Beachcomber Island and back to a Nadi: Bula Combo Pass

Thursday 9th March 2017

After breakfast this morning we checked out and got to choose which boat we were getting which was a luxury! We opted for the 5pm so we could spend a full day on Beachcomber.

I walked around the island, it literally took 5 minutes! I came back around to the beach and I thought it was a different part of the resort, until I recognised the bar! It's crazy how small it is, but it's so beautiful.

We chilled out on the beach this morning, there wasn't that many people there so there was loads of space. Emma and I thought lunch was earlier than it was so we went back to our towels to carry on sun bathing, but mine had gone! I don't think it could've been the wind, as no one else's towels and moved, but I have no idea why someone would want my stinky towel!! I was going to throw it away before I left anyway so I'm not overly fussed!

After lunch we did another snorkel trip. I didn't bring my GoPro this time but I wish we did! There were heaps of fish and we fed them bread so more and more kept coming. The parrotfish are definitely my favourite, the vibrant colours on them are amazing.

We had a couple of hours of just chilling before we got the boat back to the Viti Levu. It was just under 45 minutes before we got back to Port Denarau and I have to say I was pretty sad to leave the islands behind!

Our transfer didn't take long, and we were back at Smugglers Cove again. Some of the staff recognised us and made a point of talking to us which was so nice! We were both knackered though so we grabbed food before going to bed early.

Drawaqa Island and Wayalailai Island: Bula Combo Pass

Wednesday 8th March 2017

Checkout from Barefoot Manta today, it's been nice here but so flipping expensive compared to the other islands we've been at!  Although we managed to blag all our meals free as the boys we saw yesterday said they had an offer from the boat so we just said we were told that too so we saved $168 on food. I was sad this morning as the donuts had flies all over them so they were taken away!

We grabbed our bags and went to check out, but they had lost signal on the card machine so we had to wait. We left our stuff at reception and went to get a kayak, as I had won a free ride from the crab race the other day.

Getting out on the water really showed how beautiful the coral reef is around this island. There were so many fish and I've never seen so many starfishes before in my life! I attempted to get some photos from my GoPro but I had no inclination as to how they would turn out when I was taking them, but some of them turned out ok!

 

Our plan was to then go and chill on the beach for a bit but then, shock, it started to rain again! (I'm definitely coming back to Fiji outside of the wet season!!) So we stayed in the main building waiting for it to pass over, and after a while I went out to sunbathe on the beach againnever last as long as I do in England sunbathing a sits so flipping hot! I stayed closer to the rocks at the end of the beach and there was a fish swimming around aimlessly, I don't think that fish was well! He was beautiful though.

We then bumped in to some others and Chris let Emma and I borrow the snorkel he hired out. It's so amazing that you can swim out for less than 30 seconds and be surrounded by beautiful fish and corals.

Time went by pretty quickly and then it was lunch time - I can't wait to start eating meals on my own time again! After lunch we only had about an hour before getting our boat, so I went for a walk around sunset beach and  then chilled out for a bit waiting for our transfer. The weather was much better than the last time we got the boat, that's for sure. Although it still felt like we were riding a rollercoaster - they don't call it the Yasawas flyer for nothing!

Waylailai island is awesome, the rock formations around here are something else. We were a little cheeky and asked if there were any free room upgrades, so instead of sleeping in the dorm we've got our own bule which is nice! Although the bathroom stinks and there's no electricity so that's a downer but we'll live!

We went for a dip in the ocean, it was refreshing but there is seaweed everywhere, the beaches are much nicer at oarsman bay and Barefoot Manta! The sun went in so we went and got ready early (what a shock). We get an afternoon tea here which is really exciting for us! (Turns out it was just tea and crackers, less exciting).

Dinner was delicious, some sort of spicy chicken with rice and noodles - buffet style! Hands down my favourite meal from all the islands so far! And I had so much pineapple, I have never tasted pineapple as good as the pineapples in Fiji.

