Feejee Time!

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Arriving in Fiji, the tropical heat and humidity after relatively chilly Sydney hit me again, it was time for the lads to top up the tans before the cold of New Zealand (I'm sitting here writing this a few miles from the base of Franz Josef glacier and it's pelting down outside) and for me to find the shade.

First impressions of Fiji were superb. As we got off the plane and waited to clear customs, there was a Fijian band dressed in hawaiin shirts singing for us, we all agreed, a really nice touch. We then hit the Beachcomber Island office as we had planned to spend 6 nights Island hopping, and then the last night on the mainland. Because our flight had been delayed, we missed our ferry to the island, and had to sort out a water taxi. The fact that I had forgotten to transfer money from my savings account to my current account, and could therefore withdraw bugger all cash didn't help the situation. Luckily, all the resorts had EFTPOS so I was going to be OK.

Driving in the Taxi to the ferry port it became clear that although the resorts were going to be luxurious, one night in Nadi would definitely be enough. As we drove past the first Fijian settlement (according to the Indian taxi driver) we all agreed that we didn't fancy living there ourselves. When the ferry came, it was time to head to Beachcomber.

Beachcomber Island

This is supposed to be the 'party island' of the Yasawas (islands off the north west of the mainland) and we arrived, checked in, and headed to the beach bar. All the island resorts include food and accommodation, but sadly no beer. The bar reminded me of the bar out of Die Another Day where Halle Berry emerges from the sea, beautiful. The dorm that we stayed in was massive, and had about 100 beds, and no aircon.

After dinner we met a few people staying on the island and had a few drinks, despite me not being able to sleep the night before and having about an hour on the plane. The bar area had a stage where a Fijian band played a mixture of traditional Fijiian music, and some classic tunes in a Fiji-style. It was here where we firts became accustomed to the word 'Bula' which means 'Hello', and pretty much everything else too. One thing that struck me about the Fijians was how friendly they all were, and how happy everyone was. Absolutely everyone always had a smile on their face and greeted you with a 'Bula'. After a few more beers and some party games I crashed out.

we awoke to the beating of a Fijian drum, which we would also become used to during our stay on the islands. Breakfast was awesome, with the chef cooking you up eggs in any stlye you wanted, and you could eat as much as you wanted. The weather on our second day could not have been better. We spent the morning chilling out on the golden sand, and swimming in the clearest, warmest water (30 degrees) ever. The water was really calm too. It is without a doubt the closest thing to paradise I've ever experienced. I had one of those moments where I realised just how lucky I was to be in a place like that, without a care in the world.

Later that morning Will and I went snorkelling just off the beach, as all the Yasawas are surrounded by coral reefs, it was awesome. After lunch we did a bit more snorkelling, and saw a blue spotted lagoon ray, and walked around the island, which took less than half an hour. After dinner we had a few beers and then headed to bed as we were booked on a dive trip the next day.

Our first dive was a Shark dive next to Castaway island, where Tom Hanks went mental and thought a volleyball was his best mate. Having seen only one shark so far whilst travelling, we were keen to see some more, and were not let down. white and black tipped reef sharks as well as grey reef sharks measuring over 2 metres swam all around us, about 7 or so in total. The next dive was a coral wall site where we saw a few rays but not much that we hadn't seen before. Whilst the reefs in Fiji are spectacular, I preferred the Great Barrier Reef, as they generally host the larger fish, and maybe it's because I've done a load of reef dives now, and really want to see some bigger fish, sharks and manta rays. After the dive we had lunch and chilled on the beach, waiting for our Awesome Adventures boat to take us to our next destination, Southsea Island.

Southsea

Approaching Southsea, it became clear that this was a small island, a very small island. You could actually see the other side of the island, sea and sky, through the palm trees! Southsea was beautiful, but the weather wasn't. Still, we met some really cool people, including a Welsh legend called Alan that we had a few beers with. The evening was started by a crab race, which I went out in the first heat, I think my crab was dead.

