Still feeling a little jet-lagged, as my sleeping pattern was mucked up, I didn't end up waking up until gone 9 this morning! The problem is my body clock thinks it is earlier than it actually is the nights before which made me have a late night. As a result of this I ended up missing breakfast this morning! The plan for today was to go to Hollywood which I was told takes 40 minutes by car, but 2 hours by public transport. Laughing this off, I headed out to catch a bus after a quick shower and bite to eat in the nearby cafe.
I had saved the bus timetables to my phone the night before and to get to Hollywood I had to go via Downtown LA to catch a connecting bus by my calculations. My problem with the bus system was the fact that they had no official times and just a map showing all the bus connections. With LA very much in a grid formation in terms of roads buses connected at what they call the intersections. To save any confusion I thought I would just go to the main city and get a bus from there as I assumed they would be frequent from here. In the end it took me around an hour to get into Downtown LA, although it was a nice journey from the beach where I was staying, even getting views of the Hollywood sign on the way in!
When arriving into the city I took a short walk to this market I found by chance when arriving, getting myself some tacos which were pretty reasonably priced. I didn't stay here long however as time was getting on, managing to walk straight onto my next bus to take me just outside Hollywood. This was another hour long bus journey, ending up as the only person left on the bus by the end! When finally arriving at what was known as West Hollywood, I used my very vague map of the city to navigate my way to the Hollywood Boulevard. I did stop off in McDonalds en route however as the temperature was unbearable to walk after a while. My problem in McDonalds like with many other American places was the fact they didn't understand me. I asked for a coke, and what I should have asked for was a soda which seemed to really confuse them.
After spending a while inside cooling down the air con, drinking out of this monster cup, I headed back out and eventually managed to get off the Sunset Strip and onto the main Hollywood Boulevard. It wasn't how I envisaged to start with although I did eventually come to a point where there were stars on the pavement which signified the start of the Hollywood walk of fame. Before long these stars which included an array of famous people, along with some people I had never heard of, took me into this glitzy area comparable to parts of London. With so many things to see here including theatres, museums and tour guides in every direction, I took a slow walk further along, passing lots of people dressed up as famous film characters who made a living by charging people to take pictures with them.
I was tempted to partake in a tour whilst I was here although the tour guides were charging a fortune, so I instead looked at all the attractions as I walked down further along the walk of fame. There was a Madame Tussauds, Ripleys museum, Guinness World Records museum and this massive McDonalds amongst the things to see here. As I got further down the walk the fame, the crowds got less and less busier and the celebrities in the stars got less and less well known for me, until I eventually reached the other end which was more like a residential area. When reaching the end I finally got a decent look at the Hollywood sign which actually a very long way away.
I was tempted to go and try and get close to the sign although many people get arrested for doing this. I had previously heard it is very difficult to see the sign up close so instead of being stupid I headed back into down the main boulevard into Hollywood and checked out the shopping centre which had its own viewpoint to see the sign. Looking round the shopping centre spread over six floors and round this circular area with a fountain, I found this balcony which did in fact give brilliant views of the sign, even if it was miles away! I spent a fair while here in the end, looking round the shops before eventually wandering back and forth along the boulevard to see all the aforementioned attractions in more detail, one the highlights being the Chinese theatre which seemed to be where most the characters in dress were based.
Eventually it came the time I thought I should be heading back as it came up to nearly 5 and I was a two hour bus journey from my hostel! I did previously want to go and check out Beverly Hills whilst I was here although surprisingly no buses took you there from Hollywood, instead just these expensive tour companies. I will probably save that for tomorrow as I have nothing planned. I eventually managed to get another bus back to the city which again gave views of the sign and also the Griffith Observatory which was an alternative place to view the sign.
By around 7 I arrived back into the city, although instead of hanging around I just headed straight for my bus, walking down LAs attempt of Broadway and down past the convention centre to my bus stop. I didn't arrive back to my hostel at Venice Beach until around 8 in the end, although instead of cooking I just went to the nearby subway for dinner. Americans seem to have takeaways everywhere which makes it difficult to eat elsewhere as the nearest supermarket to my hostel is half an hour away! When returning to my hostel I was pretty shattered, although I just lay on my bed relaxing for the evening planning what to do for my final day in LA tomorrow.
