Fiji - Fun in Jungle Island!
Trip Start
Jan 16, 2010
1
21
23
Trip End
Aug 16, 2010
Where I stayed
Fiji, Fiji
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Our flight landed in Fiji and the familiar hug of extreme heat and humidity was instantly apparent . The fresh and dry air of New Zealand had been a welcome break from continuous sweating and dehydration, but the warm climate suits jenny a bit better. Although i will miss waking up to a woman in a woolly hat, three jumpers and two pairs of socks . We had basically slept in a camper van for ten weeks , stretching out in a real bed was going to be strange.
We had booked our Fiji accommodation from a travel agent in Australia. We were staying in the main island resort of Nadi for our first and last night and then staying at an island Resort called 'Robinson Crusoe' for five days in the middle. Once again we arrived late in the day so we made our way to the smugglers cove hostel . When we arrived we were put in a shared private room rather than the dorm which was a nice suprise .We quickly dumped our bags and made our way to the beach bar for a cold beer . The place was suprisingly nice for the money we paid but not suprisingly we were tired after our day of travelling and went to bed.
The next day was a bit dissapointing , heavy grey skies and showers all day .The beach itself at Nadi was a bit pants to be honest. The sand was virtually black and nothing like the brochures of Fiji. Never the less we went into town to get some souvenirs and sample some culture. Nadi is your typical tourist town, its a bit rough around the edges and every man and his dog is after your money. After dodging rain and rip off merchants we came back and had to move into the dorms. We spent the day mooching around and watching films on the laptop.
The next day it was time for Robinson Crusoe!!! Hopefully some island bliss!! After a two hour transfer we got on a boat under overcast skies. Just as were getting close to the island a storm blows in. Usually your greeted to the island with singing and dancing from the staff but all we got was a muted serenade as the rain lashed down. The storm had also kicked up about three foot of sea weed onto the shore of the Island ....perfect. A bit soggy, we were escorted to our Bure ( a little island hut ) The hut was very basic but charming. The showers were communal and consisted of a bucket with a shower head that you filled up with cold water and winched up. The island included all meals for our four day stay which were lovely.
After our first stormy day the sea and beach slowly recovered day after day the weather was hot and the atmosphere was so friendly. Every other day we had a boat of day visitors arrive on the island for a day of entertainment. This consisted of snorkeling on the reef , husking a coconut , dancing shows and crab racing!!!! . The staff were very funny and lovely people . At night time we all sat around and drank Kava during a kava ceremony. Kava is a drink made from the dried extract of a plant root. When drank in large quantities it has an anesthetic effect. First of all your mouth goes numb and then your face , then your away with the fairies.
Our days consisted of lying in hammocks , reading , beach volleyball and the odd occasional activity like coconut jewelery making and fishing . One day we caught ,gutted and scaled our own lunch right on the beach. The fish was delicious! As the days went by, the beach began to reveal itself and the sea weed began to disappear .It was such a shame we arrived in a storm. However we had lots of fun in our three days , met some really funny people and loved the whole chilled out vibe of the Island.
Fijians are very warm and friendly people, however if you are after the idyllic Fiji with white sands and neon blue waters you have to travel to the outer yasawa islands where the resorts and transfers can cost you a small fortune .After the bad start, Fiji ended up being lots of fun and a great place to unwind after the adventures of new Zealand.
Comments
LOOOOOOOOOOL
lovely photos - just trying to work out how you will ever survive back in Stoke ;o)
x
I dont know...close your eyes and you could be at wesport lake x