Flying to Fiji

Just a warning, this is gonna be a very negative post because Fiji Airways SUCKS MAJOR

Okay so story time (in a New Jersey/New York Italian guy accent bc idk why just because). Once upon a time, Fiji Airways was recommended to me by several parties for my flights to and from Fiji. Okay cool they're cheapest anyways. So I book my flights, the going and the return. It's all good. Then I get an email maybe like 5 days before my flights, eh idk maybe more point is it was close. So they say they cancelled my flight and put me on a later one for the next day. But that's not cool man because the next day I got a final I gotta be in Auckland for. So I email em back and I'm like yo change my flight (but nicer of course) and they're like sorry man no and I'm like yo I gotta be in Auckland I got a final you gotta change it man. And they're like call me. And I'm like no. And they don't help me. We send about 12 emails, no joke man. Still no help. I post on the facebook and I'm like yo you suck you cancel my flight and don't help me. Oh I forgot to mention in the emails I was like fine if you don't wanna change it just give me my money back and I'll book with someone else and they're like no refunds and we'll charge a cancel fee (but they're the ones that cancelled on me!). So I was a very angry. And they're not helping me. And the facebook page messages me and they're like 'yo let us help you' and I'm like please! and they still don't help. So my momma calls them bc she's a doll and they say they fix it then they send me another email saying it still ain't fixed. Then she calls again and gets it sorted or maybe she had to call a third time. Then they send me an email saying badda bing badda boom it's fixed. Then the facebook page message me again and they're like yo you gotta call us if you want help and I'm like yo I already told you it was fixed. They don't even communicate the email group and the facebook group and the phone group. So i don't really know if it's fixed or not but imma go with it.
okay back to english now.
So I get to the airport and there's no problems and I'm waiting for my plane and I'm sitting across from these two beautiful humans which is important because they'll come up in the story for the next day because fate man, and anyways they're cute but I'm tryin not to stare bc some people think I got a staring problem bc I'll zone out and it'll look like I'm staring at you but these guys were cute so it wouldn't be zone out it would be I'm staring at you bc you are fine. So they got these red passports and I'm like oh that's not english or spanish I wonder where you're from. So I chew on that then 40 minutes after we were supposed to board we go get in line to board and I'm in line before them and I think no more of them.
Then we get on the plane and there's a problem with the flight. 6 seats are double booked and there's only 2 empty seats in first class. 2 of the overbooked seats were right next to me so I was wondering if mine would be double booked too but it wasn't. I don't know what they did with the extra people but we sat on the plane for an hour and a half while they tried to figure it out.
I was a little freakin because my taxi guy was supposed to get me at 3:55 at the airport and now we were like two and half hours late and idk if he would wait but oh well nothing I can do
I watched the first three episodes of season two of the Flash instead of writing more blog posts. Oops.
So the guy that won the seat next to me in the double booked war was a new pilot for Fiji Air from Switzerland. He worked with some other airline for 10 or 30 years idk and he was nice. I do not blame him for Fiji Air sucking.
I was sad about being late to the airport but I was even more sad that I was gonna miss a Fiji sunset because they were supposed to be the best in like all the world. Then Mr. Pilot dude asks if I wanna trade seats with him so I could be at the window but I'm like no I'm okay but then I realize that WE ARE THE SUNSET. So like I can't look out the window at the real sunset because I didn't trade seats because I didn't realize what/why he was asking but then I saw like the reflections on the wings and we were like super colorful and I should've taken him up on his offer but i didn't realize but oh well
So then the sun is already down when we land.
But they're like "if you're connecting to Honolulu run to our staff so you make the flight" and I'm just like OMG ARE YOU KIDDING ME because Bethany Hamilton is in Fiji and idk when she's going back to Hawaii but if she was on that flight and we got there earlier I might've seen her and it would've made my life to meet Bethany. Like I was so upset. She prob wasn't even on that flight; they prob have Hawaii flights every day, but still. The thought that she could possibly be literally within like 50 feet from me and I missed her is very upsetting. I woulda tried to detour to go check but they were very like hawaii boarding passes only and such.
So then I'm in line in customs and I see the pretty boys again and they're way behind in line so sucks to be them.
So then I get out to the waiting area and the guy with my name sign is like "I've been waiting here for 3 hours!!!" (our flight only landed 2 hours late, thanks tail wind) and I'm like "my flight was delayed. not my fault" and he was weird and kinda creepy and lol thank God for best friends like Patrick because I used him as a fake boyfriend but I'm sure he wouldn't mind.
Then we finally get to the dock and I get on the ferry boat thing and Fiji has literally no lights and it's so dark and I've never seen so many stars in my life. Like when I told Autumn the glowworm caves looked like stars, I wasn't kidding. I felt like I was in the caves again. Like I thought we had lots of stars at home being in the woods and such but I guess Ocean City and Baltimore are too close because they're literally nothing like I'm ashamed to think that that was a lot of stars because it wasn't. I should've taken a picture but honestly I didn't even think to because I was so in the moment. We were goin through this river and it was like all trees and such on the sides and it was all fishy and it reminded me of home and it would've been perfect to just stop the boat and go night fishing but i couldn't and that was sad but it was a nice boat ride and i liked it. & there were jumping fish, like a lot of them. I wonder if there was a shark hunting them that we couldn't see but it was cool to see all the jumping fish and the boat ride was nice and i'm glad it was at night because it wouldn't have been the same during the day and it wouldn't be as nice.
Then we got to the island and they show me my room and take me to dinner because I just made it in time and it was beef and vegetables on mash just like I make in the microwave. I might only be able to eat microwaveable and raw foods due to my lack of domestic skills but apparently that means I can still eat good.
So then they're all like movie time and we're all like no bonfire so they make a bonfire for us. There's a German couple, Stella and Marcus, and a Canadian couple. The Canadian couple really isn't Canadian tho, I feel they're more homeless, tho nomad would probably be a more appropriate term, because apparently they're literally always traveling and they travel the world on their boat. They're those people you hate to meet that literally do nothing but brag about where they've been and what they've done. Like I've been and done a lot of things/places but you don't hear me bragging every chance I get (this blog is different because that's literally the purpose of this blog). Ugh it just irks me. That might be my new least favorite kind of people.
So then the worker dudes find out I'm not gonna be here for the fire show because I leave right quick so he's like "i'll teach you how to fire dance" so then I fire dance, yay! (see opening picture)
that was super cool and i'm v grateful he decided to show me fire dancing and let me try. I'm like a real islander now.
then we chill at the fire some more and then I go back to my room. I'm in a cute little bungalow I forgot to take a picture of but you open the door and there's the bed and that's it because it's small and cute and it has a leaf roof and it's like I always thought I would be fine living in - a little shack on the beach with nothing but like a bed but i've decided i'm too much of a princess and i need a real house, but it can still be on a beach.

