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Published: April 29th 2009
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15th APRIL 2009 - AMAZING BUS JOURNEY!!
It was a long 4 hour journey to VoliVoli Resort just outside of RakiRaki. We were sat at the front. The engine was so loud the radio could not be heard and so I put my ipod in full blast...not so good for the eardrums!! I was very tired but as we set off and I saw the sights I could not close my eyes! I was amazed by everything. The road conditions were awful. Half the roads weren' roads at all...just mud, gravel and massive pot holes. I tried to take some photos along the way but the quality is poor due to the bus being so bumpy! We even drove through a quarry at one point! Every one we passed gave us a wave which is typical of the Fijian people...very friendly! There were stalls set up on the side of the road with people selling all sorts of things, coconuts, fish, beans. the stalls were basically a box or a rug and a chair if it was a posh stall. Some were manned by adults and some by small children. No one wore shoes..even walking on gravel. Some kids were just
sat up in trees waving as we passed. Not even old enough fro school probably yet sat up in a tree! Cows were tied in random places at the side of the road. Cows replaced dogs as mans best friend in Fiji...every village seemed to have one. The villages were not like Roger Red Hats thats for sure. They had a few tin houses, a couple of stalls, a school in the bigger villages, a cow or 2 and possibly a horse. That was real Fiji!! Despite the poor conditions the people seemed so content...nothing missing from their lives it seemed! Made me appreciate what I have a lot more!!
The last part of the Journey was awful..not because of the scenery or anything but I neded the toilet and what with the bus having no suspension and the roads being anything but smooth, I had to exercise some serious bladder control!! I should have won a prize for the effort beacuse it really did come close to me having an accident and I think a woman who had been through childberth may not have been so fortunate! Lesson learned...do not drink water or consume liquid whilst on long
bus ride in Fiji!!
The bus driver droped us off at the junction to the resort. A few miles to the resort itself and so before the bus set off again the conductor helped us get a taxi to take us there. So helpful! Good job too because the resort was in the middle of no where and I don't think we would have made it before dark had we had to walk! The resort (Volivoli) was beautiful though. On a bay and so the views were stunning! The water looked lovely and the sun was just beginning to set when we arrived. We dumped our stuff in the very nice room and watched the sun set before ordering food from the bar. The cooks were on Fiji time and it took over an hour to come. We sat and chilled in the bar area for a couple of hours after. Got chatting to 2 American guys who were on Robinson Crusoe Island. My tolerance of Americans has definitely improved since meeting Alabama (Mana Island friend in Fiji). I now get to know them before I judge them as the stereotypical American. Alabama made a big impact!!
Once
tired we went back to the room. No option of reading as there were already some folk in bed and once tucked in I went straight to sleep!
16th APRIL 2009 - BUSES GALORE!!
We woke up at around 8am. Most people still aslep and so I crept around, had a shower and got dressed. Nat got up as well not long after and once both sorted we headed down for breakfast. I was lucky for some reason and mine came quite quickly. Nat and a group of guys nearby weren't so fortunate. Took forever as the old Fiji time kicked in again. The guys were funny as every single one of them were staring at the counter as if Cheryl Cole was on it....mouths open and eyes wide. Nat had only ordered toast and in the time it took to come I could have gone to town, bought some ingredients and made it from scratch! A bit of a joke really!!
Following breakfast we went to lie in the sun for a few hours. Such a nice place and the water was lovely. We went for a little swim too but lots of jellyfish around. Non stingers
apparently but I didn't fancy testing that theory. At 11ish we headed back to the room, packed up and tried to cadge a life with the FeeJee Experience Bus into town. The lady was nice and obliged which saved us paying for a taxi. Once on the bus though the driver was a true idiot and I would not have been surprised if his name wasn't Richard Cranuim!! He said he could not take us all the way and we would have to get off at a random junction....not good!! Luckily a nice Fiji guy helped us out once off the bus. He flagged the Sunbeam bus down for us as it passed and we jumped on that. Fijians so helpful once again...love Fiji!!
Another 3 hour journey on the Sunbeam bus. The roads weren't as bad as yesterday but were still bumpy with no suspension. I did not consume any liquids...lesson learned!! Similiar story to the previous day in terms of scenery...really eye opening and so different to our way of life!! We had to transfer busues in once place and get on another bus to take us to Nadi. That ride lasted for a further hour and
was our 3rd bus of the day. Once in Nadi, we got on yet another bus to take us to Nomads Skylodge. I was so bussed out by that point and very pleased to get off. We were back to where we started - Nomads Skylodge - for our final night in Fiji!!
Once Once checked in we had a quick wander into the small nearby town to stretch our legs and get a cheap meal before heading back to the hostel. Not much to tell for the rest of the night as we wrote our journals, used the internet and went to bed.
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