Back from Holiday: Recap of Fiji

Hello, hello my friends. Well I am finally back from Holiday (they call vacation holiday here). Fiji, Sydney and Cresent Head were all amazing...but I must admit Fiji was the best of 'em all. I don't even know where to start, it was all just so awesome. I left Bendigo on Wednesday afternoon, and got to Melbourne that night. I ended up crashing on Kim's floor that night since Nicola and Hannah were trying to get some work done before we left for our early flight in the morning. My flight was an hour later than theirs because I booked at a different time then the girls, but it all worked out well. Hannah and Nicola didnt sleep that night because they were doing work until we had to catch a taxi at 6 am to the airport (their flight was at 8, and mine was at 9). Thank goodness all my work was due BEFORE holiday so i didn't have anything to worry about until I got back. Anyways we flew from Melbourne to Sydney and then Sydney to Nadi which is the main town or city in Fiji. When we got off the plane in Nadi it was blistering hot and we were all wearing jumpers and trousers because it was cold back in Melbourne. When we got inside we were to go through customs and immagration, and while we waited in these lines there were 4 figians that had the same guitars and played for us as we waited, it was awesome. They had tropical shirts on and blue sulus it was awesome to see when we got off the airplane.

Wow, at first sight fiji was even amazing. Fiji was 2 hours ahead of Australia, so we had to change our clocks forward two hours to make sure things ran smoothly. Once we went through customs, we were to check in at the travel centre where we could get all of our vochers and things for the trip. Then we waited for our transfer bus that would take us to Sky Lodge, our free night of accomadation that came with our package. When we checked in, they ended up havinng me staying in a totally different place than the rest of my group. So since it was a free accomadation I was able to switch to wherever I needed to be. So, all four of us ended up in the same dorm which was good. We took showers, and passed out for the night- we were to be up by 7 am and ready to jump on the awesome adventures bus that would take us to the boat to begin our trip.

At 7:15 we were all set and packed and on the big yellow bus called Awesome Adventures. Our program was through Awesome advantures, our particular package was called Ultimate Lei- Full Monty. When we got to the mainnland, where everything was set and organized for our trip to start the first thinng we neeeded to do was to check in. Since I booked seperately, I had my own vouchers and things and the girls had one. They gave us vouchers for every place we would be staying at and every activitity and event we would be doing, that came with our package. After we were all checked in, they put tags on our bags and told us to jump onto the Yellow Awesome Adventures Boat. This boat was huge, it had three levels and a bar inside. It was like a bus on water. It stopped on every island and if you had the voucher for that island you were to get off. We had a five hour boat ride, until we got to our first island so I pretty much stayed on the top deck and got some sun and took a nap.

DAY ONE- Coral view

At 1pm we got off the Awesome Adventures Boat and arrived at our first Island, Tavewa Island. We arrived at our accomadation, Coral View, at lunch time. We got off the awesome adventures boat onto a small fisherman type boat that would take us to our accomadation. When we arrived there were Figians coming out to greet us and giving us a welcoming glass of juice. It was very nice, and beautiful. When we came inside we all took a seat at the tables, and listened as they explained what was around and where things were and what the plans were for the next few days. Then we were served lunch- it was vegetable curry..very good meal. They seem to really love curry in Australia...and Fiji. I don't think I ever had it in the United States. We then checked in, I was in the dorm because I paid late and the girls were in a 3 person house called a Bula it was quite cute. But it was fun, I met some cool people in there and was able to be more social hah. Then we had the rest of the day to do what we wanted until dinner which was served at 7:30 pm.

Hannah, Nicola, Kim and I got situated in our rooms and then changed, getting ready for the beach. We decided to check out the beach. As we were taking pictures of the Bula and looking around, an old man came to talk to us. He was telling us that his wife was in the original Blue Lagoon movie, and that he's lived on this island for 20 years. I looked around and as peaceful and gorgeous as it is, I dont think I would be able to live on an island for 20 years.. much less 1 year. But, I guess its what you make of it. He also told us about this place, about a 15 minute walk around the island that sells homemade ice cream and cake. Nicola, being the sweet tooth that she is, was excited about this and thoughts maybe we would go find it later today.

We headed down through the trail to the beach, and on our way we saw some random cows it was quite interesting the thinngs you see on the island. The water was like bath water, it was crystal clear and sooo warm. I love it here!! We layed there and played in the water for a while...and then decided to go for a search for homemade ice cream. We finally found it, after walking 15 minutes around the beach! It was well worth it. $1 figian dollar for a big bowl of homemade ice cream! After ice cream we walked back, showered and got ready for dinner. There are NO hott showers on the island, but with the hot humidity really you didnt need a hot one. Dinner was at 7:30 followed by some Figian dancing and games. Then some drinks and a bonfire later.