nope, not on this island

until next time,

xoxo,

Tasha

I Wanna Be Where the Fishes Are

I wanna be where the fishes are

I wanna see, wanna see them swimmin'

Flappin around on those - what do you call 'em?

Oh - fins!

The next morning I couldn't just ignore the alarm and skip breakfast/save it for later. I had to get up now. I had to eat now. I had to check out now. Because I was going snorkeling.

The girls at the Rama Garden are so nice. Although I checked out at 8, I could keep my suitcase in the restaurant until it was time to go to the ferry. I got picked up via motorbike and we headed to the snorkeling boat.

So we were supposed to see Mantas. It was a Manta Ray Snorkeling expedition, but, unlike the stingray snorkeling excursions in the Bahamas,  the mantas are not contained but free in the wild and therefore it is up to luck, fate, and the mantas on whether or not they are to be seen. Unfortunately, this was not one of those days.

We went to four snorkeling sites. The first was Manta Bay where the manta rays were supposed to be. Although I did not see a manta, I did get stung in the arm by a jellyfish. The red stinger was stuck to my arm until I was back on the boat and could remove it. It left a bump and it hurt really bad. Because of this, I was a little reluctant to go back in the water at the next stop. 

Second stop was Crystal Bay. The water was really warm, so that was nice. There were so many colorful corals and fish! One guy on the boat said it was just like the Great Barrier Reef, but he must've gone to a much smaller GBR than the one I visited a few years ago. But it was super colorful and nice and I could've spent a while looking at those fishies. 

Also, let me take this time to say how disappointed I am in my GoPro. Of course I took a million pictures and literally 4 of them turned out. And they didn't even turn out well, like with colors and everything. It's like all blue but at least in those 4 you can see fish. I thought GoPros were supposed to be good at underwater picture taking? Isn't that the point of a GoPro? My disposable underwater from CVS literally takes just as good pictures. I'm so upset. 

The next stop we went to the current was too rough for us to snorkel, so the boat driver took us to a place we weren't scheduled to stop instead. I was getting tired at this point, so I didn't really want to get back off the boat just to get back on to go to the next stop, but I like being a fish so I did so anyways. The current here was still strong so the boat driver told us to just float next to the cliff and have the current take us to where another boat was while our boat used its motor to go to the other boat to pick us up. So it was a really quick stop. We had to stay close to the cliff though because the water dropped off real quick and got really deep a few feet away from the cliff. 

