by Heather Hauswirth

Guam - As soon as we checked in to the beautiful Sofitel Resort we piled into the van for a day trip to the village of Nalasutale. We drove through rolling hills along endless pastures and over sugar cane fields and finally arrived at the village.

Alisi Lucu was our tour guide for the entire trip. She introduced us to Ta Neikere - quite the entrepreneur - she has been hosting tourists in her village for six years. Ta speared and prepared the very wahu we ate for lunch herself. "I used the spear this morning to catch the fish," she said, saying it took about an hour.

And we had quite the spread. Ta said, "First we have fruits- pineapple, watermelon and banana, the other one is sweet potatoes, spinach, lamb sausage, fish and wahu and taro and you have bread."

About 70 people live in the village of Nalasutale and most live in huts like the one we were in. The roofs are made of coconut leaves and grass and the walls are made of bamboo.

After lunch we trekked deeper through the bamboo jungle - the cava plant was abundant. The leaves are used to make cava, which Fiji is renowned for. "You uproot it, chop up the roots, sun it out a couple of days, when they get dry and cracking you pound it with a wooden spoon or steal pound and then it goes into a powdery form where you mix it in the silk sack and you get the cava drink," said Ta.

I climbed over sharp rocks barefoot and had to I use a walking stick for support. Good thing I pride myself on having calloused feet. Jumping in the waterfall made it all worth it.

In Fiji this is the best way to make sure you stay clean and hygienic. They say Fiji water has a lot of natural minerals so if you bathe in it, it is really good for you. Swimming and splashing around the pristine waterfall was a blast.

Fiji water is one of the hottest commodities on island. "Bottled water is Fiji water," said Ta. "Before you get sick on the river, most villages drink water in the river and then they bought the frogs, which kill all the insects and that's why we survive."

The strength and resourcefulness of the Fijian people are part of the charm of this blissful island, which is just as magical on land as it is under the sea. Next time we'll dive right in on our day cruise to the remote island of Savala.