FIJI is AWESOME!

So the flight to Fiji was very pleasant as it was an over night one everyone just slept, I arrived in Fijiat 5.10 and was greeted by a lady with a seashell necklace, I was shown the way to my lift and luggage carried for me (very sweet) in the van was a Girl called Emily she was also 19 from England, couldn't believe my luck as we were both starting the same Fiji trip on the same day! We headed to Nadi bay where we had to get our vouchers for the next 12 days for the island and the boat trips, we then got chatting and got on very well. Boarded the Big Yellow Ferry which was our main use of transport in Fiji.

It was a short journey to the first island which was Bounty, this is celebrity love island was filmed! A small island with only the resort on it and the wreak of where love island was! It was only about 10 o'clock when we arrived so after dumping our stuff in the clean dorm we headed straight to the beach. It was like paradise the waters were clear blue and the beaches were white! It was so hot a swim was needed every 20 mins. Lazed around all day had lunch and dinner then headed to bed at a pathetic 8.30.

My second day in Fiji, I joined other people on a sea pray sailing boat! It was a whole day experience taking us around most islands we stopped at an island with only a village on it; to be accepted in to the village they do a cava ceremony. (Cava is a root of a plant which they dry out and crush into a powder, put it into a bag and swish it around rain water, it doesn't get you drunk, mainly relaxed) We toured the village shunti houses and tiny markets. After the ship took us to the island where castaway was filmed and this is were I jumped off the boat and attempted to snorkel to the shore. The island was volcanic so was hard to walk all the way around. When everyone got back on the boat there was a MASSIVE BBQ on the go with allsorts of fish and salad. YUM! I arrived back in time for dinner, and then once again had an early night.

Sunday the 5th I was heading off to WanaLaiLai, Unfortunately every other island Emily and I would go to different island's, but this got us talking more to other people. My new island had a village directly next to it so the villagers lived on the resort too, this was nice to get told about there culture and lifestyle. It was defiantly one of the poorer islands as the dorms were Grass huts and the toilet was 5 mins down the beach! All Good fun! Once again I did a lot of sunbathing and relaxing. I attempted to have a shower but I couldn't handle the cockroach in my face! So I ran out and didn't have another one on that island. After dinner the village children from church sang to us and the staff put on a drama about Thomas cook (he was the first white man to go to Fiji and introduce toothpaste and toilet roll ECT) There was quite a few of us young people on this island, so we stayed up chatting.

The next day Quite a few of us went on the Snorkelling trip, We all loaded up on the small motor boat and drove out for 45 mins in to the middle of nowhere, everybody jumped off the boat with there snorkelling kit on, I hesitated as I new I would panic James the 'tour guide' helped me the water and stuck me in a life jacket as I was fluttering about, he then held my hand and pulled me around the coral until I calmed down, I then went around on my own found so many colourful fish, rainbow colour neon blue and same with the coral all different colours and textures, it was out of this world!!! James then came and found me to take me to the centre where all the sharks were, he pulled one up for me to stroke it was crazy, the sharks were so tame. We headed back to the Island and a few of us went weaving with the villagers there were some ladies on the beach under a coconut tree making bracelets and rings they would start us off and we would finish it off very clever how it was made! There were small markets selling shells and bracelets. In the afternoon everyone joined in on volleyball, the Fijians are SO good at this game there violent when they get behind the ball! Hours flew by and before I knew it, it was dinner. After the Fijian lads showed us the traditional Fijian dance, fire dance and bula dance (the bula dance is kinda like the Macarena). That night it rained and did it rain! It rain so hard the half of the huts were leaking and everyone had to vacate to the otherside, including me.

The next day I was heading to Korovou island, I New I was going to meet Emily on the Boat this was nice to know we were both safe after every other island. We arrived on a large island which had 3 resorts on it. The first day there were not many people mostly couples so Emily went straight to the beach tanning it up! And 'swimming' the sea went out for a mile and a half until it reached your waist so we stayed on the shore and there were these sand colour fish which came very close to you. There were hammocks to chill out on, very relaxing! After dinner there wasn't enough people to entertain so Emily and I headed to the resort down from us, were they were playing musical statues etc, then they made a bombfire were us youngsters chilled and played.

I got woken up by the sound of drums for breakfast (most island for breakfast make this bread which is so yummy! It's almost like cake) once again Emily lazed around the beach and sunbathed, played a lot of cards and chatted with the Canadian couple we met. Dinner was disgusting the first food I didn't enjoy! After dinner there were enough people to do games with and again the bulla dance was danced! After we spoke with the Fijian People learnt a lot about there culture and how they choose if they want to go to uni or work on islands,

