What a week we've had in Paradise AKA Fiji!

We got into Nadi airport on the main Fijian island of Viti Levu last Thursday after our 10+ hour flight from LA, which saw us losing the 1st of June thanks to crossing the international dateline as well as having to deal with creepy crawlies getting in our shoes among other places. Despite this, the flight actually passed relatively quickly and comfortably, though the breakfast left something to be desired i.e. edible food.

Whilst waiting in the airport for our minibus, we met a couple from England, Damian and Christina, who it turned out were heading to the same resort as us. After a couple of hours waiting in the aiport the 4 of us got on the minibus, where we met Dave and John from Darwin in Australia as well as Fraser (a fellow Scot) and Dominique who turned out to be the managers of the resort returning from holiday.

After a short but bumpy journey to Vuda Marina (The Fijian roads definitely give Scotland's a run for their money in the pothole stakes) we had time for a quick coffee before boarding the resort's boat, Magik, a covered RIB which shortly whisked us out to Waya Island in the Yasawa group of islands. Unfortunately the weather was a bit grey and slightly rainy so we didn't immediately have the full Fiji paradise effect but we enjoyed the hour or so on the boat, skimming over the waves past numerous islands on our way to Octopus.

Eventually we arrived at the resort, pulling into a beautiful bay, the water turquoise even under the cloudy skies, with a golden beach backed by thick green jungle rising on steep hillsides to rocky peaks protruding into the clouds. We transferred from the RIB to a smaller boat and sailed in toward the beach, while a group of the local villagers played guitars and ukeleles and sung to us from the beach, finally greeting us with a loud 'Bula!' (The Fijian for 'hello' amongst other things).

Once we got off the boat we were taken to the sand-floored restaurant and bar area where we got a welcome drink and a rundown of the facilities in the resort from one of the staff accompanied by one of a pair of annoying English kids who were constantly around and being weird for the first few days of our stay. Next we split up and headed to our respective accommodation, a 5 bed dorm in our case. After finding our beds we dumped our stuff and headed to the beach to relax before lunch.

Having pre-paid for all our meals at the resort as there was no other option for food, we went to the restaurant for lunch where we met up with the people from our boat again, and agreed to meet up for some snorkelling later in the afternoon. The food at the resort was excellent, with a choice of about 10 items for lunch including freshly caught fish and traditional Fijian dishes.

We spent the afternoon on the beach again before getting our first taste of snorkelling in the incredible coral reef just off the beach. Even under cloudy skies, the myriad colours and shapes of coral and the variety of brightly coloured tropical fish and other sea creatures was breathtaking.

A nap following the snorkelling saw to the rest of the afternoon before we met up with everyone for the welcome kava ceremony which involved us sitting with all the other newcomers cross-legged on a woven mat with the locals, taking turns to clap and drink kava from a coconut shell. Kava is the national drink of Fiji, made from the ground up roots of a pepper tree soaked in water to create a woody-tasting drink which looks like dirty water and has a numbing effect on the body. The ceremony was fun, and the kava not half as bad as some people had made it out to be.

After the ceremony it was time for dinner, followed by the unforgettable quiz night where we teamed up with Dave, John, Damian and Christina as well as Jo, a vet from England who had spent the last few months working in the Cook Islands. Our able performance in the quiz saw us competing in 2 tie-breaker dance offs as well as a talent round where Dave showed off his incredible juggling skills while we 'assisted' by throwing fruit back and forth. The quiz ended in a 3 way tie where we had to compete in rock-paper-scissors, tell bad jokes and finally with a press-up competition where we pitted Jo against the other competitors, including a massive marine. She won at the pressups but sadly our efforts were in vain and one of the other team took the grand prize, although we never actually found out what that prize was. Nevertheless, our efforts during the quiz bagged us a round of cocktails and a bottle of champagne.

After the quiz we all called it a night, tired out after our travelling and various exertions during the evening.

The following day the weather was much better, and after an early morning snorkel in the crystal clear water, we treated ourselves to a great buffet breakfast including plenty of fresh tropical fruit, then spent most of the rest of the day either lounging on the beach or snorkelling.

In the evening we all met up for dinner again which this time was a Fijian lovo, where food is buried under sand with hot stones to cook for a few hours. There was loads of delicious food to choose from including roast pork, pineapple chicken and some amazing vegetable dished with spinach and aubergines.
After dinner we were treated to some entertainment by the local villagers, who dressed in traditional outfits including grass skirts and performed music and songs with local instruments before getting us all to join in, dancing the bula around the pool before joining up in the biggest conga line I think I have ever been a segment of. After the show we lounged in a hammock for a while, checking out the southern hemisphere's constellations before calling it a night.

On Saturday we once again spent our morning lounging on the beach in the sunshine and snorkelling, but after lunch set off on a group walk to a waterfall. Our route took us up and over the hill behind the resort on a combination of crude concrete steps and worn paths through the jungle, then along the beach on the other side of the island from the resort, in front of the village of Naluawaki where the resort's staff come from and much of the resort's money goes to fund the childrens' education. The village was a far cry from the resort with its traditional bures and bungalows, with the villagers houses consisting of shacks and basic cinderblock houses with pens for goats and pigs dotted around. The villagers themselves couldn't have been happier or more friendly though, and clearly appreciated the benefits the resort's contributions made to their lives.

