Fiji - via Nadi, Waya Lailai, Coral View, and Oarsman's Bay 7th May - 13th May

After a 3 hour plane journey we arrived in Fiji and out the window there was nothing but green, the tropical haven that Fiji boasts was clear from that very first moment. On landing the first beam of sun glared through the small port hole window filling us with excitement. As we disembarked we were greeted by the locals all sporting the latest worldwide fashion accessory… a face mask before we entered into what became known as 'Fiji time'. Whilst waiting for the shuttle we soon found out how laid back the country was. The bus we needed to catch turned up but was soon full leaving six of us pondering our fate. The guy who was looking after us took us over to his car, a spacious 3 door, and attempted to fit us and our luggage in. After a while he discovered what we had all politely said to him from the start and he then gave up. Myself and Rachel were then the lucky two who did not take the ride, thankfully as I had a feeling it would be like a taxi in Tenerife with the addition of being overfull. We waited and managed to catch another bus to our resort, where we enjoyed a spacious room, and a seriously good dinner of Calamari, a fish soup mix, there is a fancy name for it but… and fresh prawns. With the excwption of tansport this leg of our journey had begun well and come morning we would be sailing off into the tropical paradise of the Yasawa Islands.

As the sun came up we were up early to grab our complimentary breakfast before being ushered onto the waiting bus to take us to the port. Lucky for us our resort was the last stop so we were heading straight there without stops. The bus passed through a number of Fijian villages, all of which reminded me of Egyptian life, with run down shacks for shelter and each house with its own pet goat on display. As we arrived at the port we booked in and climbed aboard the Yasawa Flyer. I sat and chatted to one of the local dive instructors while Rachel soaked up the sun. Our first stop was to be Waya Lailai but on route The Flyer called at a number of islands. The first set of islands, where the small water taxi's picked people up from our boat, were tiny and barely above sea level. Our plan was to finish on one of these tropical islands. After around two hours we arrived at our stop of Waya Lailai, an eco-haven which over here stands a family run island on which Fijian life is lived its way and where hildren would run about in between school hours, men would work on the land and the women would care for their babies. The captain called us down so we made our way down stairs and across onto a smaller boat which bobbed across to the island. We were ushered onto shore and as we all made our way through the water to shore the local villagers greeted us with a loud shout of 'Bula', which means all sorts, welcome, hello etc. After a brief run down on meal times we were shown to our room which was a great little beach side hut with a clean double bed and a bathroom, sort of. Our toilet and shower were pretty much on top of each other and the water was pretty cold for a hot island but remembering the campervan we were happy. After a quick scout about we made our way to lunch which consisted of a noodle stir fry with rice, not a bad start I thought. After lunch we soon settled into the Fijian lifestyle of lazing about letting the day pass in the blink of an eye. The first rays were caught, our books were well used and our stomachs had started to rumble once more.

As the evening drew in we watched the sun descend behind the hills and made our way to dinner. The dining area was situated at the far end of the resort overlooking the ocean, it had a small bar and lounge inside with a TV. The balcony outside gave a great view of the moon rising signaling the start of the night and the waves crashed beneath us over the coral reefs, fantastic. The food was served buffet style but did lack the punch I had hoped for, and if I'm honest I can't really remember what we ate, rice I know oh and freshly baked bread, now that's something these guys are good at. After dinner we were treated to a performance by the locals, they danced for much of the night, performing their weather dance, "not the sort of thing you want really…rain no thank you but still a great watch all the same", and the informous ace fire dance. As we enjoyed the show the local kids all snuck out of their homes and gradually joined us by running through the bushes much to their parent's vigour. After the show many people hit the sack including us so as to be ready for a day of doing, well nothing.

The next day we did exactly that, we enjoyed pancakes for breakfast and spent much of the day on the beach. Both of us were pretty tired by this point as during the night we had both woke to the sound of rustling and as I turned and shone the torch we caught a mouse red handed munching through the side of Rachel's bag. To say she was not happy would quite frankly be an understatement. While Rachel lay on the beach I took a stroll up towards the village where I watched the kids enjoying a day off from school and playing volleyball before moving on and having a quick scout at the local art and craft. The sun was not always out and cloud did eventually turn out the lights as the day wore on but the warmth did not fade at all. After a day of tanning we headed back in for a shower before dinner and with our first island almost complete the next day we would move on to see what else Fiji would have to offer.

