Floating Mountains in Ha Long Bay

The inspiration from Avatar's floating mountains (Hallelujah Mountains) may have come from the Zhangjiajie Stone Forest in China... however, as I toured Ha Long Bay (in Northern Vietnam), I couldn't help but to be reminded by that movie. When the boat first embarked, there was no wind... the sea was perfectly still and looked like glass. As we left the port, we could see stone mountains towering out of the water. It looked as if they were floating above the sea. The experience was unlike anything I've done before. I wish I had more time to explore the region.

Where We're Going, We Don't Need Roads...

When I got to the Maldives, I couldn't help but think of the Back to the Future quote: "Where we're going, we don't need roads." From the moment my plane landed on the tiny island next to Male, I did not see a car. In place of standard taxi cabs, boats are waiting to transport you to your final destination (recommend learning how to swim before traveling here).

Life in the Maldives revolves around the ocean. Not only does it act as their super highways... but it also provides them with sustenance and is their primary source of income (tourism, fishing, etc..). What's ironic is that the same thing they cannot live without, may someday destroy their way of life. When talking with the locals, there was a consistent concern about global warming and the rising oceans. I hope that such a beautiful place like the Maldives never goes away... but I am glad I was able to visit the islands while they are still afloat.

Fiji Gold

The "Golden Hour" at Musket Cove Resort in Fiji.

My Fijian Adventure - Surf Transfers

One of the daily adventures in Fiji was trying to hire a boat to take me out to the outer reefs. Since I was the only surfer in my group (parents don't surf), I had to find others to share the boat with me (the boat drivers didn't want to do solo trips unless you paid double). It wasn't too difficult to find others since there were a lot of Aussie surfers at the resort. However, all of the boats were on "Fiji time"... which meant that you needed to reserve a time 30-60 minutes before you actually wanted to go out. After the first couple days, I figured out the schedule and it wasn't much of a problem. The boat drivers were very friendly (had the warm polynesian hospitality)... they took us wherever wanted to go and stayed out as long as we wanted to stay out. They also had a lot of local knowledge and knew which break would be the best at any given moment. It was definitely worth the money!

Here you see a surfer coming back from one of the surf transfers at low tide. 

My Fijian Adventure - First Light at Port Denaru

First light at Port Denaru in Nadi, Fiji... the starting point of my Fijian Adventure.

My Fijian Adventure - "Island Life"

This gives a whole new meaning to "taking the bus to school"

One day while staying in Fiji, we decided to hire a boat and go to one of the local villages: Shell Village. My mom wanted to do some shopping and I thought it would be cool to check out the local culture. When we got to the village, school had just gotten out... and instead of waiting for the bus to take them home, the children were waiting for a boat to take them home. I thought that was pretty rad! Imagine going to school on the beach... and being barefoot in the classroom! Everyone I met in the village was super friendly, had great smiles, and made me appreciate the warm Polynesian culture. The craftsmanship on the local goods was also very nice... especially the wood carvings.

barefoot classrooms 

A local craftsman hard at work... Fiji has some amazing wood carvings.

Kids being kids

These flowers were everywhere... actually got kind of sick of them after a while

Nature Walk Around Las Flores

One thing that I've learned from my many surf trips over the years, is the importance of pacing yourself... especially if you're in a warm/tropical environment. With this in mind, I decided to take the afternoon off from surfing and take some pictures in the shade (going surfing again this evening).