Thurs 6th Jan 2012

So after leaving our little bit of luxury at Lomani we boarded the Malolo Cat at 5.45am which took us back to the main Island where we had time for a spot of breakfast at Denarau harbour.Our next destination was the Yasawas Islands located North West of Fiji, above Malolo Lailai where we had been previously been staying.

We checked in with Awesome Adventures, who run the only boat service to the Yasawas, and cruised for 3 hours until we reached the Island of Kuata, our first stop, a small island that is South of the Waya Islands.We were greeted by a small fishing boat and a few of the local villagers who took us onto the island as none of the islands have harbours.Our accommodation was certainly not what we had been used to, we had officially started travelling!The Bure we were in was a basic hut with a bed and a shower.There was no hot water and the electric on the island was run by a generator so was only on for a few hours a day.It certainly was a culture shock for us but we had been expecting it!

The locals were very friendly and cooked all of our meals and provided some light entertainment in the evenings - volleyball, singing, dancing and of course weaving!There were even some rugby balls kicking around!Unfortunately the main boat man was walking around in an England rugby shirt so I had to have a word - there is only so much I can take!

On the first day we visited a traditional Fijian village where we were shown the town hall, school and church before meeting some of the local villagers who were extremely welcoming.It certainly was a very basic way of life, no worries, no troubles!

After some relaxation in the afternoon and a good night's sleep we then embarked on an experience snorkelling in the reef and swimming with sharks.The locals took us out to the reef where they stopped briefly to fish for their dinner, with spears, as well as catching a few that would be used to entice the white tip reef sharks.After a few minutes of snorkelling in the reef it was not long before the sharks appeared!Amazing!Once that was over a kip in the hammock was in order!

After two nights in Kuata we jumped back on the boat to our next destination, Coral View resort on Tavewa Island which is almost at the tip of the Yasawas Islands.We are here for three nights and are planning a trip to the blue lagoon and the underwater caves while we are here.

Hope everyone is well back home!Take care.

Dave and Anna.

xxx