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Hello once again lovely people.
So the next installment is our 8 days in beautiful Fiji! Fiji is a 2 hour 40 mins flight from Auckland. The minute we arrived at the airport we knew we were in for a treat as everyone was so happy, we were serenaded by a Fijian band, everyone wears flowers in their hair, the men even wear skirts and they all just seem so joyous!!!
We flew into the capital of Fiji on the main island; Nadi (prenounced Nandi). When we were driving round the streets for the first time, we felt like we were really travelling again- Fiji has a real Carribbean vibe about it, the music, the food, the people etc, it was really exciting to be in a country where English isn't the first language (although widely spoken) or the national dish wasn't fish and chips. Although the bloody Queen's head was still on the notes; will we never escape this woman!? Fijians also looked a lot more African to me then I thought they would- I thought they would look more Mauri, but they are a lot darker skinned. There are also a lot of Indians who have settled
in Fiji too. Fiji is made up of.... wait for it..... 333 islands!! Crikey. Although I'm not sure how they classify islands to be honest. I mean could you say a few rocks sticking out the water could be another island? I'm not sure.
So our first night in Fiji was spent in Nadi at the Nomads Skylodge which was lovely; we could have happily holidayed there for a week! It has a lovely pool and restaurant and bar; but we were only there for a night before we began our island hopping at 7am the next day. We get to the port and immediately we are told a problem- we didnt reserve our dates; eventhough it explains explicitly on our travel voucher the dates we are meant to be travelling; therefore the lady cannot give us our full itinery. This was our first glimpse of the inefficiency of the travel company. We're not the only ones either! So many people we've spoken to have had lost bags, wet bags, been split up from their friends, stayed on islands they shouldn't have- its just ridiculous.........We get to go on the transfer ferry; but we have no voucher and no
clue where we are going! after 5 hours on the ferry we start to get a little worried, but are then told we cannot go to Coral View as it's full, we will have to get off at Sunrise Resort instead; so after 6 hours on the ferry we get transferred to a tiny little island called Nanuya Lei Lei. We had a nice welcome and were given some okay food, and then was told our room was in the treehouse and we had to climb a coconut tree to access it!! Luckily we didnt but our room was very basic- no bathroom, no aircon, just 2 beds and 2 mossie nets. Just to clarify Han and I paid a total of £900 for this 6 day trip (remember no flights included) so the accomodation and resorts really aren't up to much considering the cost. We went snorkelling to a nearby reef which was good- the Yasawa Islands where we were travelling round were just so beautiful- the island so mountainous and lush and the sea so clear, such a stunning blue colour.
That evening we had our first taste of a typical Fijian evening. Our dinner was nice-
chicken with rice and green beans, pumpkin and pineapple- Han and I are very lucky that we will eat anything as in these places you do not get a choice of meal- if you don't like it you go hungry! We first played a popular Fijian game- crab racing! The host got 10 hermit crabs; wrote a number on their backs and you had to choose which one you thought was the quickest- these little things are horrible! So freaky! And you had to keep holding them so they didnt run off and they would pincer you the whole time! So after the crab racing we had a traditional Kava ceremony. Kava http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kava is a traditional Fijian drink made out of paper plant. The chief of a village prepares it and dishes it out in a specific fashion, you have to clap once, say 'Bula!' drink the liquid in one from a coconut shell, smile and then clap 3 times again. Kava is disgusting. It tastes of ashtray and I dont think it's alcoholic but has a relaxing effect on you, Fijians drink it a lot that's why they're all on Fijian time!!!
The next day we cross the
island on the premise of finding the Blue Lagoon which also sports a cocktail bar! We walk through quite a lot of jungle and climb quite high and then we get to the other side and it's just breath taking. The Blue Lagoon is a large expanse of the most beautiful shallow water stretching to the next island; truely stunning. We spend some time in there, locate the cocktail bar belonging to the extremely upmarket neighbouring honeymoon resort, and spend the next 3 hours sampling way too many Fijian cocktails!
The next day we spend 40 mins in a speedboat and travel to the underwater limestone caves at Sawari-i-Lau. The caves were featured in the 1980 film Blue Lagoon with Brooke Shields. These caves are the alledged resting place of the ten-headed ancient Fijian god, Ulutini. Each chamber represents his heads along with one human head. The caves are famous in Fiji for their legend and mythology. So I was a little apprehensive. I am a strong swimmer but I fricking hate small spaces, I get extremely claustrophobic; and to get in and out of the chambers you need to swim underwater through very tight gaps in the rock......ARGH!
But I did do it; best way to get over a fear it to just attack it head on, and I'm glad i did, these caves were really beautiful, but knackering as you had to tread water the whole time.