A short walk up through jungle at the end of the beach brought us to a shady area of jungle where a stream poured over a ledge of rock just a few feet high into a wide pool of water, filled with local kids enjoying their weekend off school. Roasting after the walk, I wasted no time in getting in the refreshing water along with a number of other guests from the resort. We spent some time under the waterfall and swimming in the pool before making our way back to the resort for a snorkel before dinner.

Dinner that night was a fantastic BBQ buffet with loads of different meats and salads on offer. Following dinner the entertainment was party games on the beach which Lucy and I competed in with various success. My height proved a handicap in the limbo competition, and our size differential was a problem in a game involving moving a balloon between body parts simultaneously whilst dancing. However, the same size differential came in handy in the final game which we lost by only the tiniest margin. It involved assuming a number of poses with your partner (Nothing rude in case you are getting any ideas) in sequence, which basically boiled down to me throwing Lucy around like a ragdoll for abbout 10 minutes. We made it through to the last two and after a few dead heats, a fumbled position change cost us the lobster dinner which would have been our prize. Nevertheless, it was fun to try all the games and it knackered us out sufficiently that we called it a night shortly afterwards.

Having been tempted by the other accommodation on offer, we had opted to splash out and upgrade from our 5 bed dorm to our own bungalow for the rest of our stay, which consisted of our own little double bedroom with a veranda, but still involved using the shared bathroom facilities which were clean and right next door to our bungalow. The difference in price wasn't much considering how much more comfortable and private the bungalow was, and we enjoyed our first night's sleep there.

Sunday morning was another lazy one, but in the afternoon I joined Russ and Zoe, a couple from London who now lived in Auckland, along with Kuki the diving instructor, to start my PADI Open Water diving instruction in the swimming pool. After a few hours of instruction and exercise while Lucy lazed around reading her book, I had to spend a few more hours in the dive shop watching the videos and completing some of the theory for my training. Eventually I got finished and was able to join the others for dinner, Lucy having been kept company at the bar by Dave and John. After a busy day, we decided on an early night and didn't stay up long after dinner.

On Monday morning I got up early and left Lucy sleeping, having decided to sign up for the Island Trek along with Damian and Christina, as well as Makouri, an artist from New Zealand who we'd also befriended at the resort. After a quick breakfast a group of us set off with a local guide, following the route we'd taken on Saturday to the waterfall. From the waterfall we started our ascent up one of the island's peaks, along a steep and slippery trail winding through the jungle.

The climb was quite tiring in the Fijian heat but was a lot of fun in good company. At points we had to scramble up steep rocky sections and occasionally got a rest in some shady spots which our guide pointed out. Eventually we emerged from the thicker jungle in the river valley and onto the steep hillside, thick with tall grass. Our path continued upwards, always steep and often rocky, until we eventually reached the huge rock outcrop at the top of the peak. A quick climb up a crack in the rock saw us to the top where we were treated to incredible panoramic views of the island, with the village and resort far below us, as well as the surrounding ocean scattered with islands of all shapes and sizes in every direction.

We stopped at the top for a while to take some photos and eat some fruit our guide had brought, and Makouri treated us to some music from his eagle flute, made from ancient New Zealand swamp kauri wood.
After a scramble back down the rock, it was time to make our way down the steep path in the hot sun. By the time we all made it back down to the waterfall we were roasting and wasted no time in stripping down to our shorts and/or bikinis and getting in the cool, refreshing water. With no school kids around, the pool was much quieter and I enjoyed floating on my back with the sunshine peeking through the trees above and butterflies floating here and there. After a dunk under the refreshing waterfall for a shoulder massage, it was time to head back to the resort for lunch, once again passing the village being greeted by all the villagers with a friendly 'Bula!'

Once back at the resort, I only had time for a quick lunch before I met Kuki, Russ and Zoe at the dive shop to prepare for our first open water dives. After sorting out our gear we jumped in a small boat and headed out to a spot in the bay, before getting our gear sorted and getting in the water. Kuki's instruction style for all the diving was very Fijian i.e. laid back which was good for putting everyone at ease. Without any messing around, we began our dive, heading down a rope to a depth of about 10m. On the way down I began to feel a bit uneasy, my brain telling me I should be going back to the surface where the air was, but I was able to calm my nerves and continue, knowing I would hate myself if I didn't carry on with the diving, something I had wanted to do for years.

After my initial unease, the first dive went well as we got our buoyancy sorted out and took a leisurely glide along an amazing coral wall, seeing all sorts of amazing soft and hard coral in every colour and plenty of fish including anemone fish and toad fish. Unfortunately the visibility wasn't as good as it could have been, but it gave me time to become familiar with the equipment and the basics of being underwater.

