Bula!
Well, we are back from our vacation to Fiji. It was amazing. I don't know if I have the time or energy to go into all the details here, but I have decided to do two posts. One of Teagan and her friends (Fijian or otherwise) and one of fantastic sights. So here are Teagan's friends from the trip...or at least a few of them I caught on "film". :)
Old friends revisited....
Grammy at Tui Tai office in Savusavu after we returned from the cruise.
Self-portrait of Mama & Teagan lying on the floor of Grammy's cabin :)
Aunt Jenn, poolside at Sheraton Fiji (Teagan in her new sulu
). It didn't take long for Teagan to get reacquainted with Auntie Jenn, giving lots of cuddles, spending time reading their new "Little Wombat" books, swimming and just hanging out....
Uncle Brian, I think Teagan was tired in this picture. She LOVED spending time with Uncle Brian, building sandcastles and knocking them down, trying to escape the tickles, reading books....
This is Mere, the spa specialist and steward on the Tui Tai. She took to Teagan right away, pampering her with her own foot massage, hours of hide-n-seek, trips to the captain's room where Teagan got to steer the boat...
This is Gaetano. He was Teagan's buddy on the ship. At 11-years old, he is extensively travelled, speaks 4 languages and has a terrific attitude about balancing studies and play and trying anything! He and his mother "Princess Barbara" are originally from Italy, but reside in London, England at this time.
Meli, bar steward and assistant to chef.....Meli was such a sweet guy. He was the go-to for the juice (which we managed to drink him out of by the last day!) Meli was a great help for making sure Teagan was fed dinner early, looking after her while we did morning stretching and also helping with getting Teagan to remote locations with mom when I was biking there.
Like this one, Teagan at the waterfalls, Dad and Leah in background. I have a better picture of Leah holding Teagan's hand on the walk back to our room at the Tanoa, but this one's more scenic.
One of Teagan's best buddies....Sunia. Sunia has twin 6-year old girls and an 8-year old son at home. He was invaluable in his care for Teagan, helping during snorkeling adventures, letting her play his ukulele, engaging in all sorts of antics and bring her loads of ice cream!
Teagan made friends wherever she went...
Not the greatest picture, but this is in the house that Teagan made friends at the first village we visited. The kids took to her immediately and she to them. She ran into their house and started playing "chase"....all the kids were giggling and running around. When we left to join the rest of the group, they all came along and continued to play all along the path and into the schoolyard.
In this picture they are looking at the cat. Teagan asked what it's name was but it didn't have one. :) Just "kitty cat".
This is the little girl she was chasing. Not sure of her name, but what a cutie!
Here she is playing catch with some girls on Rabi Island.
At the end of the week, we got to spend some time with Morika and Tige Young, the owners of Tui Tai. Morika met us at a local hotel in Savusavu with her two kids, aged 4 and 2, and their cousin. Here they are listening to a "Little Wombat" story as a hiatus to the running around, playing hide-n-seek, jumping on the stage and being chased by the "dinosaur" aka...Morika's "adopted daughter" from a local Fijian village. Taken into the Young family so she could get an education as she wants to be a doctor and comes from a family of 9 children.
The "dinosaur"....
Thanks to Uncle Brian and Auntie Jenn for making this possible!!
Vinaka!
Looking down the beach, first day Sheraton, Fiji
The infinity pool at Sheraton Fiji, Denarau Island
Fire dance, Westin Denarau Island
Sea kayaking, first day Tui Tai Cruise
Lower Waterfalls
Cobi Island, volcanic crater
Driftwood on Cobi Island
Amazing kids Rabi Island, grade 1-7 performance
Cool tree at Tanoa Hotel, Nadi
Natural waterslide
Water break off the beaten path
Mountain bike rest
Rabi High School, top of the hill
The bay at Savusavu from house on hill
Top of a hill, Brian, Jenn, me, Dad
Sunset, Sheraton Fiji
Sunset on the night of the lunar eclipse
Loved Fiji !
