BULA FIJI!
A solitary cloud appears above my head and casually drifts his way out to sea without a rush or care in the world. He's a Fijian cloud taking 'Fiji Time' The only system apparently adhered to in the Yasawa Islands. If you want to lay back, put your feet up and enjoy a cocktail, then this is the holiday for you. If you want to explore, snorkel, swim with sharks, gain a diving qualification or skydive then yes this is also the holiday for you.
In April this year I arrived bedraggled and tired from my flight from New Zealand. My friend and I had been traveling NZ from top to toe, or rather toe to top as we journeyed South to North. Having never been to the South Pacific before my impression of this side of the world was people in flower garlands singing and playing guitar. A tad stereotypical I agree. We rushed from the plane with the other passengers filled with glee at being free from the confines of our airborne prison (I do not like flying) and raced to passport control where we were greeted by people in flower garlands, singing and playing guitar. At this I got immensely excited. This was unlike anything or anywhere I had ever experienced before. The welcome, the humidity, the little message over the tannoy thanking us for choosing Fiji as our holiday destination and welcoming home their fellow Fijians. We 
sauntered to arrivals feeling relaxed, this would be a breeze. There we met a very lovely Fijian woman called Anna who was extremely helpful, she told us she 'adored' our Irish accents (We are Scottish) found us a cab and gave us precise instructions. This is when alarm bells sounded. 'Go straight to the Beachside Hotel. If it looks strange, Come STRAIGHT back before nightfall. Make sure the driver uses a meter. Tell him to take the dirt track not the freeway. Mumma Anna will be here.' We jammed our bags into the tiny boot and got in. I reached for my non existent seat belt and looked for the non existent meter. The dashboard had 'Licensed Taxi' scrawled diagonally across it in a thick black marker. Although the car was questionable the driver was friendly and navigated the craters in the road with great skill. Nadi was full of charm and character but the mainland is not somewhere I would choose to holiday. It is a very basic place and is so far removed from anywhere I've ever visited I would not feel safe or comfortable touring about. Also from what we saw holiday's there would be largely confined to your hotel and the beach. There wasn't a tourist hub with restaurants or bars, just local shops and businesses. I won't go into a massive amount of detail about our hotel. We arrived about two weeks after the severe flooding in Nadi so i do not think it would be fair to judge the place as we saw a damaged version. The room had been annihilated and we were the only guests in the large hotel, every horror movie I had ever seen played its way repeatedly through my head. Regardless we had a bearable night. The staff at the hotel looked after us and it was only a one night stay as we had booked a tour with Awesome Adventures Fiji and chose a package which cost £722 for two week
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| South Sea Island. |
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island hopping. That looks like a large sum for two backpackers but it actually worked out to be the best value of anything we bought whilst globe trotting. For that price we got transfers from our hotel to the port where the Yasawa flyer, a luxury catamaran would pick us up. The price also included all boat trips between each Island and two nights accommodation at each place. Further the price included ALL our meals and some activities and trips. In total we spent 14 days visiting 7 islands. As you journey further from Nadi the islands become larger and more authentic with each having its own individual character and inhabitants (and a lot more mosquitoes!)
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| Long Beach Island. (Appropriately named!) |
The first island we reached was South Sea Island. A tiny drop of luxury in the South Pacific. You could stroll around this island in three minutes. We timed it, you have a lot of free time in Fiji! Other islands visited included: Kuata, Long Beach, Beachcomber, White Sandy Beach and Barefoot lodge. Although it is possible to buy a boat pass (Bula pass) and decide as you travel which islands you wish to visit, In my opinion it is so much easier to choose an itinerary from the website and then all you have to worry about is nothing. You can read about the package deals available here http://www.awesomefiji.com/default.aspx. Also available is the choice of accommodation and which star rating you would like. 1,2 or 3 coconuts. We went for 1 coconut as we were on a round the world trip after uni and did not mind sharing dorms with others. If you are a bit more picky then you can opt for bures and sleep privately but this comes at an extra cost. Also available is the option to upgrade to full monty which is your package of choice including activities. These include boat trips,swimming with manta rays (in season) a sailing trip to the Castaway island where Tom Hanks filmed the movie, summit walks and traditional cooking lessons. We hadn't opted for the Full Monty package and this was my one regret, although we managed to tag along on some activities that we could pay for on the islands, It would have been more cost effective and guaranteed if we had spent a little extra when booking.
Evenings on the Islands usually consisted of entertainment put on by the Fijians who ran each island. This varied from island to island but usually consisted of them performing traditional dances, holding Kava drinking ceremonies and sitting around on the beach with a bonfire and a guitar.
Once our island adventures were over we returned to Nadi before our onward journey the next day.
Smugglers
Cove is my recommendation for a base hostel to stay in when on the
mainland. Full of travelers waiting to start island hopping and
therefore a great opportunity to meet others. The hostel is right on the
beach, has a swimming pool and does decent food and entertainment in the evening. Ideal.
I couldn't resist sharing some snaps from my time in this beautiful country.
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| Underwater camera snaps. |
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| Sunset on White Sandy |
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