Fun Filled Friendly Fiji

We packed in so much during our short time in Fiji!

We spent 1 night in Nadi on the mainland organising our trip to one of the islands. We secured an awesome deal... Not only did we get '2 for 1' but we also got upgraded to our own beach front bure which is a traditional Fijian hut. It was nestled away far from the main building providing us with our own private beach. Good times!

We stayed at a resort so Fiji felt very much like a holiday. It was the first time we had stayed at a place like this during our travels. It gave us a chance to slow down our pace which we enjoyed.

The resort where we stayed was paradise - it had a gorgeous palmed fringed beach with warm clear water. It was picture perfect straight out of a brochure.

What better way to start the day than with some tropical fish feeding! We were introduced to a number of different fish including, neon, mullet, zebra and the sergeant majors (named for their stripes) which were my favourite. We enjoyed feeding the fish each morning and they clearly enjoyed it too. A couple we met told us how one evening they had seen a deadly lion fish, unfortunately we were not lucky enough to spot one. Lion fish mean business.

The resort gave us free use of their kayaks so each day we would go out for a paddle. The waters were crystal clear. There were areas of coral around the resort which we would go and explore. It was at this time I regretted not buying the water proof casing for our camera... d'oh! You could see all the way down to the sea bed. We spotted blue star fish, ray, sea cucumbers and a number of tropical fish. I have never seen sea water that clear before, it was awesome. Nic jumped out of her canoe and enjoyed having a snorkel.

On one of our days we travelled to visit a local village on the island. We visited the local school and met the headmaster who showed us around. He was one militant man. We learnt how he was bought in from the mainland to improve the school (it wasn't doing so well at the time) and he has completely turned it around. We were very impressed by him and we were surprised to see that the main principles were not too dissimilar to those in England. His philosophy involved teaching the kids to think globally while at the same time teaching them about their culture and not letting them forget about their roots. He was a good man,

After we went and had a walk around the village stopping off at the little market area where Nic bought a bracelet. It was clear to see the local people lived such simple lives. It was such a different way of life. The boatsman invited us into his home to try some Kava which is a drink made from a root, powdered down and then soaked in water. Kava is a very important part of Fijian's culture and was drunk on a daily basis. The locals claim that Kava gives them a calm and relaxed feeling. Nic felt quite chilled after drinking a few cups but I didn't really feel any different. The boatsman definitely felt relaxed – after dropping us back to the resort he passed out on the pier. He had a good chuckle about it when he saw us the next day.

The staff were all very friendly and welcoming and we got to know them all throughout our stay. Nic and I were interested in going on a little trek to see some of the views from up high. One of the staff Luby had told us how to get to one of the look outs. We set of on our way and I soon discovered I was a little unprepared (I was wearing my flip flops despite Nic's advice... oops) but I climbed on anyway. We were treated to some beautiful views at the top but in the distance we could see a much higher point and I wanted more! We asked Luby how to get there when we returned down. He agreed to take us up the next day as there was not a clear pathway. It was the highest point on the island and as a result it was hard work at times but we made it. The views from the top were breath taking and we could see many of the paradise Fijian islands in the distance. On the top was also the remains of the gun tower that was used by the American army in the second world war. The high point allowed the army to see all boats entering and leaving the island. Luby told us on the way back that not all of the staff had made it to the top so we did feel a good sense of achievement.

The food was absolutely amazing! It varied from a full on Fijian BBQ, Fijian curry (which was of course my favourite) and Nic's favourite – stir fry. The stir fry was pretty special.

We picked all the fresh ingredients from a huge selection and passed it on to the chef who cooked it front of us. I took full advantage of the 'all you can eat' each meal and caught up on my meat and fish, which made a great change from pasta which by now we have eaten far too much of (mainly because it is cheap, quick and easy). We also tried some new fish 'Mahi Mahi' which was very tasty.

Each night the resort ran a number different activities which were good fun. Crab racing was a particular highlight. Unfortunately our crab 'George' gave up half way through the race. The final night was kava drinking which will stay a very memorable night. Nic was setting the pace for the girls drinking a

high tide cup each time (full to the top) and the locals were impressed with her stamina, and you can see from the photo on the left that she was going strong. Things however took a turn for the worst on the walk back to our bure. The kava had not made Nic feel chilled and relaxed this time round, instead she felt a little ill and required some tlc!

The following day we caught our boat back to Nadi. We spent our final day in Nadi town visiting the local temple, visiting some of the shops and experiencing some of the local food. Our time in Fiji had come to an end. It was an amazing place with such warm friendly people and they will be missed.

Our plane flight was very early the following morning so we were lucky enough to capture a beautiful sunrise. I made the most of my shorts one last time because we were moving on to New Zealand in their winter... bring it on Mr Cold!

written by

SupandNic on June 1, 2010 from Nadi, Solomon Islands

from the travel blog: Sup and Nic's World Tour!

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