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Published: August 5th 2009
Leaving New Zealand for Fiji
Flying over the Southern AlpsBula!! There's a word which Kiwis tend to often overuse - 'awesome'. However, there have been times on our travels where the word can be used wholely appropriately. After arriving in Fiji I was already missing New Zealand, not only for its scenery that really was genuinely awesome, but also the freedom of our campervan home that let us go where and whenever we liked. For the first 4 days of our time in Fiji, we travelled on a Feejee Expererience bus which despite its aim to show us the culturally rich 'real Fiji', frustrated us in confining us to a group schedule. Not only this, but there are not many countries which could follow New Zealand for scenery and although beautiful palm fringed beaches are a fine sight in most people's book, in contrast they were initially bordering on the unremarkable. However, as we were to discover, what truly is 'awesome' in Fiji lies beneath the surface of the water.
We left Christchurch just before 2pm for a 4 hour flight to Nadi, Fiji, passing over the majestic snow covered southern alps with barely a cloud in sight. Arriving in Nadi the temperature was a very comfortable 26 degrees
and we were greeted at the Feejee (Captain Cooks originally spelling after mishearing the original title of 'Viti') Experience desk and given a shell necklace each before our included transfer to our resort, where we got a taxi into town for some traditonal Fijian cuisine. The next morning we arose early for an 8:30 pickup where we met our Fijian tour leader 'Cam' and Indo-fijian driver 'Aravine'. The indigenous fijians now make up about 70% of the population and are in looks, very similar to their african cousins. The majority of the rest of the population is made up of Indo-fijians, after British governors bought many indians over in the 1860s after the native Fijians were considered to be lazy and there was thought to be much work prospect for the British commonwealth ruled indian slave labourers.
Our frustration with the confines of the bus was further increased by our guide who lacked enthusiasm and wasn't the most approachable. Conversely, Fijians in general we found to live up to their reputation as 'the friendliest people on earth', wherever we went we'd be greeted with warm proclamations of 'Bula!' and the staff in the resorts would treat us very personally,
First meal in Fiji
Much of their food uses coconut milk and similar to the Maori's hangi, Fijians have Lovo which is similarly steamed food in the ground on hot rocks wrapped as here in banana leaves. Their equivalent to potato is cassava (shown here). often remembering our names. However during a brief stop in Nadi, Fiji's second city, we also found this friendliness to be used to extremes in getting trade and were not only personally invited into a carvings shop but given a whole 10 minute Fijian 'Kava' welcome ceremony in exchange for a small donation or purchase (a bracelet for about a quid). Kava is a traditional Fijian social drink made from ground pepper plant root mixed with water and the ceremony usually consists of a prayer followed by a routine of deep handclaps by each drinker before and after downing a small coconut cup-full of the murky liquid which both looks and tastes rather like muddy water with the exception of the spicy pepperness which sends your tongue numb after a while. In villages alcohol is not allowed and Kava is the alternative, though rather than exciting you it sends you drowsy. This was the first of many Kava ceremonies we either par-took in or witnessed - something that is part of everyday Fijian life. After a relaxing lunch stop off at Natadola beach (apparently the 7th best beach in the world), we visited a Fijian village, after purchasing sarongs which
Hindu temple, Nadi
about 30% of Fiji's population is made up of Indo-Fijians (Indians). were worn as a mark of respect. On entering the village, there was no-one around except for a few playful children. Not only are Fijians considered by some to be the friendliest, but also the laziest people on earth as they sleep whenever they want - hence why there was hardly anyone around! Apparently they have the mentality that if they do an hours work, then they are entitled to an hours sleep straight after. Additonally 'Fiji time' is the laid back attitude where for example, if they organise to meet somewhere for say 2 o' clock they really mean about 3 or even 4. This very relaxed attitude extends to sharing within the village, where money earned or for example food harvested or caught is shared by one person to the whole village. If the bus was to break down on our visit, we'd automatically have become their welcome guests for the night, with an emphasis on guests becoming 'part of the family'! The church is always the central hub of the village with Fijians being strong christians (they believe it to be bad luck if they miss a sunday service) after British missionaries converted them from their cannabilistic
Natadola Beach
7th best beach in the world apparently ways after colonisation in the 1860s. The day was ended with a trip to the Sigatoka sand dunes, a very steep sand hill which we sandboarded down lying on boogie boards. In the evening at our resort, we were entertained by international crab racing! 10 hermit crabs were placed in the middle of a circle, each with a name and country and an auctioned bet. The first crab out the circle would get the majority of the dough (which amounted to about 50 quid). I bet on my lucky number 3 which was also for England, but luck did not entail.