The next resort was Korovou- a much nicer resort (2 stars as opposed to 1!) with a pool, really nice beach and Han and I had our own spacious beach bungalow with even our own manicured frount and rear garden! The food here was delicious, and we saw a really great show of traditional Pacific and fire dancing. Unfortunately we only had a night there, and our next stop was back to a 1 star on the island of Waya Lei Lei. It became the case that all the nicer resorts we stay in for 1 night and the ropier ones 2 nights which was annoying. So Waya Lei Lei was OK, we met some great grils, had more Fijian entertainment, more Kava ceremonies, ate traditionally cooked lamb (under the ground like Maori meat) which we had to eat with our fingers, which wasn't too bad until we came to the soup (I'm only kidding there was no soup).
The weather wasn't too clever whilst staying here, was pretty miserable so we just slept and read books most of the time! Han and I learned how to weave our own bracelets, but there was a bit of a bad vibe about this resort. Fijian people on the whole are very warm and friendly; but some of them you just get impression that they're trying to rip you off, and that's how you feel at this resort. They never had any change ever so something costing $7 actually cost you $10, and we heard so many stories of poor travellers getting their things stolen on the islands- Han and I have been so lucky that we havent lost or had stolen any valuables so far on our trip, but we have been extremely careful. We went snorkelling again at this resort when the weather cleared up. Snorkelling in Fiji is great- we saw 4 White Tip Reef Sharks, and is you were quick you could give them a little stroke! They are amazing creatures, if we'd known just how many times we would have gone snorkelling on our travels we would have definately invested in an underwater camera, but for
the moment you'll just have to take our word for it!
So after the snorkelling we leave for our final island Bounty. This day turned from a really good day to probably one of the worst days of my life. Our transfer boat was an hour late to begin with as one of it's engines had broken. So we get on the boat and the weather really turns, making the sea extremely choppy. The boat is packed to the rafters, it is now dark outside and the aircon has been turned off to conserve fuel. It is about 40 degrees in the bloody thing. The sea is so rough water comes right over the top of the bost which in turn makes the roof leak; on one particularly high wave, the force of the boat coming down cracks the bowl, so there are now holes in the top and bottom of the boat. On top of this half the boat has got seasickness, including once again yours truely (one girl said she had to stop looking at me as my green face was making her feel more ill! The cheek!). It then transcends into a domino effect of spewage;
which in 40 degrees of heat is one of the worst things you can experience. I take myself onto the deck to be sick as cannot be sick in front of people for some reason but the sickness still didn't subside :0( We then get told we can continue no longer in the vessel and the sister boat has been despatched from the harbour and it an hour away which will continue us on our journey. It eventually arrives but the water is so choppy, when lining the boats side by side the large boat smashes into our small boat, shattering a window and nearly scarring a young girl for life. So we get on the new boat and continue on heading for Bounty Island. Rebekah is sick another time and passengers are kicking off as now everyone is 4 hours delayed and people are missing their flights out of Fiji. After what feels like a lifetime Han and I are put on a ricketty tiny speedboat in the pitch black, in the choppiest water I have ever been with our bags very precariously stacked (untied) on the top. Miraculously we make it to the island (another nice one, obviously
as we're only staying there for a night!) I eat some dry bread, we get shown to our room and hit the sack immediately. What a day.
The next day we are booked to go on an all day sailing trip. Just what the doctor ordered!!! I was very prepared to give it a miss but the nights sleep really sorted me out and I was feeling 100% better so at 9.30am we boarded a sailing ship aptly named Sea Spray. The day was all inclusive alcohol, so in true Harrild style we drank the boat dry! We met some cool people from England, played lots of silly drinking games, soaked up the sun and enjoyed the sights. Water was pretty calm so felt fine- i think maybe my seasickness is a catamaran related one as they're the only boats I've been ill on! We go to the Castaway island where Tom Hanks shot the film, and go to a traditional Fijian village and yet another Kava ceremony. We have a delicious BBQ and then at 4pm set off back to the mainland.
The Fijian islands are so beautiful, and on the whole the people are very friendly
and accomodating, Fiji made a great stop over place and provided us with some great relaxation time. Would I go back? Probably not; especially not the package we did as it was not value for money at all. So we set off for LA at 10pm and arrive after a 9 hour flight at 1pm the same day!! Freaky! So we have been in LA for a week now, and thoroughly enjoying it. Read about it in our next installment!
Love as always Beks and Hans xxxx
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Becky
non-member comment
No wonder!
No wonder you liked the effect of the Kava hun - according to the tinternet, you've been basically drinking Valium!!! "Kava - Explorer Captain James Cook gave this plant the botanical name of “intoxicating pepper”. Used for over 3,000 years for its medicinal affects as a sedative, muscle relaxant, and as a remedy for nervousness. " Enjoy - sounds great. Bring me some home!!! Bxxx