Archive for category South Pacific
Treasures From My Trips
Posted by TravelDesigned in Canada, Caribbean, Mexico, New Zealand, South Pacific, TravelDesigned on April 25th, 2010
Treasures From My Trips
With the treasures from my trips, my husband swears I could open a gift shop! I must admit I have quite a collection of collections from our travels. For over 25 years Terry has considered me a special envoy aiding the world economy. I just can't help myself! It is a rare occasion I leave a shop without a purchase. Some of my treasures are a little on the expensive side and others not so much. No matter the cost, I love them all dearly!
One of the things I always look for are magnets. They are useful, relatively inexpensive and make GREAT gifts. I especially love handcrafted magnets. Of course, the ones my friends gift me hold a special place in my heart. To me, my magnets are miniature works of art. They remind me of the happiest days of my life and my wonderful friends.
Here is my collection of souvenir magnets:
You can mouse over most of the magnets to see where they are from
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This is the first in a series of photo essays on my travel treasures. What souvenirs do you collect? Do you have one you hold near and dear to your heart? |
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Fiji – My Wish Come True
Posted by TravelDesigned in Cruise, IsabellesTravel, My Travelin' Tweeps, South Pacific on January 13th, 2010
Please follow Isabelle on Twitter : @IsabellesTravel
I'm a passionate traveler who wants to help others make a memorable vacation!
Fiji- My Wish ComeTrue
What better time to think back on travel memories of a warm and lovely destination than during the cold winter.
Everybody has a wish list when it comes to travel. A certain destination or multiple ones, they just have to see! That choice can be based on stories you've heard by other travelers who have been there, or maybe through pictures you saw. I can't even remember why it was so high on my list. I think it was some sort of documentary I saw about it. My god, the beaches they showed and the crystal blue waters. Well, I knew one thing, I wanted to see Fiji!
To be honest, I’ve always thought it would be my honeymoon destination, but when my thirtieth birthday was around the corner, I decided to go ahead and plan a trip. And was I glad I did 
The Fiji Islands are located in the heart of the South Pacific. They consist of over 300 islands with the two largest islands being Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. I flew into Nadi, the international airport at Viti Levu.
Bula! Welcome to Fiji! I remember landing in Fiji and it was pouring rain and me thinking: “You got to be kidding me, I flew all this way for rain!” Luckily by the next morning, the rain stopped. 
My trip consisted of a three day cruise to do some island-hopping and a few days at a luxurious resort. In this story I'll focus on the 3 day cruise I went on. I did think this cruise was an excellent way to see multiple islands, even if it's sometimes just from a distance.
Meeting the other 10 passengers (yes, that's all, it felt like a private cruise was the first thing on the agenda. This wasn't hard, as we could talk over lunch, that was served while our cruise set sail to the Yasawa Islands. After a delicious meal and exploring the ship for a bit (it's not that big), we made our first stop: visiting a Fijian Village. We attended an ancient `Yagona` ceremony. Yagona or kava is the traditional drink of Fiji. It's a drink made in a wooden bowl, called Tanoa during a ceremony with music and clapping. Lovely to experience. A little tip, if you go visit a Fijian village, bring something for the children. We just took some candy and they loved it.
Back on board, we got ready for dinner. It was a special "Captain's Welcome" dinner. The crew also provided entertainment by singing and making music. And it was a nice chance to get to know my fellow passengers. They came from all countries: Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Canada and Germany.
Day 2 brought us to an amazing privately owned island which was gorgeous. It's my number 1 in my Top 5 of Most Beautiful Beaches You could relax in a hammock, sunbath, but also see some colorful underwater spectacles while snorkeling. I just loved it! And on top of that, there was a BBQ served on the beach, for a beach lover like me, this was heaven on earth!
In the evening, we were in for a surprise. The crew set up our dinner on shore in a traditional Fijian way. They prepared our food in a "lovo" which is an earth oven. Really cool to see! It was an amazing evening, we did a little quiz/show and we had to tell something about our own country. At the end, the crew treated us to some more music and dancing. A magical night under the stars.
Already the last day, too bad this was such a short trip… still I think it's a great way to see a bit more of the Fijian Islands. There are longer cruises too, but because I was only in Fiji for a week I decided on the short cruise and a beach stay for a couple of days. After another tasty breakfast ~ the food was marvellous on this boat! ~ our last stop, another Fijian Island. You could go for a beach walk, snorkeling or just relax on yet another beautiful beach.
