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Showing posts with label snorkeling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label snorkeling. Show all posts

Monday, April 16, 2012

N is for...

New Experiences.


N was originally going to be for New Zealand, and I mean seriously, what else could N possibly be for?  Except that I don't really have much to post about New Zealand that I haven't already.  Basically it would just be a reminiscing blog and I don't want to do that.  So I will, instead, focus on new experiences and anyone interest in reading about my time in NZ can check out this post or this one. 

New Experiences!  I love doing new things.  Even if they turn out to be pretty suck-y, new things just give a little kick to life.  I've had a lot of new experiences in the past year, going to NZ, traveling around NZ, traveling around cities, abseiling, almost skydiving, etc.  All of those experiences are great memories to have.  Even little things like going to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Fair last fall or the 2012 Northeast Conclave of The Wildlife Society this past weekend (the reason I posted three blogs at once) are great to mix up the daily grind.

Yes, days off are always important.  Give yourself some time to relax, sure, but make sure you get out, too.   There is so must to do, so much to see, and so much fun to be had!  Why would you ever pass it up to sit on your couch and watch reruns on TV?  There are plenty of activities out there, both that require money and ones that don't.  There are plenty of parks around, even stopping by a playground while school is in session and spending some time reliving your childhood is a great way to step out of the ordinary.  Teach yourself to knit or go to a photography workshop.  Like the picture says, try something new! 

A reoccurring theme in one of the books I'm currently reading is the John Lennon quote, "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans."  Don't let life go on without you because believe me, it's entirely too short to begin with.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Fiji Claims Revenge

Fiji is absolutely gorgeous, rain or shine.  Now you might be thinking, “Well duh, it’s Fiji.”  But let me just tell you, Fiji can also be mean… or the ocean can anyways.  For Christmas last year, I bought (via my mom) a video camera that had the capability to go underwater.  On our third day in Fiji, we decided to go snorkeling after a walk to the village.  I guess I should tell you about that first… hang on to that first topic for a minute; we’ll come back to it...

On the morning of February 7, 2011, a large group of us gathered after breakfast and trekked up into the forest to visit the local village.  The way it was described to me was that the village was on the other side of the island, and you just had to follow the path up and over the mountain to reach it.  What was left out was the couple mile walk along the beach on the other side of the island.  Not that that walk wasn’t gorgeous, but it was just a little longer than expected.  Happily, I found another slow walker, Carissa Crittenden, and we trailed behind the main group, along with our... I really don’t know what to call him… along with our Ryan Friesan.  Once we reached the village, the ladies had to cover their shoulders and their legs down to their knees, for which I used a t-shirt and a sari type piece of cloth I bought at the resort.  As a group we meandered through the village.  We visited the school…
We visited the church…

Monday, February 14, 2011

The Luxury of Simplicity

February 6, 2011

Our second day here in gorgeous Fiji.  Still as awesome as it was yesterday.  This island is absolutely amazing.  Sun all day, beautiful clear water, and beaches to die for.  The people here are ridiculously friendly, which is an awesome alternative to elsewhere.  The plane ride was long, the customs lines were long, but once we got through that it was paradise on earth. 

We stored our luggage, hopped on a bus, and headed to the port.  At said port we caught a large yellow catamaran ferry which took us and others to multiple islands.
(not our island)
It took around two hours to reach our island, just enough time to completely fry my recently unprotected feet.  When we reached our destination...

(our island)
we were greeted by two boats, onto which we climbed.

As we approached the beach, we were serenaded by some of the local Fijians, while others lei-ed us.