Fiji

February 29th - April 1st 2012

I didn't keep a journal at all in Fiji and therefore have to rely on photographs to remember exactly what we got up to, which to be quite honest wasn't very much! We immersed ourselves entirely in Fijian life and adjusted to 'Fiji Time' where things take as long as they'll take, there is no rush and you just have to surrender yourself to the laid back way of life.

We turned up at our lodgings which was a dorm room at Bamboo on Fiji's main island of Viti Levu. After some time here watching volleyball and taking part in Kava ceremonies we organised our island hopping adventure which would be 16 days exploring the Yasawa's and Mamanuca's. There are no ATM's on the islands, some don't even have electricity 24 hours a day so we had to venture in to town to try and get enough money for the whole trip as the local ATM would only let us have so much. After a bit of stress we finally found a bank that would allow us to take out as much as we needed. We boarded our coach which led to the ferry terminal at Denerau.

Nabua Lodge - Nacula Island

Our first island and a beautiful one at that. We learnt the 'Bula' dance and played games with the other guests most of whom where beautiful blonde Swedish girls. We went for a walk in the hills and stared down at the crystalline water. We slept in bunkbeds in a dorm 'bure' and showered outside. On one of the days we ventured to the Blue Lagoon to go snorkelling in the clear waters. This is where a Brooke Shields movie was filmed and it was supremely beautiful.



Nacula Island

White Sandy Beach - Naviti Island

We had our own private hut in the gardens right by the beach and I celebrated my 24th birthday here. Disappointingly it rained on my birthday though I did get cake! We did more dancing and game playing, Craig won one of the games again as he won on the last island too, he has a knack for it! I had to lead a dance congo line which was extremely embarrassing, Craig winds me up about it to this day due to my lack of dance skills under pressure! We met great people here, Klaus, Keeley and Colin who we had laughs with round the dinner table. We played card games with the locals and frisbee on the beach.

Bula Dancing

Octopus Resort - Waya Island

This was my belated birthday treat as Octopus is one of the more upmarket resorts on the Yasawa's. We got a great deal when we booked it meaning that we stayed in a four person bure for the same price as the big dorm. It had a beautiful outdoor shower attached so you could shower under the stars but with hot water as all the other places in Fiji had been cold water so far. The beach here was stunning but there was also the advantage of a pool which we made full use of. The food here was much nicer and there were more treats like ice cream and milkshakes although you had to pay extra for them. We joined in with the quiz night with some Australians and a couple of French girls. We drew several times on the general knowledge questions but always lost the tie breaker which was an embarrassing dance or performance. Keeley joined us on this island which was lovely.



Octopus Resort Beach

Wayalailai Ecohaven - Waya Lai Lai Island

Our dorm on this island was the biggest and hottest. By this point we were getting fed up of learning the bula dance as we already knew it off by heart! One day we decided to climb to the top of the island which was the hardest climb I've ever undertaken due to the speed at which the Fijian guide took us up there. Many people turned back but after a few tears Craig pushed me on and we reached the top dripping with sweat but it was worth it for the achievement and views. The rest of the time we walked on the beach, lazed around in hammocks and read books. I was in the middle of Stephen King's The Tommyknockers.

View from the top of Waya Lai Lai

Bounty Island

Bounty Island was another slightly more upmarket resort. We had a small dorm to ourselves but only stayed for one night as we needed to stay somewhere in order to get our boat to the next island chain, the Mamanuca's. The island was small compared to the others that we had been on, we walked around it in less than an hour. The food here was really delicious which was great as the last place wasn't so great. It would have been nice to stay here longer as they had free activities but we didn't have time.



Bounty Island

Mana Island

The accommodation on Mana Island was the worst. The dorm bunk beds were old and uncomfortable, the rooms had one tiny fan and no air conditioning so it was incredibly hot and the food was horrible. We spent a lot of time moaning with the other guests which bought us all closer! We met the wonderful Neil and Alice here as well as lots of other lovely people. We heard a story of a British guy that was attacked by several dogs on the island just a day or two before we arrived which shook us up and meant that we didn't want to walk around the island alone. We led on the beach and Craig learnt how to make coconut jewellery. We watched a local Fijian man dance with fire, did drawing with the local children and saw the most amazing sun sets.

Beautiful colours

Our trip around the islands had been great, they sum up paradise with their white sandy beaches, clear waters and lovely friendly locals. After the islands we returned to Bamboo where we had a traditional Lovo dinner before seeing a bit of the south of Viti Levu. We visited Sigatoka Sand Dunes and went to Fiji's capital Suva. We stayed in the Rainforest Lodge and at the Beachhouse on Fiji's beautiful Coral Coast.

Our last few days weren't so great as Fiji was hit with terrible storms leaving many homes without running water or electricity. We didn't know if we would make it out of Fiji due to the weather but luckily managed to catch our flight although it was extremely delayed. It was a shame to leave Fiji on a bad note as we'd loved our time here although probably stayed a lot longer than we really needed to.