Later we headed back to the port, but not before enjoying lunch and afternoon tea. To top of this lovely experience, the crew sang their farewell song "Isa Lei" to say goodbye.
I have to say, this cruise was amazing, the food was suburb, the crew outstanding and the travel companions delightful. It's one of my most fantastic travel memories. You know, the Fijian Islands aren't called the "Friendly Islands" for no reason. They make you feel so welcome with their "Bula" and music & dance. Fiji was everything I expected and more. I'll definitely go back one day!
Isabelle was one of the first tweeps I followed when I started on Twitter. She always brings a smile to my face when I see her in my Twitter stream. It makes my day when she interacts with me or retweets me. Now, we are friends and check up on each other outside of twitter.
Thank you, Isabelle for contributing one of your dreams come true.
I sincerely wish all your hopes and dreams come true!!–Stephanie 
3 Quirky Christmas Days
Posted by TravelDesigned in Africa, Asia, Christmas Travel Tales, Middle East, My Travelin' Tweeps, Quirky Traveler, South Africa, South Pacific, Uncategorized on December 21st, 2009
Please follow Zoe on Twitter: @quirkytraveller
Looking at life from a quirky point of view. Leadership Coach, Speaker, Travel Writer and Happy Mum.
3 Quirky Christmas Days
Aswan, Egypt
In the early 80s a group of us spent one Christmas and New Year in Egypt. On Christmas Day so we left our VERY basic hostel to find a cheap restaurant open which served festive fare and a drink. As you can imagine, in a predominantly Muslim country on a Saturday, that was not so easy … Eventually we found a little place by the Camel Market (not on that day), with a big table outside. We were offered Roast chicken and chips with local beer… Perfect.
Whilst we waited (for hours!) for the chicken, we drank warm beer and relished the hot sun, safe in the knowledge that back home in the UK it was probably raining and definitely cold. The chicken was the toughest, ropiest old bird you could imagine – but we enjoyed it anyway as we reminisced about our favourite Christmas holidays, exchanged REALLY cheap and fun gifts, toasted absent friends and congratulated ourselves on having a very unChristmassy Christmas Day.
Pattaya, Thailand
In 1990, a friend and I escaped from Hong Kong to stay at a luxury hotel in Pattaya, which looked absolutely dreamy. What we didn’t know was that during the Vietnam War, Pattaya had been a favourite place for soldiers to chill out and ‘relax’ and their legacy lived on …
Having arrived on Christmas Eve we decided to eat out in Pattaya the next day, so after a relaxing day by the pool we wandered into the town. What a shock that was! It was late afternoon and still daylight but all the bars were busy and it was obvious what delights were on offer for Christmas here! We wandered up and down Soi 6 barely able to contain our amazement. Some of the bars and clubs had festive decorations amidst the neon – I’ll never forget one sign which read ‘A Merry Christmas to all our Customers’ above a lap-dancing club offering some very exotic acts …
Eventually we found a vaguely respectable bar where we had Pad Thai noodles and fended off the attentions of some very drunk Australian guys who’d clearly partaken of a fair bit of Christmas cheer. As their propositions got more extreme we decided return to our hotel and leave Pattaya red light district to its own unique Christmas festivities!
Queenstown, South Africa
“We’re having a Braai on Christmas Day – just family and a few mates …” and so I was introduced to Christmas Dinner, South African style. I was staying with my boyfriend’s family on their farm just outside Queenstown. The weather was fantastic, warm, sunny and fresh. On Christmas morning we exchanged presents and drank sparkling wine, opened cards showing Santas and snow-covered carol singers outside typical English churches; all very incongruous with the African veldt outside the back door.
A Braai is a BBQ, SA style. On the biggest grill I’ve ever seen was every kind of meat imaginable, including ostrich and Boerewors, a spicy sausage. Big buckets were filled with ice and beer, boxes of red wine stood outside the kitchen door next to a big fridge full of white wine, soft drinks & mixers. Two trestle tables were loaded up with all manner of salads, dips, breads and fruit, with a smaller table for the kids – and not a turkey or Brussel sprout in sight.
By 4pm the party was in full swing and it was time for carols and the Christmas pudding. The farm workers joined us and as ‘Hark The Herald Angels Sing’ rang out from over 50 voices, it seemed the best way to celebrate this wonderful season.
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