Emma and I had planned to get an early night, but the staff at Wayalailai had other plans! We had a few dances to 'make sure the sun comes out tomorrow' and then we played this ridiculous game where the first person carries as spoon in his mouth balancing a marble, thrown everyone else takes turns in sitting on a potato, carrying it between their thighs and then passing it to the next person, and then we had to pass an empty bottle to each other by our thighs and then sit down. It was a bit over complicated but our team won! We all got a free drink at the bar which was awesome!

Afterwards we got chatting to a few people and it's honestly the most I've laughed since being in Fiji! It was brilliant.

Nacula Island and Matacawalevu Island: Bula Combo Pass

Saturday 4th March - Sunday 5th March 2017

It had rained through most of the night - so at least it was a bit cooler! We had a continental breakfast
at 8 and as the weather was still overcast we just chilled out watching Grey's again! As we were
going to Long Beach Resort today, we had to checkout at 11, but at around 10 someone came to get our bags which was a life saver! He had my bag on his back and Emma's on his front... Christ he must've been strong as we have not packed light!!

I was feeling a bit funky... (probably either the curry, gone off coconut or water!) so I asked for plain food for lunch. The others had fish curry so I just had the rice and an apple and orange segment which was nice but I could've done with a bit more! The curry smelt amazing but I didn't want to risk it!! We just chilled out on the deck before our boarding call came, at around 1.

The speedboat was crazy this time round! There were 6 of us and all our luggage so I don't know if that's why it felt rockier or if it was because the sea was choppier I don't know! But there were a few times where I was a tad scared for my life! The water was so clear and shallow though so I could see all kinds of fish which was awesome. I tried to concentrate on them to distract myself from the feeling like we were going to fall in!

It only took us less than an hour to get to Long Beach Resort, and we hadn't filled in our accommodation pass yet so it was touch and go for a while if we were even going to get in there! Eventually it all got sorted - literally seconds before our boarding call which was lucky!

At first sight, long beach isn't as stereotypically pretty as Oarsman bay lodge, but it's beautiful in its own way. There are loads of palm trees and there are various rock formations around, plus coral in and around the water. The bay is pretty shallow, we got in at low tide, and we were warned not to go in snorkelling or swimming as a girl got stung by a stingray a few days ago - not that there was enough water to go swimming in anyway! We were greeted by a gorgeous dog called Toni (he has a longer name but I can't remember it!).

After checking in, we were taking to our dorm, a room with about 8 beds and one bunk bed. I was on the top bunk and I noticed that there were bugs crawling all over my bed. At first I thought they were bed bugs but then I noticed a trail of them going through the window and to an ants nest outside. I mentioned it to the owner and luckily she sorted it all out as there were none in my bed when I went to sleep!

It had started to get quite stormy, so after chilling out in the hammocks reading for a bit, we were forced to wait under the shelter whilst the torrential rain poured outside. A few people were drinking Kava, and we were invited a few times but as it wasn't a proper ceremony and just for tasting I politely declined! I've had enough Kava to last me a lifetime!! Whilst we were waiting for the rain to die off, a little boy came up to us - he had followed us around whilst we explored the island a bit and has seemed to take a liking to us! He can't have been more than 4, and his English wasn't great but he understood a basic amount. He pointed at my phone so I showed him the camera and he took a few selfies before having a look through my photos. He kept clicking off it then going back on, and every time I tried to help him look at different photos he told me off! It was pretty funny! After a while an older man came and took him away - he started crying but I didn't know what they were saying so didn't want to get involved!

After a while the rain had gone and we went back on the hammocks as they dried off reasonably quickly. I finished the book I was reading - Diary of a Fat girl by Moira Mugweni - it was a very easy read but quite amusing, I enjoyed it! I then went for a walk down on the beach with Toni, and he was loving life trying to catch the fish in the sea! By that time, food was nearly ready so we went to get ready (definitely made sure we had enough insect repellant on!!) and went to sit down for food.

Dinner was good, but I've definitely had better! We had potatoes and BBQ chicken or fish, and the most delicious vegetables I have had for a while! I think they boiled them and mixed them together with mustard and something else but they were so tasty!

At long beach they only have electricity for a few hours in the morning and evening, so we headed back to get ready so we wouldn't miss out on the water and light! Most people decided to have an early night - when there's so few people here and I'm so tired I'd rather get up early and go to bed early!

