The islands of the South Pacific have been amazing so far. Our first stop was Fiji, and what a sight that was. Our first city was Suva, which is the main city of Fiji. I had the time to walk along the coastline and see the different areas of the island. The city itself was a little dirty, and we just happened to be there on their national holiday. Everything was closed except for a few places. The next day in Fiji was Dravuni Island. It is an amazing little island with the locals living in small houses on the beach. The water was crystal clear and bright blue. We walked the beach and went on a path to the native cemetery. Sitting on the beach drinking a Fiji beer looking out on the other islands was amazing.

Our next stop was Vanuatu. It is a small country comprised of many islands. The first was Luganville, which did not have much to offer. Much of the town was run down, but we took a taxi that brought us to the nearby blue hole. It is a natural spring that formed in the middle of the island. The water is crystal clear and deep blue. Then we went to Port Vila, which is their capital. We unfortunately weren't able to make it to the Mele Cascades waterfall. After the cab took us to it which took 20 minutes, and then they charged to see the fall and it was a 45 min walk to the top, we turned around. Disappointed we sat through traffic in the downtown area. But we did get to see local villages and the city. We also saw Hideaway Island that is just off the coast and has the world's only underwater post office. I heard from some of the crew that went there that it was a lot of fun.

We went to Kuto, Il de Pins next. I have to say this was the best island we have visited so far. The beaches had the smoothest, cleanest, and whitest sand I've ever seen. The water was cool and again crystal clear and blue. The beaches were lined with tree, which provided a decent amount of shade. A lot of small islands can be seen from all sides. I have to say that I would want to come back here of all of the other places we have been. It has been a great trip so far. The work on the ship has been a little lighter for this long cruise. It still restricts time ashore, but we make the best of it with the time we have.

Even better is the fact that I sprained my ankle and couldn't walk on it for a day. I was declared unfit for duty by the infirmary. I couldn't go out in New Caledonia yesterday, but it's okay I guess. It was raining and everything was closed because it was a Sunday. Soon we will be in New Zealand, and then Sydney! Only 18 more days here.

Me on Dravuni Island in Fiji

Kuto, Il de Pins