Fiji

Whistle stop Fiji.

Get to Christchurch airport and queue to check in for my flight. They can't find me on the system? I have changed this flight, or at least my travel agent in the UK has apparently changed this fight. What's going on? I move out the way to let other travelers check in. I AM flying to Fiji today, I don't care what it takes. I'm sent off to find the Internet, to find the email from the travel agent confirming the change. Can't print it off, so to have to email it to Virgin Pacific woman at information desk. Complete polava, and lucky that I left two hours for check in. Find coin operated Internet, stick in my only 2 dollar coin, and nothing happens. Fuck! Murphy's law again. Shake machine vigorously, kick it, look around for any help, no one. Double fuck! Resort to going to cafe to buy a water to get more change. Try another machine. It works, I find email and send it off. Please let cyberspace be prompt?! I already have all the reference numbers etc, so not really sure how this is going to help the situation. They seem to want proof that changed the original flight. Back at the check in desk I stand and wait anxiously. I watch everyone else checking in seamlessly. Everyone is in flip flops and summer gear. There are some brilliant mullets in the line, and parrot earrings, I feel Fiji might be the Costa del Sol for Kiwis. My email has got through. Finally I'm found somewhere in the system. Thank god. I run though to departures, I have no time for window shopping in duty free. At the gate an air hostess slips my boarding pass into the machine and it is eaten up, what now, another problem? The machine is taken apart, and the pass dislodged. I board the plane.

