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Published: January 13th 2007
Bula Bula Bula! Welcome to Fiji!
Bula is the Fijian word used for greeting people but seems to get yet used for pretty any much situation… Shouting in Caves, Drinking Kava, Singing... The more you say it the better! Bula!
And to think I even considered changing my plans due to the recent Military Coupe in Fiji! I’m so glad I didn’t!
And so, my Fijian experience began in Nadi airport after nearly missing my flight from New Zealand and after three hours of airtime. There were some pretty spectacular views as we came in to land but the sky was looking somewhat dark and scary!
“This is your captain speaking; Welcome to Fiji, The forecast is for heavy rainstorms!” Not exactly what I was hoping to hear on arrival! Oh well, what’s the worst that can happen?? I’ll get very wet!
I was picked up from the airport by a smiling Fijian man and taken to my Nadi Bay hotel. This place was nice enough, had a pool, an average dorm room and some nice little café’s and restaurants. The place didn’t seem very busy - most probably due to tourists changing their plans!
And then, the angry sky’s opened up, hurling lots and lots and lots of water towards planet earth and in particular a group of islands somewhere in the South Pacific known by the locals as Fiji. Time to get wet!
With the aid of a loaned umbrella I travelled the hotel grounds stopping at various points for liquid and solid treats that my belly loved very much. A few hours passed and someone must have turned the rain off! Thank you please!
Time to visit Nadi town! Some people from the hotel gave me a lift into town and I began to explore the main street. Not the most attractive of places - a slightly touristy, bustling, dirty street lined with shops and other establishments. I headed to the supermarket, picked up some supplies for my island adventures and took a taxi back to the hotel just as someone turned the rain back on. That was enough for Nadi!
There was a piece of paper on the wall of the hotel with the weather forecast for the coming days - it basically predicted rain and more rain. I was starting to get the feeling that I was
going to be in for a week of precipitation but was hoping the other islands would bring some brighter news. After a movie, some packing preparations, and some more food and drink in the company of a strange German man, it was time for bed! I do find it easier to sleep when it’s raining so that’s one good thing at least!
I awoke early the next day to find that the big orange hot thing in the sky was breaking its way through the clouds. I was picked up by a lovely group of colourfully dressed Fijian ladies and a big bus. That big bus took me to the harbour where I picked up some water supplies and boarded a boat…
It was never my plan to spend any amount of time in Nadi or on the large Island of Viti Levu. The Yasawa Islands were always my destination of choice and that’s where I went on this jolly day. I had spent some time researching the different resorts in the Yasawa’s and decided on the two best ones that met my budget. Two places in particular came highly recommended, slightly more expensive than the other backpacker
resorts but as it is Christmas I thought I would treat myself.
And so, we set off and began to sail through the tiny Mamanuca islands and into the chain called the Yasawas, stopping at various points on the way to drop people off. The weather was still pretty cloudy but the sun was finding its way through and felt pretty strong!
It took abut 4 hours for the Yasawa Flyer ferry to reach the end of its leg and the point where I would get off. My first destination was a place called Oarsman’s Bay Lodge which is situated on Nacula Island at the end of the Yasawa chain. We boarded a small water taxi going by the name of “Joes”, which took us over to the island. As we approached the dark skinned Fijian staff, were singing us a welcome song, with guitars, and joyful voices, followed by the customary shout of… “Bula!”.
The location was absolute paradise and right on one of the best beaches I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting! Lined with palms and other greenery this amazing beach was only a few metres from where we would sleep and had the
clearest, bluest, and warmest sea water I’ve ever been in. The lodge was only a few metres walk up the sand and had an airy dorm room upstairs and a number of little Bure’s (huts), spread along the beach. Apart from a few other shacks there was nothing else in the area, and there were less than about 30 people sharing this beautiful paradise beach. At first I thought it must be empty because of the Coo but found out they were at full capacity. What an amazing place!
After a welcome drink in the sand floored dining area I made my way to the dorm room. It was pretty nice, slightly basic but had comfortable beds, mosquito nets and fans, plus a balcony at the front which looked onto the beach. I met a few people who arrived at the same time as me - an English guy called James, a Swedish girl, Jenny and a Norwegian girl, Linda. There was also this American guy called Chris who was interesting to say the least.
At Oarsman’s they are one hour ahead of the rest of Fiji. They call it ‘Oarsman’s time’, or ‘Bula time’. It’s so you
get more daylight in the day. It’s a bit strange - if you walk over the hills to the village they are on normal Fiji time but here it’s Bula time. Sounds good to me though. If not perfect! Bula!
