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Published: September 19th 2008
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Sunset Fiji Style!
Me hanging on for dear life up a cocunut tree! 15th - 17th June - Long Beach
Two hours further North we arrived at Long Beach and were taken in by a small boat. The shallow waters extended way beyond the beach, hence the name, and allowed us to walk into the beach from a long way out. We were given a warm welcome yet again and were shown to our most remote accommodation yet...a wood hut with a sandy floor and no electricity. This was basic! After spending some time on the beach we readied ourselves for a mass game of volleyball with most of the village. We were teamed with an older man named Noah who definitely still had a spring in his step and Joe. The opposition included a healthy looking Fijian woman who took a fancy for Jonathon with his every touch of the ball being greeted with a 'Oooooooh Mr Jonny!' In the evening we met the cool Fijian chef named Zacman and played cards with the others before going to sleep in our hut with a resident gecko.
Next day the weather had finally improved and the sky was deep blue with no clouds to be seen. A perfect day for fishing! We
Accommodation on Long Beach
Basic...but it was all we needed! were taken round the coast to a place called the blue lagoon. We stopped by the beach to dig for sand crabs as bait...but with very little luck. Sitting on the boat we waited for the fish...and waited...and waited. Having been waiting for around an hour we decided that our equipment just wasn't up to it and that it must have been the wrong tide as we headed home empty handed. Definitely not our fishing ability! The afternoon was taken up by another game of volleyball with most of the village, however, this time every missed ball was greeted with a 'Go fish!' from Zacman...slight sarcasm I think!
The next day, having said farewell to the many wonderful people we had met on Long Beach we awaited the Yasawa Flyer to take us to our next destination...Sunrise Island!
17th - 19th June - Sunrise
We were dropped off in the Blue Lagoon which is absolutely stunning, but unfortunately on the opposite side of the island from where we were staying, so, after a short walk we wandered onto Sunrise beach. The people owning this resort have to be some of the most interesting we have met yet!
We were greeted by a large Fijian man named Queen! He had spent a long time living in America and had actually stayed with Oprah Winfrey but had returned to Fiji because he missed his home so much. We were then told to follow Deborah to our rooms for the night. As I looked around for someone who might be fitting of the name Deborah (a woman!) I was met with another large Fijian man with make up and a beaming smile...'Follow me!' This was going to be an interesting few days! Having dumped our stuff we took the cross island path back to the Blue Lagoon to watch a stunning sunset where the sky turned almost blood red. That evening we were treated to a night of dancing guided by Queen and Deborah (what a pair!) as they taught us the Sunrise Bula dance. Definitely one I will be pulling out on the dancefloors at home!
After a horrific nights sleep where a mosquito had managed to penetrate the defences of my mosquito net we prepared to go on a caving trip to the Sawailau Caves. We made the 45 minute journey on the small motor boat with
The Beach
The sun finally came out! a group from our island. Walking over the rocks and into the caves we were warned to mind our heads as they would break the rocks! We then entered into the first pool which was surrounded by dramatic rock faces on all sides, blocking out any sunlight. Armed with my snorkel and mask I jumped in. It was amazing to see just how deep the pool was, and the thought of what might be lurking down there was not a pleasant one! After clambering up the sheer rock faces and jumping in a few times we prepared to go under water into the first section of the caves. For those with claustrophobia, this would definitely have been their worst nightmare! Having to dive under and through a submerged tunnel into the next cave was a little unnerving! Once those brave enough had made it we swam on with only torchlight to guide the way. The echoing of our voices was rather haunting! Having continued until I was well and truely lost we stopped to find daylight shining through a small crack in the cave ceiling. Taking a brief break we swam back to the chorus of 'Row Row Row Your
Boat!'
That afternoon having returned to Sunrise we went back to the Blue Lagoon for a spot of snorkelling. The reef was awesome, however, a weird looking shark fish proceeded to follow us everywhere we swam. It was odd! We then treated ourselves to a burger in the Blue Lagoon resort, a little more upmarket than ours! That evening was slightly more relaxed than the previous night as we played cards with Laura, Caroline and Alexis, some of the people we had met on our time at Sunrise. Tomorrow we would be setting off on the Wanna Taki cruise. We couldn't wait!
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