Tuesday, 3 June 2014
Wednesday, 21 May 2014
May 10th... Santa Monica and Venice Beach
Waking up at half 8, a reasonable time considering I barely knew what time of day it was, I went straight downstairs for breakfast which an inclusive perk of staying at my hostel. With just toast and jams it was nothing special although it set me up nicely for the day ahead. With nothing much planned for the day I spent the morning on Skype just catching up with people, also taking this time on Facebook planning things ready for my return which was fast approaching! The plan for the day in the end was to explore Venice Beach which was the area I am staying in, as well as walking along to Santa Monica which is the next beach across.
It wasn't until around 11 until left the hostel, something very unlike me to leave so late when I was in a completely different area, let alone a completely different country. Where I was staying was the flagship area of Venice Beach, having a sign and an open area in the seafront with a few shops and market stools. I decided to head along the beach to Santa Monica to start with, browsing round the shops which were very hipster to say the least. You could tell that I was staying in a tourist based area with all the gift shops, although one of the major problems in the area was homelessness and this was evident with the high amounts of people who made their small living through things like street entertainments and other quirky little things. It was good to watch although they expected money every time which was not so good for me!
Continuing along the main promenade, more commonly known as the Venice boardwalk, I passed more the hipster like shops which made up a large portion of the seafront. They are probably not hippie related, they were just coloured in rainbow colours a little bit like the buildings in Nimbin! Before long the shops ended and I came to a path which just followed the massive beach. I have seen many sandy beaches whilst travelling, but never anything this big with the sea being what felt like miles out! Prior to reaching the main Santa Monica area I reached an area called Muscle Beach which is apparently a famous bodybuilding area. With people doing what looked like trampoline skills on a tightrope and swinging on these rings amongst other things, I just stood there in amazement! It was pretty impressive to watch.
It wasn't far from here before I reached the pier which reminded me a lot of Brighton with the fairground rides on it, and also the old style buildings on the promenade. It was a shame the rides were expensive just like Brighton Pier! One of the first features I saw on the really wide pier was the official end of route 66, something I may end up doing one day. You never know. The pier itself was full of lots of food stalls and gift shops, although there was some event going on to do yoga where loads of people had brought their mats and were being trained by some woman on stage. I spent a fair while on the pier in the end, taking in the fairground rides and the views along the coast towards the Santa Monica mountains one way and back to Venice Beach the other.
Once leaving the pier I got myself a couple of geocache finds in the surrounding area to ensure I left USA with at least a couple of finds. There was one however which took me back to muscle beach which suggested you had to shout "the geocache flies at midnight" and the cache would come, but nothing happened. From here I headed inland along the main road to get to Abbot Kinney Road, home of many shops in the area. I missed out on the main stream shops in Santa Monica to come here as this area had more local based shops which were very interesting to do some window shopping in. It was a little expensive though!
The next stop of the day was the Venice Canals which I guess it the reason why this area of LA got its name with its similarities to Venice. It was a very quiet and picturesque area with lots of little bridges going over the canals arranged in about a 4x4 grid system with houses dotted on every edge. There was still pavements though and instead on gondolas there were kayaks using this interesting system of canals. By the time I had navigated my way round the complex system I eventually emerged back at Venice Beach, this time by the pier which I walked along. Unlike Santa Monica Pier, this pier lacked fairground rides and amusements and was simply a place you could walk along, popular with fishers. There were cracking views on here again, even managing to see a continuous run of planes take off at the nearby airport.
By the time I finished looking on the pier I got back to the beach, where I just took my sandals off and walked along the warm sands back to the main Venice Beach area. En route I came across this body building competition which was pretty interesting to watch seeing how strong everyone was! From here I continued back along the Venice boardwalk which took me along the colourful shops the opposite direction of the area I had come this morning, arriving back where I started at around 4ish. From here I decided to get myself some pizza, which was sold by the slice as they commonly eat 22" pizzas in America! I just got a slice to tie me over.
