From Fiji to Brisbane

We are finally in Brisbane! It was a long way to get here, but the journey is half of the fun. Following our last post, we left LAX to fly 10 and a half hours to Nadi Fiji. We were very lucky, as we scored the best seats on the plane for checking in so early, the emergency exit seats! We had at least 3 feet of leg room, which was good for doing stretches half way through the flight. There was a very nice Australian girl sitting beside us as well, so we were able to put some fears about the bugs and snakes to rest, and ask many more questions about living in Australia. After sleeping through most of the flight, we arrived in Nadi just before sunrise and took the shuttle to the Hostel on the beach.

After some much needed breakfast overlooking the water, we were swimming in the ocean before 8am. The water was warm and calm, and there were thousands of tiny fish swimming around my feet, but apparently running into Becki's. Once we got our room, we dumped our bags, grabbed a delicious lunch (fish and chips and a beef curry), and headed to some local hot springs and mud baths, at the foot of the Sleeping Giant mountain.  This was followed by a half hour massage with home made coconut oil before returning to the hostel for a much needed nap!

To finish off our night in Fiji, we got up from our afternoon nap (a bit sun stroked), and went to the roof top patio to drink some wine and watch the sunset, and then down to the beach for a sunset walk. We sat outside for dinner and experienced our first Kava ceremony with the Kai and the Kavaholics! They were 4 local Fijians in a band that invited people in a circle to share Kava, and sing songs with them. Kava is a beverage, made from the crushed root of the plant, mixed with water, which locals enjoy to relax and spend time together. After several "Tsunami" sized portions, and a couple of jugs of the local beer Vonu, we were ready for bed as we had to be up at 4 30 am to continue our journey. Our  cab driver Khan from the day before was there to pick us up and we got to the airport without a hitch.

Kai and the Kavaholics. Bula!!

Our 4 hour flight from Fiji to Brisbane went very smoothly and we arrived at our hostel in the Southwest side of the city. The people here are nice, there are great cooking facilities, and the place has a lot of character. We dropped our bags and walked around the West end market so we could make a delicious pasta. Following our lunch/dinner, we decided to have a "2 hour nap" so we would be well rested for the night. 9 hours later (1am) we woke up and decided to continue our sleep which lasted a total of 14 hours. We woke up quite well rested and ready to see the city, so we set off for a jog by the river. It was a great way to start the day and see a bit of the city. The Brisbane festival is on all week, so today we intend to walk around and get more familiar with our surroundings, and hopefully see some of the festival! Who knows, we might even fall into a job as we go around meeting new people.