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Published: June 25th 2012
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Botaira Resort
our bure hidden in trees to right of main building Wednesday 13
thJune - Woken by small drops of rain blewing in through the wooden slats which was quite pleasant until they got slowly bigger followed by huge downpour at which point we had to act. Realize Fiji cant be this lush without a lot of rain! The mozzie spray hasn't been working too good and as usual they have taken a real shine to me, one particularly attractive welt on my stomach is definitely the champion so far. Julian tried the $10 for a bag of washing, to find his white t-shirt has come back blue and he's gained a few xtra items. However, Nanuya resort is Fijian and extremely well run, the Bures are very clean and good standard, the food is excellent and the staff very friendly and helpful so would fully recommend this resort.
Transferring to Botaira Resort today on Naviti Island not quite the same trip as we had up. Gale force winds and rain made for an interesting ferry trip with very hairy transfers by the little pick-up boats being not for the faint-hearted. One particularly large lady had to be almost man-handled across with I'm sure a few bruises to show and several passengers
looked decidedly green. All pretty wet but great fun and still warm. The black bin liners our bags arrived in soon became sought after items at Botaira as refreshingly nothing goes to waste here.
So, safely installed in our new residence and a bit more basic than the last but sporting a very nice verandah. No internet at all, dodgy phone signals and electric out from midnight- 6am (held off going to the loo in night as long as poss but eventually HAD to find torch).
Main meal at Botaira is dish of the day and all meals included in price, but these proved very good again (and the best value of all three in the end). The resort is Fiji owned, they have their own well tended vegetable garden and fruit trees and try to be self-sufficient. Big emphasis on conserving water and electricity and keeping waste to minimum. Spent the evening chatting to 2 couples on holiday here with a 5 & 6 month old baby. The locals, both male & female, are so lovely with them and no shortage of babysitters.
Thursday 14
th June - Just made breakfast, between 7.30-9am here. How does doing
nothing make you so tired? Weather brightened up through the morning and hot & sunny once more to get things dry. Shoes have quickly become a thing of the past! Basket weaving demo out of palms from our all male instructors – would be great for Sainsburys rather than all that plastic.
Abundance of banana, mango, papaya, avocado and coconut trees plus pineapple plants covered in fruit.
Dinner tonight being cooked on a ‘Lobo’ as follows - Hot coals on ground covered by the inside of a banana plant. Fish (Coral Trout and Spanish mackerel) and various meats, wrapped in baskets made from the palm leaves and also tin foil placed on top. This then covered in fresh banana leaves, tarpaulin then finally earth and ash to seal whole thing. The food cooks slowly in a steamy heat for a couple of hours. It was served buffet style with local vegetables and also a delicious dish of octopus in a coconut sauce. All smelt and tasted fantastic. A long root vegetable called Taro also seems popular here and seems to be used in a similar way to the Cassava. After dinner, locals from the village put on a
fantastic display of traditional songs and dancing. It could have been a bit cheesy, but was really impressive. They then, still smiling, had to walk the long track back to their village home in the dark and barefoot, but $130 Fijian dollars better off for the group (I am sure a lot of money to them)!
Friday 15
th June - Boats are invaluable for these islanders as everything revolves around the sea.
Went to forefil my dream of swimming with the Manta Rays today whose wings can often be 3-4 metres, but sadly didn’t see one as since the storm, they have disappeared for the time being. We had such a good snorkel though and treated to 2 sighting of very big sea turtles which made up for it a bit. The coral and sea life here is amazing and didn’t want to get out of the water.
After this, Julian spent quite a lot of the day sorting out music on several of the staff’s various collection of phones and ipods, earning himself a few free beers. Strange and a bit sad to see how bits of technology are beginning to filter their way in to
Inoke & Julian
On the walk back to the resort from the village. a community that seems so far removed from this way of life.
Saturday 16
th June - Visit to village was a real experience with our own personal guide, Inoki who we got to know quite well in our short time in Botaira. The 60 minute steep hill walk in hot sun was quite hard for us but felt pretty ashamed that these guys have to do the trip up to 6 times a day for work etc. Surprised at how big (about 300 inhabitants) and how lovely their village would be. Locals seemed genuinely proud to show you around with their gorgeous children coming to take your hand. Felt very humble at their happiness and simple living, but have to say, their village was set in a setting to die for and such a strong community. Village meetings are held early every Monday in their Community Building for all to discuss plans, problems, etc. etc. and to share out the weekly village work fairly. We learnt that their chief died last year at the age of 84 and the new one will be from one of the 7 island clan’s chiefly families, probably his son (60), but this is
still to be decided. They have to make sure he is the best person to be in charge of these 7 clans and make the right decisions for them all. Many of the village jobs are shared, including child-care and we were struck by how happy and relaxed everyone seemed. In this village they are strong Methodists and VERY proud of their church, having daily devotion services at 7pm within each family and 3 services on Sunday in church. They do not drink or gamble and LOVE singing! Being pretty large, this island has the luxury of 3 junior schools and 1 high school.
Took double kayak out this evening as the sun set over the sea. Strange to think that as it disappeared here, the UK was probably starting to see it come up.
Sunday 17
th June - Last day at Botaira. We spent the morning snorkeling and kayaking. The reef here is fabulous and the clearest today since we arrived. So many different stunning varieties of such beautifully coloured fish and underwater life. We spotted a turtle as we kayaked, so just sat still and waited and soon another popped up right near us. They are really timid and quickly disappear again below the surface if they see you, but in the end we were really lucky and saw five.
After just a few days here, really sad to leave here. Although the bures a little more basic than Nanuya, think this was my favourite resort of the 3. The people are so lovely and all came to say goodbye.
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