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Published: February 22nd 2008
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The Waterfall
One of the best walks we've ever done Going to Fiji was a rather surreal experience as not only did it mean we had entered into our final two weeks of our world adventure but it also meant (hopefully) paradise. Our decision to base ourselves in one place for the entirity of our Fiji experience was not taken upon lightly, but with dwindling funds and the essence based on chilling, this seemed the most appropriate way. This choice could not have turned out more perfect, our base on the Coral Coast, on the main Island Viti Levu, was beautifully located on the beachfront with a palmtree back-drop.
Although the hostel was a good 2 hour drive from Nadi (pronounced Nandi) airport the time flew by as we soaked up the sights of our new surroundings. Fiji has quite and Asian feel with a back to basics approach, Bec S was quick to point out that it had quite a Goa feel to the place, Bec C agress however the Indian stares are gratefully not present in Fiji. In fact quite the opposite the Fijiians are extremely friendly, everywhere you go people are quick to greet and a 'BULA' is never too far away.
Mixed in amongst the
sunbathing/relaxing was a couple of 'activites' which we wanted to have a go at. The jungle trek to a waterfall was a must for the two Becs's and it was an amazing experience. Luckily for us it was only the two of us and our guide Jaita which made the whole experience feel really remote and when we were at the waterfall we had it all to ourselves. Although the pathway is well trodden, unlike most of our other walks it wasn't paved over or had any signs showing us the way, it was just some local knowledge from a guy who loves Fiji and its jungle.
Its amazing how the Fijiians still today depend on the jungle everyday and how life sustaining the jungle can be. Pineapples and coconuts were to be found everywhere, we were taught about the healing eliments of the plants, their leaves and roots. Also, its incredible how useful bamboo is. Not only is it used for building houses but is also used as bottles, cooking pots and plates and for fire wood. Awesome. Although we wore trainers we walked through knee deep rivers and mud which really added to the excitement of our
jungle trek.
Halfway into the walk we stumbled upon a miniture rapid which Jaita described as a 'natural spa', we stripped down to our bikini's but showing our style and sense of class we left our footwear on. It was astonishing how powerful the rapid was but it was great fun to be sat in the hole underneath it. The water felt really clean and refreashing, unfortunately we couldn't stay there all day so we got dressed and cracked on to the waterfall. The waterfall looked superb, we climbed halfway up to the hidden 'swimming pool' area beneath the main fall. Here some more fun was had using a wet rock as a slide, the whole trek felt extremely remote and was a fantastic way to see alittle bit of Fiji.
Since coming travelling there have been plenty of opportunity to snorkel and Fiji was no exception, we got a boat to a couple of bays down from the beachhouse to a snorkel site named Namatakula passage. Although the snorkelling wasn't particualry any different from previous countries and nothing compared to what we have seen when diving, this snorkelling session was unique in a whole other way. The
Cruising
Sea Kayaking the Coral Coast visibility here was second to none and the area is undergoing some new coral growth so the fish were relatively big and extremely bright, this therefore prompted the Fiji guys to grab their spears and go fishing.
It was such a unique experience for us just to watch these guys dive and spear the fish with such ease, they were floorless in the water and were able to hold their breath for an amazing amount of time. They managed to capture a fair few fish but their efforts faded away as on the boat ride back one Fiji guy managed to lose the fish in the water, his face was certainly a picture and the other guys were non to amused.
So far Fiji has been a total tropical paradise, the traditional 1pm rain cools the air and prompts some fun in the pool (it's amazing how much time can fly with 15 people, a volleyball and a sense of imagination) and the sunsets are just other worldly, some of the best we've seen, just mesmorising.
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Lisa Pope
non-member comment
What was the actual accomodation called?
Hi Guys, Just wondering what the accomodation was like and what was it called. Just looking into various options.