The following day we did a 3 hour trek through the Fijian highland jungle which was concluded by first tubing and then a longboat ride down the river. Things we had done better before in Thailand (though here we trekked through a knee deep river also). Not only was the scenery better in Thailand, but the water was a hell of a lot warmer! The day was unfortunately overcast so by the time we finished tubing, the long-boat ride was a very long and cold ride back, badly organised by the fact we had no dry clothes to
Traditional Fijian Village
Children playing in front of the church. Indigenous Fijians (which make up the majority of the other 70%) are nearly all christian after British missionaries converted them from their cannabalistic ways put back on. We hadn't come to Fiji to be cold!! In the evening we stumbled across two friends we'd made on our Thailand trip who were joining the Feejee experience bus the next day.
In the morning we briefly stopped in Suva, the capital of Fiji and the South Pacific. However don't let that title fool you, it's a bit of a shit-hole with the only really elegant building being the cathedral. Following this we stopped off at a market before another Fijian village visit where we were given an official Kava ceremony, meeting the chief and his family. The girls also engaged in some bracelet making. A visit to the local primary school followed and we were shown around the classes, our hearts warmed by the very happy children who sang for us - often songs we'd ourselves grownup with, such as 'If you're happy and you know it'! From the Feejee Experience's visit to the village, donations given over two years had surmounted to the village being able to build a new community hall. Similarly, we all bought stationary and sweets to be shared out for the kids at the school, who liken the Feejee experience
Chief's Bure
Traditional Fijian Village bus to 'Santa Claus is coming'! A gratifying experience - especially when they're crowding round you, dozens reaching for the sweets at once with smiles that could melt a thousand hearts! In the evening we arrived at Vorovoro beach and I joined in with some beach volleyball while Jessie watched a gorgeous sunset. A good day, one where maybe we'd been shown a little more of the real Fiji than we would have done if we'd been independant.
On our last day with the Feejee experience we stopped off at the Indo-fijian town of Ra where we made our own Roti (Indian flatbreads) to go with out curry lunch before travelling on through the sugarcane fields that cover a large part of the main island, Viti Levu. Our final stop before arriving back in Nadi was at the Sabeto mud pools. We'd become accustomed to hot springs in Rotorua, however we hadn't found any safe to go in that were completely natural (i.e. ones out in the natural open rather than in a complex) - we had now! Plus in additonal to hot spring pools, the mud pools were a new experience. In some places the mud was so
hot it could burn you. The place lacked showers, so to wash off as best as we could we slipped into the hot spring pools - just the right temperature for a lengthy bathe.
So we'd apparently experienced the real Fiji, though over the next four days we'd experience what most people really come to Fiji for! We boarded a large catamaran the next morning departing for various stops in the Mamamuca and Yasawa Islands - the smaller islands offering the coconut-palm fringed paradise Fiji is famous for. A three hour journey took us to our stop for the next three nights - Mantaray Island in the Yasawa's. Like most of these islands, the resort accounts for all of the inhabitants, with some islands so small you can walk around them in literally 10 minutes. Ours was a little larger, but offered a little more activity - the main draw being the Mantarays! We received a warm traditonal fijian song welcome as the boat landed followed by a briefing by the staff, before settling into our wonderful beachfront jungle bure - situated mere footsteps from the water's edge, surrounded by coconut trees with hammocks and straw umbrellas. The colour
of the water really has to be seen to be appreciated - crystal clear blue with even clearer patches being a bright cyan almost too perfect in colour to be natural.
