Bula from Fiji!

So Fiji is absolutely gorgeous it is like being in paradise. we spent the 1st 3 day in a place called Smuggler's Cove which is near Nadi airport where we arrived. It is set right on the beach front and has it's own swimming pool along with hammocks and kayaks. The 1st day we had a lazy day round the pool and the beach and took the kayaks out! It was very amusing, Carol and I went in one and Matt and Mark in the other needless to say there were a few times when we capsized!! Carol then went in with Mark and they were in the water more times than in the kayak!!!

The sun sets very early in Fiji as we are in the middle of their winter. However the winters are described as tropical winters therefore the temperature is a little cooler than summer (wouldn't like to be here in summer then!!) and drier. Its quite odd as the sun sets at around 6 o clock which is hard to get used to as it is so hot!

On Thursday we got up early to go to the airport to change some of our flights and sort out car hire for the weekend. Carol will be flying back from Sydney 7th September and me 5th March from Shanghai. We spent the rest of the day around the pool soaking up the sun. That evening there was a Fijian band playing near the beach so we went to sit with them and participated in our 1st kava ceremony. They fill a big bowl full of water and the Kava and then you take it in turns to drink a bowl full. It looks like muddy water and to be honest it doesn't taste that much better!

Friday we got the bus into Nadi which is the 2nd city of the main island of Fiji. Fiji by the way consists of 333 islands. We got the local bus down and saw the local market and then went into a Fijian handicraft centre where they welcomed us with another kava ceremony and told us a lot about the history of Fiji which was very interesting.

We headed back to Smuggler's cove and had a few drinks with a girl called Claire who was travelling on her own.

Saturday we checked out and went down to the airport to pick up our hire car named Bonny!! We drove around the whole of the main island over 2 days. We set off and drove down the Coral Coast which has some spectacular scenery of the sea. Our 1st night we stayed in a lovely resort called Mango Bay Lodge. We got there in the afternoon and unfortunately it was raining quite hard so we sat around and had a couple of drinks.

Sunday we set off and I drove to Suva, the capital of Fiji. It was a Sunday and there wasn't much open but Suva was a contrast to anywhere else we have seen as it was relatively built up. The rain then started again and we set off on our drive to Rakiraki to our 2nd nights accommodation. There is 1 main round around Fiji and the part that we had to travel on was being rebuilt. It was horrendous, little more than a dirt track covered in boulders and pot holes!! Matt drove this part of the journey and 40km took us 2.5hrs but it didn't feel like that as the Fijian people are so friendly and every person we passed waved at us from the roadside. Bonny did us proud and we arrived at our resort safely! Unfortunately it was quite late and we only had time for food before the sunset. We had a couple of drinks and played a few games before we went to bed.

Today (Monday) we got up early and started our drive back to Nadi. The drive was a lot better and I drove for the majority. We arrived back around 12pm and then got a a taxi to Smuggler's Cove where we are staying just for tonight.

Tomorrow we are getting up early and going to stay on some of the smaller island groups for 2 weeks called the Mamanuca and Yasawa islands. They are tiny islands with no real electicity or running water but have crystal clear waters and are perfect for snorkelling and scuba diving. They filmed Castaway with Tom Hanks on one and Celebrity Love Island on another!!

So its bye from theVitu Levu the main island of Fiji and we will update you when we get back from our 2 week island hopping!

Hope everyone is well

Liz & Carol

xxx