"Alright, we can each pick one place that is an absolute must"

(Photo graciously provided by Steve
Taken 09/08)

     When you close your eyes and imagine your dream destination, what do you see?  Maybe mountains  covered in a powder of snow or busy streets in a popular European city?  I dream of stepping off a plane and being blinded by the sun glistening off the blue ocean and seeing the greenest of green mountains.  When Angeline and I began planning out our trip of a life time the first step was picking which part of the world we would conquer first.  "Alright Angeline said, we can each pick one place that is an absolute must to visit and then we will fill in the gaps".  "FIJI!" I screamed with delight.

(Photo graciously provided by Steve
Taken 09/08)

     Ever since my friend Steve went to Fiji in 2008 I've been dying to go.  With every photo he posted my heart grew fonder for this place I knew nothing about.  I fell more and more in love with every new fact I learnt about this exotic country.  Fiji is a small island off the coast of New Zealand known for it's amazing hiking and snorkeling experiences.  We're planning our trip here around the hiking trails with the goal to hike almost all of Fiji.  Being the unfit person I am, there will be many beach days also in order to reach our goal.

     When I imagine snorkeling I have flashbacks to my trips to Mexico.  My eyes are burning with salt water and my breathing tube continuously tips into the water making me breath in salt water instead of air.  I despise snorkeling for these memories and for the longest time I really couldn't care less to give it another go.  Being that Fiji is the soft coral capital of the world I have no other choice but to put on the snorkeling gear yet again and hope for the best.  The amount of marine life that I will be able to see due to all the coral will be well worth choking on some sea water.

     Most of our hiking will be done in many of the national parks found on the islands.  Within most of these parks there are small villages that offer accommodations for travelers.  This ability to spend time with the locals in Fiji is one of the main attractions for myself.  Interacting with new people and cultures is the magic of traveling, and being able to stay in their villages and learn from them will be the highlight of visiting this country.

     We've found a place to finish off our backpacking extravaganza, but more importantly where were we going to start!?