BULA! (Hello!)

Sorry it’s been so long between my posts but an internet connection is a rare commodity in Fiji! I’m having a wicked time over here – the people are amazing and the country is beautiful. So much so that I've moved my flights so that I could stay an extra week and do a dive course (more about that later). A lot has been happening over the last few weeks – I’ve been keeping notes so not to miss anything, but this is going to be a long entry!

The flight from LA was long an uncomfortable… I was sat next to an American lady talked the majority of the flight. I could quite easily write her biography, but she was nice enough. I landed about 5AM in Nadi and stayed there for a couple of days to get my bearings and figure out what I wanted to do with my time here. The ‘hostel’ was lush – air-conditioned rooms… pool side bar… basket ball court. ₤11 a night… top! I met some really cool people – some starting, some ending their time in Fiji. They helped me a lot in planning where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do. Nadi itself is a bit of a dump – some crappy shops and a dirt road – nothing to rave about. The one 'good' story from my time there is about me getting ripped off by the locals. I was walking down the street (looking very touristy, no doubt) and a random guy starts talking to me. “Bula, Bula, where you from my friend, how long you been in Fiji?” He seems nice enough so I start talking and end up going into his shop to have a look around (even then I knew it was a stupid thing to-do!). We end up sitting having a bowl of Kava (I’ll explain what that is another time) with these four big Fijians. They lay it on thick with toasts to me, welcoming me to the country and presented me with “a free gift, as a welcome, you take this sharks tooth my friend!”

Long story short, I ended up buying a heap of crappy jewellry from them. I just kind of felt obliged to – which is the scam I suppose. They even tried telling me that the profits from the shop went to the local school! Yeah right! It wasn’t that expensive really, I just felt like I’d been taken for a ride and totally scammed by the oldest trick in the book!

Anyway – that was Nadi. The next day I set off on a week of island hoping up the western side of the country. It was amazing. Some of the islands were exactly what you imagine a desert island to be. White sandy beach, palm trees, couple of huts in the middle and that’s it!

Others looked like the island from Jurassic Park with high mountains, forests and water falls. They were all really remote - about a four hour boat ride from the main land. The pass I bought let me travel all along the chain of islands (there’s about fifty or so). The boat carries you most of the way and then you’re met by water taxis from the various resorts and they throw your bag on and whisk you away to these little paradise resorts.

It was a great experience and obviously popular with backpackers, so I met tons of great people which I saw again either on the boat or the next island. We gave each other tips on where to go and where to avoid – shared all our stories. It was great fun. For entertainment on the islands we’d snorkel, play volleyball, sunbathe, play card games and drink (obviously)! I went on a village tour and on a cave snorkeling trip which were both really cool. The locals also taught me how to crack, skin and strip a coconut, just incase I got stranded!

Of the islands with electricity (some didn’t have), it tended to go out by 10.30 and then the stars would come out – wow!

For the last couple of days on the islands the weather got bad, really bad. Monsoon rain, high winds and rough seas. The boats transfers weren’t so much fun anymore! It was the edge of a typhoon from Samoa someone said. Luckily it only lasted a couple of days. I had a couple of small mishaps with the boats transfers but nothing too serious!

I’m back on the mainland now in a town called Raki-Raki. It’s in the middle of nowhere (with a rubbish interent connection!). I had a three hour bus ride to get here because all the roads were flooded due to the rain. They’ve cleared now though.

The place where I’m staying is fantastic. It was recommended by a couple of Scottish girls that I got chatting to and every thing they said about it was true. The location is amazing – right on the very north of the coast with its own beaches. Great facilities, accommodation and food. Free kayaks that you can just grab and go paddling. I came here primarily to do a Scuba course which I finished today - I’m a qualified scuba diver now! The diving has been amazing. I’ve never done any before and this was a great introduction. The guys that run it are ace and the places where you dive – wow!

The live corals are huge and teeming with hundreds of different types of fish. Today I saw two white tip reef sharks (I think that’s the name), barracuda, box fish, puffer fish and god knows what else. They are every where – in every direction. It’s incredible and I’ve loved every minute.

This entry is already huge and I’ve got some things I need to do in town before the market closes, so I’ll have to go. I’m only out here for a few more days and then I move back to some larger towns. I’ll put another post on with some more pictures and stories when I get there. I'll leave you with this typical Fijian sunset.

Hope you’re all well. Thanks for the comments/emails – it’s always great to hear from you. Lots of love.