Bula Friends! Well, the end is near. We are about to embark on the last leg of our journey, tucked away in a remote Fijian island catching fish and climbing coconut trees with not a wifi symbol in site! But, as a little something to tie you over until our return, in a few days some photos from our quick trip to Tokyo will be posted. Until next time! Moce and Vinaka!
Well as they say, all good things must come to an end. So here we are, back home, returning to the comfort of a daily routine with the sound of Fiji shores still lapping in our ears. A year of travel under our belts and we all feel a little stronger, older and wiser (the kids especially.) We will share loads of photos soon, but for now, here is a glimpse at our home while on the island and portraits of the whole crew and few of our Fijian brothers.
Moving a small film crew and a family to an island that is usually only inhabited by birds and crabs is a no small feat. From puddle jumpers to pangasloaded to three times their normal capacity, getting to our little slice of heaven and preparing to live without modern conveniences was a journey all in itself. A time consuming and sometimes comedic experience. The best part however, was for all of us to finally meet Aamion's Fijian family, the village that took him and his parents in about 30 years ago and they were just as quick to take us in and make us feel at home. This amplified the excitement of seeing the island appear over the horizon after three hours of open ocean and know that this whole trip would be perfectly wrapped up where it really all began.
Sorry for the delay here folks. We still have quite a few photos from Fiji to show you, so even though we're done traveling, we'll keep the good times rolling for a while longer. One of the highlights of our time in Fiji was building and living in the local style shelter called a Bure. Building the Bure is actually a pretty simple process but not something that we could have done without the Fijians. They know exactly what type of tree to use, how to weave the palms and the best way to secure everything. Without any plastic, these Bures are more waterproof and breezier than the tents we brought with us. By the end of Fiji almost everyone had given up their tents for these natural wonders.Thanks to some fortunate tides and a couple little ship wrecks, we were able to deck out our Bures with these colorful glass bottles, old ropes and buoys and the most beautiful shells we've ever seen.Free home decor at its best!
This Fijian island was a place where you could not only survive, but really thrive off what nature provides, as long as you have a spear and a keen eye. To say we ate well is an understatement. We were spoiled by the freshest fish and the most amazing coconuts you can imagine. You'd think eating a diet mainly of fish, rice and coconut would get boring but the Fijians sure know how to mix up just a few ingredients to make an infinite number of recipes.Think of that scene in Forrest Gump but substitute shrimp with fish: fried fish, fish soup, curried fish, coconut fish, grilled fish and the list goes on. The food in Fiji might have tasted extra delicious because we all knew exactly what efforts went into taking it from the sea or tree to our mouths, which is an experience all it's own.
P.S. if you think the fish in these photos are big, just wait till you see the movie - we're saving the BIG one!
And finally, a glimpse from the end of our time in Fiji, which was also the final week of the entire 14-month production extravaganza! This was a very bittersweet time, knowing that soon we'd all be back to life as usual and our crew split between California and Hawaii. While most productions might spend their final days winding down, we went out with a bang, or rather a whirl. Helicopter shoots are always tricky to coordinate but without telephones or internet this particular one took the cake. But like every challenge we faced this year, the footage was well worth the stress. The hassle of packing up our little slice of heaven was less rewarding since it meant leaving the most beautiful place we've even been. While these photos are beautiful, no photo can do justice to the maginificance of these islands and the warmth of the people who call them home.
