A seasonal delicacy, nama is best likened to seaweed caviar. The texture of the tiny brine-filled pearls is similar to salmon roe, clustered along a seaweed stalk. Eaten with sugar and chili, they make a tasty snack at the Suva market. Here they are selling for about US$1 per plate.

I hesitated before booking a resort in Fiji rather than running off to somewhere "local" to absorb the cultural part of Fiji, but I was happy to find that even my resort drew in bits of culture like this fern tree carved statue. These faces of Fiji line the path between resorts and catch a delightful evening glow from the setting sun.

Sometimes things don't go as planned, but the fiasco leads you to a whole new adventure. It had rained quite heavily for a few days before we were due to arrive at Yasawa Island Resort in Fiji. The island has a very nice grass landing strip, but on the day we were due to arrive it was more of a soggy mess of mud and you certainly could not land a plane. So instead we got to fly out to the island on a little sea plane. The barefoot pilot pulled the bags out of the back of the plane and waded through the water to leave the bags at baggage claim (the beach). A pick up from the resort came out to meet us, but the road was very muddy and badly rutted due to the rains. It was the only vehicle that could make it over the road, but there was not enough room in the cab for all of the passengers. The ladies got to sit in side while the men were hanging on tight in the bed of the pickup. Quite and adventurous start to a wonderful stay with the people of Yasawa Island Resort! I would do it all again in a heartbeat!

Working on my photography skills using a skittish, shy, and tiny hermit crab may not have been the easiest task, but I managed to snap a couple fantastic portraits of this little guy when he came out of his shell. He reminds me of this quote: "Own only what you can carry with you; know language, know countries, know people. Let your memory be your travel bag." -Alexander Solzhenitsyn-

These scorpion-like crabs, called mana, live in the mangroves around Viti Levu, Fiji's main island. You can buy a woven bag of them at the Suva market for US$12. They taste delicious boiled, shelled, and soaked in miti, the ubiquitous cold sauce made from fresh coconut milk, onion, tomato and chili, with a side of ota, the local ferns.

Rain is synonymous with Suva. Navigating Suva Market in the wet is a skill no local can live without. Inside, professional traders man the stalls, leaving local women to sit outside in the rain. Many of these women have travelled overnight to sell their produce. There's no haggling in the market, just fair prices for beautiful fresh local food. On the left, fresh duruka (from sugar cane) is piled in bundles, to be husked and cooked in coconut milk.

Our first day in Kadavu, the fourth biggest island in Fiji, about 100 km south of the main island but still wonderfully undeveloped, we decided to take a hike to a local village. We gained the most surprising of all tour guides, a 6 year old boy carrying a bag of rice the size of his own body, who brought us to a hidden waterfall and swimming hole outside his village. He took of his shirt and started to climb a very steep cliff. Although we were holding our breath, we were delighted by his bravery and joy and he lept into the blue pool below. We were joined by about 10 other kids who had just gotten out of school who wanted to show off their climbing and jumping skills. We were staying about 5 km away at Matava eco-resort and routinely talk about going back to that magical place. We would love to venture back to that village to get the guts up to climb and leap ourselves:)

Sellers come from all over Fiji's main island of Viti Levu to sell their produce at the Saturday market. Chili was introduced by Indian migrants over a hundred years ago, and is now a staple of the indigenous cuisine.

Afraid of sharks? You shouldn't be. Attacks on humans are rare. But don't take my word for it, why not overcome your fear by meeting them face-to-face in Fiji! Off the coast of Fiji's Beqa Island there lies a protected Marine Reserve that's home to 8 different species of shark. Certified SCUBA divers can visit this reef to watch an amazing underwater spectacle in a safe & controlled environment. There are no cages, but plenty of staff to keep the sharks from getting too close using long poles to shoo them away. You may see a multitude of large Reef Sharks, Bull Sharks, and even massive 15 foot Tigers swim & feed amongst huge schools of tropical fish. It's a wild adrenaline rush experienced in a beautiful underwater environment. Book a shark dive with Beqa Adventure Divers while staying at the wonderful Uprising Beach Resort. Located in Pacific Harbour on Fiji's main island of Viti Levu.

The island in Fiji where the movie "Castaway" with Tom Hanks was filmed...snorkling and diving here was awesome...my wife and I got to see one of the largest Eagle Rays I have ever seen in over 38 years of scuba diving.

RENDEZVOUS. Sunset with my wife is a rendezvous must. Every vacation, every sunset. Don't miss one. This was the sunset of our 5th anniversary, taken in Nadi, Fiji. It doesn't matter if I've been scuba diving all day, or if she's been off to the spa. We know where to find each other at sunset. On the beach, toes in the sand, in each other's arms.

