Bula!

Firstly Apologies for not replying to family emails for 3 weeks, computers with reasonable internet access in Fiji are like gold dust! Anyway hope you are all well and didn't worry too much! Had a wonderful three weeks, and it started like this:

stayed for two nights in Nadi quickly discovered was not the most happnin place in Fiji so decided to start our Fiji experience Tour on the 1st November. The tour works like a bus pass really, just taking you to various places with a few free things included in the price and can be done in four days straight. Us having 3 weeks to spend in Fiji (on the main island Vitu Levu) meant we could take our time and stop where we liked for a few days at a time.

The first tour day was really good-we started early and visited some local markets, then carried on to Natadola Beach which was amazing, just the kind of turquoise-sea-white sand place you expect to find in Fiji! Had a few hours there and a bbq with fresh pineapple, mango and Papaya from the markets! Spent the afternoon sandboarding down some ridiculously big sand dunes. Lastly visited a local village and spent some time in a traditional fijian "bure" and had a history lesson which we enjoyed immensley, filled with fiji's past and present, including the cannibals!! Got to our destination for the night Mango Bay which was between Suva and Nadi in the district of sigatoka. Had our first Kava Ceremony (traditional fijian drink)

The next few days we spent at Mango Bay and a place down the road called The Beachouse (which some of you lamer people will recognise from our pics as the place from the last Love Island series on ITV) It was a great few days filled with pool volleyball relaxing in hammocks, the best banana milkshakes in the world, fijian massages and meeting new friends!

Eventually though, we had to move on and we got back on the bus on the 9th of November. Did a fantastic 5 and a half mile trek through the rainforest, even treking through water for about a mile and scaling down the sheer side of a mountain with a rope one side at the conclusion! Having reached the river running through the rainforrest we sat in rubber tubes and floated down the river! Stopped after a few miles and began leaping off ledges next to waterfalls. The glorious day on the river ended with a very very wet (we had to stop and bail out the boat several times) 20 minute longboat trip back to the bus. Back on the bus we began our trip to Suva (we had recently heard a military coup was happening there) but as we passed right through and even past parliment and the consulates there was nothing to report. Stayed at Raintree lodge for the night and had a nice meal in a cafe in Suva followed by an hour (yes we are lame) at a night club!

Next morning we travelled to Korovou to get supplies for ourselves and to buy a few bits of stationary for the school visit. At the school we were overwhelmed by the fijian children ranging from 5 to 13 who were introducing themselves and shaking our hands posing for LOADS of photos and were the happiest lovliest kids we had ever met. Couldnt say enough good things about them, and you can see why fijian people grow up to be so friendly and accomodating. The bus took a few of them home along the way as some of the youngest walk up to an hour to school every day. Next stop was a local village and we had a traditional Kava ceremony with the Chief of the villages familly. Afterwards the girls weaved bracelets and the guys discussed rugby over more kava. The chiefs son granted us permission to go billibili (bamboo) rafting on the Wainibuka river which was an afternoon of great fun, gary even got to "row" a raft. That eveing we arrived very tired at Volivoli Beach in Rakiraki.

Stayed for 7 days at Volivoli and enjoyed it a great deal, turning our hands to snorkeling and kayaking!

On the 17th November we left for our last tour day, exploring the indian town of Ba and then sampling the hot mud pools and hot springs on the journey back to Nadi.

All in all a fantastic three weeks! Will update more soon and add pictures. Love to all

H&G XX