After missing our original flight to Fiji we eventually get there 5 days later. We fly in to Nadi and head straight to a hostel on the beach. Its good to be back in the developing world, not only for the prices, but the small things like being able to smoke where ever you want! On our 1st night in Nadi we decided to head out for a few drinks. Our 1st night in Nadi was when we realised how friendly the Fijian people are. We met a Fijian guy called Kelvin who not only told us all about Nadi and the Coup etc, but he offered us a place to stay when we came back from the Islands. Kelvin also pointed out a Fijian rugby player who was drinking in the bar so me and Pete went straight up for a photo and to this day I have no idea who he is!!!. Nadi is only really a place to stop off at after your flight and before you head some where else. The beach outside our hostel was ok but it was not the Fijian beach I had imagined. The sand was dirty and the sea was also a bit dirty. We stayed in Nadi for about 5 days and then we headed to an Island North East of Fiji called Mana. Pete and I were a bit undedcided about what Island to go to until we met a girl at our hostel called Jodie, who strongly suggested we go to Mana. There are no cash machines on the Islands off Fiji, and the hostels are all inclusive as some Islands only have 1 hostel on them so you have to eat there. We got a speedboat to Mana that took about 45 minutes and we were greeted with a welcome song from the staff at our hostel. The hostel bar and reception are right on the beach and the dorms are a bit more inland, but they are right in the middle of a Fijian village. So everyday walking from our dorm to the beach we walked past villagers, people going to church, kids going to or coming home from school. You defenitely felt a part of the Fijian life when you stay on Mana.

One of the customary welcome toasts a Fijian will do is ask if you would like to try some Cava. Cava is the root of a plant mixed with water and put in a huge coconut bowl. The person who is the oldest is 'the chief' and has to drink first. A smaller coconut bowl is passed round that we drink out of. Before you take a drink you clap your hands once and say 'BULA', you then drink it in 1, clap your hands 3 times and say 'Vernaka'. Cava is non alcholic but it can act as a sedative and it did make my tongue go a bit numb if I had too much. The Fijian people have their own time which they refer to as 'Fiji time'. This is basically their way of doing things at a very slow pace which Pete and I liked.

Our time at Mana, all 2 and a half weeks, consisted of sunbathing and drinking. We spread our time sunbathing between the main beach and a beach a bit further away called sunset beach. Sunset was the nicer of the 2 beaches. Its the sort of beach that you would see on postcards, with its crystal clear water and golden sandy beaches.

1 of the main reasons we stayed on Mana was the people we met. We had such a good group of friends it made it almost fel like home.