The Tide is High

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So we had spent over 2 weeks investigating the main island of Fiji, Vitu Levu, but we had yet to experience that real idyllic tropical south pacific island, and apparently the Manamanucas and Yasawas fitted the description. Try to say that, at any time, it is even more difficult after a couple drinks. The next task was to actually organise and book it, which should have been easy as we were now seasoned travellers and so far Fiji had been pretty easy and cheap to get around, but we came across the same problems we had in Borneo. Independent travel to the Islands was almost impossible, mainly because the only way to get to them was by using the high speed catamaran that was run by a company called ‘Awesome Adventures’, and they pretty much have the monopoly on it. As you can imagine by its name, this company caters for the partying backpacker, but with prices more fitting for posh resorts. Anyhow, despite our best efforts to phone all the island resorts ourselves and book transport independently we could not and had to enlist the help of an agent (fifteen attempts and never getting through once - even the phone system is on “Fiji time”). We ended up choosing 5 nights on 5 different islands and purchasing an island hopping ‘bula pass’. I felt a little anxious to be back on the route where only 18 year olds seem to travel, but we really wanted to go there.

The Manmanucas are the closest of the groups and consist of a group of tiny sand islands. We stayed on ‘South Sea Island’ which was 30mins from the port and literally a tiny patch of sand with nothing on it except the resort. It had a lot of daytrippers filling it by day, but we still had lots of space to relax and snorkel, kayak, and even use the sailing catamaran. Stuart had promised all day to be able to guide this craft, and with winds like the lung capacity of Dot Cotton, we were not going to run into trouble. We did actually spy a turtle when we were out, only Donatello and Michaelangelo to go.

When the daytrippers left we were joined by our party for the night. There was a 20 bed dorm and it was only ¾ full. We ended up joining the youngsters for a few drinks (sneaked in vodka of course…student budgets here only) and having a real laugh. Of particular note and providing most of the comedy for the night was 19yr old Joe, who became our new GBF, and was suitably chuffed with the title. Thankfully, the drinks helped us survive a night in such a large dorm with little problem. Before I knew it, it was 6.30am and we were awoken by the sounds of the drums calling us to breakfast. The drums were a common way of announcing meal times throughout the islands, and it felt a little less sinister than the conch shell which was used at one place, very Lord of the Flies….

The early breakfast was due to the fact that the big yellow boat was arriving at 9am to take us to our next destination on the most northerly island of the group, called Nacula, some 4 hours away. It was a choppy crossing, despite the glorious weather and stunning scenery, yes I did clutch a sick bag in readiness, but we survived without incident. ((Smith had a good crossing, as the silence allowed some ipod action and the effects of last nights Kava still in the blood stream.) We arrived at the Nabua Lodge, and were collected by a small longboat to take us from the ‘Yasawas Flyer’ to the beach. It was set in a beautiful lagoon, crystal clear water of blues and turquoise, with palm tree lined white sand beach with a backdrop of rugged volcanic mountains. The Yasawas really are the gem of Fiji, and it’s no wonder it is a common setting for many films. Think Tom Hanks in Castaway, Brooke Sheilds in the Blue Lagoon and the TV shows Survivor and Love Island. Anyway, the Nabua Lodge was one of our more budget venues, but we were very impressed, no dorm here, we had our own private bungalow which was a traditional ‘bure’. It gorgeous, and set in beautiful gardens facing the sea. I think that the resort definitely saved money on the food offered however as it was quite poor and very small portions!! But we enjoyed it anyway. We met some other like minded ‘older’ travellers which was refreshing after our night of reliving our student years. The other blip came after dinner when we were made to do some ‘Bula dancing’ while completely sober. This was like line dancing crossed with aerobics, finishing with an alternative version of ‘the conga’. It was definitely time to escape. Stuart again displayed his unnatural rhythm; John Travolta would turn in his Cryogenic coffin.