DAY TWO- Coral View

Today we woke up at 8 am sharp for breakfast. We all had breakfast together for an hour. Then today we had an underwater cave trip to go to as part of our package. I was very excited about this trip. It was at 9:30 am, we all headed down by the beach and got into one of the fisherman's boats. The figian tour guides jumped in as well and took us to the island where Blue Lagoon was shoot. I think i would of enjoyed it more if I have seen that movie, but thats one I never got around to watching. When we arrived we all jumped out and followed the guides up some stairs that led down to the caves. One by one, we jumped into the water. After everyone was in, we swam around for a while in this cave watching the guides jump off the rocks and then proceeded to the first cavern which we had to swim through an underwater tunnel to get to. It was really awesome, very dark but awesome. We swam around for a bit, then the guide had us all sit in the corner so he could tell the stories of the caves. He explained the stories, trying to scare us but then saying all of these things can only be seen with Figian eyes. So basically he made up a bunch of stuff to try and scare us.. it was quite funny though. After the stories, we swam back to the first cave and he explained that one of the rocks was the very rock the lady was sitting on when she had her first monthly period, I'm assuming thats a big part of the movie. I wouldnt know, I never actually have seen the movie. After that we were all ready to get out, sea lice was getting us pretty bad so we all jumped on out and swam at the beach until it was time to go. While we were there, we managed to find a real blue startfish. It was real, I have never seen one in real life. It didnt really do anything at all, so it was no dofferent than a fake one to me, but it was still pretty cool.

We got back just in time for lunch, it was a good lunch. I can't exactly remember what it was that we had but I know it was good. The portions were tiny, but good. After lunch, Nicola decided to go scuba Diving. She was trying to get certified while in Fiji so she had a bunch of courses to do while at each place. Scuba Diving was extra, and i didnt want to pay for it. I was just fine with Snorkeling and such. So while she was diving, the rest of us went and relaxed on the beach. It was so relaxing it wasnt too hot, and definatly not too cold. It was good weather, I actually fell asleep on the beach and of couorse getting so very sunburnt because of it. I did put sunscreen on, but of course not enough. In Fiji you cant use anything lower than 30+, the sun is sooo strong and will burn you within 20 minutes. We were out on the beach for most of the day, I went in the water for some of it because again bath water it was. Gorgeous, and nice. I loved it. After the beach, we took our cold showers (although it felt so good because I was soo burnt) and go ready for dinner and games. After dinner Nicola went back to the room to try and get some work done for a paper she had to get done for when we returned. Kim was very burnt as well- she has pale skin and doesnt like to use sunscreen so she wasnt in the mood of doing anything but sleeping. Hannah and I stayed and played some games. One of the games we played was limbo and we won free cocktails because we won, it was pretty sweet! While playing Limbo, I broke my thongs (flip fllops=thongs in Australia) and they were the only ones I brought to Australia/Fiji so I had to use an extra pair Kim brought for the rest of the trip. Goodness, they were only $2 and from old Navy so it wasnt that big a deal. After the games, we had a bonfire down by the beach but it ended bad. By 11:30 it was over because it started pouring and we ALL RAN to our dorms for the night. It wasn't a good end to a night.

DAY THREE- Coral View/WannaTaxi Cruise

Day three, we didnt do much. Woke up for breakfast at 8 am and had to check out by 9 am and put out bags out by the front. Then we got to lay by the beach and such until we left at lunch time. We took the fisherman boat out to the "Big yellow Boat". About ten minutes after we got on the big boat, we had to switch to a smaller white boat because the yellow one was having engine problems. We all switched on and had some time sitting on this boat. Our next destination was Wannataxi cruise. It was cruise, but it actually didn't move at all which I thought was strange. This boat looked just like the big Yellow Boat from the outside, but inside it was different. It had an inside that was air conditioned with twenty four beds all bunked. Also, inside was a few couches and a TV to lounge around in if you didnt want to be outside. Down the VERY steep stairs, there was ONE shower ( WITH HOT WATER) and stalls for bathroom. Then upstairs from the beds was the upper deck. It wasnt much, there was a bar with a few tables and then a small area where the snorkle gear was located. We got on the boat at about 2 pm and had the rest of the day until dinner to do whatever we wanted. They had a bunch of watersports that were included we were able to use. Dinner was at around 7ish. During the day I didnt really do much. I took advantage of the snorkels and did some snorkeling under the boat which was pretty cool. The boat was pretty high from the water, so a bunch of us decided to jump from the top. It was a thrill for sure, it was real fun. Most of us spendt the rest of the day doing that and snorkeling. Its so fun, most of the people that were at Coral view traveled with us to the wannataxi cruise so it was great to have such a bbig group to travel with through the islands.

