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The next 3 weeks of my journey were going to be spent in Fiji where I was to join 2 tours, one island hopping and the other on the Feejee Experience bus around the mainland. This is the account of my first one, sorry for the length but I had no internet access out on the islands so its big catch up time.
Tour 1 - Awesome Adventures Tropical Awegasm 12 Day Tour
Saturday 15th November
Today I had to catch my flight from Christchurch to Fiji. Although I had had a bit of a slow start in New Zealand, by the end I had really warmed to the country, especially Queenstown, and really felt I could spend longer on my explorations...maybe next time!!! Henry was doing the same journey as me so we both hopped on the shuttle bus and made our way to the airport. Before heading to Fiji, I had to fly back to Auckland. On the flight I met a very friendly Kiwi girl from Dunedin University who had been travelling a lot. In fact she had just returned from 6 months volunteering in Indonesia (they allow you to take months out of uni if you want) and had some interesting stories to tell. I slept for the whole of the second flight. As soon as we disembarked the plane in Nadi we were hit by a wave of tropical heat and the rickety efforts of the overworked airport fans did not seem able to complete their task. The queues to get through immigration were insane and we emerged about 2 hours later looking a little bedraggled. This was my first experience of "Fiji time". It was here that I had to say goodbye to Henry and I made my way to my hostel, Smugglers Cove, for a very long sleep.
Sunday 16th November
Today I awoke early to begin my island-hopping trip. My first island was called South Sea Island and I had to catch the yellow catamaran to get there. South Sea Island is one of the smallest of the Mamanuca Group and takes about 3 minutes to walk around its entire perimeter. It contains nothing other than a small hostel but is very picturesque nonetheless. We were welcomed onto the island by a rather disjointed but cheerful looking chorus of staff and taken to lunch. Out here I was totally cut off from the outside world and, as would be the pattern for the next 2 weeks, I lost all sense of time. All I knew was that a drum roll signalled food time! After lunch I went for a snorkel and saw many multi-coloured fish before going kayaking with Nick, an Aussie who was to be my travel mate for the majority of the tour. We had a crazy urge to make it across to the next island, Bounty Island. It was further than it looked but a huge sense of achievement and some tired biceps were felt on reaching the other side. Bounty Island was the location for Celebrity Love Island and Survivor: Fiji and you could immediately understand why. As we wandered across the middle of the island it was as if we had been placed on the set of Lost! We made it back just before the thunderstorm hit. This was pretty amazing to watch as the sky lit up purple with lightning flashes and due to the size of the island you could see it on one side and then the other. After dinner, Lawrence, the host, set up an international crab race but my little crab, typically, did not want to budge. This was accompanied by a couple of drinking games before the Fijians brought out their guitars and Fijian pool board (a game consisting of flicking counters into 4 corner holes and a lot harder than it looks) and provided the rest of the evening's entertainment.
Monday 17th November
Today I was booked on to do the Seaspray Sailing Adventure. This wasn't really a sailing boat as it was powered by a big diesel engine but was very enjoyable as we cruised amongst the Mamanuca Islands. Our first stop of the day was at a little Fijian village. Here we were welcomed into the village by a traditional Kava ceremony. Kava is the Fijian national drink and is mildly narcotic. It is made from dried and powdered root and mixed with water, is muddy-coloured and makes your tongue go numb. It doesn't taste very nice either! At the ceremony 2 of our group leaders were invited to taste this concoction and there sips were accompanied by much clapping, a sign of respect in Fiji. After the ceremony we wandered amongst the little market stalls selling bits of jewellery and wooden ornaments and had a bit of fun with the little kids running around. It really struck me how much the Fijians enjoy life despite having next to nothing. The poverty of the village was clear. They had very little running water, only one generator to power the whole island and I can't think that there was much health care in place. The kids went to a little village school before going to boarding school on the mainland although I reckon quite a substantial number just remained to help out at home. It puts everything into perspective a little! We then sailed to Monuriki where the Tom Hanks' film "Castaway" was filmed. I dived off the boat and went for a bit of a snorkel before we returned to Mana Island to wait for the ferry home. South Sea Island was a bit fuller tonight, and after a bit of crab racing (mine didn't move again!) and some Fijian pool, we sat on the beach chatting and watching shooting stars fall from the sky.