Our final stop took us to the mangroves. I did go to school in Florida for a semester and a term so I know what mangroves are and these were not them. I think maybe the island near where we were might've had mangroves and that's how the area was named, but we were on a reef not mangroves. There were sooo many fish here. And the water was so warm and clear. The reef was even more colorful than the others combined and there were more fish than I've ever seen. I felt like I was swimming in an aquarium tank again, but with more fish and more room to swim. It was amazing. Funny, at this stop I was not tired and gladly got off the boat and I'm glad I did. 

If I'm in the mood maybe I'll make a video of my snorkeling, if the videos show any fish because the pictures mostly don't. 

After snorkeling I went back to the restaurant at the Rama Garden for food and to collect my suitcase. I got the chicken nuggets and a smoothie. It was really good. After I ate I went to the beach.

The water at the beach is really calm (hence why we had to take a boat to go to the waves) but there is a strong side current and many boats everywhere, so I couldn't just float and I had to ground myself in the coral/sand to make sure I didn't drift into a boat or away from my suitcase. Other than that it was fun. A couple Asian girls stopped right in front of me to get their pictures taken so I'm pretty sure I'm in their pictures in the background, but that's okay with me. 

At about 3:00 I headed back to the restaurant to see if a taxi would be getting me to go to the ferry or if I would have to walk. A taxi was on it's way for me and soon I was back on the ferry. 

The ferry was an interesting experience this time. Everyone on the ferry fell asleep except for me, a couple sitting diagonally behind me, and a guy sitting behind them. The whole boat! Even the workers who were sitting in the aft. Thankfully it didn't seem like the captain fell asleep because we made it back to the mainland fine. But on the way, the guy in the couple kept testing me! He kept telling me to push the girl next to me and pour water on her and I really wanted to because it would be funny but I didn't. If she fell over on me though I was prepared to punch her out of the seat. Eventually he gave up on hoping I would so he threw water on her! It was very funny. Even before the water was thrown, anytime I would look at the couple or the guy behind them we would all start laughing because we were the only ones awake! A girl was sleeping on the guy behind the couple and that was funny also. 

(Also fun fact: I'm currently shedding like a snake and it itches really really badly. Even my fingers are peeling so I guess they didn't actually scar over and it was just some super weird scabbing, idk.)

Once we got to the mainland, the ferry played bumper boats with a few of the boats next to where we were trying to park because of the current and maybe the captain was sleeping a little. But finally they got it in place and I was on my way to Ubud via taxi, again in the front seat in my own van. 

Once in Ubud, I was treated to a watermelon juice during check in which I drank too quickly to take a picture of (sorry). Then I was shown my room which was super fancy. I also received a free massage voucher, so once I dropped my stuff off in my room I went to use it. Unfortunately, when it was finished, the pool was closed so I could not go swimming like I had been hoping to. I then planned on just waking up early to go swimming but let's be honest, I already had to wake up early enough.

My balcony

View from my balcony

So after my massage, I took a shower/bath and used the shampoo and bubble bath provided by the hotel. It was very nice because I hadn't had hot water since I arrived in Bali and I practically had dreads. They were awful and I felt like I was ripping my head off when I attempted to brush my hair, but at least I know that if I ever accidentally did get dreads forreal I would look good with them.

Check out my almost dreads in the mirror

I then headed down to their restaurant for some food because I was very hungry. I ordered crispy duck, but they were out. So then I ordered marinara pizza, but they were out of that too. Next I tried margarita pizza, which was also a no. Finally I ordered some spaghetti and they had it. It was really good spaghetti so I'm kinda glad that I was practically forced to eat it because they were out of like everything else. 
At the restaurant, there was this cat. It was the smallest cat I ever saw, like it literally was smaller than my forearm. It kept meowing. When I was done eating it jumped onto a chair and chair hopped until it was on the one next to me. It kept staring at me and I swear it could see into my soul. It was so tiny and cute though. Nice cat. 
After dinner I got my things ready for tomorrow and got into bed. I watched a few minutes of The Voice before settling on Dora the Explorer. I need my weekly dose of Spanish and you just don't get that here in Australasia. It was nice to watch television because I hadn't seen TV (besides a couple episodes of The Bachelor NZ) since before I came to New Zealand. 
I almost couldn't last the whole episode before my eyes closed for good and I slept through the night. 