Here, our hosts were digging up food from the lovo feast that were burried in an underground oven lined with banana leaves and covered with hot stones. A lovo is a Fijian feast prepared for communal events and festivities. For our group, seafood and vegetables were wrapped in banana leaves are then placed on top of the heated stones and cooked approximately 2 hours. Steaming hot seafood, chicken, taro, and cassava were then laid out for us to enjoy by lamplight (the resort boasts "no carbon footprint" and I believe it!). The next day, we received an indepth tour of the garden that all of the resort's produce is from. This was certainly a feast for all of my senses!

Getting to Yasawa Island Resort and Spa is most of the fun. I learned the runway sloped down, but was not aware it was made of grass! After a bumpy van ride you are delivered to an oasis in the middle of nowhere. This is the view of the beach near Bure Sub Zero.

Just outside the town of Suva, there is a dive company, Aqua-Trek, that specializes in shark encounters: on any given day, an individual can dive over 20 meters along a striking reef and experience firsthand, up close and personal, no cage, up to eight different species of sharks, including reef sharks, nurse sharks, lemon sharks, tiger sharks, and bull sharks. In addition, one may also see up to 300 different species of fish, fish of every size, shape, and color imaginable. The dive masters who run the company bring down garbage cans full of tuna trimmings, which effectively attract the various sharks, along with the rest of the fish that follow along the subsequent food chain. It is largely in part thanks to modern technology, mainly underwater cameras, these events can be documented, as even the most descriptive words still cannot bring the justice such an experience deserves. Underwater, nature is conducting a masterpiece. The current hums along, while fish of every color weave in and out of each other, dodging bigger fish, smaller fish, and of course, the sharks who come to feed. The Aqua-Trek staff, like most of the Fijian people, are incredibly friendly, cheerful, and very professional. In addition, Aqua-Trek has worked with the Fiji Government to protect the sharks and fish who come to feed by having the reef declared a Marine Protected Area. If you enjoy scuba diving and adventure, this is truly a one of a kind experience that cannot be missed while in Fiji!

July 2012 was the best summer of my life thanks to the service trip I experienced with Global Works Travel. Fiji was the destination and I was ready to go! I knew this trip would be life changing but I could not have imagined leaving such a huge part of myself in Fiji. From the moment I stepped off the bus in Nativi village I felt I was home. I've never seen so many smiling faces and the feeling of joy completely filled the air. My host family treated me as if I were one of their own daughters, my mother tucked me into bed each night and woke me with a smile and hug. Working throughout the day building toilets for the kindergarten or painting the community church the Fijian families would always sing with happiness the beautiful traditional Fijian songs. I was completely immersed in the happiest culture on earth. The village children would race home from school to meet our group and we played Fijian games and laughed so much. Each day the same small boy would hold my hand and play with me It proved to me that I was accepted as part of their community and family. Leaving the village was hard, lots of tears were shed because I was part of a new family and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. The lessons they taught me will be with me forever. I now know you don’t have to have everything under the sun to be happy. At the end of the day you just need family, friends and a place that you can call home filled with love. I will always keep my Fijian friends close in my heart.

During our stay on Fiji we paid a trip to the Garden of the Sleeping Giant, an orchid rich paradise founded by the late Raymond Burr (Perry Mason) in 1977. Originally created for Burr's private orchid collection, the garden also houses many plants native to the islands such as lipstick palms, bromeliads and an astounding army of orchids. There was such a huge array of blossoms in all shapes and sizes with colors so intensely vibrant you can almost hear them. The $10 entrance fee will get you access to the 20 hectares of the garden and you can see Raymond Burr's private cottage for an additional $8.00 which includes afternoon tea. The pace in the garden is slow and the lush plants perfume the air, encouraging you to forget the hustle and bustle of Nadi only 10 minutes away! Take your time, and breathe it in!

My last visit to Vorovoro was to attend a wedding between a Scottish friend I'd met there a few years before and a Fijian local whom I'd met in 2007 on my first trip to the island. A gorgeous gem of a tropical paradise, Vorovoro sits on Cakaulevu Reef, the 3rd largest in the world. But what really makes this place special is that it's one of the only (if not THE only) places to experience life in an authentic Fijian village. A previous project here fell apart from lack of operational experience, so the island has been mostly dormant for the past 2 years, save for events like the wedding. But Bridge the Gap Villages is launching an innovative new approach to true partnership with the local Mali Tribe - providing business mentorship and training, so the village can be owned and operated by those who live there. I've joined the BTGV Advisory Board because this place is so special, and I wanted to help them find ways to share it with travelers like myself, seeking unforgettable experiences. With a waterfall shower, fairly rustic but beautiful traditional accommodations, night swimming, hiking on the four rugged peaks, teaching at the local school, and the chance to learn weaving, Fijian dances, spear fishing and more, Vorovoro inspires falling in love - with both the island and the people. And it made a magical setting for a destination wedding. It will re-open in April 2013 pending a successful crowdfunding campaign which is happening now on StartSomeGood.