Having got myself sorted I headed to the beach. I had heard that Long Beach was supposed to be the best beach in the Yasawa islands but I didn’t expect it to be this nice. It seemed like there was hardly anyone here and it really did feel deserted. I spent the afternoon swimming, relaxing on the beach, lying under the shade of the trees and also did some snorkelling in a reef area down the beach. Having spent the last months doing lots and keeping busy I was happy just doing nothing here!
That night there was an amazing sunset over the islands and ocean in the distance. There are some cool clouds here and they make for some pretty spectacular skies. As the sun eventually went down the clouds lit up red. Pretty damn colourful! Pretty amazing!
Dinner was pretty tasty - a 3 course meal of homemade soup, a chicken dish and banana crumble.
Good scran! Much better food than I was expecting!
After some Fijian beers it was time for my first Kava ceremony. Kava is the Fijian national drink and they seem to drink it in large quantities every day. It’s made from the root of the Waka (dried root), of the Pepper plant and is a tranquilising non alcoholic beverage. It resembles a big bowl of brown muddy water. Yum!
We sat around with the Fijians as they sang and played instruments and drank Kava. They have this massive bowl in the middle which contains the Kava. Every so often it looked like one of the Fijian guys would do his dirty washing in the Kava bowl swishing his shirt around and squeezing it out! I discovered that the piece of material contained the ground up Kava and this was the way they make the concoction. Nice!
When you are offered Kava you have to clap once to accept. On your first go it’s appropriate to say… Bula! He then hands you a small bowl of this brown liquid which you drink in one go. It’s not the best taste in the world but certainly not the worst.
It kind of tastes like some sort of herb water and gives your mouth and lips a numbing tingly sensation. You soon get used to the taste! After drinking the Kava you have to clap three times to say thank you for the Kava. After about 15 bowls of the stuff I was starting to feel slightly numb. It’s a mad drink though. The Fijians love it. Bula!!!
The next day I enjoyed a lovely breakfast of fruit, pancakes, cereal and other cakes before heading the beach. A beautiful day today and the colour of the sea was visually stunning! It looks like I’m in for some good weather after all! Later in the morning we headed out in a small boat to some caves known as ‘Qwaqwarivola Caves’. It took us about 40 minutes to get there with some beautiful scenery on the way. The islands are a lot greener and hillier than I expected. We arrived at this tiny little island and climbed down some steps into a large water filled cave. There were some Fijian kids that were climbing up the walls in the caves extremely high up and jumping down into the water below. I
haven’t a clue how they managed to climb up as the walls were slippery and didn’t really have anywhere to grip on to. They were like Monkeys making light work of the difficult climb.
After swimming around in the cave the Fijian lady and man took us to a swim through by torch light where we had to swim underwater to get into another cave network. It was pretty impressive inside with some good rock formations and lots of echoes! As we swam the Fijian’s shouted ‘Bula’ as much as they could. We joined in. The Fijian people are funny people - they seem to just love having fun and doing stupid stuff. Having explored the tunnel network we exited the same way, attempted to climb the walls but failed, and made our way back. A good trip!
As we arrived back at Oarsman’s they were just setting up the dinner tables under the shade of the trees on the beach. What a view! After a good lunch I spent the rest of the day at the beach, alternating between the sea and the sand. I absolutely love this place! It’s perfect!
In the evening James and
myself walked up the hills behind the resort to one of the peaks at 238 metres. It was hot work and there was no sign of human life in any direction apart from our resort. There were some spectacular views from the top which we enjoyed with the accompaniment of beer. We made it back just in time for dinner. Lovely seafood, lots of Fijian rum and some crab racing for good measure! All good stuff!
I awoke the next day to the sound of the Fijian drum beating for breakfast time. After breakfast we headed to one of the local villages on the boat. Some interesting visual delights here - cute little shacks, a little church, shining happy people, colourful washing lines, a medical centre and a little market that they put on for us. I purchased a few shells, crafts and other stuff to keep them smiling. The Fijian people are all pretty friendly and happy living the simple life on this beautiful island. Whilst the village chief was away at a meeting we saw his meeting house and where he lives. A brick house complete with television and radio! Luxury I guess. It was certainly interesting
to see how these people live!
