People and places: Fabrizia from Fiji

On the 6^th of January we arrived on the main island of Fiji and we started our travelling from Nandi towards Suva stopping for a couple of days in Mango Bay.

Here is like the green house of the botanical garden: 27-29 degrees and humid, green plants everywhere, palms, papaya trees, different kind of trees with wonderful red or yellow flowers, thousand of exotic wonderful flowers.

In the first day of our arrival our friends from here took us to eat at the Eco Café of Fabrizia. I never tasted in my life such a good grilled fish with rice and, you will not believe, ferns. Seems that the local ferns are cooked a little bit steamed with coconut milk, salt pepper and is giving this amazing “contorno” as she called it. I never felt so at home… So practically we landed in a deep, wonderful Italian atmosphere surrounded by a typically Fijian environment: the house and the small restaurant are build in traditional manner with bamboo, directly on the beach, children are playing in the water…

Fabrizia is a brave, hard working, wonderful Italian woman. She married a local Fijian years ago and she build this small business: a place of Paradise that she and her husband are sharing full-hearted with their clients. Everything is home made: gorgeous lemonade, amazing marmalade, vegetables from the garden, natural growing chicken, fresh fish from the Ocean etc. Maybe you will think it must be like this everywhere on the island. Apparently not: the locals are more and more attracted if not fooled by the mirage of civilization and forgetting bit by bit their tradition. So, they started to prefer “tin houses” to the more difficult to build but much nicer bamboo houses, they prefer drinking merely Coke, Fanta or other chemicals to their natural juices (here is a paradise for bananas, pineapples, papaya and other amazing fruits).

We were going to eat there one more time, before continuing our trip. This time was a genuine Italian pizza we enjoyed in a very relaxed and happy atmosphere…I do not even remember when I laughed last time so much and so deep in my heart. 

People and places: starting and Hong Kong

I am going to start posting a few stories about our small project of travelling around the world. I say small not because the world is small but because even if we make a complete tour of the planet we stop only in Hong Kong, Fiji Islands and California (between Los Angeles and San Francisco).

We started our journey on 31st of December with a flight from London to Hong Kong. Midnight cached us in the air…almost sleeping. We just said to each other Happy New Year and we went to sleep ;) It was one of the less ceremonious New Year’s eve we have ever spent…but we were eager to arrive in Hong Kong. The start of the year was announcing itself GREAT.

On the 1^st of January we arrived in Hong Kong…and we stayed until the 5^th of January.

Hong Kong (meaning the Incense Harbour) was GREAT and did not disappoint me at all. People were smiling a lot and every time they have seen us with the map figuring out our way, they stopped and ask politely if we need help. Being jet legged had a big advantage: we were starting very early in the morning. This meant we were in the metro during the rush hour. With a population of more then 10 million people I was thinking it will be hell…worse then Rome, Paris, Bucharest and other big cities I was accustom with. In fact, not at all. No matter the hour or the place I never seen overcrowded places, I never felt aggressed or in danger. Also, I did not see angry or upset people… And I have to admit that at least the metro system was one of the most organized and I supposed the rest of the public transportation was not worse as they were very few personal cars in the city.

Every neighbourhood has its own “world”: financial place with international restaurants and stores; street markets for all kind of goods, golden fish market for aquarium fishes, flower market, traditional Chinese medicine market, dry food market, ceramics market, jade and jewellery street etc. Hong Kong has its hills with amazing nature and hiking paths, we did a few. Inside the city, wherever possible, surrounded by the forest of skyscrapers, were also parks with amazing big and almost suspended ficus trees. In these parks, the Chinese, especially the elder ones, were practicing sports of all kinds from jogging or tennis to yoga, chi qong or tai chi. Nice to see and feel this of relaxing and healthy atmosphere…Another place I liked was the sea food market. The food is also something that we enjoyed even if we were not exactly courageous in our choices: different kinds of noodle soups or dumplings, salads and some small baked bread. In any case the Chinese cuisine as I new it from Europe has not so much in commune with what I have seen on the table of the people there and in the places were they were selling the food in the street. By the way, the smell was incredible good and people were queuing to eat there.

In other words, first experience with Hong Kong: nice people, nice places to visit (we did not cover too much in our 4 days there), nice food…and for whose interested quite good for shopping.

Greetings

The year 2012 was a complex, some times difficult, some times challenging year but mainly rewarding. It was a year of change and new projects, of happy moments and hopes: new business projects, psychology studies, story telling at the Romanian book shop, moving in a new apartment, meeting new friends and enjoy best moments with old friends, travelling to new places...

I wanted to share with you some of these moments in a small 2 minutes and a half movie. There are only the happy moments because we do not make pictures when we are down, when we are in tears, in rage, when we are sad. I had these kinds of moments as well but they were all making me a better person. This is what I wish for everybody for the years to come: be a better person everyday. When you feel there is nothing to do, remember that humans are wired for empathy, social cooperation, and mutual aid and you will always find somebody for help, encouragement and understanding.

I wish you Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Anul 2012 a fost unul complex, cateodata dificil si provocator dar in cele mai multe cazuri a fost extraordinar. A fost un an al schimbarilor, al noilor proiecte, al momemntelor fericite si al sperantei: mutarea si renovarea noului apartament in care ne-am mutat, proiecte noi pentru afacerea mea, noi cursuri la psihologie, intalnirea unor persoane ce mi-au devenit noi prieteni, momente extraordinare cu vechii prieteni, calatoriile in locuri in care nu mai fusesem inainte…

As vrea sa impart cu voi cateva din aceste momente intr-un filmulet de 2 minute jumatate. Mi-a fost greu sa aleg doar cateva poze dar cred ca veti simti admosfera generala J

Bineinteles, am selectat doar momente fericite caci nu am facut poze cand eram pierduta, nervoasa, cu ochii in lacrimi, manioasa sau bolnava…dar toate aceste momente m-au facut sa fiu o persoana mai buna. Asta este ceea ce v-as dori tuturor pentru anii ce vor sa vina: sa fiti si sa deveniti persoane mai bune in fiecare zi. Si atunci cand vei avea momente in care crezi ca nimic nu are sens, nu uita ca oamenii sunt buni, intelegatori dorindu-si cooperearea sociala si ajutorul reciproc si ca vei gasi intodeauna pe cineva sa te ajute, sa te incurajeze sau sa te inteleaga.

Va urez tuturor Craciun Fericit si un An Nou cu multa pace sufleteasca!