After a morning of laying in a hammock witing for the boat we were called for boarding. We jumped back onto the little fishing boat and said our goodbyes as it pulled away to take us back to The Flyer. Our next stop would be Coral View, situated on the top of the Yasawa's. On the boat we met back up with James and George from New Zealand who had spent 2 weeks in Fiji at Tribes and even though they were now off to different islands to us it was still good to catch up on their recent antics. As we arrived at our bay the smaller taxi boat collected us to take us into Coral View. It was packed and in actual fact they needed two boats to fit us all in. After checking in we ate a soapy hot dog before being taken to our bure. In our little garden we had a Banana tree but unfortunately they were still green so we could not snack on them just yet. The afternoon passed quickly as after a brief look around we laid back and sunbathed for the short time the sun was out before having a shower and getting ready for dinner. As I laid on the bed watching Rachel go through the vigorous process so many women go through when showering I had a little surprise from one of the local residents. On my lap sat a tiny piece of mouse poo, lovely I thought, as I heard him scurry off. I reluctantly told Rachel the news which was greeted with the expected shriek.

Dinner was ok, nothing special but bearable although the entertainment after though was very good. With it being a Sunday we had the local children from Sunday school come and perform a few songs for us which was good to see and apparently it was their first visit to this resort. The youngest kid of only 4 was a comedy act on his own as he tried to push over all the other kids that were singing until eventually he picked on the wrong girl who subsequently belted him to the floor. All the lads in the room could not control their laughter while all the girls let out a chorus of "awe." I tried to grab the camera to film it but Rachel told me off for encouraging him. After a few drinks many hit the sack and the locals seemed reluctant to get involved, mainly due to it being mother's day, so we headed for bed. I spent most of the night being woken up by a torch light being beamed around the room by Rachel in search for the mouse.

The next day the weather was average once more with plenty of cloud first thing. After breakfast we booked to kayak over to the Blue Lagoon, a famous snorkeling spot, in the afternoon before lazing about for the morning. Then things went a bit pear shaped, the Cairo Trots, the Bangkok Belly and now the Fiji Runs had hit Rachel. Typical she shouted, whenever I want to sun bath I spend half the day on the toilet, lovely I replied, knowing that my turn could not be far away. As the day wore on we both relaxed on sun lounges on the grass overlooking the sea. Here the beach is nonexistent as the coral comes right in to shore but in today's situation I said the lack of sand in the bum must be more comfortable for you Rachel, if looks could kill. After lunch we headed out on the Kayaks with the snorkels in hand and what a mission this would turn out to be. The current and the wind was against us so we paddled hard but seem to get nowhere. Some did better than others, Rachel brought up the tail with the guide trying to encourage her along and I drifted in places waiting for her like a noble boyfriend. I eventually wound her up too much and as she swore across the water at me the guide gave her a stern ticking off before attaching her to his kayak and paddling for them both. I burst into laughter almost falling out the Kayak. Rachel giggled behind as if she had been ticked off in school and then the boat arrived and picked her up to take her to the lagoon. Much to my horror at this point I then realised I had to make up alot of ground to catch the others and after about an hour of paddling I arrived shattered and thirsty. I met back with Rachel and we had a brief snorkel over the coral but the tide made things hard. We then jumped back in the Kayaks and had a much easier ride back with the current. "Never again" Rachel shouted and I seemed to reacll the same thing being shouted in Noosa, Australia. On arrival back Rachel headed to the room and I climbed to the summit on the island to watch the sun set with a couple of girls we had met on the Kayaks. The climb was steep through vegetation taller than me and I was in bare feet. Eventually we made it to the top and watched as the sun seemed to crash into the sea turning the sky red like fire and leaving the impression that a hot day would follow.

