Reflecting back on our snow birding season

We're now back home in Niagara Falls, Canada, after our most recent snow birding season. This was an adventurous one for us; our plans leaving home were for Hawaii, then Australia. Our schedule was not fully booked, so we left with some uncertainties, or some opportunities for adventure, depending on your outlook.

We travelled 135 days, from December 8, 2016 to April 21, 2017. What did we accomplish in that time?

House sits	6	102 nights
Pets cared for	7	4 dogs, 2 cats, 1 fish
Countries visited	3	USA, Australia, Fiji
Flights	12	Airlines: Air Canada, United, Hawaiian, Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin, Fiji, Southwestern … and the best? Qantas, by far!
Cruises	2	14 nights – Hawaii & Fiji
Hotels	7	12 nights
Car rentals	1	10 days
Coach transfer	1	3 hours
Cars loaned *	4	Proton, Ford, Mitsubishi, Chevrolet

* This information is added for Greg's fellow GM retirees. They will likely laugh at him for having driven a Ford. However, they'll be reassured to know that it did break down, but Greg was able to do the repairs and have it on the road again for the homeowners, who were very grateful.

All good things must come to an end

Day 7 of a 7-day Fiji Islands cruise

Our final day had us sailing the Bligh Water, named after Captain Bligh of Mutiny on the Bounty fame.

Setting foot in today and yesterday

Day 6 of a 7-day Fiji Islands cruise

Being Sunday, the plan was for passengers to attend church in the morning. Since the arrival of Christian missionaries in the 19th century, the religion of Fiji has been predominantly Christian (60%). We joined a special Palm Sunday choral service at the 1907 stone Catholic church in Waiyevo, on the westerly side of the island of Taveuni.

Experiencing a traditional Fijian lovo feast

Day 5 of a 7-day Fiji Island cruise (part 2)

After a busy daytime (see part 1), we returned to Taveuni in the evening to experience a lovo feast.

Visiting Tavoro National Park

Day 5 of a 7-day Fiji Islands cruise (part 1)

This day, Saturday, was jam-packed with activities. We left the ship at our usual time of 9 am and had planned activities until 7:30 pm, at which time we were to return to the ship for a dessert buffet. Can life get any better than that!

The Melbourne Cup crab races

Day 4 of a 7-day Fiji Islands cruise

Today we spend the day in Savusavu, the second largest town on the second largest Fijian island of Vanua Levu. The population is less than 4,000, so still not that big by many standards.

We spent time in the morning discovering the town and its culture. It has one main street, which is a hub of activity for the southern side of the island. It was market day, so it was interesting to look at the various stalls; many having a wide variety of kava, and others with various fruit and vegetables, many of which were unfamiliar to us.

Experiencing kava

Fiji Islands cruise

When we first joined the cruise, we often found ourselves being asked if we'd tried kava. I didn't really know what it was, so needless to say I hadn't tried it. Although Greg had made a point to read about it before arriving in Fiji, he'd never tried it either.

We learned it's a drink enjoyed by most Fijians in a social setting. That setting runs the whole gamut, from a casual local outdoor market to a formal ceremonial induction of a tribal chief.

Visiting a former leper colony

Day 3 of a 7-day Fiji Islands cruise

Today we visited the Makogai Island, part of Fiji's Lomaiviti Archipelago. The island is only 8.4 square kms (3.2 square miles) and has a maximum altitude of only 267 metres (876 feet). Not a big place, that's for sure.

From 1911 to 1969, this island was the home of a leper colony for not only Fiji but also many Pacific island groups, as well as Australia. It was staffed by Catholic nuns. During its operation it housed 4500 people, of which 1241 are buried on the island.

The wanderers are heading home

We're wending our way back to Canada. We left Fiji April 11th after an amazing cruise experience. I'll write more about that in the days to come.

We spent a few days with friends and their two 'girls', Sierra Rose at the front, and Lilly Mae at the back.

Hearing stories of cannibalism

Day 2 of a 7-day Fiji Islands cruise

Overnight we travelled to the port of Levuka, a USESCO world heritage site on the island of Ovalau. Europeans first settled in this area of Fiji and established it as the capital around 1800. In 1888, the capital was moved to Suva on the main island, but the town has retained its colonial architecture, although much of it is in disrepair.

A great start to our Fiji Islands cruise

Day 1 of a 7-day Fiji Islands cruise

We're now on our Fiji Islands cruise. Although wifi is included in the cruise in the lounge areas, the reception is sporadic or slow. This, along with our busy daily schedule, may affect how much detail I get to share.

Some days you just need a sarong!

Today was our last full day on land in Fiji. We decided to take the $1 (60 cents Canadian) bus into Nadi. When traveling, we enjoy mixing with the local people and learning about their culture.

It was about a 20-minute ride to the town centre. Once we reached the bus terminal, we saw that all the buses were painted different colours. It was easy to figure out the system; getting on a yellow bus would take us back to the island. Easy!

Almost 40% of the Fijian population declare their ethnic background as Indian, so it wasn't surprising to learn of a Hindu temple in Nadi. Lonely Planet travel guide shows it as being one of the rare examples of that type of Indian architecture outside of India. We weren't allowed to take photos inside the temple, but the wood carvings, and paintwork (including the ceilings) was intricate.

We had read that we should have our knees covered and that we would need to be barefoot. No problem. When we arrived, however, we were told that we needed to have our legs fully covered. The temple was prepared for tourists though, and for $5 each we were loaned a sarong to wear over our clothing. 

I was the one who wanted to go into the temple, so I was pleased that Greg didn't balk at the idea of wearing the sarong, and even agreed to the photo being taken. What a good sport! 

Ladies were given red sarongs and the men wore beige. Notice how we accessorized the sarongs so appropriately - t-shirts of motorbikes and rock music. I'm not sure how respectful we really looked, but I'm sure they appreciated our $10 donation.

After walking around the downtown core, we returned to the island. After some quiet time at the pool we went to the port to check in for our cruise. We saw a lovely Fiji parrotfinch. I couldn't get close enough for a quality photo with my phone, so I resorted to Wikipedia.

While we were at the port, about six smaller cruise ships came into dock. This is the sister ship of our cruise line, Captain Cook. They also run day cruises from this port. I just love the colour of the sky at that time of day.

This is one of their competing cruise lines, South Sea Cruises. Notice the way the coloured sky reflects on the water - just beautiful.

On checking in for the cruise we learned that there are 43 passengers booked for our cruise. This ship has the capacity for 130 passengers. Living with that few people for a week, chances are we'll get to know them all. If they're representative of the usual tourists here, most will be from New Zealand or Australia. I wonder if we'll be the only Canadians aboard? I'm guessing we'll find out by the end of the week, if not before.