Bula! Which is "hello" in Fijian! I am back in Melbourne after 5 beautiful days in Fiji.It was unlike any other beach vacation I have had. The Fijians were so warm and welcoming and not in the cheesy "I have to be nice to you because it's my job" or "I'm smiling because I want to sell you something." The friendliness was very genuine and it echoed their motto of "welcome home."
Our first night there, we stayed at the resort for dinner, since they were serving traditional Fijian dinner buffet, which consists mainly of fresh seafood, curries and everything made in coconut milk. I was in heaven! In your face lactose intolerance! I have found a substitute! The food was amazing and I had far too much. The pool at our resort, along with the gym was open 24 hours - say what?! Another difference to all the places I have traveled to. After our gluttonous meal, we decided to go for a night swim - yes, we waited for at least an hour after before swimming! Safety first! Called it an early night since we were exhausted from the flight. Funny thing about flying, you don't really do much. I mean food and drinks are served directly to your seat but just something about sitting their for seemingly, countless hours that causes exhaustion. Or maybe I am officially just lazy now? Either way, I was pooped!
The next morning, I awoke to a gorgeous sunrise; yes, it was that early! Decided to go for a jog around the resort and snap some beach photos. We were staying on Vitu Levi island near Nadi city. The beaches there are dark sand and the water quite murky due to the soil that gets pulled into the water so no one actually swims in the ocean. We decided to wander Nadi city and do some souvenir shopping after breakfast and shared a cab with a couple of girls from NZ. It was way too hot to catch the $1 bus into the city. AC was definitely a requirement for this 15 minute ride. The city was everything you would expect it to be; a little bit old school, jam packed with a mix of locals trying to sell things to foreigners, cars honking... At no point did I ever feel unsafe but by the end of the afternoon, I was a bit exhausted from the overwhelming number of offers to buy local products and to be someone's wife! We wandered to the Marina to book some tours and had a nice quiet dinner along the river just in time for sunset. Was absolutely beautiful. We then headed back for another night swim and met some fun people to hang out with. It seemed for the first day, Carla and I were the only single people on the resort! Fiji is very much a couples and family friendly place... So much so, I was even asked if we were 'partners' LOL. We partied too late this night, considering we all had to be up at 7 AM to catch our respective boat rides to Beachcombers Island. Oops!
Fast forward a few hours and we were up and dragging our feet to the Marina to be picked up. The boat ride to Beachcombers Island reminded me much of island hopping in Phuket. A small double decker boat surrounded by crystal clear water. I always find a sense of peace when I'm near any body of water - it's like a sense of calm washes over me; my soul at peace (in the least morbid way possible). As the boat approached the island, I was wide-eyed; like a kid in a candy store! Holy coconuts, this place was absolute paradise! White sandy beaches, crystal clear water! It took only 7 minutes to walk the entire island. We were told about the infamous party atmosphere but when we rocked up at 10 AM, the island was nearly desert, with only a few people scattered on the beach. I assume everyone was just nursing hangovers. When I saw drink prices at the bar, I was only more certain that everyone had holed up into their rooms, resting for yet another big night on the island. Talk about cheap drinks! We went snorkeling in the ocean and this way by far the most beautiful coral I have ever seen. Blue and purple starfish?! I didn't even know they existed! I saw a few Nemo's and many Dori's! Some of the people were lucky enough to see a shark but I missed out on that. Guess I will just have to wait until I get to the Great Barrier Reef and do some diving to see them :) The rest of the afternoon flew by - swimming, drinking, chatting with other travelers. Such a fabulous day. Even the crazy rainstorm that caused everyone to seek shelter at the bar didn't dampen our moods. We ended the night with yet another night swim at the resort pool but called it a super early night since we had to be up at 6 AM the next day for our rafting and waterfall tour. I know.. Waking up before 8 doesn't exactly scream VACATION!
6 AM came way too fast and Carla and I were both in zombie mode; going through the am motions without really registering what was happening. I passed out as soon as we got on the bus and 4 hours later, we arrived at Navau River. Again, being on the big island, the mixture of the soil and water created the murky colors of clay. The lush green surroundings definitely made up for the less than picturesque waters though. The waterfalls were breathtaking. The short walk which was described to us as a "hike," took about 10 minutes - think Johnston Canyon steps but much more narrow and less developed and that's the difficulty level of said, hike. The waterfall was gorgeous and the water was much colder than we were accustomed to but refreshing and just what I needed to wake up from my haze! After swimming and jumping from the waterfalls, we went bamboo rafting and then into a local village to see the traditional way of living. Very much comparable to the Maori's in New Zealand in using dried leaves to make mats, bookmarks etc. We learned that 'singalinga' means no worry and they really seem to apply that in their everyday lives. Suicide rates are super low in Fiji. Must. Learn. Not. To. Stress! I'm sure something we can ALL relate to!
We spent our last night having drinks at the resort bar. Our bartender was sweet enough to let us take advantage of Happy Hour specials before it officially started, giving us an hour head start. One too many into it, we noticed the bar was empty except for us and the live band. I guess parents need to sleep early... Lol. I think that was the best sleep I had the entire trip. I now understand why people have a glass of wine before bed. I was out like a light! Our last day was, at last, a nice day of lounging pool side. The trip flew by in a flash!
I am back in Melbourne, just in time for fashion week. Got my outfit today and got a new suitcase to separate what I'm sending home with Allan from what I'm taking with me to Brisbane, Sydney and Phoenix... I don't know how to dress myself! I feel like I'm picking favorites from my closet and the worst feeling is knowing I have the perfect outfit for something, only to have sent it back home. This feeling is worse than food envy, in my opinion; and that's saying a lot. I'm in Melbourne for only 4.5 short days and that's broken up between two weeks. I know I say it often but time is honestly on fast forward over here. There are not enough hours in the day to catch up with everyone before I go... And it makes me sad because each and everyone of them have contributed to the amazing experience I have had over here. It's been a wonderful love affair Melbourne - a bittersweet ending to an amazing chapter in my life.
To give some fair forewarning, April will be lagging in posts since Allan and I will be on the road for the first half and updating won't be on my list of priorities. I'm excited to see the east coast and see all these beautiful beaches friends rave about!! Off to sort out my suitcases now; procrastinating won't help my cause that's for sure. Now if anyone has any tips about merging 6 bags into one, please email, message or comment.. Any advice is welcome. Note: donating unwanted items has already been done. Curse my emotional attachment to my clothes...
** Picture to come... I haven't had time to upload them just yet!
xx
