Fiji
Trip Start
Feb 25, 2006
1
Trip End
Mar 10, 2006
Nadi, Nananu I Ra, Suva and a place that had a resort, Fiji
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Hello again strumpets and losers, and welcome to another entry by yours truly.
Well, what can I say, Fiji was a shit hole, it pissed it down all the time and we hated it!
Just kidding. The two weeks we spent here were hot (I had the burns to prove it, near third-degree no less), sunny, beachy and beery.
Owing to a slight error in Katie's calculations, we arrived at Nadi airport at about 3 in the morning, not the mid-afternoon time that she said. However, fortunately, the airport had comfy sofas that we could lie on and wait for our bus to the hostel. The hostel was kind enough to let us book in when we got there, which made up for the fact that it was on a stretch of sand that was the colour of dog shit, with sea to match. Katie and I, upon seeing it, both cried out, "This is not Fiji" and blotted the place from our memories; except enough for me to write this bit that is.
Our next stop, which was on island just of the north coast of Fiji's main island, was a place called Nananu I Ra. A name which we found hard to pronounce. This name only afflicted English and Yorkshire people like Katie and I, but also our new travelling Buddy from Austria, Nadine.
Nananu I Ra was a lovely place; and a place where fun was had by all. Katie and I camped, while Nadine stayed in a dorm; something that only partly dispelled the rumours about the relationship that we three had, which were circulating on the island; I'll leave you to fill in the blanks, but most of them would have involved me having a big smile on my face 24/7.
There were loads of English people on the island, with a few Italians, Swedes and Yanks scattered around, and, by and large, everyone was nice and up for a laugh and a beer. However, there were also more tranquil things to do, such as: snorkelling; scuba-diving; kayaking; or just watching the beautiful sunsets; or playing a improvised game of boulle, with rocks, a game to play whilst stranded on a beach with like-minded people.
Some of the nights there ended pretty messily, but, more often than not, they usually ended with a walk to the beach and a gaze at the beautiful, clear, starry sky; a simple thing which still awes and soothes the soul in equal measure.
After the island - and lots of hugs goodbye to our new found friends - Nadine (she hadn't got sick of us yet), Katie and I travelled to Suva, the capital. Suva felt alright for a capital city and the people were just as friendly as they were in the smaller, beachy places. We spent just the one night there, but a night which was memorable as us three went for a Last Supper together, or a Chinese meal in our case.
Nadine headed to the States via Nadi, while K and I went to a place in the middle of the south coast of the main island, called BeachHouse. BeachHouse was just as nice as the last beachy place we were at, but it also had the fortune/misfortune (delete as appropriate) to be chosen as the next place were they're going to film Celebrity Love Island. Yes it's coming back on our screens!
Despite this, we didn't let it spoil our trip. But what did spoil my sunbathing career was the fact that I had sunburnt, scabby shoulders. I was in agony, especially when trying to get to sleep. Because of this, my days were mostly spent reading in the shade and chatting to whoever was getting respite from the beach; oh, and showing of my red, raw shoulder blades.
On our last night, there was a Cava ceremony. A drink that looks like muddy water, or tea, but which tastes worse than a mixture of both together, and it has an interesting side-effect of making you need a pee; I had about four during the first night and, I'm sure, some now because of it.
The Cava gives you a fuzzy tongue from the start and a fuzzy head after about three or four bowls. A factor in the fact that Katie left her camera there; and which made us miss the bus we were originally going to catch, in favour of a mini-bus service; which the bloody driver gave our places away on to a bunch of yank surfers. However, after some glares and harsh words to the driver and the surfers, and some kinder words to another Fijian who worked at the resort, another bus was laid on for us and we made our flight to Auckland.
By for now, the New Zealand entry will be finished soon for you. But one last thing before
I sign of is...
"My old man, said be a Wednesday fan
I said, f@#k, s#@t, bol#@#ks, your a c@#t"
the above is in honour of the mighty Sheffield United, aka, the Blades, or the greatest team the world has ever seen, clinching promotion to the Premiership.
Yeeeeeeeessssssssss!