By the time I got back to the hostel it was about 5ish and for some reason the jetlag hit in when I laid on my bed which resulted in me going for a nap, waking up again at about 8! Instead of staying in bed I went back out, this time going to the local supermarket which was about a half hour walk to get some dinner, getting a few little bits and bobs to tie me over. When returning to the hostel the nap I ended up having seemed to make more awake which meant my evening was spent on my phone. With another two days to spend in LA, I made sure I planned my upcoming days as LA has a bus system. I know I am doing Hollywood but other than that I am unsure what to do.
It wasn't until around 11 until left the hostel, something very unlike me to leave so late when I was in a completely different area, let alone a completely different country. Where I was staying was the flagship area of Venice Beach, having a sign and an open area in the seafront with a few shops and market stools. I decided to head along the beach to Santa Monica to start with, browsing round the shops which were very hipster to say the least. You could tell that I was staying in a tourist based area with all the gift shops, although one of the major problems in the area was homelessness and this was evident with the high amounts of people who made their small living through things like street entertainments and other quirky little things. It was good to watch although they expected money every time which was not so good for me!
Continuing along the main promenade, more commonly known as the Venice boardwalk, I passed more the hipster like shops which made up a large portion of the seafront. They are probably not hippie related, they were just coloured in rainbow colours a little bit like the buildings in Nimbin! Before long the shops ended and I came to a path which just followed the massive beach. I have seen many sandy beaches whilst travelling, but never anything this big with the sea being what felt like miles out! Prior to reaching the main Santa Monica area I reached an area called Muscle Beach which is apparently a famous bodybuilding area. With people doing what looked like trampoline skills on a tightrope and swinging on these rings amongst other things, I just stood there in amazement! It was pretty impressive to watch.
It wasn't far from here before I reached the pier which reminded me a lot of Brighton with the fairground rides on it, and also the old style buildings on the promenade. It was a shame the rides were expensive just like Brighton Pier! One of the first features I saw on the really wide pier was the official end of route 66, something I may end up doing one day. You never know. The pier itself was full of lots of food stalls and gift shops, although there was some event going on to do yoga where loads of people had brought their mats and were being trained by some woman on stage. I spent a fair while on the pier in the end, taking in the fairground rides and the views along the coast towards the Santa Monica mountains one way and back to Venice Beach the other.
Once leaving the pier I got myself a couple of geocache finds in the surrounding area to ensure I left USA with at least a couple of finds. There was one however which took me back to muscle beach which suggested you had to shout "the geocache flies at midnight" and the cache would come, but nothing happened. From here I headed inland along the main road to get to Abbot Kinney Road, home of many shops in the area. I missed out on the main stream shops in Santa Monica to come here as this area had more local based shops which were very interesting to do some window shopping in. It was a little expensive though!
The next stop of the day was the Venice Canals which I guess it the reason why this area of LA got its name with its similarities to Venice. It was a very quiet and picturesque area with lots of little bridges going over the canals arranged in about a 4x4 grid system with houses dotted on every edge. There was still pavements though and instead on gondolas there were kayaks using this interesting system of canals. By the time I had navigated my way round the complex system I eventually emerged back at Venice Beach, this time by the pier which I walked along. Unlike Santa Monica Pier, this pier lacked fairground rides and amusements and was simply a place you could walk along, popular with fishers. There were cracking views on here again, even managing to see a continuous run of planes take off at the nearby airport.
By the time I finished looking on the pier I got back to the beach, where I just took my sandals off and walked along the warm sands back to the main Venice Beach area. En route I came across this body building competition which was pretty interesting to watch seeing how strong everyone was! From here I continued back along the Venice boardwalk which took me along the colourful shops the opposite direction of the area I had come this morning, arriving back where I started at around 4ish. From here I decided to get myself some pizza, which was sold by the slice as they commonly eat 22" pizzas in America! I just got a slice to tie me over.
