*Coronavirus Distraction* BULA! Fiji!!

I have been in such a funk the last few days. This Coronavirus situation we're all in has my heart and mind on such an exhausting roller coaster. My inner introvert (feels a million times bigger than usual, for one,) appreciates a slower pace and not feeling obligated to agree to social commitments, but misses the ability to plan or anticipate anything. I don't even really know how to put a finger on it, but I was catching up with a friend a few days ago and she put it well that the situation in and of itself feels so overwhelming right now that anything more than daily functions and keeping up with her core community feels inordinate. I so agree. I tried to have a healthy approach to this overwhelm by pitching a tent in the backyard and unplugging from my phone for the better part of the weekend, I certainly don't think it did any harm, but I still feel overwhelmed.

I was trying to do something productive and community oriented, so I placed an order for pick-up from my very most favorite food truck this week! (Viking Soul Food, if you're in the Portland area and want to support local!) I then entered the rabbit hole of allllllllllll my many open tabs... *queue nostalgic music* I had a tab open probably in an attempt to blog more, but instead, it just became another layer of clutter that so closely represents the pages that are constantly left open in my brain! Either way, I got sucked in to the dreamy photos I made sure to upload before I got any linguistic thoughts documented. Ohhh, it was such a well-timed oasis, (not that I can say there'd be a bad time to visit Fiji!)

Two years ago (exactly!) I was 'suffering' from jet-lag and started this post. I had just been on the trip of a lifetime to ring in my daunting thirties (don't try to talk me out of it, I'm still working on embracing them.) My nights were wide-eyed and my days oh, so very groggy. The majority of said trip was spent reconnecting from friends from another season of life, road tripping along the Great Ocean Road from Melbourne to Adelaide. After nearly two weeks of close quarters and go-go-go, I had planned a slowdown on my way back in Fiji. 

After bidding farewell, to my friends in Melbourne, I headed to Auckland for an overnight layover. In an attempt to be a maximizer, I booked a fancy hotel down on the wharf thinking it'd be worth the maybe 16 hour layover to enjoy myself and explore, but it was dark and stormy and most of those 16 hours consisted of getting through customs, to and from the airport, and sleeping. HOWEVER, while in the airport, I found the third book of one of my favorite series, Still Me by Jojo Moyes, (following Me Before You and After You). Lou Clark will forever be a dear soul and a bit of a "spirit-animal" to me. While waiting for my flight from Auckland to Nadi, I jumped right in, so good to be in good company. :)

This is never the perspective we see the Pacific from... we're really not THAT far from Fiji and all the magic down undah! (It is a BIG scary ocean though...)

I landed in Nadi with no wifi and no real directions that I could see from the customs line. I was late for the car I'd hired for pickup and was afraid I'd be late for my appointment at 'the spa'... clearly, it had been a while since I'd been on island time. I got through customs with no problems and made my way down the stairs to a beautiful woman with a big, wide, white smile and a sign with my name on it. She must have seen my relief because she approached me with open arms as soon as I let out the breath I hadn't realized I had been holding. My driver's name was Chris and he had grown up on the island. He made me feel so welcome and comfortable and so much better about being late! He informed me that while I had been sleeping in Auckland, Fiji had experienced a category 3 cyclone. Hotels were on lockdown and much damage was done... as soon as we stepped out of the airport, I just kept saying, "It's like Moana, but in real life!!" Even after the destruction of Cyclone Keni, it was such a beautiful place! I honestly probably would have just thought it was extra rugged had Chris (and everyone I met following him) not shared their experience!

He drove me through the muddy, pothole filled roads to "the spa"! Now, I love a good day of self-care and pampering, but the ambiance of this place was excellent, bar none. I mean, where else can you cover yourself in mud and then watch a chicken strut under your massage table?!

I looooooove mud between my toes. :)

So gooey. So satisfying.