The last day on the island and after breakfast I tried coconut husking, the men made it look so much easier than it is lol but I now know how to survive on coconuts in the wild we also fed the fish with the bread left over from breakfast. Then had a quick dip as it was so hot! Before the boat trip to my next Island Sunrise, This was one of the worse islands. The position of the resort was on the windiest side! So you couldn't really sunbath as the sand blew up and felt like needles hitting you. I was greeted by the only two Fijian homosexuals, who were called Britney spears and Queen they took us in to there home and fed us lol, there were about 5 other people on that resort include a girl called Nicole, she's so mad I hope to meet up with her in oz! We all took a stroll up to the Tea house, it was like our café, it sold chocolate cake, banana cake and tea and coffee. It was in the middle of the beach….. Very strange. That evening we all sat around the table and introduced yourself then Queen and Britney performed a dance for us well a couple actually. We all wanted to try this mysterious CAVA so we all chipped in and got a couple of bags. You sit in a circle on the floor with Queen behind the cava bowl mixing it up. He then has to say a couple of words to thank god and then its passed around by the spokes person the right of him, before you drink it you have to clap once and say bulla, then neck the whole cupful. It didn't make my lips and tongues go numb like it's meant to; I just thought it tasted rank! So Nicole and I went to bed as she didn't like it either. Unfortunately as it was so windy our beds were damp and sticky from the sea spray and mine was covered in ants but, it's all for the experience……..right??!

The next day I went off to a Cave trip, luckily there was another couple in the boat with me so I didn't feel alone. The boat trip was very similar to a rollercoaster very bumpy for an hour. The cave was on a very small island made up of volcanic rock. I climbed up these very stony stairs and then into the cave and down the steps, there was a 'ledge' you could leave your stuff on and then you had to jump in, it was sooo cold! The first part of the cave was open topped, then you had to go underwater to get to the other cave, you popped up in a cold dark huge cave! The floor was lit up (not sure why) whilst we were in there the tour man told us how religious the caves were all over the island but the one we were in was only for tourists. We didn't stay long in the dark cave as you had to treed water, on the other side in the light cave we explored the cave but there wasn't much to see just the water lice biting you. So when we arrived back on the island lunch was made for us and then I simply sunbathed more until dinner! As today was Independence Day, they cooked the food in an under ground oven, it made the meat so tender and yummy! It was cooked with vegetables and potatoes; there was only me and the couple for dinner as everyone had left earlier that day. So a couple of card games were played then bed! L

Finally 11th October it was my last day on Sunrise, I was looking forward to breakfast as the chef cooked the most amazing scone like bread I stocked up on 5 J the taxi boat arrived at midday, I met Emily on the boat, we were both heading for the rich island Manta Ray. It was meant to be an over night cruse but with it being Independence Day it wasn't on, but we weren't complaining as we had heard good thing about this island. Once again was greeted by singing and a guitar, this island was owned by an Oz bloke so it wasn't really like all the other islands, the dorms were fresh white lining and the bunk bed were hidden away in fours, you can see it in the pics. Manta Ray was well known for its snorkelling, so the first thing we did was hiring out snorkels and gets stuck in, I FOUND NEMO! And bright blue star fish, strange feeling coral and a sea snake, I think I saw every tropical fish there is, it was just beautiful! The showers were very clean and warm so it was good to want to shower! The dining hall was massive it was made up of wooden floor, wooden tables, a very expensive building. After dinner there was coconut cracking with human hands! But only the Fijian lad could actually do it.

Emily and I only spent one day at manta ray which was ok with me as apart from snorkelling there wasn't much to do, so the next day we got up and went for one last snorkel and then got straight on to the taxi boat which took us to the ferry, we had a 3 hours journey back down south to one of the first island Beach comber! The party island! When we arrived there we knew straight away we were gona have to party! The dorms for this Island were an 84 bunked dorm it had no walls as it got so hot. The shower rooms was like a changing room you'd get at the swimming pool. There was a massive club looking place which had seats upstairs and the bar downstairs with the live band and dance floor. There was a separate eating place which could din for hundreds of people. Emily and I arrived around 5 o'clock so we got showered and played some card before dinner. Everyone pre ordered there drinks in happy hour, so I followed and did the same lol. The partying and dancing went on until 3 in the morning. The next day I packed my bag as I was leaving the next day, I stayed in the shade as the sunbathing had caught up with me and burnt me (It was bound to happen). Everyone was hangover so not many people could handle the sun so we chatted, played cards and listened to music, life is sweet! After dinner the drinking and dancing began. A load of us ended up going for a midnight swim (2am swim) to a boat tied up, I couldn't believe how warm the water was!

The last day in Fiji L the sun wasn't out and sea was ruff. The boat came at 11 o'clock so soon after breakfast everyone said there goodbyes and went there separate ways, Will, Emily and I Had a 30 mins boat trip back to Nadi bay were it all started. Emily had 2 more days until her flight and Will and I headed straight to the airport. It was sad to say goodbye to Emily, but it shows how many people are out there to meet! Ill be seeing her in Auckland for another goodbye at xmas time.

My flight wasn't until 7.30 that night so we got pizza and chilled out for a while in the airport, Will found a fellow traveller and we all chatted so the day went fast. My flight was called and I was off to the next destination NEWZEALAND!