Back to Oarsman’s for lunch and more beach time before heading to the Blue Lagoon in the afternoon which was about a 20 minute boat ride away. If anyone has seen the film - “The Blue Lagoon” - this is where it was based and filmed. There was a pretty nice beach with some good snorkelling but it didn’t match up to Long Beach were we were staying. A good few hours were spent exploring the reef and the beach though! I found lots of blue sea stars!
On my final night at Oarsman’s I spent the afternoon and evening making the most of the beach before our final meal. We had a traditional Lovo feast which is similar to the New Zealand Hangi in which food is cooked underground. A very good selection of food here - a few weird things like roots but lots of good meat, fish and veg! Yum Yum! The staff that is mostly from the village that we visited, then put on a show of signing and dancing which was extremely impressive. The Fijians certainly like enjoying themselves! We all had to join in for some
Fijian style moves with flower reefs around our necks! Good stuff! More rum and a walk down the beach and it was time for bed!
On my last day at Oarsman’s I did a spot of kayaking, some swimming, walking, and generally enjoyed the beach. I was pretty sad to leave this place! The people here were all really nice and it was kind of like a family. The place was run by people from the village and was Fijian in every way. I could have easily stayed here for weeks just lazing about and doing nothing! After a nice lunch by the beach it was time to leave. As we left all of the staff gathered to sing and wave us farewell. I will miss this place!
The water taxi took us to the Yasawa Flyer ferry around the other side of the island which then went in the opposite direction we came back down the Yasawa chain. My second destination was the Octopus resort on Waya island. Everyone I had spoken to had been raving about this place so I was really looking forward to spending Christmas here. James, Chris and the Norwedish girls would also
be here so I knew some people before I even arrived.
About an hour and a half’s ferry ride and we arrived at Waya island. The Octopus boat picked us up and took us to shore. The beach here was slightly more rugged but beautiful in its own right. A lovely long stretch of thick squashy soft sand lined with palm trees, with some big rocks in the middle splitting it into two sections. In the distance were the dramatic mountainous peaks of Waya island. A really amazing setting! The sea was perhaps not as good for swimming but had an amazing coral reef, metres from the shore. It was therefore perfect for snorkelling. Nice!
The resort was nestled on the beach complete with plenty of hammocks, palm trees, sun beds, shelters, bure’s, the main restaurant and bar area and a dormitory building. Whilst being very modern, it all fitted in perfectly with the surroundings with thatched roofs and cute little touches which made this place that little bit special. The bar and restaurant area was lovely with a sand floor and Christmas decorations which I was happy to see.
After our welcome drink we headed to
the dorm - very nice, flowers and towels on the beds, individual lamps and fans, and mosquito nets. All very appealing! The bathrooms were extremely modern and clean with hot showers, (not that you need them). Me likes it here! The whole place is very plush!
I headed straight into the ocean with Chris to do some snorkelling. I’m not sure what type it was, but a fish that later became known as the “Picasso Fish” bit me on my stomach through my rash vest and made me bleed! I wasn’t sure what it was at first and just felt a sharp sting. After looking around I saw the Picasso fish coming at me again and again like a mad bull. It hit me a second time but didn’t penetrate. I swam back towards the shore as it started to do the same to Chris. It was pretty funny and put a few people off swimming. We must have entered its territory! We went back in from a different part of the beach! Mad little fish! It was only small! Naughty!
Anyway, there’s a really impressive reef just off the beach, some beautiful corals and plenty of fish.
Clown fish, Parrot Fish, Butterfly Fish, Angel Fish, Groupers, Rays! Plenty more but I am not familiar with all of the names! I’m no fish expert!
Later in the afternoon I discovered a place that I would go on to spend a lot of time in! A hammock positioned perfectly on the beach, a perfect view of the ocean and a short walking distance from the bar and my bed. It later became known as Pete’s hammock as I was always in it!
The beach here is perfect for viewing sunsets and I’m a big fan of sunsets. I don’t know why - they are just mint! There’s just something about the sky and that time of day that I find amazing, and the sunsets here are beautiful. Really spectacular! Lying in my hammock with a beer I watched the sun go to bed before making my way to the restaurant for a Kava ceremony and the most amazing BBQ! What a feast! There were loads of different types of meats and fish with salads, potatoes and pretty much everything you could want from a BBQ. Really good quality food here! I’m impressed! Top quality nosh! Love it!