The second day on Southsea was started by a wreck dive of the viking, a purposely sunk ship that had been down there for about 3 years. At $45 a pop, about 15 squid, it was an absolute bargain. As this was our first wreck we all found it really exciting, looking into the wreck and seeing marine life living in the man made vessel. We also saw a octopus, which was new to me, and this crazy looking bright white and black slug thing that I had never seen before, neither had our guide! The second rainy afternoon/evening was spent playing a 5 hour + game of Monopoly that Alan won (we actually finished the game!) and a very long game of cheat.

The day we left for Mantaray Island, Alan and I snorkelled the reef off the beach and got severely stung/bitten by sea lice, again something I have not experienced before, and never want to again. Getting caught on the lip is a particualry nasty experience. It's a bit like a pin prick that subsides after a few seconds. We also saw 2 titan trigger fish having a ruck, and i picked up a starfish, dropped it on a rock, and then Alan picked it up and a stonefish nearly bit his hand off (very poisonous fish)! It was time to get out. Our time on Southsea also saw myself and Dan making bracelets out of coconuts that grow on the island. They took bloody ages to make and don;t even fit on our wrists, but I can't bring myself to binning it, so I might turn it into a beer holder or something when I get back home. We were picked up again by the yellow boat and taken to Mantaray Island.

Mantaray

When you arrive at mantaray, the staff all come to the beach to greet you with a song, and after checking in, we headed for dinner which we had heard was some of the best food in Fiji, even better than some of the 5 star resorts. And it was awesome. The night was spent playing drinking games with a host of nationalities, and the poker with a few guys that obviously play a lot, and I went out first. Still, the stakes were only a can of Fiji gold (nice beer).

The second day was what I had been waiting for since we arrived in Fiji. The opportunity to snorkel with Manta Rays. There is a channel in between two islands where the rays come to feed and a short boat trip allows you to swim above them. It was absolutely brilliant, and in my opinion, as good as anything I've seen on any of the dives we've done. There were 4 of 5 rays feeding when we went, the largest of which measured about 5 metres across (bloody massive). They have jet black backs and white underbellys, and watching them glide effortlessly through the water is amazing. If you stay quite quiet and calm, the rays actually let you swim directy above them and I was lucky enough to reach out and stroke one. The rays have loads of small fish swimming at their mouths, and some larger fish swimming at their underbelly. I've yet to look it up but I'd imagine it's because the rays provide them with a food source, and shelter from predators. Unlike the stingrays, Manta rays are harmless, to the relief of a few of the girls on the trip.

That afternoon we went hand line fishing, and the force was the only one to catch anything (he caught 2 reef fish that were too small to eat, so he had to throw them back (with the help of the guide as they had teeth :s).

The evening was spent playing another round of poker where I lost again, but we were playing with a Spanish Croupier.

The next morning we took a trip to a typical Fijian island village where all the staff at the resort lived. It was a lot more primitive than I'd seen on the mainland, but again, everyone was really friendly. One thing that surprised me was that everyone was Catholic and they all went to church. The locals put on a smally gift market in the village hall and you feel obliged to buy a couple of things from them, so I bought a couple of bands and bracelets. We also gave a donation to the village fund. The village's chief had passed away recently and they were in the process of electing a new leader. On the way back to the boat, we passed a boat yard, where two men were working on a new fishing boat for the village, I'd just assumed that they had bought the boats from elsewhere. After lunch, it was time to head back to the mainland, where we met up with Chris again. He had been staying at Bounty, more famously known as Celebrity Love Island to women and Dan.

Nadi

We decided to stay at the skylodge in Nadi, which had the nicest rooms and facilities of all the places we stayed, at less than 1/3 of the price (that's tourism for you). We had a curry for dinner (still pathetic compared to an Indian from back home) and played a pool competition which Will won some free beer and a cocktail. The morning before we headed back to the airport, we had a 3-a-side kickabout on the footy court, which, in the Fiji midday sun, wasn't the brightest idea ever, but still great fun (seeing as I was on the other team from Will and Dan and kicked their buts).

Anyone who is thinking of going to Fiji in the future should 10000%!g(MISSING)o. It was bloody awesome and I'd go back at the drop of a hat. loved it.

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