The Circus

The circus came to town and we enjoyed an afternoon performance.  It was full of acrobatic stunts, and simple fun.  Some of our favorite acts included 13 people on one bicycle and limbo under a burning bar.

 Hyrum participated in one part of the program.  He did a wonderful job and enjoyed his moment in the spotlight.

When I saw this the question that came to mind is why didn't mom teach us these tricks, when we were on her feet.

Pencarrow Coastal Trail

The weekend before school started we took a  walk down the Pencarrow Coastal Trail.  It was a beautiful cool day with a little sprinkling on our way back.  The kids favorite parts were collecting shells, rocks, and sticks along the way, and climbing the huge rock where we stopped for lunch.  

Nadi

Nadi is where the major international airport is.  It is where we began on day, and where we ended our journey.  

Kava

One of our first experiences in Fiji was a simple Kava ceremony.  We were welcomed into Fiji and then spent money on souvenirs. 

 We visited Treasure House orphanage and played/talked with the kids, we could not take pictures.

They have 24 children babies to 18 years old.  The orphanage has both genders until about 8 years old when the boys are sent to a sister orphanage, the older girls stay there and help with the younger kids.  It was a good couple hours spent.

Garden of the Sleeping Giant

We visited a garden that has numerous orchids.  It is at the base of a mountain range called the Sleeping Giant.  It had some beautiful flowers to see.

 Mud Baths

 The picture is the mountains from the car park.  Due to the nature of the activity we did not get photos.  We covered ourselves in mud, let it dry and then washed it off in hot pools.  It was a fun, dirty activity.  Our swimsuits will never be the same.

The Warwick

We started our Fiji vacation (December 21, 2017 - January 4, 2018) at the Warwick Resort on the Coral Coast of Fiji's main island, Viti Levu.  We spent 5 days there including Christmas and had a glorious time.  The pools and beach were the biggest pull; however, there was also a kids club that the kids were able to do a cooking class, tie-dye shirts, make kites, and break open watermelon to enjoy.

The pool was a huge hit.  We also spent some time at the beach particularly in the kayaks.

Christmas was different, but fun.  We left our stockings out for Santa and he came clear to Fiji.  After breakfast Santa visited the resort coming in by way of raft and wearing sunglasses.

We opened gifts in our little hotel room and oohed and ahhed over what we got.  We then spent the day swimming and playing in the pool.

The kids dancing Christmas morning as we waited for Santa to sail in.

Suva

Cola-I-Suva Rain Forest

Our next destination was Suva, the capital of Fiji.  We stayed at a little cabin in the Cola-I-Suva Forest Park.  It was a little oasis just outside of a busy city.  The first day we attended the temple.  The second day we did some shopping, and played in some natural pools in the forest.

 Suva, Fiji Temple

Rachel Singleton, one of my Kaysville Young Women, served her mission in Fiji.  She was able to help us contact Melissa who watched all 5 children while Kyle and I attended a session at the temple.  It was a wonderful experience.

The Nativity Scene at the Temple

There was a series of naturally formed pools just 10 minutes from our cabin.  We had to hike down ( and therefore back up), but they were fun.  We tried a few different pools.  Unfortunately this is the resting place of my phone ☹☹☹  I took pictures on the hike down and then I have no idea where it ended up.  We searched everywhere we could think, but it was not found.  Thank-goodness Kyle had at least taken a few pictures of the beginning of our adventures.

We visited the Fiji Museum, which helped us learn about Fiji's history and then took a short stroll, because it was hot, through some gardens.