Nacula Island: Bula Combo Pass

Friday 3rd March - Saturday 4th March 2017

It was a super early start this morning, and I fully hadn't slept well at all in the night which sucks! But we grabbed breakfast at 6:30 and  then the coach came at around 7:15. It was only whilst we were sitting at reception that it dawned on us that we had no idea what we were doing on the Bula Pass. It took us a while to find someone to even make sure we were going on the right coach!

When we got to the Port, we went to check in our luggage and we were asked what our destination was. We had no idea! So we went to check in and eventually found out that you can book as you go on the Bula pass on the boat, and just change where your luggage is going as you go. So after twenty or so minutes of pouring down the list of resorts, we decided to stay at Oarsmans Bay Lodge on Nacula Island. This meant we wouldn't be seeing the others, as they're all going to Beachcomber Island which is a shame, but it works out easier for us to do it the opposite way round. But this also meant we had 4 and a half hours to kill on the ferry!

We passed all the beautiful islands and time surprisingly went quite quickly! We got in a little speedboat and someone took our bags (thank god!). The sea is crystal clear and shines a beautiful shade of turquoise - the whole island is idyllic.

We were greeted by the staff members and a complimentary juice which went down a treat! The owner then went over meal times and things before giving us our room key. We are in a bule just the two of us which is amazing! It's been so long since we just shared a room together!

So I can't imagine my blog posts being overly interesting from now on but I'm going to keep going anyway and include more pictures! We spent the afternoon going from sunbathing to swimming, the water was a perfect temperature to cool down in - not too cold and not too warm! There were loads of fish swimming around as well.

I then went for a short walk to the rocks at the end of the island. The sand is so hard to walk on, it just consumes your foot with every step you take. There were loads of hermit crabs on the beach, and one showed a lot of interest in my GoPro! I had a look in some rock pools but there wasn't much there, a few crabs and fish!

The resort next door has an inflatable slide in the sea so we snuck on it... I managed to not die after going down the slide which was great! (I have zero confidence in my swimming skills especially after the snorkelling!) We then bumped into a couple of girls one of whom came from a nearby village, the other from Nadi. They had been snorkelling and then we got chatting about life! They work here in their uni break, both studying tourism which seems perfect for Fiji!

After showering and putting on moisturiser (I'm finally getting a tan yay!) we chilled out in the room watching Grey's until it was time for food!

Dinner was some sort of chicken broth with sweet bread,the broth was super yummy but the bread was a bit weird! Then we had Fish, chicken and sausage in some sort of BBQ sauce with coleslaw and one potato! I'd filled up on the broth so wasn't overly hungry but it was pretty good, just a bit random!

After dins we just chilled in our room, these long days are making me feel exhausted! But it feels so good to just be chilling for a change!

Rakiraki and Nadi: Whole Hula

Thursday 2nd March 2017

We had a chilled morning this morning, which made a nice change from the early wake ups! After breakfast they fed the fish in the man made coral reef that's just outside the resort which was cool! There were so many fish and crabs of all different colours and they were jumping out of the water to get their food!

We then chilled out by the pool sunbathing. I ordered a fresh coconut but when I got it, it had gone off so the lady gave me another one and didn't charge me which was sweet! We then packed up and paid our bills before heading off to the mud pools. Linga told us about the 'Fiji fantastic' animals - when they breed sheep with goats!

It was overcast by the time we got to the mud pools, but that didn't matter too much as it would've been way too hot in the hot springs if the sun was out! Firstly we covered ourselves head to toe in the mud before washing it off in the mud pool to 'give it back'. We then chilled out in the hot springs pool for a while and everyone got a half an hour full body massage afterwards.

We went back via Nadi town again, and then it was back to Smugglers Cove. Charis and Karli were both staying there as well, and the others joined us for dinner. Overall Feejee Experience has been soooo good and I would definitely recommend it to anyone coming to Fiji! Next stop: Island hopping!

Nadi and Robinson Crusoe Island: Whole Hula

Monday 27th February 2017

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!