View from Nacula Village
Not such a bad place to live I guess!Later there was a big bonfire on the beach and we played some games and drank plenty of alcohol. I managed to beat the bar lady every time at ‘Paper, Scissors, Stone’, so got my beers for free. Some people might say… “That’s pretty perfect”. I know I would! I ended up in the pool at some stage and made friends with some peeps as well as some tiny little kittens that were living under the step. My first nights sleep at Octopus was a good one. I slept well!
Christmas Eve Today! Yes, the day after the day before Christmas Eve is also Christmas Eve. How mad is that? I’ve never woken up on Christmas Eve on a beach before let alone in paradise. It hasn’t really felt like Christmas yet but maybe it will start to??
After a tropical breakfast we decided to go to the local village to go to the church service. Over the hill we went, past the little pig farm, and into the basic but cute little village on the other side of the island! Today was a hot one so I knew it was going to be stuffy in the
Nacula Village Locals
Relaxing in the shade! church!
We made our way into the little church and took our places on one side at the front.
Then the Fijian kids started arriving in their cute little colourful church outfits. They were pretty funny, playing about and having fun. In Fijian culture they go to church every day so for them this was routine!
The adults started to arrive followed by the gospel choir who sat at the front of the church; their little kiddies perched on their knees! And then the service began… the glorious angelic voices of the choir sang out in harmony. They really did sound amazing!
The service was in Fijian so I didn’t really know what they were saying, but they did welcome us foreigners to their church and apologized for the service being in Fijian. There was one guy who kept shouting as he preached and another that was nearly in tears. They obviously felt strongly about what they were saying. The best part for me was hearing the voices of the gospel choir and watching the kids messing about and wandering around. There was this one guy who must have been there to keep the kids in order.
Fijian Lady and Her Dog
Heading to the boat for the trip back to Oarsman's He walked around with a cane and every time he came past, the kids would sit up straight and look innocent. Then there were the dogs that wandered freely about the church. Dogs seem to be welcome anywhere here. It was quite a long and hot service but was interesting and definitely worth the visit.
Dear God… Make me a bird, so I can fly far… far, far away from here. Actually no I love it here God. I think I’ll stay human for now and laze about on the beach! Cheers!
Back over the hill we walked and into the eight legged resort. The rest of my festive eve was spent relaxing in my hammock, snorkelling in the lovely ocean and walking along the beach. Absolutely perfect! The lunch menu here is extensive with lots of treats to choose from. Great food!
The highlight for me today was the sunset. I climbed up the rocks in the middle of the beach to watch these magical skies. If you’re a fan of the sky you have to be a fan of the clouds and I certainly am. There’s every type of cloud here - fluffy, flat, streaky,
big, little, pink, meaty, angry, happy, floaty, cotton wool, stormy, layered, puffy, mad, cute, and colourful! Let’s face it - amazing clouds here! The cloud appreciation society would love it here, that’s if they exist anyway. The sky on this night was spectacular - I didn’t think the sky could turn some of the colours that it did on this night. But it did. Tremendous!
A homely dinner of Fijian fishcakes and lasagne for dinner! As we were enjoying our food, we had bit of a surprise. The whole of the gospel choir from the village and church came to sing us some Christmas carols in Fijian. This was really special. Now it felt like Christmas! After a movie by the pool and lots of rum it was time to visit my bed!
Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse,
PeterPopper was lying in his bed in the dorm,
Wondering if Santa in Fiji was the norm,
His Stocking was hung by his hammock with care,
In hope that St. Nicholas soon would be there,
As he lay there nestled all snug in
his bed,
Visions of sugar plums danced in his head,
And then… he passed out!
Happy Christmas! When I awoke on Christmas day in paradise and wondered out on to the decking I discovered that Santa Clause had been! There was a long line of presents, one for everybody. I was wondering if Fijian people think that Santa Clause is black or whether like me they think he is white. On the Coca Cola bottles he is white so I guess they must know he’s white! That’s it I’ve solved it.
I headed to breakfast with my friends from the resort. It was Jenny’s birthday on Christmas day which was weird. I wished her a Happy Birthmas! But, in Scandinavian countries they celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve and that’s when they open all their presents and have a Christmas meal. Strange, but True. You learn something new every day in Fiji. Well, nearly every day. A tasty Christmas breakfast in the sand for us. Perfect!
My next destination was my hammock to open my present. What will it be? A football? A train set? Screwball Scramble? Scaletrix? No… It’s a Sarong! Perfect! That’s just what
I wanted. Santa must have got my letter after all. Complete with my Sarong and a Fijian flower I enjoyed my morning swinging on the beach to the sound of the ocean waves and the music that came from my iPod headphones!
