Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Port Denerau Fiji.
We were not sure what today would bring because we knew that port denerau was a tourist port with resorts and beaches. Not really our thing at all. The tender ship to the port was relatively long in comparison to other stops we have been on and, even early this morning, it was hot!
Once we disembarked the tender we headed to a tour office to see if there was anything we could see away from the usual beaches and bars. We were offered a trip which took, just us, to a thermal mud pool and spa around half an hours drive away. Princess offered a similar tour but it cost a fortune compared to the price we agreed and we were in for a real treat.
The drive to the thermal mud pools was lovely and it was nice to see some of the real scenery that Fiji had to offer. Port Denerau is on one of the larger Fijian islands of Viti Levu and, once you leave the resorts behind, it is lush and green with remote villages dotted amongst the mountainous terrain. Truly stunning. Along the road on our journey was little shack like houses and, many of them, had children playing outside heart stoppingly close to road.
Our driver, Sam, pointed out the sleeping giant mountains and offered to take us up to one of the more remote villages in the mountains but, because it was over an hour drive away and we had already paid for our thermal mud stuff, we had to say no. That is the thing with cruising.....you get a snap shot of a place, just a taster if you like. But then, if you really like one of the places you visit, you can always go back for an extended stay.
The drive to the mud place started out on roads which were decent, normal main roads but the final two miles or so took us up a really remote dirt track and into the middle of no where. It took a while to travel those final couple of miles just because the terrain was so tricky. Along the track we saw goats, cows and horses grazing in fields as well as line upon line of sugar cane growing in neat rows. I mentioned to Sam that I had never tasted raw Sugar cane and he promised to stop on our way back and rectify this.
At the end of the dirt track was the hidden oasis which was the hot spring and thermal mud stuff. We had the place practically to ourselves when we arrived and were guided down to the pools where the process was explained. The setting was just incredible.....mountains behind us and lush green fields as far as the eye could see. The thermal pools are entirely natural.....we were shown one which was roped off....roped off for a good reason. The temperature in that pool reached 80 degrees and so, obviously, you could not dip in it! This pool actually fed all the other thermal pools in the gardens and there were a few. It smelt slightly of sulphur and you could see the water bubbling away below.
We were lead to the mud applying area and both got to work covering ourselves from top to toe in the stuff. It was actually really cooling once you had totally caked yourself and it kept the suns rays from burning our skin at least for a few minutes!
The mud wasn't unpleasant in the slightest and felt nice on the skin. Once we were happy with our coverage we stood in the sun and waited for the stuff to bake dry. You knew when you were done because the mud changed from dark brown/ \black to a greyish colour.
Once dry, we were directed to the first of our natural spring pools where the washing off process began. The first pool was, frankly, weird! Completely natural, the water was a vivid green colour and did smell sulphuric. It was bloody hot too! Almost too hot to bear initially. The strangest thing though was the bottom of this pool was squidgy.....a mixture of mud and leaves. It was difficult to stand up because we just sank into the bottom. Once we were used to the temperature, it was really pleasant and we helped each other wash the visible mud from our faces....ears...and other places!
It was so nice because there was no one else at the place when we were there. We relaxed to the sound of the chickens and cockerels running around the gardens and to the occasional shout of "bula!" from staff members who occasionally popped over to check that we were okay. "Bula" means hello....or welcome and it is a word that we heard a LOT today.
After the green, very hot, pool, we were lead to a series of three other natural spring water thermal pools which were equally as hot but, each one, got progressively less green in colour. I think the idea is that with each pool you clean up a little bit more. The final pool was filled with crystal clear water but it was simply too hot to bear for more than a couple of minutes. Remember these pools were all fed by that first, too hot, pool I spoke about.
There was no sense of being rushed today. No one told us when to get out of the pools or how long to stand baking in the sun. It was just a totally relaxing experience and we both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Once finished, Sam was waiting to drive us back and, as promised, he stopped on the way and found a sugar cane field. We watched as Sam crept in amongst the giant canes and hacked at one with his knife. He told us to stay in the car just in case he got caught!
Once we had freed a massive sugar cane, Sam snapped it into a more manageable size, stuffed it into the boot of his car and then drove us away from the crime scene to a quiet village road. We all then got out of the car and watched as Sam stripped the cane for us and then handed it over. He told us to just chew the white centre bit, suck out the sugar and then spit the reedy stuff back out.
I loved the taste but Dave wasn't so keen. It was sweet and juicy but you couldn't actually eat the reed because it was so tough. Once we had tasted our fill, Sam put the rest of the cane into his boot and drove us back to the port area. One thing about the sugar cane.....it is heavy! Really heavy like one cane could do some serious damage if you hit someone with it. I was totally surprised by the weight.
Back in the port town both Dave and I took part in a Kava ceremony. Kava is a drink, very popular in Fiji and is made from powdered roots of the kava. We sat, cross legged, and waited whilst the elder explained what we needed to do.
Before accepting the bowl of, mud coloured, liquid we had to clap once and say "bula!" Then drink the entire bowl of liquid down, clap three times and say "bula" again. The liquid tasted unusual but I didn't think it was unpleasant. Dave reckoned it tasted of muddy water though and he wasn't keen! After a few moments my mouth and tongue went numb....completely normal apparently!
We had great fun today and made the most out of what was potentially going to be a too touristy stop for us. In the end....it has been one of our best ever days.
Tomorrow we will be on the same island but a different town over the other side. This will be Suva. It is meant to be a lot busier than this stop...hopefully it is just as much fun!
TTFN
- comments
Mum Why,does seeing you covered in mud look so familiar ??? Grubby kid ! Please don't get knicked , the paperwork would be horrendous! Looks like fun but I think more for you than Dave !
Gary You look like a couple of Fijians to me.
Gary I'm not sure you can eat all the evidence of the crime.
Gary Yet another inspired 'local' tour. Sounds like a brilliant experience, well done.