Horizon Backpackers Resort Nadi

... happens to be in the village today and some discussion on the chief and his house and then more kava around to everyone.

We finally take our leave and head back down to the village where everyone is waiting for us and by everyone; it was the rest of the village or more. We take off our shoes again and enter into the community hall but as we pass inside, we are given a grass stalk lei with flowers around the ...

... it was like. Never have I met a more amazing group of people in my life - and this was not specific to our hostel or even Nadi. We found the same warm, welcoming and good natured people throughout the islands as well.

One thing is for sure - the Fijians are doing something right. Their smiles, laughter, constant singing and joke telling demonstrate day in and day out that they are a truly happy people with a unique and inspiring ...

... lol. Stayed inside, had naps, organised things. Played games and stuff in the evening. This morning, we went on a Manta Ray snorkelling trip. NO BLOODY MANTA RAYS! Not happy. Plus they left us in the water for like an hour, and the waves were huge and it was tiring lol. Very happy to get back to the island. Sunbathed etc. Watched awesome sunset.

Sunrise - Checked out. Chilled by the pool, waiting for our transfer. They sang to us as we left - Iso Lei - which is the ...

... in & realised L.A. wasn't listed on the screen! I re-checked my ticket & definitely had the date right, but there was no flight. The airport seemed to be closing up & when I eventually found someone to help me, she informed me my flight had been cancelled back in February, but no one had bothered to tell me. After being told to sleep on a bench in the airport until the office opened in the morning, I kicked off a bit of a fuss & managed to get put up in the four star ...

... also functions as a hotel so as a result the meals they serve are delicious!On the second day I go for a ride along the beach. They do things quite differently there as expected. For starters there's no hat so you just have to rely on your skills and hope for a nice horse.....Also made the mistake of wearing shorts which reslted in a nasty wound but anyway.....the guy reckons i'll probably be a pretty good rider so leaves me to navigate the beach by myself. At first I don ...

... when we got there and the Blue Lagoon was as gorgeous as I remembered. Crystal clear, warm water, gentle waves and white sand - heaven. We decided to walk round the outside of the island to go back to our resort rather than attempt the scramble over the top again, and this proved to be equally if not more challenging as the tide wasn't out and we had to wade through waist-deep water and do some more scrambling, this time over rocks. I managed some more falling over, this time ...

... some five hours before flight time. Seems some Islamic extremists were going to blow up a Quantas airplane using bombs that were made out of Parker pens, so security was very tight and a 747 full of passengers and their belongings had to be thoroughly searched. I was glad that I had given my Parker pen to a secretary at FNTC who had been very helpful. I harbored unkind thoughts toward extremists and kept my eye on the 16th fairway of the Nadi Golf Club.