And so it begins...

Bula from Fiji! Our impressions of this country are mostly positive but we decided to leave five days early. Although both the islands we visited were beautiful (there are 336 total), there were a few factors that made us want to move on. First, even before the trip began, we had discussed extending our stay in NZ so arriving early will hopefully give us enough time so that we can still have a full month in Australia (Oz). Mainly, we both felt that we’d experienced most of what Fiji had to offer. On Mana Island, we enrolled in an Open Water Diving course. On our very first dive, we swam with a white-tip reef shark! Then, on our third dive, we went to a famous spot called “The Supermarket” (you can find anything) and saw about a dozen more! These particular types of sharks are afraid of humans so there were no worries but at one point one was swimming right at me. Despite knowing there was no danger, seeing the shark eye-to-eye certainly got the ol’ ticker pumping.

In addition to sharks, we also saw some very cool coral. One in particular was quite fascinating; it looked like a little orange bare tree about the size of a volleyball, and there was an entire school of tiny bright blue fish living in it, going about their business as fish are wont to do. We also saw a sting ray, a manta ray (not sure though), an eel, needle fish, and, while on the boat, flying fish, which looked like skipping rocks flying through the air. We didn't take any underwater pics, but here is a sea snake with whom we just missed crossing paths.

Besides diving, we went snorkeling and also drank some kava, which is usually described as a ‘mild narcotic.’ We drank a fair amount but didn’t really feel anything, although if I recall, my dreams were pretty vivid. It has a very bitter taste, “like muddy water” as the saying goes.

We hung out with some cool guys on Mana: two Canadians (Kevin & Pete) and Steve, an ex-pat living in Christchurch. We walked around the island together and staged our very own crab race, as they were everywhere on the beach. The key is to make a circle, because they won’t go in the same direction. We’d gotten the idea from the hostel we were staying, which staged a crab race the night before. The one I purchased came in 2nd, oh well.

Then it was off to Wayaleilei Island in the Yasawa group. We took this massive boat and were flying along past several beautiful islands. Wayaleilei itself was the prettiest; beaches and forest at the base but with three huge volcanic rocks at the top. We spent the entire first day sleeping on a beach-front hammock. The food on this island was much better than on the Mana, and consisted of meat, fresh fruit, salads, and these tasteless potato-like roots. The next day was filled with rain, so we played cards with Anders from Sweden and Bob from NYC.

On our third day, we went kayaking and the plan was to meet a group on the other side where there was a sand dune connecting Wayaleilei to another island. As we approached an area of rough surf, we naively thought we would be able to handle the waves and get a cheap thrill to boot. We did okay on the first few but they kept coming until one dumped us. The water was pretty shallow but we picked the absolute worst spot to get dumped: right in front of a "young" set of sharp lava rocks. Both of us suffered a number of abrasions on our legs and feet and getting back on the kayak was a literal pain. We took a much wider path from that point on and had our destination within eyesight. Unfortunately, there was a headwind and the current was going the opposite direction. We soon realized no matter how hard we paddled, we made little to no progress. We made a beeline to the nearest beach and got to see one of the local villages. It’s amazing how much poverty there is when the resorts are more expensive than Hawaii. However, we were told that most of the money is sent to the mainland to build schools and houses for those in the direst need. Fijians work six days a week, for $3FJ/hour ($2 US). Yet, they appeared to be very happy. After walking about two kms through yet more lava rocks, we finally met up with the other group (who had wisely taken the motorized escort). The sand dune was great, with waist-deep waves hitting us from two directions. And thankfully, they remembered to bring our lunches, and even picked up our kayak and tied it to the boat for the return trip.

The following morning, we tried hiking to the top of the island. There was a guided sunrise hike, but it was at 5:30 am and we'd been told by Anders and Bob that it was a fairly easy track to follow. About half-way through the very steep hike, one of my (Jason's) tevas broke. Having seen pictures of the view from the top, I was initially determined to finish the hike. Well, lo and behold, sans guide we were unable to figure out how to get to the top. There was an extremely steep rock that I attempted to climb, but sans shoes my courage ran out before I could get to the top. There were still some great views, but at that point my mind was made up that our string of bad luck was telling us it was time to leave Fiji.

We made it back to the main island and that night I hung out with yet some more Canadians, including Matt, a very cool third generation Toronto fireman, and Jen, also from Toronto but has been teaching in London for the past five years. She’s been pretty much everywhere it seemed. She gave great advice for some of the places we’re going and even generously offered Priti some winter clothing since she had left the cold weather of NZ behind. Having repeatedly heard the phrase “I’ve never been colder in my life” about a dozen times from travelers who’d just come from NZ, I couldn’t refuse. And so we’re off to NZ, land of the kiwis.