Fiji

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I've always wanted to go to Fiji. Just the name summons up images of pristine white sandy beaches, cocconut palm trees and lazy days just swinging in a hammock. My first recollection of hearing about Fiji was in the British Sci-Fi Comedy "Red Dwarf" - Dave Lister was saving to go to Fiji, whilst working a dead end job on an interstellar mining ship. The theme tune of the program incorporates all sorts of references to the Fiji trips... lyrics here:

It's cold outside, there's no kind of atmosphere
I'm all alone, more or less
Let me fly, far away from here
Fun, fun, fun, in the sun, sun, sun...
I want to lie shipwrecked and comatose
Drinking fresh mango juice
Goldfish shoals, nibbling at my toes
Fun, fun, fun, in the sun, sun, sun...
Fun, fun, fun, in the sun, sun, sun...

So did the real Fiji experience match up to the expected images of paradise on Earth? Well in the most part, but I found out that there is a lot more to the island than the images of deserted islands and goldfish shoals.

Landing in Nadi (pronounced Nandy) airport I made my way to the bus stop, I had decided to stay in the Beach House hostel for at least the first few nights. My friend Vanja from the North of Norway, would be flying in in a few days, had arranged to meet at the hostel.

The journey from Nadi to the coral cost took me around and through many Fijian towns and villages, through which I slept. About four months ago the state of the bus would have shocked me, but after travelling extensively throughout Central America it felt almost luxurious, only two people to a seat?

The Beach House was pretty isolated, on the Coral Coast of the main island, halfway between Nadi and Suva (the capital), near Sikatova. Checked in, bought food and changed into my swimming shorts. The beach stretched on out several hundred meters to where the calm blue water of the Pacific Ocean shallowly hung over coral reef. Another 100m on and huge waves broke over the edge of the reef. Walking in and amongst the reef... on the sandy bits, fish darted away, scurrying into the nearest rocky crevice. A strange navy blue starfish sat underwater on the sand. It looked and felt entirely like a cheap rubber toy bought for pet dogs to chew on. I found a opened (by smashing against a rock) a coconut, the milk was delicious and the flesh great, then I like coconut. The husk is about 6 inches thick, the coconuts in the super markets back home have been pre-husked. This saves a lot of time in the kitchen, it took 10mins to open my first coconut.

I met people almost instantly, lots of English people. I gave shared out my coconut and played Ultimate Frisbee. They were all very nice but... here I am, travelled half way around the world to virtually the furthest geographical location from home and I meet people from home. Some actually knew Holt, Norfolk. A little thought and I realised that basically all these other English people were out here escaping the rain and the drudgery of home as well. Probably following the same logic as I, the further the better. Which is probably the reason why so many Australians and Kiwi's end up in London, that and the prospect of earning British Pounds and not Ausi Pesos.

A good nights sleep in one of the nicest rooms I've yet to have been in. I went on a jungle and waterfall walk with the hostel guide. 25 other backpackers went with me. The board advertising the walk said about 4hrs walk and implied that it would be fairly easy and straight forward. I met a girl waiting for the guide who said that a friend had been on the walk the previous week and it involved walking through small, muddy and very wet rivers. I changed from my hiking boots into my sandals. My hiking boots don't dry very quickly, and they are the only shoes I have. Whilst on the walk, my sandals got so slippy I took them off and walked bare foot most of the way. Walking bare foot gave a whole new dimension to the hike, as well as sights, sounds, smells underfoot new a varied textures accompanied the hike, the oozing of mud between the toes, the sharp uncomfortable pain of small rocks the warm dry feeling of palm fronds. I talked with Dave from Tazmania on the way, when in Tazmania I'm going hiking with Dave, I'll probably wear shoes though.

Roughly half the population of Fiji are immigrants from the Indian sub-continent, I'm not sure whether they are first second or other generation, but it has led to tension in the past. A few years ago the Fijian prime minister was ousted partly due to him being an Indian. The outcome of all of this for your savvy budget traveller is that it is possible to get a curry. I haven't had a curry for about 6 months - I really needed one. Dwali the Hindu festival of light was on the 4th November, a special curry was made for everyone at the Beach House.

5th November, Guy Falkes night, nope not in Fiji. Vanja turned up, it was cool to see her again, she bought a friend Claire from the airport, both of them had been in different parts of Hawaii for about 3 months. The weather had taken a turn for the worse, rain. I expected no rain in Fiji, but travelling the world with no regard for rainy seasons has led me to encounter my fair share of precipitation. A whole day of rain. I telephoned Robinson Crusoe Island asked if it was raining and booked transport and dorms for the next day.

So the highlights of my three days in the Beach House Hostel, Fiji.

Beach Volley Ball - every day at 4.30pm backpackers, locals and staff got together and played volleyball. 6 aside getting really quite competitive. I'm not bad at volleyball, enjoy it a lot but need to be taller to smash down the shots at the net.

Dwali Curry Night - Mentioned above, great curry, a buffet. Though the sweets and savoury dishes were all mixed together on the counter. Not being an expert I found that when eating I had a strange mix of sweet and sour in every bite. Could have been a little hotter. Apparently New Zealand and Australia have plenty of curry houses.

Tea and Scones at 4pm - Free. So civilised. Good jam, good scones... just like the ones back home. Good tea, the best tea since San Francisco where my tea making thingy given to me by my sisters broke. Some things from the colonial days have stuck around and made it to a cheap backpacker hostel in the year 2002.

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Photos

Pineapple Plants
They don't grow on trees

Spider on Jungle Walk
I held it too :)

Comments

[deleted_49612]

''I held it too :)'' Ha! Photo evidence, or it didn't happen. ;) Bright colours on spiders seem to make them scarier looking! Mint green. Yuck!