We decided to go all out and spend our third Christmas abroad in a tropical paradise. Fiji is only a 4 hour flight from Sydney so we flew out on Christmas Eve and landed in Nadi that evening.
Fiji is a country in the South Pacific made up of over 300 islands. Nadi (pronounced nandi) is one of the largest cities on one of the main islands, Vita Levu, and is the starting point for many tourists when they get to the country. There isn't much to do in Nadi itself. As Fiji is a developing nation, the town is slow and has a run-down feeling...lots of construction, people and animals walking on the roads (many unfinished). However, there are several nice resorts. We spent the night in Nadi on the first and last nights of our trip since it was near the airport, but the main reason for visiting Fiji was to explore the Yasawa Islands.
After we landed, we headed to Oasis Palms- a lovely resort with a welcoming staff and a delicious sushi restaurant! It was rainy and overcast but we enjoyed the pool and a few adult beverages. We heard our first "Give me a Fijian minute"... and "Hold on one Fijian minute" at this resort. Time moves at a totally different pace in Fiji. One minute could mean 10! I did not appreciate this. John loved it.
My gosh, look at that happy face!
After dinner, we got to experience our first Kava ceremony! Kava is a root found in the Pacific islands and is a mild narcotic known to make people feel relaxed and sleepy. Many villages hold kava ceremonies to welcome guests or just to spend time with with their friends and family. The ceremony begins as the villagers grind up the kava and strain it through a cloth bag into a large wooden bowl placed in the middle of the room. It looks (and tastes) just like muddy water. Yum! Everyone sits in a circle and the kava maker goes around asking each person if they want a high tide (full cup) or low tide (half cup) of the drink. When receiving the kava, you:
- clap once
- yell "bula!"
- drink in one gulp
- clap three times
Once you drink it, you feel tingling and numbness on your tongue. You keep going around the circle until the bowl is empty. Then... they make another bowl! We called it quits after a few cups but they say you'll sleep really well after about 20(!) cups.
We got up early the next morning to catch our ferry to the Yasawa Islands. The Yasawa group is an archipelago of about 20 volcanic islands that stretches 80 kilometers northeast of Nadi. There are about 20 different islands and the only way to get to them is by this ferry. There were several locals on the ferry as well. It leaves Nadi at 8am everyday, goes to the very top of the island chain, turns around and comes straight back. It stops at every island along the way and a boat from each resort comes out to get you off the ferry. It's quite a production! John and I got the "Bula Pass" meaning we could hop on and off the ferry as much as we wanted for 5 days.
Our first stop was Barefoot Manta Resort on Drawaqa Island. Out of everywhere we went, this was the place that felt most like I had imagined Fiji. A little hut on the beach... crystal clear water... white sand..it was pretty incredible. We spent the days reading, swimming, kayaking, snorkeling, eating and drinking.
Our snorkel guide was Dan- a guy from North Carolina. He and his wife have lived at Barefoot Manta for the past two years leading snorkel and dive trips. It was really nice to hear a southern accent!
After two glorious nights, we hopped on the ferry and made our way to our next stop- Naqalia Lodge on Wayalailai Island. Now THIS was an authentic experience. The lodge is run by a local family-- brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews. There are 4 bungalows and a dorm. There were only about 8 people staying there while we were there- pretty small! There is a big emphasis on family and making you feel right at home. If you wanted something to eat- go to the kitchen. If you needed laundry done, go to the washing machine. They only had running water for one hour a day-- 6:30-7am and 6:30-7pm. Electricity was only turned on when it got dark. We all sat together for each meal, sang and played guitar, and by the time we left, I was sad to say goodbye to this loving community! I wish could have stayed another night. However, I was ready for a nice long shower and steady electricity :)
Music during dinner!
Our lovely shower
(screenshots from our Go-Pro videos)
One of the cousins was spearfishing during our swim. We ate one of these fish for dinner.
We said goodbye to our Naqalia family and headed to our last stop- Beachcomber Island.. or "Party Island." This island was actually part of the Mamanucas-- a group of islands just south of the Yasawas and closest to the mainland. We thought this would be a nice place to wrap up our trip as it was supposed to be a fun, young, backpacker-ish island. The bar and atmosphere were fun.. but the accommodation and food were pretty bad. Plus, the whole island smelled like sewage. It was not pleasant. Luckily, we were only there one night and could drink away the pain. The bar area actually reminded me a lot of Flora-Bama, a classy joint on the Florida-Alabama line that is frequented by the Stapp family.
A Swedish girl we met invited us to snort Swedish snuff (finely ground tobacco), or "snus" as it is called in her country. This was the outcome.
We headed back to the mainland and spent our last night at Aquarius on the Beach-- a resort in Nadi. It was pouring rain, so we had dinner and called it a night as our flight back to Sydney left bright and early the next morning. The resort restaurant had lots of cats which was sweet but also unnerving.
A couple of random thoughts:
-None of the places we stayed had wifi which was a struggle for me! John could care less... but I'm trying to keep up with my people and the world, you feel me? John kept saying "this is going to be so good for you..." *eye roll*
-Fiji was filled with backpackers. We met one guy who was 3 months in to a 14 month trip... another couple was 6 months in to a 10 month trip. John and I talked a lot about the ways people travel and how we are happy going about it the way we are. Work, make money, enjoy the holidays and travel on your days off. Some people would rather work non-stop (and not really have a life) for a year and then travel for two. So many different ways to see the world! We met a guy, Dan, at our first resort and he happened to be going to all of the resorts we were going to! He was from the UK but had been living in Australia and working on a vineyard for a couple of years. He was great! We will definitely keep in touch.
ANYWAY- longest blog post ever. It was a great trip and I am happy we could check it off our list! Gah, the world is so pretty!
ANYWAY- longest blog post ever. It was a great trip and I am happy we could check it off our list! Gah, the world is so pretty!
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