Reset the clock … it's Fiji Time!

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Fiji is a little patch of paradise only four hours flight from Sydney, and literally on our own doorstep. Aussies flock to this South Pacific paradise in extraordinary numbers, and it's amazing that I have not previously graced the shores of this beautiful island country. Now is the time to make amends, and I've booked a full week to get to know our near neighbour, the Rugby loving and Kava drinking friends of ours from the biggest island country in the South Pacific. Nadi is the international hub where most tourists fly into rather than the capital Suva, and the airport is less than ten kilometres from the centre of town. When I mentioned to the tourist information team where I was staying they informed me a taxi ride would be covered by Bamboo Backpackers, so my first experience in the country proved to be a freebie.

The staff are brilliant at Bamboo, and the hotel is right on the beach at Wailoaloa Bay, approximately five kilometres from the centre of Nadi. Everything is set up for tourists, with hammocks swinging daily and a great restaurant, bar and pool. The deck chairs are in hot demand though, so you have to get in early for a prime spot on the beach in the morning. I settled into a dorm room for next to nothing, and the first person I spoke to was a lovely German girl in a bikini. A group of five girls have been in the room for the duration of my stay, and the other few beds had a constant turnover. They are brilliant girls, open and friendly, and it certainly has not been a chore sharing a room. My day consists of waking up to girls in bikinis, and coming home to girls in bikinis. I joked with them one day that I wish my life was like this in Sydney, but that's just not reality! The drums will beat early in the evening to announce that kava is ready, and then a group will gather around the large bowl with their guitars and sing unbelievably poignant songs. The musicianship is excellent, and the harmonies of the Fijians can be spine tingling at times. I loved my evenings at Bamboo, just swinging in a hammock and listening to the locals singing their beautiful songs till the early hours.

The South Pacific is famed for kava, which is made from a root plant. It has a relaxing quality and makes drinkers chill out as the evening progresses. When offered a bowl recipients clap once, drink it down, return the bowl, and clap three times while saying Vinaka. It's a unique ritual, and an entrenched part of daily life for the people of this beautiful island. Everyone says Bula in greeting, it's the Fijian way to be open and friendly with guests in the country. I had come off a pretty busy time in Sydney, followed by a wonderful flying visit to Northeast Portugal as a guest of Smart Travel 14. So this has been a fantastic opportunity to unwind and do a whole lot of nothing by the beach, especially for the first few days on the island. The water is so warm it's liking floating in a warm bath, and I've been going on long walks along the beach every afternoon as the sun goes down. Very soon island life will make your cares seem like a thing of the distant past. Oh yes my friends, that's because if you check your watch you will find it's … Fiji Time!

After a few days relaxing around the beach I went into town to explore Nadi. A local bus takes tourists from the resorts in to town several times a day, and Nadi is definitely worth a look. There is a lovely buddhist temple near the town centre, plenty of shopping options and restaurants to enjoy a meal. There is obviously a bit more of an edge to the town than on the resorts, and the staff recommend that tours are not booked through strangers in the town, as they can be unscrupulous. I returned on the bus in the afternoon as I had things to do, like lying on the beach and soaking up some more rays! The next day I booked an all day cruise on the Seaspray of the Fiji Islands. The day started with a bus into Port Denerau, the jump off point for all island tours and home to several of the five star resorts in Fiji. The infrastructure and grounds in Denerau are unbelievably plush and well maintained. We were sorted on a high speed ferry to the island of Mana, with stops at several other beautiful islands where some passengers chose to spend a night or more. These include the famous Bounty and Treasure Islands, and they look very inviting from the deck of the ferry.

After arriving on Mana we were transferred to the Seaspary, an 83 foot motorised ketch with plenty of shade. From there we had a great day with a superbly organised Fijian team. Our leader Ilai from South Sea Cruises proved to be an adept and charismatic guide, band leader, coconut tree scrambler, and diplomat as we visited a traditional island village to meet the Chief. We passed several islands at a relaxed pace before our first stop of the day on the glorious Castaway Island, featured on the Tom Hanks shipwreck movie out of Hollywood. There are even coconuts set up to read 'Help Me' for passing planes, and the scenery is beautiful beyond description. I loved this glorious island on a perfect day, and we all went snorkelling right off the beach. The coral, tropical fish and beautiful clear blue water are a sight to behold. Afterwards our guide scrambled effortlessly up a coconut tree and knocked some down for us to split on a rock and enjoy the juice.

We headed back to the Seaspray for a superb barbecue lunch, and then sailed out to the island village of Vanuya, to be introduced to the Chief in a formal kava ceremony. It was very nicely done, and after having the honour of being welcomed on to the Chief's island we did a tour of the village with our guide. They only school kids from the surrounding islands for their primary years, before they are sent to the main island for their high school education. The beach is wonderful, the locals extremely friendly, and we even caught up with some boys walking along the beach with their catch displayed happily. We headed back onboard for more singing, entertaining stories, and a quiz competition on the Seaspray as we headed back to Mana, before farewelling our hosts and heading back to Port Denerau on the ferry. Thus concluded a wonderful day on the incomparable Fiji Islands.

For the next two days I booked a hire car at reasonable prices, and took off for an explore of the main island. On the first day I headed out to the Coral Coast on the highway heading toward Suva, and stopped off at a few resorts to introduce myself and have a look around. The tourist hotels really have their act together in Fiji, and the top resorts are nothing short of magnificent. The ocean is an amazing blue on the coast, and it was enjoyable cruising along at speeds of up to 80 kilometres an hour on very respectable roads. Obviously the next day I headed in the opposite direction, and went through more hilly green country and passing through Lautoka, the administrative capital of Fiji and a surprisingly big and well organised city. Time, however, keeps on ticking as my week in wonderful Fiji draws to a close, basically all of you should be here now!

"The thing about impressing your girlfriend is that when you do something like a private island in Fiji, it's all downhill from that point." Kevin Hart

As I continue my travels, until next time it's signing off for now

Tom

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