Bulla! At long last, we finally find the time (and internet that works) in order to let you all know what’s been happening the last couple of weeks! Excuse the all the detail, more for our sakes, so we don’t forget it all. Well, we left LA on Saturday the 12th, and arrived somewhat tired at Nadi (pronounced Nandi) airport at 5am, on the 14th. Dazed, we stepped out into the heat (not before stocking up on duty free alcohol!), to a mere 27 degress celcius. Turning up at Horizon hotel, we went straight to the pool. Here is where our first debate comes in, one which was raised many a time whilst sampling the local beer. When does a bath become a swimming pool? Feel free to leave your answers on the message board. Once we had had a swim, we promptly fell asleep by the side; thankfully in the shade. Not that the sunburn would have put the ladies off, no siree, that was down to the snoring (andy) and drooling (matt). In the evening we sampled one of the home made pizzas. Having come somewhat connoisseurs in this area, after our time at good old safeway and our diet in the US consisting of little else, our standards are higher than average. They were however some of the nicest pizza(s!) we’ve had so far! TUESDAY - Slept until 1pm! First time that we’ve had the opportunity to do so in 2 weeks, so already we were happy. Decided to head into the town, on the bus, very basic! No windows and worse leg room than easyjet. Nadi town is the second largest town in Fiji, and consisted of one long dusty street, full of corner shops. We were hassled loads, luckily had been warned about this (some guys we met in a bar said that were forced in a shop and made to pay for $200 worth of tat!) We changed our names for safety purposes; so if you ever here a Fijian shouting after us “Bulla Derek and Eric/Larry and Gary…” Play along for both our sakes. In the evening we settled down with Tai and the Kavaholics to take part in a Kava ceremony– Kava being a drink that is both rich in culture as it is dirt. Since the beginning of time, Fijians have been drinking this vile concoction, which tastes like dish water. However it is seen as the ultimate insult to refuse (along with touching their heads) we settled down on the mat as ‘virgins’ and were taught the rules. Basically you have to clap once, say “bulla”, down the whole cup in one, and clap another three times. MMM! Had to sample it another 10 times before the evening was up (“Kava time!” NOOOO!) whilst the singing such Fijian classics as ‘I can see clearly now..’ and the ‘The horny toad’. Fun times! Little did we realise that Kava has the effect of making you very sleepy. Cue more snoring and drooling! WEDNESDAY – Went back into town begrudgingly, and paid for our car! Spent the evening on the beach with a bunch of people, including a 15yr old australian traveller called Tyler, who had to home the next day to go back to school! THURSDAY – Got our car! White Toyotta Corolla 1.5,air con, 4wd, V500 powered, jelly baby injected fuel, side impact roller skates, 5 gears plus warpspeed and a little switch to open the boot and fuel cap! The ROAD TRIP began! 2 hrs later we left once we decided who should drive first. Stopped off at random beach for a morning dip, then hit the open road again! We were like the original easy riders… well more like max and paddy, or Bill and Ted. Stopped off at the Beach House for the night. They didn’t have any rooms left however, so we got a tent! Warning: Never attempt to put a giant size mosquito net up in 2 midget tent, in the dark, after a couple of beers. I ended up waking up with more bites than ever, whereas Andy woke up in the car with natives (dustmen) peering through his window! FRIDAY – Spent the day lazing about in the hammocks, looking out over the beach! Ruined by the tropical storm, which caused a power cut, so spent the evening playing cards by candle light in the bar with a slightly crazy canadian girl. Thankfully had had the common sense in the morning to check into one of the dormitories, even more so now as along with the rain came a plague of frogs! SATURDAY – Drove onto Pacific Harbour and came across a very nice café, surrounded by a river and a selection of up-market souvenir shops. Decided to stop here for the nite, so set about finding a place, which wasn’t hard. The place was deserted, nobody apart from a few locals were to be seen. Settled for a nice hostel, that had the best pool we’ve seen (even had lines on the bottom – gramps). There was a huge pile of rocks from which to jump off. Cue much belly flopping (andy!), and a failed backwards flip (matt) that would have put Oli to shame. No offence! Decided, stupidly, to go kayaking, and promptly fell into the muddy, newt filled river – initial fear quickly became manic