By the time I got back to the hostel it was about 5ish and for some reason the jetlag hit in when I laid on my bed which resulted in me going for a nap, waking up again at about 8! Instead of staying in bed I went back out, this time going to the local supermarket which was about a half hour walk to get some dinner, getting a few little bits and bobs to tie me over. When returning to the hostel the nap I ended up having seemed to make more awake which meant my evening was spent on my phone. With another two days to spend in LA, I made sure I planned my upcoming days as LA has a bus system. I know I am doing Hollywood but other than that I am unsure what to do.
Friday, 16 May 2014
May 9th... From Mantaray Island to Los Angeles
It was funny waking up this morning to think that technically speaking I would in LA in time for lunch considering I was on some remote island in the Yasawa group of islands in Fiji. The reality was I was just going to live perhaps my longest ever day due to time zones! With another island buffet breakfast to set myself up for the day I soon returned to pack my bags for one of the last times. I know my bag so well now! After packing my bags and having a shower and everything else I do in the morning, I had much of the morning to kill as my boat back to the Fijian mainland did not leave until about 2.
One of the things I haven't done on the island yet is kayaking which was surprising considering it was a free activity. I opted against this in the end in favour of another bracelet making session, this time in the art of weaving together these long leaves. I was pretty bad at the whole concept though as it was so fiddly and required a fair bit of patience. Basically using one of the long leaf things we had to split it long ways into 4 sections. From here we did the same thing to another leaf but just half way down, and then from here weaved the sections together until a bracelet was formed. The whole concept is hard to explain!
After finishing this time consuming activity, giving my bracelet away again because I would never walk through US customs with a foreign plant round my wrist, we said goodbye to the two Americans I had been with since the start of Fiji. They were heading northbound onto island, which meant they left at 11 instead. This therefore left just me and my Danish friend, although we met a German couple last night too and as we were all heading south bound we ended up having a game of rummy 500 together. I am getting pretty good at the game now!
Come lunchtime I went for my last island lunch off the big menu, going for the burger and chips today which was pretty nice. After lunch we played some more cards and with everyone on like 450+ points going into the last game I mucked up and finished on less than 400! I swear they didn't shuffle the pack properly. I did have to check out prior to this although my island bill kind of did not sweeten the blow of losing. From here is was basically a waiting game for the ferry to arrive. I had been worrying prior about catching the ferry from Mantaray Island to fly out on the same day, and it didn't help when people were saying it was unreliable and prone to breaking down. It was typical for me considering my worries that it ended up being late in the end.
Arriving an hour or so late, we eventually boarded the ferry back the mainland. It was nice before leaving though as the island staff did a goodbye song for us. With quite a few pick ups en route it did not allow for much time to be made up, although when reaching the open channel to get back to the Mamanucas, it went a little fast through some ridiculously rough seas! It was nice though because the boat had free wifi which I also love having. It wasn't until about half 6 when we finally arrived back into Nadi, although with my anticipation of getting to the airport so strong I forgot my bag!
Eventually I arrived to the airport just over 2 hours before my flight was scheduled to leave. Check in was really quick however, followed by me strolling past security which took me from panicking about being late for the late to having a wait of in excess of an hour to begin boarding. To kill the time I had a look round the duty free shops, before getting myself a portion of chips to try and get rid of the large amount of Fijian coins I had in my wallet. It was nice here as well to have one last chat with some Fijian locals who are just so friendly, although I was predominantly around Americans!
Before long it was time to board my flight which was the last one of the day, taking my seat which always seems to be near the back of the plane. Watching a film to start with called Grudge Match about a pair of boxers who came out of retirement for one final fight, I was supplied with a chicken roll described as an evening snack by the plane crew. From here I surprisingly had a pretty decent sleep arguably getting around about 5/6 hours on and off before waking up again when the lights were turned back on. When waking up I put on another film about a disease which spread round the world, getting a breakfast consisting of egg, hash brown, sausage and the other standard extras in the process. It was frustrating however because the tv screens got turned off 10 minutes before my film ended!
