We had an early start this morning, getting to breakfast at around 7. Turns out the breakfast at smugglers cove is complimentary so we missed out yesterday but never mind! The coach picked us up at around 8:15 and we had a few more pick ups before starting the day. Turns out Annie and Alex, who were both on our Contiki in New Zealand, are on the same trip as us which is awesome! Always nice to see a familiar face! There are ten of us in total, I nice change from the 49 on Contiki! Most of us are English, but there's one girl from the Netherlands and two ladies from Japan who are over 70! Our tour guide is called Linga and he is super knowledgeable, giving us facts about pretty much anywhere we go!
Our first stop was in Nadi centre, it's much better now all the shops are open! I'd already got water and a sarong so I didn't need to get anything there, so I just followed the others around!
We then had a drive to get to the dock for our boat that would take us to Robinson Crusoe Island. The boat journey was about half an hour and took us down the river and out to the sea. I fell in love with the island from the first glimpse, it is the epitome of paradise.
We made our way off the boat and checked in, we were staying in a dorm that was basic but no problems other than it was rather hot!
Our first activity of the day was basically how to survive off a coconut! We were split in to teams and shown how to husk? the coconut to get it out of its whatever, how to crack it, scrape the flesh and milk the flesh! Fresh coconut is so delicious! We were then shown a traditional meal; crackers, coconut milk and sugar - the Fijians often eat it if it's a super hot day and they don't feel like eating much. It basically tastes like cereal and is pretty good!
After we finished this, there was a demonstration of weaving the coconut tree leaves. One of the guys showed us how to make a basket and then we helped a few of us make a fish... I'm quite proud of mine!
As we were finishing off weaving, someone banged the drum, signalling it was time for lunch. It was a BBQ style lunch with fish, burgers and chicken as well as salads. Super delicious!
After a while, a few of us went snorkelling. We got the boat out to a coral reef to have a look at the marine life there. I was snorkelling super confidently at the front having a great time... until the guide grabbed my hand and dragged me under the water to show me something, resulting in me breathing in heaps of water and setting me into panic mode! It took me a while to calm down, but one of the other guides helped me out and eventually got me a life jacket and I was grand after that! I managed to find Nemo and Dory as well as seeing a stingray and a lion fish which was pretty spectacular! My GoPro pictures don't really do it justice, and see if you can spot the stingray!
When we got back, it was time for the hermit crab race after popping to the other side of the island (literally takes 2 minutes) to see the giant turtle, which was an experience I won't forget! There was such a sweet family staying on the island as well, with 2 young girls so it was amazing to see their faces! We went back to the 'arena' drawn in the sand. I went for crab number 3, but sadly didn't win anything!
Some of the other visitors on the island had been crabbing earlier on in the day, so one of the ladies had made a traditional crab dish for us to try. Surprisingly I actually quite liked it (mainly because It pretty much tasted like coconut and salt!), Fiji seems to be converting me to seafood!
It was then time to say goodbye to the day visitors and then having some free time before dinner. I attempted paddle boarding... attempted being the main? word! I didn't fall in though! We were using kayak paddles to paddle which was off and my balance is terrible on land let alone standing up in the water! But I'll definitely try it again (and not on a board that says 'do not use' haha). I then went kayaking for a bit before showering and getting changed for dinner.
I was the first one ready before dinner, and he evening guests to the island had already arrived. Linga was desperately trying to save us tables! They had already started the Kava ceremony and I was super curious as to what Kava tasted like. It pretty much looks and tastes like muddy water and makes your lips and tongue go numb!
We then all went down to the beach front for the sunset bonfire with a little sing along which was super cute. I still can't get over how beautiful the island is!
Dinner was cooked in the traditional Lovo style, same as the New Zealand Hangi. When they were showing us where the food was cooked, two members of staff walked on the hot rocks. Food was beef, chicken and fish with potatoes, veg and gravy and it was the tenderest most delicious beef I have ever tasted!
After food it was time for the show. It similar to the one we saw yesterday, expect there were a lot more male dancers. It was amazing! Couldn't take my eyes off the dancers! They also finished with a fire show in the sea and they span their fire sticks? so fast that they sparked off like fireworks and the whole place lit up. Incredible.
After the show, the evening guests departed and we stood with the islanders to see them off. We then had more Kava and danced for a bit before heading off to bed. It's been such a jam packed day!
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