Frightened Fish in Fabulous Fiji

Oceania » Fiji
December 29th 2011

Published: January 1st 2012

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Gillie and Carson

The Wananavu Pool & Waterfall

When we were planning our round-the-world trip we knew we had to traverse the Pacific Ocean from Australia to USA. To break up a potentially long flight (and spin out our travels a little further) we forced ourselves to visit Fiji and Hawaii. Well, it would seem rude just to fly past and ignore them! We planned on a week or two in each archipelago to take in a little Polynesian culture and make sure that the beaches were up to Portobello’s high standards (Costa del Edinburgh for those south of the border). After our epic travels through Australia, and a total of 4 consecutive months on the road, I have to admit to feeling a little jaded upon the commencement of the Pacific leg of our journey. I can imagine that this statement will be met by universal sympathy from our hard-working friends enduring a British winter. Yes, we have tolerated many hardships over the past 4 months for your reading pleasure, but occasionally life on the road take its toll on you. I can also report good news at this point. Having not performed a stroke of work in 4 months, I am pleased to report that I have

A cloudy day Fiji-style!

(after many years of looking) found a work ethic and am actually looking forward to getting stuck back into work upon our return. Objective numero uno of the trip achieved!

We decided that, by way of a treat, we deserved a little R&R, and Fiji seemed perfectly happy to oblige. After consulting our friends at expedia and trip advisor, we found a 4 star resort on the northern tip of the main Viti Levu island called Wananavu Resort. We were suspicious that our deal was too good to be true – 5 nights in an air conditioned luxury cabin (or bure in Fiji!), daily cooked breakfasts, free unlimited use of kayaks, tennis courts and snorkelling equipment, with Fijian entertainment shows, a swimming pool and free return transport to and from the airport nearly 3 hours away- all for £200 for both of us! In addition to this we had daily excursions, spa treatments, diving and deep sea fishing at incredibly cheap rates. This place was totally fantastic and totally exceeded expectations- largely due to the warm, friendly, welcoming Fijian staff. We loved the place so much that we booked up for another 5 nights and were on first name

Outside our bure!

terms with the entire staff by the time we left! To illustrate just how relaxed and welcoming Fiji was, each mealtime was accompanied by live music from “The Wananavu Serenaders”, a group of 4 young flowery-shirted local lads who strummed and harmonised for our entertainment three times a day. I don’t think “Knocking on heaven’s door” will ever be the same again. Think of three high-pitched Eric Claptons with ukuleles and their little brother with a maraca made from a water bottle and rice and you are getting warm. They were actually fantastic and their warmth shone through everything that they did. From the moment we arrived in Fiji this genuine friendliness and warmth was palpable as we were universally greeted with a broad smile and a loud “Bula!” from all encountered. We were collected by a nice wee fella in a mini bus who doubled as an island tour guide, pointing out Goldmines, sugarcane fields/factories and all major landmarks. Karen slept through it all but I managed to remain awake and enjoyed the tour. The country was beautifully rugged but lush green and largely covered by sugar cane, mangoes and bananas. The towns appeared a little scruffy with lots

Please extinguish all naked flames!

of small rural villages and shacks where subsistence farming obviously provides most livelihoods. The driver also imparted the crucial information of which were the best local beers and where to buy it! Sadly, he also told me that he couldn’t afford to drink beer as it costs £1 a pint but he earns only FJ$32 (£11). He, as with the rest of Fiji, drinks kava every night as it is much cheaper and has similar properties. This isn’t a poorly spelt Spanish fizzy wine but a cloudy white solution of powdered kava roots mixed with water which acts as a relaxant and mild anaesthetic. I didn’t have long to wait before I sampled this ubiquitous brew as, within a few minutes of attending the resort restaurant, I was encouraged to partake in a half coconut shell full in a little ritual ceremony. I can report that it tastes like a muddy puddle. A little bitter with metallic taste and a mildly stale odour but otherwise inoffensive. I was a little concerned what effect it may have on me but found nothing more than a slight numbing of my tongue. I did sleep well that night but that may be a

Our shower. There is glass keeping the garden out!

result of the bottle of vino which accompanied the kava. I later found out that, if taken in vast excess, kava may cause the recipient to become too lazy to work the following day. With a years of scientific training behind me, I therefore deduce that it must be chemically linked to Deuchars IPA.