However, what was even more impressive, was what was beneath the water. After renting some snorkel gear, we soon foundout why Fiji is one of the best dive and snorkel locations in the world - an utterly breathtaking array of brightly coloured fish and coral gardens. Not only were we surrounded by hundreds of fish, but hundred of different kinds - Butterfly fish, Box fish, Parrot fish, Angel Fish, long comical looking Trumpet fish, Giant Moray Eels sticking their heads out from between the corals, huge dark blue starfish stuck to the sea floor - it was like having the best tropical fish tank in the world to swim in, right on your doorstep! The coral alone was enough to grab your attention even without the sheer multitude of fish. It beat Thailand and Australia's snorkelling hands down and we could see why it had been unnecessary to get an expensive boat trip out to the Great Barrier Reef. After volleyball on the beach and a delicious buffet
supper (the food at the resort is very good) we got to know a few like-minded travellers from all over the world and engaged in some drinking games, including the old favourite 'ring of fire'.
The next morning we explored the island, taking a walk along the sunny beaches and rocks and across through the dense coconut tree undergrowth to the other side where we found a completely deserted beach, clean and untouched by footprints. It was like we had our very own private beach and cliche of paradise! Walking back we found many hermit crabs running across the beach, the odd larger crab poking out from one of the many holes in the sand and many pretty shells incuding the odd large decorative conch.
The island offered a range of very loosely scheduled (this was Fiji time remember!) activities including bracelet making and basket weaving, fishing and village trips, hikes and diving. However, the most popular activity was the snorkelling with the Mantarays. This activity had no set time as it wholely depended on if and when the staff saw the Mantarays swimming in the channel - frequently going out to check. If they were spotted, the
Lali would be banged. A Lali is a Fijian wooden drum used to call people together from the surrounding areas. Following another snorkel we assembled after hearing the drum. A couple of motorboats took us 10 minutes out to the channel where they had been spotted but unfortunately this for most was a failed trip. The mantarays had dispersed apart from one elusive one. We slid off the boat, swimming around desperatetly against the strong current, trying too chase down this one which we were directed towarded after spottings from the boats, but it was to no avail. However, we shouldn't have been disheartened for the next day was so incredible I'm going to go as far as to call it 'awesome sunday'!
We kicked off the morning with a 9 o' clock village trip - taking a particularly choppy 40 minute small boat ride out to the largest village in the Yasawa's, with a population of a mere 400. We'd been to a couple of villages already on the main island but today was Sunday which meant that we could go to the church service - an experience in itself, the wonderful Fijiian singing being a highlight, with
a harmoious gospel edge to it, no organ required!
On arriving back I booked myself into a scuba-dive. I'd been disillusioned by my dive in the Whitsundays but after seeing the sheer variety of ocean life here, I had to go deeper and get closer in the hope of a more enjoyable experience. And what an experience it was. Part of my previous disappointment had been with a lack of seeing anyhing different from what I'd seen snorkelling, having only gone down about 5 metres. However this time I went down 13m (a long way for an uncertified diver) and stayed under for nearly 40 minutes - a lot longer than before, plus the water was much clearer and it was just me and the instructor so I could go wherever I liked (rather than stay with a group). Plus I saw so much - the highlights being a 2m long white-tip reef shark (which I tried to chase but it swam away), a blue-spotted stingray beneath the coral and a couple of families of clown fish. Clown fish (also known as Nemos, as in 'Finding Nemo') are one of the only fish that you can touch due to
their symbiotic relationship with the soft coral anemones which they protect. The clownfish, while being provided with food, cleans away fish and algae leftovers from the anemone. In addition, the sea anemones are given better water circulation because the clownfish fan their fins while swimming about. Hence, when you touch the anemone (which is a strange sensation in itself, as it reacts by shrivelling up and enclosing your fingers) the Nemos don't swim away but swim aggressively around you. If you're a certified diver in Fiji, it's possible to dive with and even feed massive Bull and Tiger sharks in what is meant to be the best shark dive in the world. How they keep it safe is a mystery. Fortunately these dangerous sharks stay further out to sea from where I dived, or so I was told!