The plane lands in Fiji and we disembark onto the melting tarmac. It's baking. It feels like walking into Selfridges on a freezing winters day, when the hot air heaters hit you. I clear customs and am greeted by lovely smiling Fijian faces, grass skirts and flowers everywhere. Not really sure where to go, but I observe some other backpackers and head towards them. Safety in numbers. They are congregating around a bench at the entrance. They are all heading to Smugglers Cove, it sounds like something from Moonfleet, but I'm game, so off we head (plus we share a cab obviously). It is actually a very nice resort. Very new and a bit of semi luxury. It has a nice bar and restaurant and faces the bay in Nadi, pronounced Nan-di. I stay in the 30 person dorm they have. Yes 30 person! It's neatly split into sections of two bunks, ie 4 persons with 4 lockers. I know I can generally sleep anywhere so I don't really care. I hang with the crowd from the airport over some drinks and a bite to eat. There are a couple of guys going on to South America after this, they're very nice and I resolve to give them my doorstop Footprint guide, which I stupidly dragged around NZ. It takes up so much space in my now saturated luggage. Especially now that Ive bought the Count of Monte Cristo to read. I'm given a book about Tibet in return. Fair swap. I head to bed. Hum the dorm is quite quiet. Its about 11pm. I get about an hours of sleep when an English couple on the opposite side of the dorm (but right opposite me), crash in and make more noise than you would think possible. They wake everyone up. They're not even going to bed, they've just come in to change clothes. This goes on for the next four hours, in out, in out, quite unbelievable. I don't think I have ever ever wanted to kill, but these two c**ts are something else. I wake up groggy and moody, but then remember where I am! I'm in bloody Fiji!. The night before I have met Rashid from Didsbury in Yorkshire. He's very sweet. He's very calm, and speaks with the most beautiful soft Yorkshire northern accent. He holds himself beautifully to. We discovered that were both in Fiji for 10 days, so without even really discussing the ins and outs we subconsciously decided to travel together. I'm looking forward to hanging out with him. We're heading out of Nadi on the Bula pass up to the top of the Yasawas and then island hopping back to Nadi. The Bula ('welcome' in Fijian) pass means we have unlimited access to the Yasawa flyer, a bright yellow catamaran which glides between all the islands. The pass is valid for a week. We decide to spend the first night on Bounty Island before heading all the way to the top. Bounty Island is famous for Celebrity Love Island, and oh how I enjoy cavorting round like Rebbecca Loos. But actually it's very nice. I CHILL OUT, but by warming up!. Not that I hadn't in NZ but I think I was continuously cold there, and it got to me. I'm now blissfully warm, and have beach, sea and sun. Perfect. Rashid and I sort of do our own thing, which is great. I get stuck in to Dumas and Rashid disappears off to take what amounts to about 5000 photos. My kinda guy. One of the first phrases we hear is 'Fiji time', essentially this means take off your watch and hide in rucksack for the duration of your stay. Everything is done in Fiji time, get used to it! Tomorrow morning we island hop, we've booked into the different hostels, resorts along the way. There isn't really much choice where you stay on the islands, because they're so small. Food is included. We head to dinner on out first night and the food is pretty good, then we're entertained by the Island crew singing and dancing to native Fijian music. They're all so talented. Its brilliant because its 'the cook, the gardener, plus the woman from behind reception all singing and dancing and I love it. Then to bed in our much quieter 8 person dorm. Only negative on Bounty was my hot (boiling hot) shower, have to crouch way down, to rinse shampoo etc off me. On day two, the boat collects us in the morning and whisks us all the way to Nacula, right at the top. We're collected off the Yasawa flyer by a small tender which then takes us to the beach and the resort. The water is aquamarine blue and clear as crystal. It's quite spectacular. Rashid and I just grin at each other. Our room, sorry thatched hut, is very basic but we have it to ourselves. It's very windy, so the beach isn't as appealing instead we relax in hammocks near our hut. At dinner we meet the other guests, there are only 9 of us altogether. We meet a couple from Colorado who are on their honeymoon. Dinner arrives and it's positively the worst food I've ever had. Really crap. Edible I suppose, but barely. There isn't really anything to do after dinner, no bar as such, so Rashid and I head off to our hut. Just before were tucked up, the most enormous cockroach runs over my bed. It is so big that I could see the hairs on its legs. I try to put in in a plastic bag, but am so scared that I then drop the bag and it runs free. It's still in the room somewhere, as I tuck the mossie net under the mattress so nothing can get me. Rashid and I talk life, love, work, money, hopes and desires. Then all of a sudden we are plunged into darkness, the lights go off. No power after 10pm! Lucky we we're in bed. I dig out my head torch in case of emergency. We fall asleep. Breakfast is a miserable affair of musty stale cereal and warm milk? It's powdered milk. Washed down with nescafe. I feel a bit sorry for the honeymooner's. Who have two weeks here. After breakfast we head on a Village tour. We are taken by a very stoned man. Not really sure what he's high on, possibly Kava (narcotic Fijian root drink). It's a very poor village. Made up of mostly reed huts and some whats appears to be concrete constructions. There are dirty children, and women busy doing chores. The men I see seem to be sitting around, not really doing much. But everyone waves and smiles at us. Then we get to the chiefs hut, which is actually like the town hall. Unfortunately the chief is away, so we meet his son. He's only 6 years and very shy. We sit on the floor of the hut on reed matting, like tatami mats in Japan. Rashid and I sit for about 15 minutes with a 6 year old who doesn't speak, and a fucked guide who's also silent. There is a massive carved whale bone attached to a beam, I sit and muldoon. We head back and I buy some beautiful shells from a girl on the way back. Rashid and I are glad of the boat collecting us before lunch (another culinary delight), and heading to the next island. Our next venue is Naviti. The beach here is beautiful and less windy than before. We spend a glorious afternoon sunbathing and reading. We watch a beautiful sunset and then head to the main hut for tea. Just when we thought the food couldn't get any worse, it does. A chicken stew which I nearly break my tooth on, because it's bone and gristle. The food on Bounty Island was simple but fresh and tasty, there is just no excuse for serving crap food. Over dinner we meet the fellow packers. A crazy American girl with corn row plaited hair, she's loud and obnoxious. Beware Caucasians with corn rows. We head to bed. Breakfast is something deep fried and stale corn flakes again. mmm. Manta Ray island is next. Although we don't get to see any manta rays. Everything is fine. Until I head to bed for the night in the large dorm room. The loud couple from my first night in Fiji are again in my bit of the dorm. You cant be serious! They are just as noisy and thoughtless as before. I'm sorry but I believe that this is bad up-bringing. They simply have no manners. I wake up in the morning and am as loud as possible. I turn on the light, and turn off the fan, I open the window and I bang around. Then to the beach for a leisurely chill. Still no manta rays sadly, but some great snorkeling. Plus we watch a dog go fishing. We sit in some hammock chairs reading for a while, until there's a massive cracking noise and Rashid's chair breaks and he hits the floor with a bump. Laughing at the misfortune of others, priceless. The boat collects us again and its off down the coast to Octopus resort. Our fav spot. This place is an oasis of calm. More expensive, but so worth it. Beautiful idyllic beach, lagoon for snorkeling. Lovely super clean dorm with fresh chambray cotton sheets. Amazing food (I mean amazing), a lovely pool and just a delight after the few days of roughing it. Rashid and I are happy as pigs in shit. I have to say also that Fijians are great. So friendly and hospitable. At Octopus we're given a fire show and a dancing show. The music and energy are infectious. More snorkeling and sunbathing in the morning. Next to Waya Lai Lai Eco resort. Amazing sea view dorm. We meet some great people here and gets wasted on Kava (have to try some, sort of numb mouth speed effect), beer and vodka. A dazzling show is put on, with lots of dancing by us included. I note Fijians seem to have large feet with fallen arches and toes like chipolatas. The next day is a Sunday so we see a typical church gathering. Gospel singing and preaching. As per usual, Esther sitting down for nearly 2 hours in a warm place listening to Church readings = 40 winks. I'm gently nudged by a girl when we have to contribute and sing an out of tune Amazing Grace to the congregation.

Then back to Bounty Island, where we spend the last few days. It's so nice to be back here. Ive enjoyed seeing as much of the Islands as possible, the islands have all been uniquely beautiful and different. I've enjoyed them all. It hasn't been at all busy people wise, so it's been nice to be so remote and ace to travel with Rashid.

Hair Report: frazzled, Dicky Davis.

Fiji time - how does anything ever get done??!
Bula Bula - Fijians are warm and friendly and so welcoming.
Food - The very good, the bad, the ugly.
Liquid crystal sea.
The computer says no woman.
The two English twats.
The massive conga dancing, Rashid = no where to be seen.
The rather disappointing Hindu temple in Nadi.
The hottest day ever.
Dodgy looking ice cream, surprisingly good.
Excellent curry in Nadi (mini India)
16 bed dorm for the two of us (I have to run over all the beds, and film it).

In next chapter:

Esther heads to Sydney via Bris-vegas to meet up with long suffering best friend Lisa! xxx