Tuesday 18th November
Today I took an early morning wander around the island before boarding the boat to my next stop, Wayalailai in the Yasawas. Wayalailai is a moderately-sized island with an overshadowing volcanic rock called Vatuvula. Our resort was owned by the Namaran villagers and was set next to the village itself. In 1975 a rockslide caused the Fijian government to declare Namara unsafe and it was relocated to its current position. After lunch we went out in the hunt for some shade and settled ourselves beside the little local market. While we were chilling out we were joined by a Fijian woman and her kids who came to say hello. Sam, the youngest, a 3-year old boy, was completely fascinated by my 4-colours-in-one pen and also loved playing the "high-5" game which must have gone on for over an hour. Mary, the oldest daughter, became resident DJ with my ipod and started playing constant Westlife songs (I knew I wasn't the only fan out there!) while a rather embarassed Nick handed over his FHM magazine to the mother. She didn't seem to mind though and quite happily flicked through despite the scantily-clad ladies on every other page. Just before sunset we decided to go fishing with Simon, the village fisherman. We settled in the middle of the ocean with the sun setting over the water, threw out out lines and tried our luck. I managed to catch 2, an achievement of which I am very proud, while Simon caught a huge one. Tired out by this exertion, we went to bed after dinner.
Wednesday 19th November
Today we arose at 4:30 am to do the sunrise hike to the top of Vatuvula (Big White Rock). This was a fairly tricky walk as the path wasn't very obvious but the views at the top made the effort worthwhile. Our guide must have been over 65 and had been doing this walk twice a day which was fairly impressive. On the way back down we did some fruit gathering of our own, seeking out the red Fijian apples and mangos which were in season. After breakfast we went out reef snorkelling with a guide. This was amazing as the guides attracted the reef sharks with bait, caught them by their fins and dragged them up to us to have a closer look. Oddly enough I wasn't at all scared. There were also some very pretty zebra fish as well as some long fish that attached themselves to the sharks. We were due to go fishing again that evening so while we were waiting, we joined in on a game of volleyball with some Fijians. This was for a little longer than anticipated though as there was no doubt that Simon operates on Fijian time. Fijian time is a concept completely alien to Westerners and seems to consist of delaying any activity even if you aren't doing anything yourself. It also annoyingly only seems to apply to Fijians! If any Westerner attempts this practice, the proposed activity has already left. This fishing trip was even more successful than the last. Of my 2 fish I caught a lovely red snapper while Simon came up trumps with a large barracuda with the last throw of the day. I have developed a huge love for fishing. It is a peacful activity and very therapeutic and I probably couldn't have tried it in a more beautiful part of the world. Tonight was Fiji night at the resort. We were presented with a plate of meat, fish and vegetables which had been cooked in a lovo, an underground oven. We were instructed to eat it Fiji style (ie with no cutlery), which some of us embraced wholeheartedly while others did so with a bit more reluctance. After dinner Nick and I had been invited down to Simon's house. We went and sat in his entrance room for several hours, meeting several locals who decided to pop their heads round the door and say hello. While the boys drak Kava, I chatted to Simon's girlfriend who came from the mainland. She absolutely loved island life compared to the busyness of the city and was a bit of an oddity as the rest of the villagers were all related. They were cared for by the chief, who owned the largest house, and had their own little form of government. When we had said our goodbyes, we went and sat in the hammocks on the beach to chill out before heading to bed.
Thursday 20th January
Today we caught the late morning catamaran to our next stop, Korovou Eco Resort on Naviti, also part of the Yasawas. This is one of the bigger islands, covered in resorts, and ideal for snorkelling. On the boat up I bumped into Steve and Heidi, 2 of the group I had been travelling around the majority of New Zealand with, and it was a very nice surprise to see some recognisable faces. We were again serenaded with a welcome song on our arrival into the resort and after lunch we went to bronze ourselves besides the pool. Nick dived in and came up holding a rather lost-looking crab which had very funny eyes and flicked its tongue like a snake...we returned it to its natural home. At sunset we went to watch a game of Fijian volleyball. Some of the men were fantastic at this game and the rallies tended to continue for over 15 shots. At supper, we met up with a group of Irish people whom we had met on South Sea Island at the start of our trip. It was their last night and we had enormous fun drinking cocktails and listening to music over dinner. The after-dinner entertainment consisted of a very unco-ordinated Fijian dance before we were invited to learn the "Bula Dance" (a bit like a Fijian Macarena) and then a game of dancing musical statues which Alan and I won (probably the first and last dancing competition I'll ever win). After the bar closed, we moved onto the beach while some of the Fijian lads, Samson and Adam, made a bonfire but I shortly made my way to bed.
Friday 21st November
Today was not a good day! I think I had been food poisoned the night before and so spent the morning being violently ill every 15 or so minutes. It wasn't very pleasant! Nick was an absolute star though sorting out a private room for me, helping me find the right medication amongst the millions of pills I had in my bag and arranging transportation of my baggage. Every time I was standing up, I started to black out so I had to be carried to my new room by one of the Fijian boys. It definitely scared me a lot! I lay there sleeping for the rest of the day and night.
