(Long Beach, Matacawalevu Island)
We were booked onto an Awesome Adventures 12 day Island hopping tour which would see us staying on six islands for two nights each.
All accommodation, meals and boats were included which meant that next to no money would be needed. By this point, with our funds basically run dry, this suited us nicely. We knew that the accommodation would be fairly basic but we were looking forward to the experience. We just had to get there from Auckland, New Zealand…
…It’s All Just A Little Bit of History Repeating
We had been kicked off of our direct flight from Brisbane to Queenstown and made to fly via Auckland for an awkward overnight stop after an 11 hour wait in Brisbane airport. It was quite stressful.
Fast forward two weeks. We’d had the best time in New Zealand and were so sad to be leaving. We arrived at Auckland airport late at night for our 2am flight to Fiji but were stopped in our tracks.
“Unfortunately, your flight has been rescheduled for 11am.”
(No explanation offered and replied that he had “no idea why” when asked)
“Right, but we have to be on a boat for our island hopping tour which departs at 8:30am…”
“… Unfortunately, that won’t be happening.”
We were livid. Our boat in Fiji was leaving two and a half hours before our new flight from Auckland was even taking off. It was the middle of the night and the tour office wasn’t open so we couldn’t speak to anyone…desperate for some positive action I called my old work, Round the World Experts (where I booked my tour) and got through to my girl, Jenni. She got right on it and both her and her lovely boyfriend Theo stayed behind late so that they could speak to the tour company as soon as it opened to figure out our options. Angels.
We ended up missing the first day of our tour, having to book accommodation we hadn’t accounted for that night, and catching our 8:30am boat a day later than planned. Not the end of the world.
That’s what you’ve got to remember in these situations that could totally fuck you off and send you into an all consuming rage at the airline staff… It’s not the end of the world and there is always a solution. By the time we got to our complimentary airport hotel that night, we were tired but over it.
When we stepped off of the plane in Fiji 10 hours later than planned, we were greeted by the gorgeous sounds of guitars and ukuleles. This beaut welcoming band played us through arrivals.
I jiggled around and instantly felt 50% happier (I had just finished watching the Bear Grylls episode with Zac Efron on the plane- I was already pretty damned happy).
Every Fijian that we encountered greeted us with “Bula!” (hello) and a big smile. You know what? It just makes you smile right back.
We headed to Wasawasa Road which backs onto the beach and is home to about seven hostels, to check into Bamboo Travellers for one night. I had never felt so welcomed anywhere. Smiles, Bulas and handshakes all over the shop!
We were hanging out when one of the guys who works there (I mean I think he does… He sat around greeting people, playing the guitar, smoking and carrying bags to dorms) offered us some Kava. He explained that it’s a root mixed with water and the locals drink it every night.
You clap, say “Bula”, drink it down in one and then clap three times in respect for the Chief (traditionally). Unable to control my manners, my face betrayed that it just wasn’t for me.
It tasted like dirt. But hey, when in Fiji!
The rest of the night was spent chilling out in a hammock and listening to the guys playing guitars and harmonising. I dare you to feel stressed here.
Bounty Island (Mamanuca Island Group)
Great for: It’s water trampoline, constant background music and delicious hearty home cooked food.
It was finally time to begin our tour. We caught the transfer bus from our hostel to Port Denerau and checked in for our big yellow boat, the Yasawa Flyer. We queued in the pouring rain and a lovely gentleman offered us shelter under his big umbrella. Another example of how wonderful the people are in Fiji… Can you imagine anyone in London offering you shelter under their umbrella? Hells no.
Within the hour we had arrived at Bounty Island, a tiny island that you can walk round in 30 minutes with just the one place to stay.
The rain might have been coming down hard, but we learnt to deal with that shit in monsoon season in Thailand and we were determined to enjoy our first day. No one and nothing could have kept us away from the water trampoline.
More.. https://leanglo.wordpress.com/2015/01/22/fiji-island-hopping-this-could-be-para-para-paradise/
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