Holiday trip pics

Waterfall in Bouma Heritage park

I just got back this week from a trip to Suva for a workshop, and while there I was able to get my hands on the pictures from my Christmas/New Years trip. I didn't want to go over the trip until I got them, so i'm going to do a bit of time-traveling here and briefly go over my fabulous trip out in Taviuni. For most of the trip we were either camping of shacking up with other volunteers that live out that way. On our first day there we visited a volunteer friend of ours and went up to a "water slide" in the mountains surrounding his site. The term water slide is used loosely, as it is better described as 60meters of shallow rapids that you can rocket down like a slide. The locals are fantastic at it, going down head first and surfing their way down; my trips down weren't nearly as graceful, led to several bruises, and quite a few laughs for the fijian kids that were there. After spending the day there, we spend the night and the next couple days (including christmas) and a camp site towards the top of the island. The canadian dive instructor that had been living at the camp site for the last 6 weeks or so called it the best he had ever been to, and it difficult to argue with him. We made friends easily and had a peaceful christmas and boxing day there. We were able to finagle a decent discount, and went diving on Rainbow Reef while there, which was my first time diving in Fiji and was amazing(the picture below is from the dive trip). The following day we then went out to the west side of the island, hooked up with a volunteer living there and did the Bouma waterfall hike. The picture above is the lower falls (there are three).

On our way to Rainbow reef

The view from my campsite

Rope bridge on Lavena Coastal walk

Some of the Lavena youth posing

After a night in Waitabu village, we spend the evening in Lavena and went on the coastal walk to village has set up there. The walk takes you through the rainforest of the park there and end at a waterfall you can swim out to a dive off. After doing a bit of snorkeling out in the marine park on the westernside, we returned to the East. After spending the night in Somosomo village we got up early in the morning and hiked up the mountain to Lake Tacimocea. The Lake is surrounded by Fiji folk lore about it's origins, and is the only site where the Fiji national flower can be found (also called tacimocea). We spend the morning climbing the mountain (the picture directly below depicts one of the views on the hike up) and a couple hours searching for the flower and swimming in the lake.

The village boys and I looking out from atop the mountain

The Tacimocea flower

After the hike (which took 8 hours give or take), we headed back to our previous campsite where we spend a very low-key New Years Eve with a few other volunteers and some new friends

New Years in camp

We spend another day at camp snorkeling and enjoying a lazy New Years day. The following morning, on finding out our boat back to Vanua Levu had been canceled, we headed down to the Southern tip of the island (Vuna) for the night. There we did some pretty good snorkeling and such, then headed back home the following day.

One of the Orchid species native to Taviuni

Sunset in Vuna

All and all it was a great trip, can't wait to make it back out there.

Back to the present... My trip to Suva went well, the workshop I attended there was great. Now it's back to the grind here in Labasa for awhile. I have some meeting and a WWF workshop scheduled for the end of the week, so hopefully all goes well and I am able to generate some more work through this week.

As an aside, one of our volunteer's dogs in Savusavu had puppies last week, and I think I have been talked into taking one. Since my roommate left the old house has been a little empty, so it may be good to get another living thing hanging around.

Puppies!

Hope all is well with everyone, and I hope to get back on here in a week or so. Send me updates and any ideas you have for Dog names!