Saturday 22nd November
I woke up this morning feeling a little better, apart from the throbbing stomach, and a bit more mobile. At lunch time we caught the boat to our next overnight stop. This was at Sunrise Resort on Nanuya Lailai in the northern Yasawas. This is snorkellers' paradise and home to Blue Lagoon, setting for the movie by the same name. We had been warned about our hosts beforehand and they did not disappoint! The resort was run by Queenie and Deborah...fairly normal you might think, but you couldn't be more wrong! These were a pair of the gayest transvestites I have ever seen and provided huge entertainment for the rest of our stay. It was as if we had been put in the middle of the Little Britain set. Deborah, normally wearing pink and holding a duster constantly, could have been the twin of Dafydd "I'm the only gay in the village" Thomas while Queenie was the exact replica of Bubbles. As I was still not feeling too great I went to seek out some shade and came across an English Teahouse...a bit of a bizarre sight on a remote island in the middle of the South Seas. Before dinner, while walking through the neighbouring resort, Nick and I began chatting to a teacher from the mainland, who heaped mangos onto us. I really love having all these random encounters with the Fijian locals....you really get to experience the real Fiji!!! I went to bed straight after dinner but woke up a few hours later, and feeling a little refreshed, went to join in a conversation about the dire situation of Britain's social state. This was being orchestrated by Frank, a rather pessimistic soul from Birmingham, and I found it highly amusing. This was because I have been reading a book called "Watching The English" in which the author lists one of the characteristics of the typical Englishman as being to find the worst in everything. Franks therefore fitted this trait perfectly. When the power had been turned off, we escaped to the sit on the beach and watch the distant lightning flashes. We were stirred from our watching posts though by what I suppose were 2 Fijian security guards heading down the beach at pace with flashlights. We therefore made a run for it back to the dorm and hence to bed.
Sunday 23rd November
As I was still feeling a little peeky I remained in the shade while the others all went to the nearby church service. Unfortunately I fell asleep on the beach and didn't notice the tide creeping up. I woke up completely soaked and turned around to find myself being laughed up by Peter, one of the Fijian workers. He had to come and save me and my things...a highly embarassing situation!!! Dinner was a BBQ before we retired to bed.
Monday 24th November
This morning we said our farewells to Queenie and Deborah. Over breakfast we were given a hilarious rendition of the Fijian National Anthem and we all struggled to restrain our giggles. Queenie told us all to go and visit his home village one day. Apparently the supermarket is built on the International Date Line so at the weekends one side of the shop is closed for Sunday while the other remains open. This could be a load of bulls*** though as most of what Queenie said seemed to be total rubbish! After lunch we caught the catamaran to the Wana Taki, a 27m long catamaran and our next overnight stop. I sat on the deck all afternoon watching the sun setting amongst the clouds and reading before dinner was served. After dinner, amidst an electrical storm that was happening on either side of the boat, I had another attempt at international crab racing with the same results and had to do a forfeit pole dance (a once in a lifetime occurrence I can assure you!) before going to my very air-conditioned bed...it was absolutely freezing!
Tuesday 25th November
Today I awake very early and went up to sit on the upper deck. While I was there the radio was playing and Jingle Bells came on over the system. It struck me as a bit odd to be playing a song with lyrics of "Dashing through the snow, on a one horse open sleigh" when surrounded by 30 degrees sunshine, sandy beaches and acres of blue ocean!!! I spent the rest of the morning reading and chatting to Frank and Nick while rain bucketed down around us...this was true monsoon season! In the early afternoon I caught themain catamaran again to my next destination, Beachcomber Island, the party capital of Fiji. On the boat I said my goodbyes to Nick as we went our different ways. Having settled on Beachcomber, I joined in a game of beach rugby/volleyball with a group of Aussies before doing the "Bula Dance" and another round of dancing musical statues (a definite trademark of the Fijian islands!).
Wednesday 26th November
Today I woke up before sunrise and went for a wander around the island (taking all of 5 minutes!). The rain began to pour again so I spent the day reading my book before saying goodbye to Emma, a British/Aussie girl I had met on various occasions during my trip. In the afternoon Steve and Heidi turned up again and we spent the evening chatting and dancing to the DJ's very Akon-themed choice. To add to the evening's excitement there was a rainstorm and a power cut but other than that party central really wasn't all that party.
Thursday 27th November
Today I had decided to take the early boat off Beachcomber. I had had enough of the beach and there was only so much more snorkelling I could take. I said goodbye once again to Steve and Heidi and boarded the boat. Nobody had told me that in fact I would be doing a 2-hour round trip of the Mamanuca Islands before returning to the mainland! Finally I arrived at my hostel, Smugglers Cove, and in desperate need of a cash machine I tagged along with a British group into Nadi town centre. I did not enjoy my experience, being hassled by locals at every corner, but eventually found a nice taxi driver to take me back. Tony was a Suvan and was full of facts about mangos and how an abundant season, like this one, meant hurricanes will come in January and Febuary. We shall see if he is correct! I went to dinner and drinks with the Brits I had met and then fell asleep, needing some rest before my next tour began!
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