Celeb love island
Trip Start
Oct 19, 2005
1
25
33
Trip End
Ongoing
Fiji,
Fiji
Saturday, August 12, 2006
I arrived in Nadi, which is really a stop over town, for tourists on the way from the airport to the islands, where I was met by Julie and a 15 month old Emma. (Julie is the wife of Mike, David's (as of David, Anna, Oliver and Hester in New Zealand) nephew.. right got the connection). I spent a couple days wondering around in the humidity, happy to be back in a developing country and again the subject of mild curiousity. I booked to stay one night on an island named "Robinson Crusoe Island" which was meant to be a young crowd and party island. It was fun, but tried a bit too hard to be 'a party island'
Baywatch
. The staff put on a great show of island and fire dancing for day trippers that had come over from the mainland where they were staying in 5 star luxury and comfort. That night we gathered around a fire and sampled Kava (more on this later) which is a mild narcotic drunk by Fijians from sometimes as young as 8 or 10 and is the ground roots of the Yaqona plant. It tastes of muddy river water and is meant to leave your tongue tingling and after a few drinks you become relaxed and uncoordinated. However, the stuff they give to the tourists is so mild it tastes like muddy river water with no tongue tingling sensation. After an evening of games and drinks, a kind of disco, we headed down the beach for a midnight bonfire. On the way back, I leading the pack as I had a torch, shone it on a sea snake (highly poisonous) lying on the beach. "Snake" I alerted the party to be met with screams and hysteria. Not quite the reaction I was expecting but amused me.The next day we were herded into a boat to go fish driving. If this is ever offered to you, politely decline. It means walk through 'shallow' water through seaweed, sea grass, losing your footing in deep soft sand, over sharp coral and shells, past sea snakes and into jelly fish (yes I got stung again this time on my calf!) in order to herd fish towards a net held open by 2 people. Not an experience I'm going to repeat.
Flower girl
I then headed the next day to the Yasawa islands. A string of islands to the west of Fiji mainland (Viti Levu) on the Yasawa flyer, where I met a copper from Bournemouth, Helen, who I had met at the airport in Nadi when we flew in from Auckland. Also on board where two Canadian cousins, who I met up with again later in the trip and a dutch girl Esther who came to same island as Helen and I... by chance, we were going to Nacula and staying at Oarsmans Bay. Oarsman is set on a lovely bay and is a combination of family and couple bures (Fijian name for beach huts) with their own private facilities and a 13 bed dorm with shared facilities. For 75 Fijian dollars (the equiv of GBP 25) I got a bed in the dorm, complete with mosquito net (making me again question the reason why I hand lugged an almost unused mossie net around the globe), and all meals. Days were spent lying on loungers on the beach, swimming over and snorkelling along the reef and waiting to hear the dull drum to signal breakfast, lunch and/or dinner.
After 2 days I regretfully headed on to my next destination Korovou on the island of Naviti. This has a similar set up to Oarsman, but with a swimming pool. Here we were warmly welcomed and I joined up with 3 English girls from Coventry and a hilarious 19 year old farmer Jo, from Dorset, who kept us all amused
Flower Girls
. Also on the island was a Chris Martin lookalike and 2 public school boys who could only talk about rugby and drinking beer oh and university, which they had just finished.. Yawning I made my way to the hammocks. The Canadian cousins, Debbie and Christina, who I had met with Helen on the flyer, were also there. It was a fun group and just as well.Welcome to the tropics
A huge storm woke us up on Wednesday morning, no need to wait for the sound of the drum to
arouse us from uneasy slumbers (again dorm living..ear plugs saved me from another sleepless night)
The storm battered Fiji and the Yasawas for the whole day, bending palm trees so it looked like they were praying, sending sand flying off the beaches, stinging people brave enough to venture out combined with the torrential rain. Then there was the sea...
I was due to check out of Korovou so waited around in the communal areas, chatting, playing cards, trying to read until it was time to get into a little boat to take us out to the big Yasawa flyer which was a catamaran. The boat crossing was hairy, and we all were soaked by the time we arrived pitching at the Flyer
Sunset in Fiji
. Bags were thrown without a care of contents and passengers slipping trying to get from a small boat which was much lower in the water onto the back of the catamaran. Nothing was tied, just hand held!The Flyer resembled a disaster ship and was only going to get worse... There is open water between Naviti and Waya, the next island and the pitching of the Flyer was hectic, scary and vomit inducing. People quickly turned green, white and grabbed the closest thing they could to throw up in...others lay on the floor, whilst the braver passengers shuffled on their arses to the back of the boat where the keening was less severe. I hung onto the table in front of me laughing with the Canadians and Jo as we tried to pretend we were on a rollercoaster. Jo mentioned that he had thought it would be a good idea to venture out front until he saw the waves crashing over the bow of the boat. In a vain attempt to keep the spirits up, the bile down and dissipate the fear we kept cracking jokes and after a torturous 20 minutes arrived at Waya. The pitching and keening didn't stop just improved. My resort of WayaLaiLai was eventually called and I expertly jumped into a tossing small boat with my luggage and headed to one side of the channel (not Wayalailai). Here I was taken from one boat and put on another with thankfully my rucksack and taken across another treacherous stretch of water. The waves kept crashing into and over the boat and on the second attempt the boat was landed.
Wayalailai, is run by locals on the island of Wayasewa and all profits go into improving the community, building schools, community centres etc. Everyone helps out at the resort, whether its cooking, entertaining the guests or repairing bures etc
The beach at oarsman
. There doesn't seem to be a leader/ manager and things just got done - sometimes a bit late (but hey that's Fiji time!)I had a lovely 2 day stay in Wayalailai, despite the weather which although not stormy was grey and overcast and managed to get in some wonderful snorkelling over a beautiful coral garden and a visit to one of the villages. Whilst there myself and two American ladies were invited to a formal Kava ceremony. Here everyone sits behind or level with the bowl the Kava is mixed in. Long speeches are made, a hymn is sung, a prayer raised up and then everyone gets stuck into the narcotics!! Kava is bought in 2 forms, the root which is then pounded by hand into a rough powder or already powdered root in a cloth bag. The former is more potent and what was served in Wayalailai... and yes my tongue did tingle. After about 6 half coconut shells (what they use for bowls) and no chocolate left. I had inadvertently discovered how to make Kava palatable.. eat a sweet after the drink and on looking around saw a number of Fijians with lollies in their mouths, proving it was a well known counteraction to the taste of muddy water). I politely exited not trusting my limbs to work if I stayed longer.
On a personal note
Fiji is a tiny country made up of over 100 islands and atolls, including Bounty Island were last year's Celebrity Love island was filmed
Touch rugby at Wayalailai
. Few people know of it or where it is, but it has been such a profound and important place in my parents and as such my family's history. I grew up with stories of palm trees, villages, wooden sailing boats, beaches, and seas. I had seen countless slide shows as my parents Reminiscent about the country where they met. It was fascinating therefore for me to spend time there, meet the people and travel through valleys of swaying sugar cane, hemmed in my mountain ranges. To lie on palm fringed cream beaches, looking at azure crystal blue waters, watching men in sarongs (sulus) and carrying large cane knives with hibiscus flowers tucked behind their ears. The significance of the flower..
If the flower is tucked behind the left ear it means you are single and behind the right signifies your attached status. Behind both ears then you are just desperate.
With reluctance I left Fiji and set out through mad paranoid security checks to the US.