Back in the sea I went for a nice long Christmas snorkel session. I love the ocean. Especially when it’s warm and visually pleasing! A nice bit of Christmas exercise as well!
And then it was back in the hammock for me to enjoy a cocktail or two. I did managed to get up a few times, went for a walk on the beach, headed to the bar, conversed with the staff and my companions, and made the most of my Christmas in this amazing place. A lovely steak lunch and an extremely relaxing afternoon as the lovely Fijian lady brought cold beer to me in my hammock. I did a wee bit more snorkelling, listened to music and lazed about to my hearts content. Like on the previous night the Christmas sunset was amazing! Pretty damn special. I climbed up on my favourite rocks again to enjoy the magical colours in the sky over the
glistening ocean. Loving it here!
Christmas dinner - Baby Octopus in a lovely sauce for starter, then Beef, Chicken, Stuffing, Egg Plant, Potatoes, Gravy and More, followed by Banoffee Pie for desert. Really good food and lots of it! I absolutely stuffed myself in true Christmas fashion. Yum Yum Yum! Plenty of rum, beer and Christmas games for afters followed by a night time swim! Bula!
The next couple of days were spent in a somewhat similar way - Sun, Hammock, Beer, Ocean, Swimming, Snorkelling, More Hammock, Sunset, Crab Racing, Beer, Rum, Sand, Paradise, Music, Relaxation, Doing Nothing, Cloud appreciation, Eating. That’s about it. I loved it! I wish I could stay here for longer!
James left before Christmas and the Norwedish girls left on Boxing Day but I met some other cool people including Becky and Andy from England and a Swedish family that were quite funny! The staff were also all pretty cool.
On my final day I decided to do a scuba dive. I hadn’t one since Australia and had been keen to do one in Fiji, but just hadn’t got round to it! Sometimes in life it’s hard to motivate yourself to
get up and do stuff!
I’m glad I did the dive anyway, it was one of the best dives I’ve done. We headed out to a dive site called Eagles Drop. There were four of us including Me and Andy and a guide - a girl called Freddy!? The underwater world was pretty spectacular and extremely dramatic. Lots of beautiful corals including massive fan corals, schools of thousands of fish which surrounded us like stars in the sky moving in unison, 3 cave and tunnel swim through’s, Maori eels, a giant Maori Wrasse, 2 sharks, and loads of other fish and other delights! I was also pleased as I managed to make my air last for about a 50 minute dive. Amazing, beautiful, colourful stuff down there with great visibility! Top dive! Loved it!
Back at Octopus I made the most of my final hours in this lovely place. A yummy lunch, some more snorkelling off the beach, and some time in my beloved hammock! I really didn’t want to leave this place. I absolutely loved it.
In the late afternoon it was time to take the water taxi to the Yasawa Flyer which took me
back to the harbour. Andy and Becky got off at another island and I continued on back to the large island of Viti Levu. At the harbour I boarded a bus which took me to the airport. I had to hang about here for about 4 hours before my flight to Los Angeles and spent the time talking to a few random people and looking around the duty free shops!
I also discovered that this would go on to be the longest day of my life! Literally! My flight would leave from Nadi at 10.50pm and take about 10 hours. I would arrive in Los Angeles at 1.00pm of the same day, somehow travelling back in time. This day would therefore last nearly two days even though it was only one day. Strange but true!
And in case your wondering if the military Coupe affected me in any way - it didn’t. I didn’t see any road blocks, any military and no sign of anyone worried or being concerned about any chance of violence. I spoke to the locals on the islands and they said that in general most Fijian’s were against the Coo. Not because they are
It's Me - Long Beach
I seem to be the only one here today! the slightest bit bothered about the politics but because it effects tourism which is the main way they make money and because the United Nations had stopped funding the sugar industry. But all in all the Fijian’s are far too laid back to be overly bothered. They are just happy to lye about and drink Kava! If anything the Coo did me a favour - the exchange rate was very good! Thank you please!
So I guess it’s time to say goodbye from me…
It’s a shame to leave such a beautiful paradise but I guess I’ll have to for now…
Goodbye and Merry Christmas… even if it’s a bit late! (No internet and only one phone on the island)
Over and Out
PeterPopper
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Jackie
non-member comment
ohh!
Sounds idyllic. We spent ours in Krabi. Strange carols in 30 degree heat. Loved your pics. All the best for the New Year.