February 3 - 6, 2014 - Coral Coast, Fiji

February 3 -6 , 2014 - Coral Coast, Fiji

On the 3rd, I arrived to a place called The Beach House along the Coral Coast on the main island.  It was 2 hour drive from the ferry landing in Suva.  I checked into my room and then surveyed the area.  Amazing!  This place is exactly what you expect when you think of beaches in Fiji.  White sand, crystal clear water with palm trees hanging out over the water.

That afternoon I went on a 1 hour horseback ride along the beach and to a look out point on a little mountain.

The hostel also provided free afternoon coffee or tea with freshly baked scones with butter and jam! Yum!

Then a group of us played a little sand volleyball!

But that night was the best part.  It was one of the most beautiful sunsets I had ever seen!

All of this and a free breakfast for only 38FJD a night in a 6 bed dorm! :-)

On the 4th I simply relaxed on the beach, enjoyed the sun, scarfed down the tea and scones and played a bit more sand volleyball.

Here is one more beach picture for good measure!

I had a late breakfast on the 5th.  At 11am I caught the bus back to Nadi  and then a taxi back to Bamboo Backpackers.  That night I prepared a bit for my interview on Friday and had one more lovo dinner.

At 8am the next day I jumped a plane to Auckland, NZ to start a whole new adventure!

January 27 - February 3, 2014 - Taveuni Island, Fiji

January 27 - 28, 2014 - Ferry to Taveuni Island, Fiji:

On Monday a group from the hostel took a mini bus to Suva to catch the ferry to Taveuni Island.  Suva was a 4 hour drive from Nadi.  We spent a couple hours having lunch in town and going to the grocery store.  We also picked up a few movies to watch on the ferry.

The ferry fee was $75FJD and left port at 6pm.  The ferry was huge and had been purchased from Canada so it was really old.  They made you take off your shoes while inside.  I thought that was really strange.

We FINALLLLLY arrived at Taveuni at 1pm the next day.  Sheeesh that was a really long ride.  We were picked up from the port and taken to the Maravu Hostel.  It turns out that the hostel was previously a 5 star hotel resort.  Everything was well manicured and beautiful, our dorm room even had an outdoor shower.  I had signed up for the 6day/5night package which included 3 meals a day and daily activities all for 575FJD.  Not cheap, but still a pretty great deal.

After lunch a few of us headed out for a refreshing swim in the ocean.  That was followed by lounging around the hostel and having a fabulous dinner.  

January 29, 2014 - International Date Line and Water slides:

Around mid morning we headed out to visit the international date line.  This is the invisible line that divides yesterday from today.  Are one side of the line you are in today's time and on the other side you are in yesterday.

Then we headed towards the natural water slides.  We parked at what the hostel folks called the "white house".  It was definitely white and we would return here for lunch.  We did a short 15 minute hike into the jungle where we came upon the river.  The water had washed away the rock into a small canyon and some parts where shallow and smooth enough to actually slide down on your bum.  What good fun!  The slides weren't very long but the guide showed us that if we created a body damn and waited for the water and pressure to build up we could then get going pretty fast.  We did this a few times and swam a bit in the river before we returned for lunch.

I took a short nap back at the hostel then the group went for a tour at one of the local villages.  The custom is that guests bring kava and sit and share the kava with the chief or leader of the village.  So, of course, we all sat and had a couple of rounds of kava with the chief and listened to them sing a couple of songs.  Our guide showed us how the women use fronds to make baskets and how they grow and use local foods.  Coconut trees have many uses from the fronds to all stages of the coconut.  They also grow casava, papapya, breadfruit, oranges, and I even saw an avocado tree. He let us taste the coconuts and the oranges.

January 30, 2014 - Waterfalls Hike:

This day we went on a hike to 3 different waterfalls.   I only made it to two of them because I wasnt feeling well and decided it would be best that I turn back at the 2nd waterfall. Though the two I saw were really beautiful.

January 31, 2014 - Snorkeling and Massage

We took the boat out to do a few hours of snorkeling.  And, despite lathering on the sunscreen, my backside still got fried! Ouch.  But the snorkeling was really good.  Most of the islands in Fiji are surrounded by amazing reef and the snorkeling is outstanding.

Then the best part of the package deal!  My free (or included) massage.  Fabulous.

 I dont have any pictures of this....I really should invest in a GoPro!

February 1, 2014 - SCUBA diving Rainbow Reef:

I should have done this on one of the first days I was there becuase it was stunning and I would have totally done it a lot more.

 Fiji and particularly the Rainbow reef near Taveuni Island has some of the best soft coral in the world.  And it was amazing the diving was top notch!!  I loved it!

 Some folks put together a bonfire for that night and we all sat around and enjoyed a few beers, the fire, and a nice fire show performance.

February 2-3, 2014 - Ferry to Suva

And then it was time to return to the main island.  On the slow ferry again.  Ugggggh!