laughter, which just as quick turned back to fear, as we drifted fast down stream, watching our paddles and flip flops moving away. Thankfully the locals were onhand – to laugh and point at the stupid tourists! That evening once we had made it back, we spent it back in the pool cleaning ourselves and staring up at the perfectly clear night sky. SUNDAY – Arrived at raintreelodge, to another empty room. 25 beds and not a single one taken. So we did the normal thing, and pulled 2 each together with another couple to pile all our stuff on. Watched the rugby 7’s (the Biggest thing in Fiji, period.) Fiji beat us in the semis much to our disapointment, before going on the thrash the All Blacks to win it. As a prize, they got a trophy no biggger than the ones Andy and I remember winning in primary school, for coming last in the egg and spoon race. They also got to split the prizefund of 3500 pounds, between the whole team+subs. However in Fiji, a public holiday was declared, which means only one thing – Party! Little did we know it, but it would be a while before we actually felt like celebrating. MONDAY – Went into Suva – the capital. Think Redhill/Kavos minus Burberry, and KFC. Didn’t do/see anything that’s worth mentioning. Strange place. However we did buy a big tub of Cadbury’s chocolate and caramel ice cream which we scoffed that night! You have no idea how big a thing this was! And we’re only 3 weeks into our travels! TUESDAY – Woke up full of energy and hope – the sun was shining after a heavy night of rain, and we had decided the night before to brave the rainforest in search of the illusive pools and waterfalls. A long drive down a dirt road (in such a way as to make Colin McCrae himself jealous!) We found ourselves on a well marked track with sign posts to where it all was. The first pool and the waterfalls were pretty spectacular, and we spent ages swimming in the cool clear water, soaking up the atmosphere. Little did we know that disaster was to befall us. The lower pools were the last attraction, and they turned out to be worth the wait! Surrounded by giant pine trees, sat a really deep, perfectly round natural pool, the water gently lapping at the edges. We gazed out in wonder from where we stood 20ft up; our eyes finally falling on the rope swing that hung down in front of us. Quick as a flash, we chucked our bags down to the pool, before I, followed quickly by Andy, swung outwards, before plunging down into the depths below. When we came up to the surface however, the atmosphere had changed; the sun was still shining, and the birds were still singing in the trees, and yet something was amiss. Then our eyes fell upon the spot where had bags had been. The rest of the day is a blur – if we weren’t on the phone back home, we were at the police station, trying yet failing to explain what a digital camera and an Ipod were to the local bobby. He wrote it all down on his tiny table that was taken up with a king sized Kava bowl. (“MP3? Digital? Computer? No its called an Apple Ipod, not apple pop…” WEDNESDAY – Woke up with a feeling not to dissimilar from a hangover. Once we came to, and realised it wasn’t a bad dream, we just wanted to go back to bed. However we had people to see and places to go, Story of our lives! Spent the next couple of days, driving about between the embassy (andy lost all his travel documents, including passport) and other places trying to get it all sorted. One phrase you will hear more than anything in Fiji is ‘Fiji time’. Believe us, it does exist at least to the average fijian who uses it an excuse to be bone idle. Great for relaxing on the beach, useless for getting important things done quickly. To add insult to injury; as we had lost our car keys too, the car company kindly gave us a big bill for the locks to be changed and a replacement Nissan Micra (Again, no offence Oli!) Spent Friday evening drinking in Suva, with a nice bunch of lads from manchester, who as chance would have it, shared our room in LA, and were now staying in our room at Raintree Lodge. The rugby celebrations were still in full swing, and a good night was had by all…I think. SATURDAY – Andy drove the whole way home, as I was feeling slightly worse for wear. I blame the stress of the previous few days! Offered a lift to a slightly crazy couple (She was a teacher from the US whose life ambition was to own a big pig; whereas He… well.. He was just strange!) It’s a miracle we made it back – 4 backpackers, plus 4 whooping big bags all crammed in a car the size of a nutshell (I know I cant talk!) trying to negotiate the windy, hilly roads back to Nadi. Even buses overtook us! However we did make it back, and straight away set about booking a trip to our paradise island. SUNDAY - After surviving the bumpiest