The next morning (waking to the sound of the drums), we took a trip to some nearby caves. Our small boat moored on a tiny stunning beach and we followed some steps to the cave entrance. The caves opened up to a huge cavern, with sea water going down to 30m or so depth. It looked very similar to the end of the Bond movie, “The man with a golden gun”, however our island lacked a three nipple maniac and small dark skinned dwarf . That reminds me, how is Marco coping with being a dad? It was dark and eerie at first, but we each took the plunge and dived in. We followed our guide who had a torch and did a swim through a small under water tunnel into another cavern. It wasn’t the most beautiful caves we had seen, but it was certainly a lot of fun.

Later in the afternoon it was time to get back on the boat to our next stop at Mantaray, named as expected because of the abundance of manta rays in the surrounding waters. It was on its own private island near Naviti. It was really well set up and again we had our own bungalow, this time a ‘treehouse bure’. The food at this place was fantastic and the snorkelling some of the best we have ever done. During a snorkel off the beach we saw reef sharks, octopus, moray eels, sting rays and many, many colourful fish. It was as good as diving (alas no manta rays however…..). The only negative experience was the swarm of cockroaches that lived in the eco-loos of the long drop variety (like the ones in Oz), some idiot had left the lid up on one of them and by night fall, the little blighters were everywhere. When they made it up to the treehouse Em was ready to freak out…. Girly screams for Bure 10 please!!!

The next day brought our only day of bad weather since we had been in Fiji, the heavens opened and it tipped down. Lucikly we managed to board the boat at the only dry 30mins of the day. We were headed for the Octopus resort. This was to be a cut above the rest, a little more on the budget, but not too much. It has a high recommendation by the LP, so it was firmly on the travellers map. It was a little strange as it catered for backpackers and families alike, and also had some exclusive beachfront bungalows. We were in a 4 bed dorm, with just one other girl, and it could hardly be called a dorm. It had all the luxuries of a normal resort bure, including and very exotic bathroom with outdoor shower. Dinner was served at the beachside restaurant at tables of 8, so it meant that everyone mixed well, and we had a good bunch at our table. The beach at Octopus was really something else and the next morning the sun was out again and showed it in all its glory.

But it was time to move on again to our final destination the ‘Barefoot Lodage’ on Drawaqa. This was definitely our favourite experience, not because the rooms were better because they weren’t, but for the overall picture. Firstly, for nearly the whole first day we were the only 2 guests, so we had the island entirely to ourselves, except for the staff, who were extremely laid back and slept a lot. Which is a very uncommon trait for most Fijians, they are usually on the bowl 24/7. That is the Kava variety of course. By the end we knew all their names and they were really welcoming. The food was fine and generous. The bures had no electicity, but were right on the beach, sunset beach (there were 3 in total). At night we were given torches and the paths were lit by kerosene candles. I saw a huge spider in the outdoor toilets, that I was later informed was a huntsman, and yes it was almost as big as my hand, although I didn’t hang around to measure. We were able to kayak and snorkel and trek up the small mountain which offered amazing views of the islands and surrounding reefs. In the evening we were joined by guests from a tall ship that had broken down, a group of about 10 or 12 Aussies and Americans. We got on really well with Dan and Cecilia, and all took part in a Kava ceremony with the locals, and it turned into a session, with drinking and clapping into the night.

Kava is the root of a plant that is ground into a powder and mixed with water and filtered through gauze. It has mild narcotic properties and a spicy taste. It is sociable and widely drank and available in Fiji. It is made in a big bowl and each person drinks a coconut shell full or half full - either ‘high tide’ or ‘low tide’, and this continues with ritualistic clapping and chatter until late into the night or until you feel sick……it actually tastes pretty bad, it looks like muddy water and tastes like smelly socks! But loads of fun, and it is part of their culture. Stuart even got christened with a new name during the evening, provided by the Chief, ‘Sitivenu’, he thinks that it was easier to say than ‘Legend’.

The next day we were sad to be leaving the Barefoot Lodge as it was the most relaxed we had been. But we were glad to be making our final journey on the Yasawas Flyer. It was another rough crossing with the boat rolling most of the way back, but we were happy to have had our own castaway adventure.


After the Yasawas, it was back to the Travellers beach, and back to Nadi, one more curry in ‘Tatas’ and preparation for our flight to the winter of New Zealand.

It was on our last day in Fiji that we heard the wonderful news about the birth of beautiful baby Carys Bethan - Congratulations Sarah Matt. x

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