Everyone showered and got ready for dinner at 7 pm. We had dancing and games after dinner which were really fun. We had a quiz on Figian facts, and I actually found out alot of things I had no idea about. Alot of films were taped and filmed in fiji that i didnt know about. There are actually 360 islands in Fiji but only 41 of them are reachable and are inhabited. The two big towns in Fiji are Nadi and Suva. The $5 figian bill has the Wannataxi on the back. Bula (how people greet you) means hello and good by. There is no word for Cheers. The next game we played was "The balloon game". This game you blow up a balloon and for each round you put the balloon between you and your partner in a different place each time and the first group to pop their balloon loses. We were the first to get out, guess I'm not so good at that game haha. But it was good fun. Afterwards, we chilled out and had some drinks then headed to bed. It was a good night.

The next day, was good but not as good as the last few days. It rained for most of the day! We woke up for breakfast and then had the rest of the day to do what we wanted. Hannah and I did some Kayaking which was kool, hard work but was good. Although, I got eaten up by some coral after we fell over. It was heaps of fun. Then we did some snorkeling but that didnt last long because there was sooo much sea lice in the water. I think they only come out when its dark and bad weather. For the rest of the afternoon, I sat and played cards with Nora and David. At 3 pm, they sang their goodby song and thanked us for coming and we were off to our next destination.

DAY FOUR/FIVE- Waya Lailai

Next Island was Waya LaiLai Island. This was a nice Island. When we arrived we were took into this room and this lady with a very soft voice explained the details and things around the Island. Here I bought a T-shirt and looked around the Island. After lunch, Sanita and I went on a village visit...everyone else couldnt fit it in with diving and such. Nicola decided to do her diving and get certified, she had a bunch of chapters to read and tests to take and hopefully within two days she will be certified but it costs ALOT of money for all of that. Sanita and I left on the fisherman boat and they took us over to their village and showed us around. We were able to look into te schools and see what the village was like. We saw the teachers, the markets and I saw a Rooster haha. It was interestinng. Then we sat on the beach for a while. It was neat to see their village. Its alot different then a normal life. Then after lunch we went on a summit walk. This walk was a walk from hell. We were to walk to the very top of the moutain, which took an hour and half to walk there, and another hour and half to walk back. I asked the guide if it was ok just to walk in Flip flops and he said it would be fine and I ended up having to take them off and walk barefoot the whole time. My feet were completely cut up and by the time we got back I couldnt even walk. I guess the figians are all use to never wearing shoes thats its ok for them. My feet sure couldnt take it. So if you ever come and think it might be a good idea.. THINK AGAIN. It was horriable and everyone thought it was so funny about how I looked when I came back I looked like I had just been attacked. It was a good view, we saw the sunset and it was gorgeous! I also went on a reef snorkeling trip where I saw sharks, it was real neat.


DAY SIX- Bounty

Our next Island was Mamanuca Island, home of Bounty Resort. This is the resort where Survivor was filmed as well as an Australian show by the name of Love Match- I think thats what it is called. We didnt have much time on this Island. We arrived at about 6:30pm and of course it was still raining. We were given room assignments and I got lucky because I was put in the only air conditioned dorm. The other girls were in the smaller dorm, which was not air conditioned. This was our last night with some of the group so we sat out and hung out drinking and such. I didnt want to spend so much money so I didnt stay out as late as the others. We were meant to leave by 9 am for our last day!

DAY SEVEN- Sea Spray

We took a fishermans boat to the big boat that took us the the sea spray boat. But, Hannah and Nicola never made it onto the fisherman boat so I was pretty worried the whole time wondering when they are going to meet up with us. this was one bad time with having cell phones not working. I couldnt figure out where they were or anything. But eventually they made it to the sea spray boat so I was happy. Here we went on another village visit, and saw the Kava ceromony and browsed around the market that the figian women had set up. Basically they just buy these things from Jack's and sell them for cheaper so earn money. We also got to lay on the beach where Castaway was filmed. It was fun, we tryed to find Wilson but had no luck. Afterwards we setted off back to the white bus- and we were off to our last Island

DAY EIGHT- Beachcomber Island

This was definatly the party Island. I haven't seen more Americans at any other Island. It was quite crazy. But too bad I wasnt feeling well when we were here, but thats good because I didnt want to spend money anyways. I feel asleep at 9 pm but woke up when the girls came back-they were all sick but it seemed like they had good time. But it was good and our last day was sooo hot it was even hot in the shade. People were getting sick and over heated. We caught the boat back at 5 pm and were able to lay out on the beach all day for our last day!


We got back to mainland, and stayed one last night in Nadi and flew out saturday mmorning! It was a great trip!! I loved not having technology for a week. No cell service and no one could get a hold of me, it was just great. I didnt have any worried except about where we wanted to lay on the beach! It was amazing, if you get the chance you should definatly go! It was soooo awesome and so worth the trip. If I had the chance I would definatly go again! I know this is the place mom would absolutely love. Anyways I hope all else is well back in the states. Sorry it took so long for an update on Fiji!! I'll add some pictures soon.

Love you all,
Mandi