Beachcomber Island
I'd agreed to meet up with Becky, Jess and possibly Nick from the Stray bus in NZ on Beachcomber. I knew they'd either all booked, or were arranging to spend at least one night there. I, having no money decided to go on the 'budget' option of daytrip. It was $75 per night to stay +$80 transfer. Or just $77 for a day trip.
I met up with Becky on the bus to the boat, then Jess was waiting on the beach for us when we got there. It was brilliant meeting up with them again. It was as if we were all old friends catching up on old times (even though we'd only known each other for a couple of weeks before.)
We all felt the same, we put it down to; meeting loads of people as a backpacker, you only get to a certain level of conversation... "Where have you been? Where are you going next? How long have you been travelling for?" Its like talking about the weather, these questions give everyone some common ground to break the ice on and move onto better things. Unfortunately, like talking about the weather, everyone also forgets what the other person has just said. (And by the 500th person that tells you what way they went round Australia, you really don't care.) After a while, the question and the answer just feel like wasting breath.
6 months ago when I first started Traveling (and also when I had my month away in Oz/Thailand last year) I heard people saying just that. I remember thinking 'You miserable Bastards.'
And now it seems I'm the miserable bastard. Bah Humbug.
Anyway, I was with old friends on a tiny island (it took 10 minutes to walk around it slowly) off the coast of Fiji. We realised it was only about 3 weeks ago we were all snowboarding...
As I sat on the beach watching the parasailers, snorklers, jet-skiiers, volleyballers, scuba divers and many more wandering around, doing their thing. I realised this is more than your average Fijian Island. This is a proper resort! The place was being cleaned regularly, all the staff were in their 'Beachcomber' flowery shirts, everything was polished. It must be where the $77 a night goes.
Well, that and Lunch. Lunch was amazing. It was a HUGE buffet of beautiful meats, fish, salads, fruits and everything you expect from a major resort. I can definitely say its the best meal I've had in a long time. And I mean that as a normal person, not just as a tuna pasta and beans-on-toast eating backpacker.
Anyway, after lunch we saw Nick (of living next door to my nan fame) checking in.
In a flash of economic genius, I worked out we could save on postage if we sent his Mum and Dad, and my Nan a joint postcard...
It was great being back in the old Snowboarding/Stray gang. As 4pm (my daytrip leaving time) approached, I felt really sad to leave them. BUT, needs must. I don't have that much cash and $77 a night is WAY too steep for just 1 night, even if the food is fantastic! And I'm in great company. On a tiny party island off the coast of Fiji. In the sunshine. In a good quality resort. With sofas. And a bar on the beach. And from what I've heard, amazing nightlife.
NO! I DONT HAVE THE MONEY!
"Oh Go on Matt, you kow you want to stay!"
After six months of Hedonism, I'm finding it very difficult to say no to things I know I'll enjoy.
For another $75 I checked into the 'Grand Bure' (Big Hut.) I'd heard rumours about the hundred bed dorm but I couldn't imagine it until I saw it. Over 100 bunk beds (I was in #122) spilt over 2 floors in neatly arranged squares.
It was an interesting place. I've slept in loads of dorms, but the I think the largest only ever had 12 beds in it. This one you could hear people coughing and talking and laughing (and shouting after a few drinks.) The sides were all open allowing a breeze to blow through, and though very large the beds were in fact very close together with very little space in the middle...
...Which was cool when I woke up in the middle of the night with the girl from the bunk opposite's cute, pink underware clad arse in my face as she got changed. (Aah the joys of communal living!) I think I must have stirred or made some noise as I woke up though, as she turned around a couple of seconds later. I slammed my eyes shut. I wasn't looking... You put your arse in my face!
Anyway, it got to beer o'clock that afternoon and for the first time I joined in! Generally in New Zealand I'd have had a vodka, but in my new beer drinking capacity, it felt good to be part of it.
We played a few games of shithead (♠cardgame♣)and as I looked out the windows of the bar on the upper floor onto the beach curving around, I couldn't quite shake the feeling I was on a boat....
Dinner came and went and was just as amazing as lunch, if not more so. I did my best to eat the extra $75 I'd coughed up. Then we retired to the bar with Christy and Kirsty (from Nanuya Lei Lei) who were also there. I was looking forward to the crazy ibiza-esqe nightlife. I assumed it would start after the samba muzac band that'd been playing all day left, they were currently rocking the crowd with 'The Girl from Ipanema.'
Another hour came to pass and they were now murdering 'Brown Eyed Girl' in a club style that'd put Reeves and Mortimer to shame. We started putting bets on what clichéd wedding music they'd pull out next.
As the band played on, all around me holidaymakers (as opposed to backpackers) were happily charging drinks to their beds and getting slowly hammered. I started to realise where the 'Party Atmosphere' reputation this place has was coming from.
At about 11pm, the band stopped and the DJ finally got the party pumpin' by mixing some cool classics and modern party tunes on his twin decks. Is what I would say if I worked in STA Travel and was selling this place to people.
At about 11pm an Indian Fijian dude sat on the floor at the back of the band stand and started playing songs on their one CD player. At the end of each song, there'd be a big gap in the music as he swapped CDs and skipped through the tracks, sometimes starting on the wrong one then flipping forwards and backwards. The wasted Aussie Hen Night loved it though, ask he flicked through the Michael Jackson CD, trying to find the song he wanted, with the opening notes of each song suddenly exploding from the speakers, then going silent just as quickly. They shouted abuse at him as each of their individual favourite songs started, then passed... (Ah finally Thriller!)
This went on well into the night. Somewhat disillusioned, nearly all of our lot went to bed, leaving me and Nick sitting outside cringing as the band (who was back now as the DJ's finger must have got tired) ruined 'Bohemian Rhapsody'.
***
The next day was a bit grim and without the money to go SCUBA diving or jetskiing, we ended up playing Monopoly, while looking out over the grey South Pacific Ocean. You know what? Even on a day like today, its not a bad place to play monopoly. And yes, I won.