25/10/08 - where did the 24th go??!!
Arrived in Nadi at 5.30am on Saturday morning after leaving LA on the Thursday night. Waited ages for our bags and then met an enormous queue for customs. Made it to the bus stop with about 10 mins to spare! Headed to the marina to catch our catamaran to the Yasawa Islands. Despite the smell of sick, we sat inside to protect ourselves from the blazing sun. We watched all the islands pass us by before getting off at the very last stop, Nacula, arriving at our resort, Nabua Lodge, at 1.30pm. Had a spot of lunch and a swim before a delicious dinner and meeting the other guests - all 4 of them! Four drinks of the traditional drink Kava before heading to an extremely warm beach front bure to sleep.
26/10/08
Early breakfast before a shower and a trip to church. Lulu (our guide) accompanied us, answering all our questions about life in Fiji. After a very hot and long service (2 hours) we returned to our resort for a hot dog - traditional Fijian food??. After lunch we attempted to walk to Oarsmans Bay, but the countryside didn't let us access the beach easily, so battered, bruised, burnt and boiling we headed to Safe Landing Resort for a dip in the sea in the warmest water we have ever felt! A brief encounter with a bull, a dead scorpion and some sewage followed, but we made it back to chill out before dinner.
27/10/08
A 9am trip to the caves. The weather was overcast and windy so the sea was quite choppy. It was a 30 minute trip with one dodgy moment when the engine cut out about a mile from any land!! When we got to the caves a jump into the unknown met us. The first part was a large open cave that let the daylight in before a dive down into a dark tunnel - only about 3 metres long but still a scary experience. The second cave was pitch black and Lulu lit it up for us with a torch as we followed him around shouting 'Bula' which echoed back at us! Back through the tunnel to the first cave for a bit of rock climbing and jumping before heading back to Nabua lodge, via helping a boat that had run out of petrol. 'Hammock time' for the rest of the day until dinner.
28/10/08
Greg was made Chief of the resort and Joy Spokeswoman last night so we are now in charge of guest welcomes and farewells. After brekkie we walked through the village to a nice beach. We followed it along for half an hour or so before a swim. It was quite shallow though as it was low tide. After lunch we chilled out until the sun cooled and walked towards Oarsmans Bay. This time we walked around the shoreline. It was very pretty and we passed a lagoon. A dip in the sea before heading back to chill, read and eat. (we did alot of this in Fiji!)
29/10/08
A nice relaxing morning in the hammock before catching the Catamaran to White Sandy Beach. We were welcomed whole heartedly with the Bula Song and shown to our temporary home, which was an enormous villa with a balcony overlooking the sea. Unfortunately it was only for 1 night but we made the most of it. In the afternoon we took a nice stroll along a new beach before having a long swim. Weather was still warm, but a little cloudy - which was a nice change. Spicy chicken for dinner and some traditional dancing with the music seemingly set to repeat on only one song!
30/10/08
Picnic today! Set off at 9.30am to our deserted beach where we had a nice swim. The Fijians set up a stove and eating area as another 3 of them set out fishing to catch our lunch. A couple of hours later they returned with a healthy catch. Joy even ate some only just dead, raw lobster, she was certainly braver than Greg. We returned at about 1.30 and chilled in the hammock for the rest of the afternoon. Had a late dip and saw a school of sardines leaping out of the water which was pretty. Limbo after dinner before retreating to a warm and much smaller hut.
31/10/08
Pancakes for breakfast before a spot of snorkelling. The reef was absolutely amazing and we saw a vast array of different fish in varying colours and sizes. The 2 enormous Barracudas shook Greg up a bit though. Headed to honeymoon beach in the afternoon but the diving there wasn't as good. More lobster for dinner before we sloped off to lie under the stars and avoid the Bula dancing!
01/11/08
Our first day of rain - to be honest it was quite a relief. Greg had a quick dip before a breakfast of homemade toast. After brekkie we had a walk along the beach, past the pigs and arond the corner, with rock climbing which proved to be more difficult than expected! Joy fell in once but there were no serious injuries. Luckly we could continue in a circle and we made it to Honeymoon beach to build a sandcastle.
02/11/08
Relaxing day on White Sandy Beach before hopping on the ferry to Waya Island. We were the only people to get off at Bayside Resort and we were welcomed by a shoddy looking boat with no seats! The people didn't talk to us and we had no clue where we were heading so we both felt quite helpless. Finally we landed at a beach where we were told to transfer our bags into another boat. We jumped out and it was deeper than expected so the contents of Greg's pockets got soaked - wallet, credit cards etc. The owner of Bayside eventually showed up and was suprised to have guests. We were taken to his house for fresh pineapple which was the best we've ever tasted, before being taken to our resort (if you could call it a resort) It was tiny and without electricity but the sand and water looked amazing. As the only people staying at the resort we claimed it as 'ours!' and enjoyed a spaghetti bolognaise for dinner. A nice change from the horrible sausages at White Sandy Beach.
03/11/08
Doughnuts and syrup for breakfast and a quick dip. Enjoyed a lazy day and chatted to the owner Timothy over lunch. A few games on the beach followed before some intruders arrived at 'our resort.' Noone else was due but they were tipped off about the place - damn!
04/11/08
Chill on the beach before a walk towards the village. We both found sticks to protect ourselves from any wild boar lurking in the woods! Found a nice spot for a swim before returning for lunch. At about 2pm we decided to walk around the corner towards a sand bank that joins Waya Island to the neighbouring island. We scrambled over some rocks for half an hour or so before having a well deserved swim. Luckily we managed to hitch a ride back on a boat with Timothy, who was fortunately visiting friends, which made our return a lot easier.
05/11/08
The intruders left today so it became 'our resort' again. A good chill in the hammock before a curry lunch sent us scampering for the toilet. Luckily Joy had some tissues as there was no loo roll left! Chicken for dinner - mostly bones!- before a storm hit. There was lots of rain and lightning and we stood on the beach in our waterproof jackets to watch before heading to bed to warm up.
06/11/08
Toast for breakfast and a proper chill in the hammock (again!). We tried to memorise the view as it would be the last for us on the Yasawas. After lunch we caught the ferry, resisting the temptation to buy a Crunchie. Arrived at our hotel in Nadi (Raffles Gateway) which was a 5 star hotel in comparison to where we had been staying. We whacked on the air conditioning before a wander. A beer and some peanuts later we had our itinerary sorted for the next day and we headed back to the comfort of our room.
07/11/08
After a good sleep in our huge bed we headed for breakfast - without ants for the first time, and a swim in the pool. We also tried out the gigantic water slide before another storm hit. We retreated inside for a game of pool and watched the lightning before a hot shower and getting ready for dinner. A few beers by the pool and a litre of red wine between us was just the ticket.