I walked through the pools to a man who instructed me to take the a bucket full of mud and cover myself from head-to-toe. Guys, this is was so unbelievably satisfying. I don't know if I played with mud much as a small child, but as an adult, I crave it. For some reason, it feels rebellious, liberating, and oh, so grounding! After covering myself with the mud, I was lead to a patch of grass where I was to sit and sun so the mud could dry and my skin could reap the benefits. :) I met a few young women who had been on the island for almost a week who shared their experience of Cyclone Keni with me. Everyone I came in contact with told me how lucky I was to have arrived after the storm had hit. They said they were on lockdown for nearly 48 hours and the hotel delivered one bag of groceries. I imagine that's about how it'd be had I just spent the last week in Hawaii like I was supposed to! Ugh, I can only imagine the frustration of literally being stuck in paradise with no opportunity to experience the beauty of it. Once our mud had dried and our 'skin' was crackly, we entered the warm pool. It was a hot source they constantly were pouring cooler water into, just an introduction to the water. We got some of the mud off and headed to the next pool, the HOT pool. The hot pool took me a minute to come to terms with, (and I really like hot baths!) but it was nearly scalding. We probably only spent five minutes in this pool, but our blood was pumping and then we were off to the COLD pool! After nearly boiling in the hot springs, the cold pool felt nice, but still so stinking cold! I felt relaxed and alert after the pools. Everything I had read and everyone I'd met who had done this outing already, said the massage was well worth the money. I'm always up for a massage and the price was unlike anything I'll find in the states. (The equivalent of an extra $10 added to my 'spa'.) I signed up. I walked over to the open-air massage table, was instructed to remove the top of my bathing suit (hello little chickens strutting all around, here are my ta-ta's!) and get comfortable on the table. The massage was, in fact, very relaxing. It was probably also pretty exfoliating with bits of sand leftover from the mud, but my favorite part was the fact that every time I started to doze off or settle into a deep relaxing state, a chicken would walk under my face and cluck as if to remind me that some of them were still on the clock.

Seriously, you guys!! THIS was the view from my room!

Traveling alone, I splurged a bit and stayed at the Hilton near the airport - I needed something close in proximity (after spending nearly two weeks roadtripping, I was happy to be in Fiji, but wanted to experience it by foot!) It was such a great choice. Chris gave me some good advice on our way from the mud bath to the hotel and even stopped for dinner and groceries! I managed to talk him into having some of the fish and chips he suggested with me and he advised I stock up on bottled water and any groceries I might want, that the food at the hotel was quite expensive. (What a guy?!)

I typically book my hotel rooms based on their bath tubs... This one appeared to have a very nice setup, but I had not really taken Cyclone Keni into account. I first noticed it when I used the toilet. The water was brown. I didn't think too much of it, this is a developing nation and maybe their plumbing was in the works... washed my hands - brown water... brushed my teeth - I used bottled water because the tap was still brown! I drew a bit of a bath and noticed it was still brown. I let that water out and jumped on the interwebs to see if this hotel had had any issues or complaints about brown water. There was nothing to note. I re-drew the bath water, dropped a lavender bath bomb in from one of our stops in SA, and reminded myself I just left the mud baths which I had paid to visit. ;) 

Miss Jane Francis was waiting for the bus and decided to join me on a walk to the marina after I passed her thrice (clearly unaware of what direction I was aiming for), not only were we able to find the marina we were both looking for, but I think we made pretty good company for each other, sharing little pieces of our stories and laughing together. These are the moments.  Special memories.

Had the whole pool area to myself. (The pool may have been closed, but whatevs.)

Even the reflection off the shower was colorful and sunny!

I had such a hard time figuring what kind of meds to buy to help me sleep with my cold. I felt SO incompetent!

Beauty after the storm. 

BABY SHARK!!!!!

Sunshine ALMOST made it too warm for Sauv Blanc... almost.

So many selfies when in paradise all by your selfie.

 

All-in-all, a trip I'll never forget and certainly don't regret. Should Fiji ever be a possibility again, I'll jump at the opportunity to explore the beauty of the island and get to know the souls behind those smiling faces again.