We’ve been told it’s the oldest person who gets to be chief, but we think it should be the youngest!
Media – Round 8
Wilson Makes 50 New Friends (3/15/23) – Photos
Wilson Makes 50 New Friends (3/15/23) – Video
3/15/23 @ 10:30pm – Yatule Resort and Spa, Fiji
All trip photo albums
Trip video playlist
Mr. Seamon-Ingalls:
Our day of wonderful adventure started with another yummy breakfast, but this time with an ocean view! We got fully loaded up on fuel and then got on our bus at 7:30. Our path took us clockwise around the edge of the island where we stopped off at the jet boat offices to fill out some paperwork before continuing on to the jetty.
After gearing up with life jackets and stashing some of our packs, we loaded onto two jet boats. We drifted for a little while as the captain gave us a great intro to a journey, and then we were off! At high speed we headed up river, making a couple stops in our 40 minute journey for Freddy, the captain, to tell us about life in the villages on the rivers. We learned lots and got amazing views of the truly epic landscapes. The sun was hot, but the breeze was powerful and we stayed cool.
We unloaded onto the shore at one of the villages and the captains took us up to chapel where we learned more about the village and how life works in the area. Next we walked the short distance to the main recreational center where we were greeted by 50 villagers.
Over the next hour we got to experience and take part in a dynamic, meaningful, and fun welcome ceremony. We drank more Cava, heard songs, and introduced ourselves. Next, we enjoyed a very tasty lunch of local foods and chatted more with our new friends. The socialization continued in earnest after lunch, and it all then transitioned into a truly magical sharing of dance. Everyone got involved and we had THE. BEST. TIME. All the kids were flying around, mixed together with our hosts, and all the music was being played and sung live!
It’s important to note that after only a few minutes after our arrival at the rec center, Wilson was passed around and got to share smiles with, essentially, all 50 of the people — kids and adults — that were part of the event. We met lots and lots of people, but Wilson met everyone!
The dancing wrapped up and one of the other guests gave a great goodbye message on our behalf. We then gave some gifts, said our goodbyes, and went back to the boats.
The trip back was direct, with no stop. At the dock Mrs. Seamon-Ingalls and Wilson got off, and we went back our so that the boat could do a series of 360 spins, soaking everyone in the process. It was SO. MUCH. FUN.
We got back to the dock fully exhilarated, dried off bit, some of the kids bought hard copies of photos, and then we got back on our bus. On the way home we stopped to load up on supplies at a grocery store and were back at Yatule by 3:30pm. We had a check in at 5 to go over the next day which will see our group split up for the first time — Half the group will get a fully and fun tour of the area, and the other half will go scuba diving with me. The kids then got the rest of the evening to relax before dinner.
As today is Mrs. Seamon-Ingalls’ birthday, I took her and Wilson to a local fancy restaurant. Our walk home along the beach was capped off by hearing the gleeful voices of our kids in the common room at Yatule.
What a day.