LOVE ISLAND

As we were arriving in Fiji late in the evening we had already planned to stay a couple of nights on the outskirts of Nadi town at a hostel called smugglers cove. They offered us a free pick up from the airport and having landed and got our bags we found the bus and waited for a few others to arrive. It was nice to sit in the warm evening in contrast to how cold NZ had been!!! The trip to our hostel took only 10 minutes and within minutes of checking in we went to look at the beach. The hostel had a nice pool and decked area right next to the beach but as it was already dark it was too hard to tell what the beach was actually like. On our way into the hostel to get some food we were offered a local drink by a guy sat on a matted area with a large bowl in front of him. This was our first introduction to Cava a special local drink made from the ground root of the pepper plant. Sitting cross legged on his mat he handed me half a coconut shell with this murky looking liquid in it. I drank it down in one as he had gestured to me to do. It tasted strange but not unpleasant, within minutes my lips had gone numb, really weird feeling!! Tim had a cup too but was less than impressed with the taste. We said our thankyou's and headed back to get dinner.

Waking the following day we had breakfast overlooking the beach. It was not how you imagine a Fijian beach at all. Very dark brown sand a little messy, the sea was not very clear but it was nice to sit on the grass and soak up the sun. As we were only staying a day we had to work out how we would get to our next place further south on the coral coast. After much mucking around with costs we decided to share a taxi with another guy who was travelling down there. Although it was still way more than the bus fare would have been it saved us going back into the town and struggling with our over packed very haevy backpacks (we are carrying way too much warm clothing from NZ). So we spent the rest of the day soaking up the sun and had a nice dinner in the evening. Our taxi arrived on time the next morning and it took around 90 minutes to get to the beachhouse where we had booked to stay for a week. We chose the full week as the 7th night was free and every little helps in the money area. We had booked a garden room which was basically a small wooden hut with shutters, a large double bed (heaven) and loads of hooks on the walls to hang clothes. Basic but nice and we settled in quickly. The day we arrived it was gloriously hot and we set off for the beach almost immediately which was only a few minutes walk through the gardens. The setting was really pretty it was used for the second ITV production of love island and it was very strange being somewhere you had seen on TV back home. Looking a little more worn around the pool than it had been it is a very laid back place with a quaint bay and clear still seas. The sea breaks much further out against the reef so there is hardly a ripple close to shore. The regime took a while to get used to though, free afternoon tea was served at 4pm every day. On our first day we heard some drums from the beach and were surprised when the beach literally cleared in minutes. We then realised that afternoon tea was something of a momentuous occasion which everyone joined in with. Tim went to get some tea after the droves of people had died down and also got some scones too which was nice. Evening dinner was also like being in the dinner queue at school. Everyday they put a choice of 3 different dishes on the blackboard and at afternoon tea you order what you want. Dinner is served between 7-8pm and like tea the drum role begins and everyone runs to queue. Rather weird to start with but you get into the swing of things in the end although we refused to run and queue we just waited until the dust had settled (typical english). Our first night was our wedding anniversary (4 years now) so we queued for our food and sat by candle light with a nice glass of wine. It was actually very romantic and different to any other anniversary when we normally push the boat out and spend more money than probably necessary. It really was a very nice setting and we soon forgot the school dinner queueing experience!!!!!

Unfortunately the weather did not hold and the next few days were difficult because it was either very overcast with showers (not good for setting up on the beach) or it really was raining hard. Tim booked us on a snorkel trip with a local guy who had a hut on the beach house grounds. His boat was very basic but I was looking forward to it. As it turned out it was a bit of a disaster as I was really scared once in the water as the guy took off in the boat quite far away. The idea was we swam with the current and got back in the boat much further down the bay. I'm not the bravest snorkeller and the sea had two very deep drop offs which Tim quite rightly wanted to investigate and I really didnt want to go any where near. Problem was I couldnt really communicate this and after a good 10 minutes I almost had a panic attack I was so scared of what was in the water and the large amounts of rocks/coral that I literally couldnt breathe for fear. Tim got the guy to come back with the boat which he looked very displeased about and took his time in doing so, typical 'Fiji time". It was a good job that I wasnt actually genuinely hurt because in the time it took him I could have bloody drown!!!!! I struggled back into the boat to a rather judgemental stare when I said I was getting back in because I was scared, felt really stupid at this point as the local man just did not get my fear at all. Tim went off again and I sat feeling very sorry for myself in the boat - that was until another lady that was with us saved my pride. She was a very keen snorkeller and had made me feel a bit pathetic on the way out as she donned her wet suit and took off with her camera. She swam up to the boat full of enthusiasm asking the man if he could tell her where else there were more drop offs etc... He gave her some advice and she set off again but within seconds she put her head above the water and I literally watched the colour drain from her face. All she said was "theres a very large shark down here" she quickly swam around the boat and got back in. I immediately felt much better about not being in the water but tried unsuccessfully to direct Tim to where she had seen it knowing he would want a look. He thought I was gesturing for him to get back in the boat so he missed that one but the lady swore to us it was a good few metres long. I have since decided that I much better off on dry land!!!!