Feeling at home from our arrival, we quickly sampled all activities offered to us. I managed to talk Karen into a deep sea fishing trip where I landed a good-sized trevally which was skilfully prepared for our dinner by the chef and tasted wonderful. I subsequently managed another hand-line fishing trip where several small fish were landed but nothing suitable for our table. The hotel staff were grateful beneficiaries of the catch, stating that they find the smaller fish tastier anyway. This trip was repeated towards the end of our stay. Karen again participated and was putting me to shame when she hooked something substantial only to lose her hook and weight when the line snapped. This event caused her retirement 15 minutes prematurely and opened the window of opportunity for me. I felt something big grab my hook so I quickly hauled it up

Are you sick of these sky shots yet?

to land a 10lb coral trout- bigger than the one we caught in Australia. When we examined its mouth to extract my hook, we found Karen’s lost hook and weight too!! I had obviously just caught “the one that got away” minutes earlier. We both enjoyed that trout after it was baked and presented beautifully- although there was enough for 4 or 5 people to eat!!

Snorkelling in the crystal clear water surrounding the hotel was beautiful and Karen also ventured out in a dive. She reported that there wasn’t a great deal to see but that her highlight was getting within a few feet of a 12 foot Leopard shark which was dozing on the seabed. It apparently awoke to see her and sped off into the night. So it appears that even big sharks have heard about Geordie women and run off scared!!

After a combined total of around 30 years since we had picked up a tennis racquet in anger, we decided to undertake a series of challenge matches. Now, I cannot claim to share many attributes with Andy Murray other than a similar accent and a slightly dry, dour sense of humour but Karen

Another view from our bure

talked herself up as quite the Martina Navratilova. So it was with a little trepidation that it donned my trainers and stepped onto the court. Karen certainly showed the fighting spirit and tenacity of a multiple grand slam champion but sadly showed the touch and finesse of a gorilla using a frying pan. I tried returning gently down the centre but was accused of patronising her and then was chastised for apparently returning too many balls to her weaker backhand. Anyway, the archives will show a 6-0 6-1 6-0 score line for day one, followed by a 6-0 6-0 defeat on day 2 and a 6-3 6-0 on the last day. If aggression and determination we the only attributes required then Karen would be world class but as a few subtler skills seem to be necessary I suggested we try something else and salvage our relationship.

We did venture out of our resort one day to visit a local town. They were busy settling up a Christmas carnival although the fairground rides looked a little too rickety to tempt us on to them. Although we were the only white faces in a busy, bustling market town we felt welcomed

Waiting for another bite

and safe at all times. I managed to procure a suitably Fijian flowery shirt from a department store for the princely sum of £4 and fresh mango, bananas and pineapple were all bought for a few pence. I can report that Karen did not buy a dress on this occasion however did manage to surprise me by producing a couple of frocks from her bag in Fiji that hadn’t yet seen the light of day on our travels. I fear for her made-to-measure Vietnamese dress which was so desperately sought- it hasn’t been sighted since Asia so may already be mentally halfway into an Oxfam bag!

We had planned to visit some of the 333 island of Fiji but never really got our teeth into it. We did take a cruise around 6 or 7 of them on our last day and stopped off for lunch on the beach and a wee trip in a glass bottomed boat. Amongst the islands that we saw were a couple that featured as sets for tom Hanks’ film “Castaway” and as home for the TV series “Celebrity Love Island”. It was grey and wet when we were there so sadly we were

This is the last scenic shot of our resort

largely confined to the cabin and was more like getting a Caledonian MacBrayne ferry from Stornoway to Harris.

I am not sure if we can really give an authoritative travelog view of Fiji as we didn’t really get out there and explore too much. We did see half of the mainland and met a lot of the locals who were, without exception, the friendliest nation we have met to date. They were markedly more approachable than even the Thais! And if you were ever stuck for conversation with some 6’6” 18 stone colossus, all that was needed was to mention rugby and then conversation flowed as easily as the cheap cocktails. Everyone seems to play rugby and they are all built like brick outhouses- I would even think more than twice about tackling a few of the ladies!! Fiji provided a wonderful oasis of calm and sanctuary for us when we really needed it and, if paradise can be found on earth, then surely Fiji has one of the strongest claims to be it. We will take some of the fondest memories of our trip from Fiji and hope to return again in the future.

PS – huge