After showering we made our way to dinner where once again we had a really average feed, I thought by the time I'm done I'll be skin and bones. However, after dinner the games started, first with two coins where we guessed the outcome would be last man standing wins a drink so obviously we got involved. I made it down to the last three once but failed at the final hurdle, whereas Rachel, clearly not into gambling, failed every time. Next was Limbo, what a state we looked. I was hoping the insurance would cover the damages caused by such a flexible game, unfortunately not it turns out as I all but snapped my arm as I fell to the floor. After the games we met with a group, three of whom we had met at the airport in the car incident. We spent the night with them, playing Uno of all games which of course is an old favorite of mine from years back. I chatted about football to the lads and Rachel enjoyed some female company, a good end to an eventful day.

As the sun came up on our last day in Coral View we wasted no time in getting out in to it so after dumping our bags in reception we laid out in our first clear day on the trip. Lathered up with sun cream we watched our pores sweat and our skin bronze before setting off to our next destination of Oarsman's, a premium resort. As the boat rocked out to The Flyer the sun beamed down leaving everyone feeling a little scorched. We climbed onto the big boat and it seemed only minutes before we hoped back off to our connecting Oarsman's transfer. This time we were the only ones, which painted a picture of a secluded paradise for the next couple of days. As the boat pulled in the pictures we had seen in the brochure completely did the place justice, the water was like a crystal maze of blues that was enshrined with a mosaic of white and gold sand. After a proper lunch of sweet and sour fish on a bed of rice we checked in to our spacious room on the beach front, where we even had a hot shower. After a quick mess around in the water we sat on the beach chatting to some people who had already been here a few days. After crashing out for about an hour the temperature finally started to cool. As Rachel headed in for a wash I stayed and watched the sun decend into the sea again whilst finishing off our blog for New Zealand, a place that now seemed so long ago.

After showering we headed for dinner. The table was laid perfectly and with only about 16 guests they had placed us all on one table so everyone could chat. Dinner was perfect, 3 courses of soup, roast chicken and a doughnut covered in jam and Paya, wow I thought, finally I feel like I have eaten. We all stayed around the table chatting and I met an Aussie lad who had worked for a year in Ipswich of all places, and get this he even went and watched Ipswich v Norwich - Destruction Derby… how random. As the evening wore on I discussed American politics with an American lad, funny to say the least, before Rachel eventually persuaded me in to head to bed. The next day the weather was rubbish, cloud covered the sky for much of the day with rain drifting in briefly. I spent the morning in the sea snorkeling around the reef, which I have to say was as good as Egypt, the colours and quantity of fish was phenomenal. Rachel joined me and we cruised up the reef watching as the fish went about their daily lives although I got slightly too close to one which decided it would try its luck in biting me. Obviously I panicked and swam hard and fast away. We even got to see a reef snake, black and white in colour and apparently one of the world's most deadliest snakes; thankfully I found that out after we had watched him float past us. After jumping out to dry the weather stayed the same with drizzle and grayness so after playing cards briefly we enjoyed afternoon tea of cake and coffee before I suffered the same fate Rachel had back in Coral View, Chronic Irrigation for free I said. Then we had a brilliant idea, we decided to pick a coconut and open it… with a pair of nail scissors. The coconut was green and the outer layer was about an inch and a half thick, my fingers were red raw by the end of it, but we made it and the flesh and milk was worth the effort, nothing like the crap we end up with in the UK, this was delicious.

Dinner was again superb, a BBQ but this time for obvious reasons I was not quite as hungry as before. We enjoyed fried coconut, served like chips, a cracking bar snack before spending the evening on Kava with the locals singing to us. Kava is their local weed basically and is a root plant which they have every so often. They bash it in a dirty sock and then add rain water to it and apparently after about 20 cup you feel like air. I had three and decided the taste of mud was not for me, but the evening was great all the same, seeing their way of life in full, as they joked and sang long in to the night.

On our final day in Oarsman's we followed the previous days routine, but this time with sun. I snorkeled around the reef for much of the morning before catching some sun and I did take a walk around the island only to have to run back as nature called incontinently. Rachel moved from where she was laying as she noticed a tree with about 14 large, not enormous, spiders. I also headed out in a kayak on the peaceful waters of the Yasawa's. Fish jumped out of the water all around me as I chatted to a lad who actually knew Chris and Charlotte from Australia and then the lunch bell rang. We paddled back to shore before we knew it we'd had lunch and were heading back out to The Flyer. We had not made our minds up where to stop next so it would be a snap decision on the boat but we could not help but feel it would not be as luxurious as where we had just left.