Sunday 24th.

Flight wasn’t that long about 3 and half hours…..phew !

Whooping great climate change… instant….humid, and sunny and cloudy. Very nice welcome with a band playing at the airport everyone saying Bula ( hello) and smiling , kind of wrong foots you a bit.
We had a free shuttle, the guy was chatty, but when I said have you been to New Zealand he said not many of us can ever get off this island the wages are so bad, there not that many
jobs…….it wasn’t a sob story for a tip, it was a fact as we drove along, as we left the airport, it was very poor and so its looks so messy and Nadi Town was, well, put it this way im glad I never bothered to spend any time there.

We are staying further along the island a bit and more remote, the road was bumpy with huge potholes, and places on route were very run down. The small people carrier even drove along the beach at one point, where en earth were we going?


Having said that the place we are staying is lovely, we have a beachfront Bure with decking on the beach, the sea lapping 15 yards away, with sun loungers by the sea with shade.


The sea is warm like a bath, much warmer than the pool which I thought was warm enough.

The whole place is just a lovely spot, the place has everything we need for 6 nights , this end of trip isnt meant to be a mega tour of the area, its steamy hot and we are needing a rest, its to be a blast of warmth before we go home
The mossy net was a pain the first night, so gave up on that.

We were introduced to the Minor bird mornign chorus each morning.....they screech....


Our first night we arrived to a Barby on the beach , with a 2 man band playing and putting their hearts into it yet being slightly off key. It was all quaint.


Its certainly not top notch here but its charmingly rustic and rather small with just 25 bures.



I have no longing for 5 star places which all hover around the port, where each hotel brand is the same décor all the world over, this place has a rustic original charm, and the term “Fiji Time” certainly exists here, everyone is on a slow pace, we soon joined in.. We were lucky to chum up with such a nice couple Sue and Barry and we had dinner each night together, which is a change from us alone.


Its quite a little paradise.


Mid way in our stay, we were approached by the snorkelling guy to see if wed fancy going out on his boat….not to snorkel ……….but a” seeing some islands” trip.

Well my friend Fiona knows how I freaked in Madeira with the catamaran, so she will be most surprised to see moi in this tiny boat!




I must say I felt a panick initially as we are in a tiny 4 person fibreglass thing with an outboard motor. We headed straight out to sea to the island and I was just probably 8 inches from the sea…….i got into a calm zone quite quick when I saw that there was no going back and no way but to be calm……
First stop was a reef, about 2 yards wide and 12 yards long , “do you want to get off for a photograph” he asked? “No thanks,” I said “ let tom get off”

But they both boo hood me into getting off, onto the crusty reef.


Photos and then back on to our lttile bit of fibreglass that came between me and “davy jones locker” !


He was a sweet chap, Salen, he took us all over, around smaller islands had become small private resorts.


He took us to the new port and the denarau island which had all the main hotels resorts, and tom and I both agreed we much preferred our huts, its much more personal here,.



Got back from the boat on terra firma feeling quite exhilarated ! So Fiona if you are reading this I think ive cracked the boat thing!!!!!!!



That night storm of storms………it is the beginning of the rainy season so it was mega soaking everywhere, lasted a few hours thunder and lightening, tin roof exaggerated the noise.

Sea looked a bit too close for comfort slapping choppily close to our beach chairs.


The sojourn in Fiji, has been truly calming, everyones says they are on Fiji time! And its true you cant walk fast its too draining.





Days have been spent lazing and reading.


We have really enjoyed Sue and Barrys company and on the last day today we had a Teranayiki lunch with them and then lazed on the beach. Heavens opened in a tropical downpour as we left…..the taxi driver drove us across the beach with the sea yards away, the car sounded as if it was on its last legs and he hit huge potholes full of water, the car was so filthy too, I was eager to get to the airport and not break down as the roads flooded and seemed to take forever.

Fortunately we left at 5.30 for the airport and got in the check in queue early, the check in didnt open till 7.30 but the queue soon grew, they had downgraded to a smaller plane so we would have maybe not got on if we had left it for the normal 2 hour before rule.

We fly at 10.50 at night. 10 hours later we get to Los Angeles. We are in the airport 3 hours and back on a BA flight to Heathrow, for 10 hours.

Sitting airside at Fiji Airport now, its rammed with people, we’ve a few hours wait yet and im wanting to get this over and done with and get home. There’s an infuriating café shouting out
numbers over the tannoy for clients to go get their food, its like bingo, I arrived at 67 and we are now at silly figures…..someone please pull the plug !

The day we left ol’ blighty seems ages ago. We’ve spent time with lovely welcoming neighbours on “The Hill” at Serina Beach , and Sal and Alan at Napier, Sue and Barry in Fiji, and along the way encountered folk all enhancing our time.

So many “silver grey surfers” doing the same as us, some for much longer .

Looking forward to seeing everyone, Xmas too and all in all I feel “tickety boo” to be going home……… “TRIP WELL DONE ….AND TRIP OVER”…......what did our mothers say? “all good things must come to and end”…………& #8230;.

Our Home Sweet Home beckons.

Thanks for everyone joining in with my blog along the way

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