minibus journey ever, we then boarded a boat that would take us across to the island of Nananu I Ra. The next 6 days seemed to blend into one. Our dormitory there was modest, but it is the kitchen that we will remember. It was terrible! We had decided to cook when we could to save costs, so before we left we stocked up on the essentials – eggs, bread, pasta,2 minute noodles and most importantly, beer. However there was only one crummy fridge, that reeked of fish, which either stopped working, or froze everything. And to top it all off, there were bugs everywhere and someone had left something to go incredibly mouldy on top of the cupboards. On the plus side though – the beach was amazing; clean white sand and clear blue sea. We also met a great bunch of people, from all over the world; Connor (Ireland), Michel (Israel), and most importantly Laura and Celia (North London), to name a few. Also met some not so nice people, but they deserve a mention none the less; Hairy Mclary, the two German guys who ate our food (the stuff that was left after Laura and Celia had their share that is) and our favorite, Sam the ‘Triangle’, who turned out to be a bit of a ‘harmonica’. Our basic day went like this – get up lunchtime (or in celia’s case, nearer dinner) Slap on the suntan lotion, grab book, head down to beach. Spend day lying on beach, and occasionally swim, before heading back for dinner (Cooked ourselves – not one of the highpoints- I blame the facilities!) Some days however went same as above, except we plucked up the energy to go for a gentle Kayak. Even made it to one of the other beaches. After dinner though, we spruced ourselves up; or at least tried to, very hard when the water in the showers has difficulty making it up the pipes, never mind onto you. Once we were ready we headed up to Nananu ‘nightclub’! They use the word ‘nightclub’ very loosely in Fiji! Somewhere where they play music or some sort, and happen to sell drink, sometimes of the alcoholic kind best sums it up. Warning for the lads – never use the line “Im a guiness word record holder for the most number of people doing the macarena’ as a way of impressing the female of the species. Even when the songs actually playing and you attempt to rectify by saying you did it to raise money for sick kiddies and starving puppies; the look Laura gave me said it all. Andy didn’t fair much better; after spending $10 to ‘party’ on the boat, where they promised beer would be provided, Andy decided he was more of a land lubber, and promptly wasted his dinner over the starboard side. Again; out came the looks from the women ( I wasn’t sure this time though if it was the same, or one of equal discomfort at being stranded at sea on a little fishing boat surrounded by bait, with tidal waves all around.) All was not lost though: the last nights were some of the best we’ve had since leaving home. Always a problem when the hostel runs a tab system at the bar however. Oh, whilst I remember, if you ever feel tired and achy after sport, or you are not playing to your true potential, then drink ‘Fiji Bitter’, the Sportsman’s beer! The advert is similar to one back home…for lucozade! It features Fijis sports stars partaking in numerous sports, yet they all have the common link, they all drink fiji bitter, what appears to be during their game. Might work, we were too lazy to do anything much. We did learn some great new drinking games though, the ‘instrument game’ being our favourite, which we’ll teach you all when/if we ever come back home. Also learnt some cool magic tricks (Thanks Bruce!), which I hasten to add do impress the women! Like all good things, it had to come to an end, and it seemed fitting that on the way back from the Island we got caught in the worst rain storm, after 6 days of perfect sunshine. We spent our last days in Horizon once more, where we ate more pizza. This time we were joined by Laura and Celia, and also Danny. Yet another nice northerner, again whom we also met in LA; Danny was working in our hostel after he had all his stuff stolen in Vegas (so we’re not the only ones!) We managed to catch a fire dancing show which was pretty cool, and also managed to finish every last drop of remaining alcohol we had left. If you are still reading this far, my apologies for writing so much. Hope certain bits kept you entertained, and please, all keep leaving messages on our message board. Its great to hear from so many of you, so keep them coming. All in all, Fiji was great, bad bits aside, we can take with us plenty of great memories! Hope all is ok whichever part of the world you are reading this in, that’s it for now, until New Zealand! p.s. Photos will be updated as soon as we get our cameras sorted and can find a computer with the right bits.