As the bad weather showed no sign of letting up Tim and I took off into the local town on about the 4th day with two english guys we had met and got chatting with. Ash was a Leicester fan and they had been relegated the night before he was on a mission for cheap beer to drown his sorrows in. Matt was from Wigan and along for the beer ride with Ash. At this point we decided that even though we had been relegated weeks before in a pitiful display of the worst record in premiership history we too would join them in this quest. We took the local bus into Sigatoka (the closest town to us) which took about an hour. The locals were all very friendly on the bus and made us feel welcome. Once off the bus we found a liquer store and stocked up with all sorts at much more reasonable prices than the beach house!!!! After a quick walk around the town we went back to the store picked up our purchases and set off to get the bus back. Both Tim and Ash were ladened down with cases of beer so after a good 10 minute walk we stopped at the first bus stop looking place. Taxies kept stopping but we were determined to get the bus as it was cheap. In the end we gave up on the bus as we had been waiting for what seemed like an age and a guy in a mini bus stopped and offered us a ride for 20 dollars. It was only 4 dollars more than the bus collectively so we jumped on board and were back at the beach house in record time. This outing sparked a great afternoon of drinking, games and silliness which was really good fun. Ash and his girlfriend Laura, Matt and his girlfriend Tess and us two had a great time getting to know them better and sharing our joys and woes of English life. It is the most time we have spent with English people in a long time and it was nice to chat about home.

As the weather was showing no signs of improvement and the forecast for the forthcoming days was not great we took the difficult decision not the spend the large amount of money required to get out to the islands. We had planned to either go to the Yasawa's or at least one of the closer islands. It was a shame in some respects as our english friends had said how beautiful they were but we didnt see the point going out to sit in the rain. We also had the fact we were going to Samoa and hoped to experience the same sort of environment there. Instead we headed back to Nadi to a smaller cheaper hostel on the same beach as Smugglers and spent out last 5 nights there. It was not the ideal setting but it was the right decision to make as the weather really did not improve and if anything the days of rain got longer and heavier. We spent our days watching movies, playing tantrix (our new game from NZ which is obsessive) and eating/drinking. One morning we decided to head in Nadi town and try to buy some food to save a bit more cash. We both love having picnics at home and we thought as we had a nice room we could just stay and eat there. The town is very busy and we immediately felt like we had landed back in Delhi as Fiji has a very large indian community and they tend to be running all the shops etc... The hussle and bustle just does not go hand in hand with your vision of Fiji at all. It was quite congested and dirty, I didnt feel particularly comfortable although we were not given a reason to warrant this feeling it was just there. The supermarkets are poorly stocked and the Fijians seem to have little choice in general food supplies. Everything is pre-packed noodles, biscuits, crisps, fizzy soft drinks etc.. Corned beef or the worst cuts of meat are the only meat supply and we were shocked by this. In the end we brought some cheese, tuna and onions with fresh bread from the bakery - oh and some of those bags of crisps. It gave us plenty to debate on the way home about the size and health of Fijians. Our trip back was interesting as the bus we had got into town was not there and we ended up getting the wrong one even though the driver told us he passed our hostel. We shared a taxi with two girls that had done the same thing in the end!!

During our time back in Nadi Tim went to check the e-mails and found that we had been sent a rather nasty message through the travel blog. Whenever we get a message on the blog we automatically get told by e-mail. When he returned to tell me what it said I honestly thought he was joking so much so that I went to take a look. The message was very personal about our relationship and the fact that I must be motivated by my husbands money. It has been a long time since we have come across such narrow minded and cruel opinions and I was devastated. I still cannot understand what would motivate a person to write such horrible things to a stranger. I tried to resist the temptation to reply but couldnt and responded that I thought she should keep her comments to herself amongst other things. I dont know where the girl is from I think gmail is America but she replied to my e-mail with more vulgar comments proving that there are some really nasty people out there. It took me a few days to get over the message purely through shock I think we have received some really nice messages from people looking for help or commenting and I was just so surprised. Tim is much harder about these things although for her safety it is probably a good job he doesnt know who she is!!!!! It was hard to forget the comments and it left us a bit scarred for a few days.

Anyway on our last day we woke to sunshine and decided to take the local horse trek which we had seen on our first visit. We walked down the beach to where he kept his horse and paid for an hour. I have not been on a horse in my life and really wanted to give it a go before we go to Argentina. Tim only had an experience when he was younger so we headed off rather tentatively at first. My horse was quite docile and slow, extremely responsive to the slightest request and therefore I spent alot of time trying to keep up with Tim even though the horse handler had me on a rope anyway!!!!! It was a really nice time trotting across the beach around the perimeter of the local golf course and back again. The golf course was so peaceful and the perimeter leads right to the back of the airport which was interesting. At the end of our trek Ronaldo (we think he must be a MANU fan cause that cant be his real name) took Tim off for a gallop which looked way too fast and dangerous to me but he then returned and jumped on the back of my horse. He took off along the beach at such a pace I was screaming my head off which only seemed to encourage him more, I lost both my flip flops and he had to go back and get them for me!!!!! We both really enjoyed it but for saying we only went for an hour our backsides were sore for a couple of days after.

We left Fiji on the 13th May to fly to Samoa this was going to be our strangest flight as we would arrive in Samoa the early hours of the morning we had left Fiji. Crossing the international date line proved to be extremely confusing..........................................

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