After jumping in the hot shower following my dive, we immediately had to change back into our swimgear as we heard the Lali calling - Mantarays had been once again spotted. On arriving in the channel, it seemed we'd have more luck this time, as we immediately saw a Mantaray swimming on the surface. It looked a bit like two shark's
fins sticking out, as the main points you could see were the 2 tips of its wingspan surfacing as it swam. Sliding into the water, we once again swam towards where the Manta had last surfaced. Frustrated, I couldn't get to it in time, with those who did either swimming ahead or like Jessie, got back on the boat to be taken right to it after it had resurfaced. However, the guide was committed to us enjoying the experience and getting close-up to it, having a friendly personal touch, many of the resort staff had. After soon spotting it again, he dropped me right in front of it, directing me towards it. I looked down through my mask and blew through my snorkel in profanity exclamating amazement as it swam right at me and then swooped down underneath me. Now please be aware of the distinction between mantarays and other rays such as stingrays which unlike mantas can be dangerous (as Steve Irwin discovered) but are much smaller. Mantaray's are the largest of the ray family and are absolutely huge! The ones we were swimming with must have been 3-4 metres wingspan across (and similar in length) but they can
even grow up to 7 metres and weigh over 2 tonnes! After gliding beneath me, I followed it before it turned around and swam towards me again, before gliding past me so close I could have touched it (something you're told not to as it scares them away). I once again quickly pursued it as it swam on the surface away from me. They are very graceful swimmers though, going at a similar speed to myself with the current. However, rather than swimming, it's like they're flying through the water, gracefully flapping their large wings as little fish swim beneath their gills, cleaning and feeding off attached parasites. When I lost it, the guide through me a rope from the boat and dragged me through the water for another encounter - at one point coming across not one, but three of the gentle giants gliding past and below me. An absolutely amazing experience, even surpassing swimming with dolphins and cage-diving with Great White Sharks, possibly the highlight of our trip.
We were leaving the next afternoon so we had to make the most of our wonderful underwater garden. Myself, snorkelling for 2 and a half hours straight before having
to be called in for lunch! I never got bored, constantly spotting different kinds of beautiful fish and coral. We departed the island at 2:30 after unfortunately just missing the goodbye ceremony song the staff sang - however we'd both caught bits of it on previous days. A 3 hour cruise back to the main island on the Yasawa flyer ensued before catching the coach back to the Nadi hostel we stopped at on our initial night where the warm and friendly staff welcomed us back.
The next morning we were down for breakfast before 7 in order to catch our next flight. New laws prevented us flying straight to the USA from Fiji on our round the world ticket so we first had to take a 3 hour flight back to Auckland, where we spent most of the day (good time to use the free airport internet to catch up on the blog!) before departing for Los Angeles at 7:15pm. Due to crossing the international time barrier in the middle of the Pacific, we were going back in time a day and by the time we arrived in LA (after a long and restless 12 hour flight) it
Crab racing!
10 hermit crabs, each with a number representing a name and country, would be placed in the centre and the first one out of the circle would be the winner. Our money was placed on my lucky number 3 representing England but proved unlucky! was still the 4th August and we were 19 hours behind New Zealand and now 8 hours behind home. Arriving in Los Angeles was like entering into the fast paced movie world we'd grown up with. Sunny blue skies shone as big shiny 4x4, american fords and chevrolets, black and white cop cars and yellow taxi cabs past us by as we came out the airport to change terminals for yet another flight to San Francisco - one which we narrowly made due to the strict USA security who digitally fingerprinted everyone on arrival and on departing again would not let anyone pass through without rigorous checks meaning that the usual fast boarding time we were used to was delayed by a very long queue. The airport staff are very much no nonsense, direct to the point of being rude despite the monotony of calling everyone 'sir' or 'madam'. After a short 1 hour scenic flight to San Francisco we got a shuttle to our pre-booked hostel in 'The Mission' area of town where there is a strong Spanish community and Latin feel, lots of murials painted on the side walks, palm trees, tram-buses and those steep hills lined with
large Victorian houses that are ever-evocative of the city. We ate at one of the many tapas restaurants which was very good quality food if rather expensive, especially the drinks - 4 quid for a bottle of beer!.
Today we depart San Francisco with our Trek America 12 day tour first stopping at Yosemite National Park before continuing onto the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and finally Las Vegas before renting a convertible to drive back through LA and finish the loop here in San Francisco from where we'll be returning home on the 25th August. Only 3 weeks left to go, I suppose you could say we've still got a nice long holiday left ahead of us!
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David Yates
non-member comment
Afterwards?
Every continent EXCEPT South America.......which has everything including me! What are you going to do when you get back to UK? Tomorrow is 40 years since I went to the USA, and almost the same for your parents wedding day, Aug 2nd (Whoops forgot the card) Love Uncle D