Until next time,

xoxo,

Tasha

Pasifika

This weekend was the Pasifika Festival. We went on Sunday. It was a great way to spend my birthday.
So Pasifika is like the heritage festival for all the Pacific Islanders. It's held where the music festivals here in Auckland are held, and next weekend is the City Limits Music Festival so the main stage was like set up to the side so that was cool. Anyways the park (it was in a park) had different sections of tents for each island(s) but they were all connected by a path. It was cool. My favorite islands were Samoa and Hawaii. I've already been to Hawaii twice and I planned on going to Samoa while I'm here anyways, so that's reassuring. I also wanted to go to Fiji while I'm here but I wasn't that impressed with the Fiji part, but we'll see. It's all dependent upon my final exams schedule and the moolah so we'll see.
Anywhos, so as soon as we walk into Pasifika, there are people drinking out of coconuts. If you know me, you know that I live off of coconut water (as I'm writing this I am currently drinking some more coconut water to be honest). So this was a necessity I needed like right as soon as I saw people had them. So Celeste and I went to find the coconut waters. I got the big one and she got one of the medium sized ones and I ended up drinking mine and most of hers, but she mostly just wanted the meat anyways so she ate all of her coconut meat while I couldn't finish mine because it was a lot. But Evan got a $10 meat (like animal meat not coconut meat) package thing and he couldn't finish all of his food either (because it was legit so much) so I ate some of his leftover lamb while Celeste worked on the chicken, so maybe that's also why I was too full to finish my coconut meat.
If you couldn't tell from the picture up and to the right, these coconuts are a severely different species of coconut than the ones we get in the Caribbean Islands. It's kinda funny; I was just talking to Sarah about how the coconut water I've been drinking here comes from Thailand and it tastes so insanely different from the coconut water I'm used to, but it's so much sweeter; it's super nice. But here's some visual aids to help you visual learners:

My Samoan coconut -
brown, round, and hairy.

My usual Caribbean coconut -
green, oval shaped, and hairless.

So the water was sweeter, but there was less of it because the coconut was smaller. But the meat was a lot softer/squishier and had a totally different texture. It was like legit smooth. Kind of like those "jell-o shots of my childhood" that I posted on Instagram that got like 0 likes. It was strange though because I was only eating one coconut, but the two halves had different meat. The first half was insanely smooth/soft/squishy, and the second half was thicker and harder, more similar to those I'm used to, but still way too smooth/soft/squishy to be the same or to even have similar texture. It was really good.
Coconuts are good for healing. Like if you're sick or kidney stone or cancer or hangover or depressed or anxious, drink some coconut water. Tis natural medicine. You should use it. Don't matter what species coconut I believe; coconut is coconut. Coconut is healing. 

Poor Celeste, I feel like I talked to her about coconuts until we moved on from our little coconut & food break. Oh well. 

So after enjoying our foods and watching some Samoan entertainment, we walked around the rest of the Samoan set up. We saw a man dying a sheet by using paint and a carved stone, see picture to the right. Then I entered to win a trip to Samoa that I probably won't win but we'll see, and I got some free stuff. A water bottle, a towel, and sunscreen. Who doesn't love free stuff? I also hung out with some firefighters because well, it was my birthday and my daddy's a firefighter so it's kinda like he hung out with me, right? Nah I'm just a loon but it's okay lol.
So Celeste was like "it's her birthday" and they were like "oh how old are you" and I was like "19" and they were like "oh we're way too old" and I'm just like lol I'm not trying to get with you, I just want a picture because my daddy's a firefighter...lol yeah. 

Then we tried to move on to other villages, and on the way we saw some intense birds. Black swans, gigantic ducks, huge chickens (which if they're that big and just run wild idk why KFC is the best fried chicken I can find down here but whatever).

We visited the Cook Islands, Tuvalu, Niue, and Fiji before we reached Hawaii. It was cool to watch the American Flag flying above the Hawaiian stage, even here in New Zealand. Celeste got a meat skewer and we watched the traditional sugar cane dance/song before Celeste and I headed to Tonga. Tonga was another one of my favorites. They had a lot of different coconut oils for sale and I bought a meat pack similar to the one Evan got in the Samoan part, to take back to my flat for later.
Unfortunately, we missed the Tahiti part, as well as some other lesser known to me islands. After Tonga we purposefully skipped Aotearoa because that's simply New Zealand and next weekend our Loyola group is going to a Maori thing all weekend where we will get more cultural background than if we were to just stop by their booths real quick. We did pass a couple on the way out tho, so I guess we didn't really skip it. After Tonga we went back to Samoa to get pineapple sundaes, but they were out of the pineapples so we settled for watermelon sundaes instead. We meaning the others lol. Emily had one earlier and Evan had one at the end; I didn't get one which is why there's no picture, but it was great. I tried some of Emily's. 

Celeste and I met up with some professional rugby players - the Auckland Blues, and of course we had to get a picture. I only got a picture with two of them but there were about 6 or 7 there. They just had to wish me a Happy Birthday.
Then we got back on the bus towards town and found our dinner restaurant on our way back to our flats. 

Until next time,
xoxo,
Tasha