be just me, my Kindle and some relaxing music. Eggs, toast, fresh fruit including some coconut along with the ubiquitous papaya, coffee, and Mueslix.

I read my kindle, rested, relaxed for a while and then wanted to go out for a snorkel of the reef with my GoPro.

The tide was actually a little too low by now and I had to carefully walk out over the almost exposed reef for a long time before I could actually swim.

After I got my snorkeling gear on and my GoPro and was on the 30 step walk to the edge of the surf i heard Suki barking.

Barking at Sailboat a mile offshore! Talk about being territorial!

I think that over the 2 weeks in Fiji I snorkeled (or swam over fish filled reefs) for about 10 hours so by this outing I don’t think I saw any “new” fish but I got my best photo of the amazing blue sea stars (Blue Linckia Sea Star per iNaturalist). And all these photos were on a silty, low-visibility day as the waves were just a few feet above the prime coral reefs at drop off (the day before it was 5-6 feet and crystal clear).

The Corals were as varied and gorgeous as the fish, their colors don’t show up as well on GoPro as fish colors though. The bright yellows and purples were amazing. And the Honeycomb Coral growing over the light blue colored coral, next to the blue sea star was one of my best shots.

I saw another Nemo and Nemo’s Dad in an anemone (predatory marine invertebrate, but does not sting Clownfish).

Dad swims out to “threaten” me, “stay back son!”

Here are a few photos of the “drop” that Nemo is NOT supposed to swim out past. The barracuda, sharks, etc. tend to stay in the deeper water, they can’t get to a fish hiding in the tight spaces in the coral.

I forgot to start Garmin until out on drop but again you can easily see where the reef ends and blue water begins.

Lunch with Suki. Then I did another quick shower and last packing and read my Kindle on the lounge chair on my porch. I was told the boat to mainland would leave at 2pm so I was totally ready by 1pm but at 1:15 one of the staff came by for my luggage and asked if i was ready to go. I said sure.

… had to move inside, iPad down to 1%, my editor came with me…

*I put up the umbrella for Fifa, in the shade it was actually cool and i had 2 cups of tea.*

The iPad is starting to get lethargic with updates to draft so I will wrap this post up with leaving the island and include everything else in journey home blog. I really will need to do that on computer.

I thought we were just heading to the boat but instead i was led to the pavilion where all the staff (10-12) were with Rose and Jacob (I think Peter and Amy had left in the morning when I was snorkeling). There was a very nice farewell ceremony and then lots of hugging. Jacob said that Rose would be visiting him in California later this year and that he wanted to also take her to see Niagara Falls and visit relatives in Toronto so I gave him my contact info.