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Published: March 6th 2008
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I have decided that writing an entry for every day is rather unrealistic as in Fiji I rarely got a chance to go on computers so from now on I think i will condense a few days into one entry!
The next day in Fiji we all got up early again. Since I have left England that latest I have got up is 8 o'clock!!! In Fji it's just too hot to stay in bed and also I have been excited to get up and explore! So this morning we visited a different local village and met the Cheif of the village who invited us to drink Fiji's traditional drink Kava. It is made by mixing ground up and dried pepper plant roots. It is mixed in a big bowl and a ceremony takes place before you are invited to drink it. It looks a bit like dirty dish water and doesn't taste much different either! Everyone tried really hard not to insult to chief by pulling a face after downing a bowl. Kava is supposed to have a relaxing effect on people but I think you must have to drink about 10 bowls before that happened. I could only
stomach three and the only effect I got was a numb tongue!
After the Kava ceremony we drove to one of the local schools. The Fiji experience goes to different schools each week so they aren't fed up of seeing us. We took them some stationary as they are very poor schools. Apparently some of the kids walk bare footed 10kms a day just to get there! They were really excited to see us and performed some little songs and dances. i had a bit of a chat with some of them in the little English they knew and they were all so polite and seemed really happy. Apparently once they get to the age of 10 they can't progress to the next year unless they pass English so this is why most Fijians can speak really good English.
After some lunch the coach took us to another muddy river for some bamboo rafting. I was knee deep in mud this time! We split into teams of 6 and had a race - our team lost but we had a dud raft! It kept on sinking haha. After this activity it was time to go to our next
hostel. Again it was in a really lovely setting on the beach. In the evening we played some bar games and then made a bonfire by the beach - I was exhausted!!
The next day we had a slight lie in but me and my friend decided to do some sea kayaking as it was too hot to sleep in. We didn't get too far as the current was too strong and it started to rain. After a rather bizarre and cold curry in a little restaurant we drove to some mud pools. This trip seems to involve me getting very stinky and muddy everyday!! We covered ourselves in mud and then walked over to a natural geothermic pool which was very hot but just the right temperature to relax in for a while.
This was the last day of the tour but a group of about 7 of us decided to go to Beachcomber island - the "party island" of Fiji! This was really good fun and the first chance I got to do some sunbathing. The dorm was a bit crazy though - There was just a huge hut with 90 beds in it! I got
arriving at Beachcomber Island
The staff always greet you with big smiles and a song allocated a top bunk surrounded by men... great!! Not to worry as we had quite a bit to drink and a bit of a dance and by the time I decided to go to bed I didn't care. This is the night that it started to rain! I woke up to the feeling of water dripping on my face! It was about 5 in the morning and was throwing it down! The water was leaking through the roof so I had to curl up into a little ball in the bit of my bed that wasn't being dripped on.
After a rubbish nights sleep I got up to more torrential rain and booked a trip to some of the Yasawa Islands. After a really tiring 5 days I was just hoping for a bit of sun and to relax on the beach. My first stop was Coral View. Here it rained constantly and to be honest I was a bit bored - just played some cards and did a bit of snorkeling. After 2 nights and still loads of rain I caught the ferry to a little cruising boat. I stayed on the boat for 2 nights. After the
first day the rain stopped and the sun came out. I went out and did some amazing snorkeling on the reef. The colours were amazing and we were very lucky to see two reef sharks!! I started to follow one of them but after a bit it turned around and started to follow me! They are harmless though - just a bit big! We hired some Kayaks and rowed to some islands - dis some more sunbathing and lots of jumping off the boat! Good fun!
After the cruise I caught the ferry to my last Island, South Sea, this Island was opposite the one where they shot celebrity love island... It was absolutely tiny - you could see one end to the other and walk around it in 2 minutes! I only stayed the night here as the next day I went on a sailing boat for a day cruise. called sea spray - generally just cruised to deserted Islands such as the one where the film Castaway was shot. It was a perfect day - had the best food I had had in Fiji so far (a barbeque).
So that was my last day in Fji.
I am now suitably chilled out and relaxed and I absolutely loved Fiji! Next stop Auckland.
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Olivier
non-member comment
Thanks to you Fiji is also on my "countries to visit" list
Hi Jennifer, nice to keep us updated about your adventures. Wow, I'm already jealous; what a nice days (except for the rain); but the text and pictures convinced me that I also want to visit that part of the world. Enjoy the rest of your travel before you start helping in Thailand; and keep us updated Love from Belgium Oli