Blue Skies and... Beer?
As I flew over the deep blue Pacific Ocean towards Viti Levu the main and biggest island of the Fijian group, I saw the sea appear to crack up below me. There were long lines of sandy coloured cracks stretching as far as I could see in a giant circle around the islands. Then we flew over the coral coast and I saw the light blues of shallow water blessed with coral, then we crossed inland over the palm tree covered mountains.
As I stepped off the plane at Nadi (pronounced Nan-di) International Airport, something felt right. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, it just did. It wasn't until I found myself sitting in the back of the mini-van to my accommodation (The Travellers Beach Resort) with my arm out the window, sun on my face and warm breeze in my hair that I realised what it really was I'd been missing over the last couple of months...
Sunshine.
I missed hot days, that made my skin smile, my brain relax and my whole body feel warm to the core. A feeling I hadn't had since Australia. Back then though, when I was relaxing on the beach, I always had a niggling feeling, (like the one when you should be doing some work rather than sitting writing emails or reading a website) that I should be doing something more constructive. I didn't know how I was going to cope with 2 weeks of just sitting on a beach in the middle of the pacific with nothing else to do. After 6 weeks of screaming around New Zealand (actually three weeks screaming around NZ and three weeks in Queenstown, just, er, screaming) I seem to have coped admirably.
I spent my first couple of days chilling out at the resort. I sat under the sun, played volleyball, went swimming, read the copy of Viz I picked up from Auckland airport (much to the annoyment of the people I was with as I'd suddenly just start giggling to myself at some clever but crude profanity) and completely relaxed. On I think it was the second night, the sun was setting as we moved from the beach to the chairs around the bar. Jo, my room mate said 'Do you fancy a beer?'
Then something strange happened. I said 'yes.' Never in my life have I ever fancied a beer. As far as I can remember I've never liked it. I've tried it here and there, but vodka always came to me as my beverage of choice.
Like an emerging butterfly, I feel I've grown as a person. I now drink beer.
Travellers Beach Resort.
It doesn't have the nicest beach in the world, but hey, I could be in Romford.
Next day, Jo (my room mate and overall top bird) and I went into town to get some money from one of the few ATMs on the island. We'd heard stories about how bad it was in town for people getting hassled by locals wanting to sell wooden figures and carved bone necklaces for far more than they're worth. I heard more than one story of dim backpackers being lured into shops and offered free Kava (more on that later;) and ending up leaving having paid many dollars for cheap plastic jewellery and crappy sculptures they were assured were the real deal.
The favourite ice breaker seems to be "Where are you from? Wow! London! How long have you been here?!? Oh you haven't tried Kava? Come into my shop and have some!!"
Even as I took this there was a guy to my left who was trying to get me to go into the shop I'd stopped outside.
I also saw Phil from the Stray bus coming out of the bakers which was nice.
After a couple more days of chatting to people about the best places to go around the islands, most people said that once you'd seen a couple of the islands, they're all pretty similar, it's the food and accommodation that varies. To be honest after seemingly never spending 2 nights in one place in NZ, I'd be happy to stay in one place for a while.
I chose to spend 5 days on the northernmost island of the Yasawa group known as Nanuya Lei Lei. I'd heard some good things about it, and it worked out cheaper to stay in one place rather than to island hop. Nanuya Lei Lei is a four hour ride north on Awesome Adventures' 'Yasawa Flyer.'
We were greeted by Tui, who looks after everyone at the 'Sunrise' Resort. Each evening, she'd make everyone hold hands and say grace before eating. Then she'd talk about how she and the staff there are there to "help you, not to kill you and eat you." She always reminded everyone that, while you were staying at Sunrise, you aren't a guest or a friend, but a member of the family. And so it was for the next week, I had a new family.
Obviously as I was on a remote island miles from anywhere, there had to be someone else from Romford there too. It turned out to be Simon Todd from my old school who i'd met in Queenstown as well.
There wasn't very much to do on the island. Over the week I managed to divide my time between sitting around at the blue lagoon one side of the island, sitting on the beach (above) on our side of the island (the island itself took about an hour to walk around or about twenty minutes over the middle.) Snorkeling in the blue lagoon was fun, especially with so many reported sightings of insanely venomous sea snakes! All food (but no water/drink) was provided in the $46 a night fee and was basic but filling. To be honest there were things that could be nit picked if you're that way inclined (luckily i'm not) but then, it's a tiny island in the middle of the south pacific with no power, water and hardly any signs of civilisation, what else do you expect?!
I say hardly any civilisation as at the end of our beach was a tea house. In it you could buy a tea or a coffee (made with powdered milk) with a slice of whatever colour cake they were making that day for the princely sum of $3. There was always 3 or 4 old Fijian women there selling shell jewellery and ornate carvings. I suppose this is the closest thing Nanuya has to Lakeside.
As it took up at least half, to three quarters of an hour each day to slowly wander down the beach, have a cuppa, play with the puppy that lived there (the aptly named 'Biter' - I still have the scars from his puppy teeth and the echo of the laugh of the old man who saw me bravely trying to run away screaming from the painfully playful pup) and wander back. The tea shop became an important part of our daily routine. A daily routine rigidly set in 'Fiji time.' Fiji time being very similar to 'Greek Maybe Time' and other hot country laissez-faire attitudes to timekeeping.
The daily routine involved waking up at 8am (English time - not Fiji time) at the breakfast bell. After breakfast (which was made up of fresh fruit and freshly baked bread and cake-y things) Matty, the impatient yet competent guide would lead us over the top of the island to the blue lagoon (where the Brooke Shields film was shot.)
At the top of the island you can look out on the Pacific, and on the neighbouring 'Turtle Island' which has a resort on it where you pay anything up to $1500 a night to stay. We wondered what that much money buys you apart from things like 24hr power and hot showers... Then one day we were snorkeling in the water between the two islands and we saw four flowery shirted American's being driven to the beach in a golf cart!
At the Blue Lagoon, I'd spend the morning sunbathing and reading the rather large Lord of the Rings trilogy. We were always back in time for the lunch bell, at which point we'd sit on the beach near us, go snorkeling back at the Blue Lagoon, or just sit around chatting or reading. Everywhere on the island seemed peaceful and quiet and lent itself to doing very, very little and feeling very good about it.
This is Matty, our guide to the blue lagoon.
No one would believe how good a guide he was until they saw him in action. You'd say, "Take me to the blue lagoon Matty!" He'd just look at you. Once you'd picked up your towel and snorkel though, he'd be there, trotting ahead, then looking back every 30 seconds to check everyone was with him. He'd go no further unless everyone was still there! Then he'd play in the water or sleep on the beach until it was time to lead us back.
I got to know all the dogs at Sunrise, they became part of my routine between coming back from the beach and having a shower. Its suprising how much politics there is between a group of dogs. I noticed things like that and the changing of the tides and generally felt more in tune with the natural rhythm of things there.
Before dinner we'd have a cold water shower in the tin shacks, which we'd share with at least 5 gecko's. Then onto dinner. After that, we'd sit drinking our duty free (which we'd been warned to buy in NZ by travellers coming the other way) vodka, then when that ran out (it didn't take long) the only thing the shop/office sold was water and Fiji Bitter! Then at 10pm (Fiji Time) the generator would die and we'd either descend onto the beach or go to bed. (I actually had the most uncomfortable bed I've ever slept on, which in a lesser place I would've demanded changed. As it was, I asked politely, they had nothing better to offer, I didn't mind.