After completing our first dive we got back to the surface, into the boat and headed to a second spot in the bay to do our second dive. After getting ready and entering the water James Bond-style backwards off the boat, something I had always wanted to do, we went down to the bottom, about 7m down to complete some more exercises before having another swim along a great coral wall. Once again the visibility was only about 15m but it was great to be able to get so close to the coral and all the amazing fish. I was far more comfortable on the second dive and loved the sensation of gliding along under the water, which felt almost like flying.

After making our way back to the surface, it was time to get back in the boat and head back to shore. I had a few theory tests to complete before my instruction was complete, and I could finally join Lucy for a cocktail before dinner. It was nice to get together with everyone for dinner on our last night, though we did feel a bit jealous about them going on a snorkelling safari the next day, with the chance of seeing manta rays. However, we knew we'd have to leave at some point and made the most of our last evening with a few more Vonu and Fiji Bitter, the local beers.

After dinner we had the last night of entertainment, consisting of the world famous international crab race. This involved picking hermit crabs from a huge bucketful collected during the day and entering them in the knockout racing tournament, at a few dollars per crab. We bought 3 crabs between us and entered them. Unfortunately they didn't perform very well at the race, involving moving from a bucket dumped in the middle of a ring drawn in the sand to the outer rim of the ring, avoiding sunken bowls of water and sand castles in the way. Despite bribing our crabs back into the final after them being knocked out, we didn't manage to win any prizes but had a great laugh with the racing. After the exhiliration of the racing it was time for bed.

On Tuesday it was finally our time to leave Octopus after a fantastic few days. After breakfast and bidding all our new friends farewell, we had to wait for a while before finally getting the boat back out to Magik, once again being serenaded by the locals from the beach as we left. We enjoyed the cruise back into the main island, with everything looking quite different this time, in the sunshine.

After a repeat of our bumpy minibus ride to the airport, we waited a bit longer before finally getting on the Sunbeam bus to take us to our next resort, the Beachouse on the Coral Coast. We boarded the bus which we were pleased to find was an air-conditioned coach complete with TVs, and settled in for the 2 1/2 hour journey. It was great to see a different side of Fiji as we made our way to the larger town of Nadi before heading along the Queen's Highway towards Suva, through the busier and more populated countryside of Viti Levu.

Whilst not as humble as the village on Waya, the houses along the side of the road were still nothing fancy, mainly consisting of fairly simple cinder-block houses with corrugated tin roofs. The landscape of the main island was still great if not as breathtaking as that of the smaller islands, with lush tropical greenery eveywhere, and tall steep mountains in the distance, inland.

The bus eventually made its way to the south coast of the island and wound along the Coral Coast, passing numerous resorts. The coastline here was far less picturesque than that of the islands, although the tide was out as we passed, leaving large expanses of exposed rock between the shore and the ocean.

Eventually we reached the Beachouse resort and got checked in and shown to our dormitory. We were very underwhelmed initially, after our amazing experience at Octopus. While still well equipped with good clean facilities and a bar, restaurant and pool, the resort just didn't 'wow' us the way Octopus had. We didn't get the same warm vibe as we had from the people at Octopus though the staff and locals were all friendly.

Tired out, we spent our first evening playing ping pong and had a few beers before having our dinner (A curry buffet) which was nice, but again not as good as the food at Octopus. Eventually we got tired of moving from table to table trying to avoid annoying and obnoxious american frat boys and their female counterparts, so we called it a night.

The next day, we grabbed breakfast at the resort, before I headed out on a snorkelling trip in a boat to the reef off the resort. In the morning, with the tide in, the coastline did look much nicer with the sea right up on the sand shoreline, but we remained less impressed than with the islands.

On the boat to the snorkelling I got chatting to a couple from Northern Ireland, John and Sinead, and we enjoyed the snorkelling though, in a continuation of the pattern, it wasn't as impressive as that off the islands.

After the snorkelling we grabbed some lunch before having a lazy afternoon involving more ping pong and some coconut jewellery making, where we made some rings from coconuts, which was surprisingly good fun.

Our second evening at the resort was a lot more fun as we met up with John and Sinead for dinner before being joined by Tom and Pete, two guys from our dorm. They had brought a bottle of the famous over-proof Fijian Bounty Rum with them, which I helped to finish off, having given Pete some antiseptic and plasters for a coral cut on his leg earlier. By the time the rum was gone, Lucy had grown tired of our drunken babblings, so retired to bed while we joined some of the locals and other guests around a fire on the beach. I ended up sitting with some local guys who were surf instructors and the resort, and enjoyed getting the local perspective on things as we drank some more beers in the local taki style, sharing one cup and taking turns to drink a small amount from a large jug of beer.

After probably a few too many beers, I eventually made my way to bed and managed to get a surprisingly good sleep.

On Thursday morning we had to get up early and get everything packed, before grabbing our last breakfast and heading out to the road to wait for the bus back to Nadi Airport. This time we only had a rickety old thing instead of an air conditioned coach, but the journey to the airport passed fairly quickly and comfortably. After checking in and getting our last minute souvenirs, it was time to bid farewell to Fiji, vowing to return, and make our way to New Zealand.