Fiji frolics: Island living, naughty hammocks, fun with fire and crab races

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Today was our first day leaving the resort to see a bit more of the real Fiji.

The shuttle picked us up bright and early; calling on what felt like every hotel between us and where we finally got off three hours later. Here we were greeted by a huge Fijian man in traditional costume who led us all to a boat. The boat really didn’t look that big and by the time it was overflowing with people it certainly didn’t feel too safe either. We very slowly set off down the river and everyone was looking a bit on edge as the boat rocked dangerously back and forth when we rounded a bend a bit too fast. After the bend however, we came out at the mouth of the river which flowed into the sea and from here we could also see the island we were meant to be heading to. We were romantically serenaded by some Fijian men with guitars as we filed off the little boat and to top that off the sun came out too.

First was a chill out period and that meant securing a bit of golden sad to sunbathe on. This should have been ridiculously relaxing but with the worst timing in the world my brain decided to recall the first conversation we’d had some Fijian guys about coconuts falling on people laying under coconut trees. So from then on any sunbathing I did was sporadically punctuated with checking if the coconuts looked a bit loose and if the wind was getting up too much. In the end I gave up and got us some drinks.

Next, one of the crew on the island climbed a coconut tree with the grace and elegance of a monkey, it was amazing to watch. At the top he chucked down the coconuts that we grabbed in preparation for the coconut shelling demonstration. We first saw the coconuts being de-shelled by impacting the husk on a big pointy stick and then the guys were showing off by ripping the husks off with their teeth daring the tourists to do the same, which was very funny. After I had a hole (big enough to put a straw in) gouged into my coconut I walked towards the hammocks as I now looked the part to play out that romantic cliché of sun, sand, hammock and drinking from a coconut. Unfortunately I managed to play out another cliché; the one where the buffoon falls out of the hammock when trying to get in it- twice!! Thankfully before I knew it, it was lunch. Lunch included a fire walking ceremony which actually did involve the men walking over hot coals, I was impressed!! Our food was buried beneath the coals in banana skins, in a kind of underground oven and the food was just delicious. Throughout dinner the crew put on a bit of a show with dancing, fire juggling and singing, it was all traditional Fiji stuff and very enjoyable.

When lunch was done I took a mini walk into the jungle to learn a bit about the medicinal properties of the trees and plants, which was fascinating and after that we got to see a turtle……well kind of, lets just say the children that came along will be having nightmares about it for the rest of their lives. 😉

The day ended with a hermit crab race. We were all given numbers and then the crabs ( with numbers written on their backs) were emptied into the middle of the ring. Would you believe I actually came third and was presented with a lovely shell necklace.

Getting back to the mainland was scarier than the ride to it as it was pouring with rain so not only were we packed like sardines into a tin can on water, we were sopping and the boat seemed to be filling with water. Thankfully we arrived back at our coaches in one piece and endured a soaking three hour journey back to the hotel.

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