January 23 - 26, 2014 - Fiji Part 1

January 23, 2014 - Nadi, Fiji

Fiji Visa:  Free Visa upon arrival
Exchange Rate: 1USD = 1.88 Fijian Dollar

I arrived into Fiji having skipped Wednesday the 22nd due to the change in time zones etc.

Bamboo hostel picked up a few of us (for free) at the airport that morning and took us back to the hostel.  I had to chill for a few hours before the room was ready but it was warm and sunny and that really wasnt a problem.

I also had a mini Skype interview for a potential Reliability Engineer position in New Zealand.  The connection kept dropping the call which was just a little bit frustrating.  But by the end of the conversation we had agreed to organize a formal interview when I arrived in New Zealand.  I'm excited and nervous.  Going back to work in a new country at a new job will be a whole new adventure.  However, it was mentioned that I would almost be expected to take 4 weeks of vacation and usually 6 weeks of vacation was the norm!  I can defiantly live with that.  In addition, the position sounds like it will have plenty of challenges and learning experiences to keep me busy.  I have the interview on the 7th of February....wish me luck!

Later in the afternoon I figure out where in Fiji I would set off to and visit.  I made arrangements to head to Mana Island for 2 nights, then take the ferry to Taveuni Island on a 5 night Hostel package which includes 3 meals a day, morning and afternoon activities (a free massage!!!) and of course the accommodation.  Then Ill do 2 nights on the coral coast then head back to Nadi and then off to NZ.

I spent the rest of the day chilling by the beach and enjoying the sun .  I joined in on the Kava party that night too.  Lots of guitar playing and singing.  Kava is made from the root of the plant called Kava.  They pound the root into a powder then mix it with water then filter out the kava particles.  It doesn't make you drunk or high but rather makes you sleepy and slow.  The Fijians joke that just a little Kava will make you sleep like a baby.  And that it does.  The Kava "ceremony" itself means sitting in a circle with one guy passing out the the Kava.  One person is assigned to Kava King and when that person says "Taki" the coconut shell full of Kava goes around in the circle so that everyone receives a shell full.  It looks and tastes a lot like muddy water. hehe.

January 24 -25, 2014 - Mana Island, Fiji:

For my first adventure in Fiji I opted for 2 nights on Mana Island.  A boat picked up from the Bamboo hostel and took us directly to Mana Island, a 45 minute ride away.  Along the way there were many other islands, mostly small, that people could stay at and explore.  However, in my package for 55FJD a night I was given accommodation in a dorm (w/o AC) and 3 meals a day.  The Island was amazingly beautiful.

I had been a little disappointed with the beach on the main island, its clean, buts its not the white sand and crystal clear water you think of when you think of Fiji.  Mana, though, is exactly that, white sand and crystal clear water full of turquoise and other blues.  Amazing! Just take a look at the place.

I spent the day lounging around, soaking up the sun and swimming in warm waters.

That evening was a beautiful Fijian sunset.

Followed by an Island Dance Performance and fire show.

The next morning a fellow traveller from Holland and I woke at 4:30 am to make the trek to the islands peak for the sunrise.  We ran into a few issues on the way.  It was realllly dark when we started our trek and we weren't sure where exactly the trail started.  We knew there was one way up through the village so we tried that first.  Soon though we ran into a rather upset dog and decided not to push out luck with his teeth and turned for the beach route.  This took us to a point were it looked like a trail started so, of course, we followed it up a steep hill.  But we ran out of trail very fast.  With no other options but to give up and turn back we opted for the bush whacking method up the rest of the hill.  The grass was as tall as me and really thick and keep in mind it was pitch back aside from my small flashlight.  We persevered and finally found another trail that eventually took us all the way to the top.  We even made it with time to spare.  We rested for a bit and then watched the sunrise.

Later on we played lots of cards and took a little walk to Sunset Beach. Unfortunately, the water there wasnt as calm or clear so we didnt stay too long.

January 26, 2014 - Nadi, Fiji:

The next day was a lot more relaxing and card playing.  I finally finished The Motorcycle Diaries and passed the book along to another traveler.

Late that morning the boat picked us up and returned us to Bamboo Hostel in Nadi.

Sven, another traveler I had met previously in Nadi, met up again and decided to visit the town.  Nadi (pronounced nandi) isnt very large and since it was Sunday a lot of stuff was closed, but the Hindu Temple was open to tourist.

We paid the 10FJD entrance and Sven had to wear a wrap around his waist since his shorts showed his knees.  A tour guide took us around the temple and explained some shrines within and some of the gods they have.  I was surprised to find out that Fiji actually has a fairly large Indian population, known as Indo-Fijians.

That night I order the Lovo dinner.  This is a Fijian technique of cooking food that involves digging a whole and letting the food cook all day.  It was very tasty!