Vinaka Vakelevu Fiji!

The island in the background is where the legendary "fire walkers of Fiji" live. Its called Beqa Island.

That's Kevin snorkeling off the beach...you could walk forever in the shallow warm water.

Tommy in yellow, Cole in red -- its like looking in a mirror!

Today is our last day. After breakfast, we returned to the villa to lay in the sun and enjoy our surroundings one more day. Beth and Kevin both took turns snorkeling...the boys played and I began the arduous task of packing up the boys stuff. By lunch, we were completely packed with the exception of our going home outfits, so the five of us went to the restaurant and enjoyed our last meal at the hotel. We all had a Fijian beer and toasted the end of our time in Fiji...and the beginning of our next adventure - getting home.

Tommy


Cole


Beth at the village cultural arts center.

After lunch, Beth and I decided to take the shuttle to the local village arts and crafts cultural center. Our flight leaves at 10:50pm so we weren't being picked up until 4pm for the two hour drive back to the airport. We browsed the shops and went to the post office for stamps before heading back to Taunovo Bay and our villa.

We found our villa to be one happening place! All of the women from the resort had come to our place to say farewell to the boys. They were surrounded with attention...it was so cute. In this video, Sue is the one teasing Tommy. She was our house attendant and the boys loved her.

Sue and the boys

Tommy and his "bula" ladies

We made the rounds...all of the women kissing and saying their farewells. Here are the boys with Nana Lani and Mama Loney...these women would scream the boys names when they saw them. So funny!

When it was finally time to say goodbye, everyone came to our villa and sang us a farewell song. It was beautiful! They hugged and kissed us all. You can see Sue in this video on the far left. She started to cry half way through the song. We've promised to send her pictures of the boys. It was such an amazing send-off. (The song was long so I uploaded to YouTube.)

Fiji is just so beautiful and safe...the people so kind and gracious....it is hard to say goodbye. If only we didn't live SO far away. But travel has that affect on me. I am always so taken by the country I've visited. There are more places to explore for certain, but Fiji will always remain a wonderful memory for our family. The boys first passport stamp was certainly worth the effort.

Moce Fiji...vinaka vakalevu!