This is what Paradise is all about.

The early morning sun cast yellow beams of happiness through the green fronds of the palm trees and onto the gleaming white sands signalling the beginning of a day with a somewhat ambitious agenda.

Given the conditions - immediately after pancakes for breakfast we threw ourselves into a snorkelling foray in the waters lapping on (well OK then ..20 meters away from) our doorstep. Then we wandered up the road in order to jump on top of a couple of previously mentioned "Rollin' in sands" horses and spent the next hour strolling along the beach conveyed by beasts.

Beware the horse snorts and I was....frequently.Very well trained and beautiful animals. A very generous gesture by Ro to jump off and run up to our kitchen to snag some carrot treats for them. Next we jumped into our hosts brand spankin'  4wd and headed off up into the forests in search of rushing waters. Arriving in a local village we had to partake in the traditional greeting ceremony (kava and coordinated clapping - shoes and hats off, cross legged in grass mats, $50 donation to the village) followed by the chance to purchase a plethora if local handcrafts.

Happily handing over the dosh ( they need it - especially the chief - he gets all of Wednesdays takings - seriously - other days goes to the school etc.)  and having no cash left afterwards for delightfully decorated ornaments we headed upstream. Into the plush rainforest we plunged. Luckily the path was well trodden and the aforementioned funds were paying the way for a paved path to keep the tourists feet from mud and slippage. And thus more will come. 9 river crossings (wet shoes) and 3km through classical jungle landscape we arrived at the waterfall. Pristine and perfect, we frolicked in the crystal clear fresh waters.

It was only after prompting, our guide (Daniel) informed us that the natives considered these waters to hold mystical fertility powers. If our kids get a sibling out of this there will need to be some serious scientific studies into exactly what is floating in these waters after so many generations of "frolicking" by the locals. The chicken and tuna sandwiches we ordered for lunch were a lesson - in both taste and in ordering - clarifying when specifying when one wants a variety....not a combination. Heading back down we crossed the 15k steps mark on the Fitbit  and the 18th river crossing for the day (woo hoo!). The drive back to the compound ( well it is behind a big concrete wall) was insightful with Wayne the owner espousing how difficult it is to make life work as an ex-pat in Fiji. 1st world problems in a 3rd world country....at least he's giving it a red hot go. Back at camp we luxuriated in our 1st world privileges. One on a deck chair beside the pool the other out to the far reaches of the reef - armed with nought but snorkel, flippers and waterproof camera. An hour later a 10 minute blast of one of the last vestiges of the crappy weather touched the shore. However by then it was time for debrief and cocktails back at HQ. Dinner was proceeded by a quick reconnoiter up to the ATM/supermarket/liquor shop and then we got to try and rate a new dish created by the chef. Seafood Crepe...really? can it possibly get better than this? Well - yes it can ... it's now late and it's raining.. as it's meant to do in the tropics ( e.g. at night). So care factor = 0.