Landing before the scheduled arrival time in the end, I landed before I left technically. This was because we crossed the international date line meaning I went back 24 hours. Prior to arriving I had been warned by my American friends on the Fiji trip that US customs were a nightmare. To be fair I thought I was proving them wrong after getting through passport control without any major problems, but then when queuing up for bio security this dog started barking at me because of my shoes. This meant I had to go for further checks and hand in my shoes and bags while I waited in a room. Eventually they let me leave the airport, giving me back my shoes which they had cleaned!
After changing up my last remaining Fijian Dollars into American Dollars, I walked out the airport ready to walk to my hostel which I opted to walk to as it was only about 6 miles away. I thought it would be as simple as heading down to the beach and across to get there although I was proved wrong as it was hard enough just getting out of the airport. I eventually got out, following the road right round and down to the seafront, although I soon realised that a big marina was stopping me from going to directly to my hostel. It wasn't until around about 6 when I finally arrived into hostel based just a minute or so from Venice Beach.
One of the main benefits of my hostel was free Wifi, as well as free breakfast, and after checking in I surprisingly just collapsed on my bed because I was so exhausted. I didn't stay there for long though as I couldn't just arrive in LA and go to bed. With sunset not until 8 now being in the northern hemisphere, I managed to catch the sunset over the impressively big beach. I only checked out the beach though as I plan to go Venice Beach tomorrow. When finally going back to the room I just crashed out and went to bed, I pretty tired.
One of the things I haven't done on the island yet is kayaking which was surprising considering it was a free activity. I opted against this in the end in favour of another bracelet making session, this time in the art of weaving together these long leaves. I was pretty bad at the whole concept though as it was so fiddly and required a fair bit of patience. Basically using one of the long leaf things we had to split it long ways into 4 sections. From here we did the same thing to another leaf but just half way down, and then from here weaved the sections together until a bracelet was formed. The whole concept is hard to explain!
After finishing this time consuming activity, giving my bracelet away again because I would never walk through US customs with a foreign plant round my wrist, we said goodbye to the two Americans I had been with since the start of Fiji. They were heading northbound onto island, which meant they left at 11 instead. This therefore left just me and my Danish friend, although we met a German couple last night too and as we were all heading south bound we ended up having a game of rummy 500 together. I am getting pretty good at the game now!
Come lunchtime I went for my last island lunch off the big menu, going for the burger and chips today which was pretty nice. After lunch we played some more cards and with everyone on like 450+ points going into the last game I mucked up and finished on less than 400! I swear they didn't shuffle the pack properly. I did have to check out prior to this although my island bill kind of did not sweeten the blow of losing. From here is was basically a waiting game for the ferry to arrive. I had been worrying prior about catching the ferry from Mantaray Island to fly out on the same day, and it didn't help when people were saying it was unreliable and prone to breaking down. It was typical for me considering my worries that it ended up being late in the end.
Arriving an hour or so late, we eventually boarded the ferry back the mainland. It was nice before leaving though as the island staff did a goodbye song for us. With quite a few pick ups en route it did not allow for much time to be made up, although when reaching the open channel to get back to the Mamanucas, it went a little fast through some ridiculously rough seas! It was nice though because the boat had free wifi which I also love having. It wasn't until about half 6 when we finally arrived back into Nadi, although with my anticipation of getting to the airport so strong I forgot my bag!
Eventually I arrived to the airport just over 2 hours before my flight was scheduled to leave. Check in was really quick however, followed by me strolling past security which took me from panicking about being late for the late to having a wait of in excess of an hour to begin boarding. To kill the time I had a look round the duty free shops, before getting myself a portion of chips to try and get rid of the large amount of Fijian coins I had in my wallet. It was nice here as well to have one last chat with some Fijian locals who are just so friendly, although I was predominantly around Americans!
Before long it was time to board my flight which was the last one of the day, taking my seat which always seems to be near the back of the plane. Watching a film to start with called Grudge Match about a pair of boxers who came out of retirement for one final fight, I was supplied with a chicken roll described as an evening snack by the plane crew. From here I surprisingly had a pretty decent sleep arguably getting around about 5/6 hours on and off before waking up again when the lights were turned back on. When waking up I put on another film about a disease which spread round the world, getting a breakfast consisting of egg, hash brown, sausage and the other standard extras in the process. It was frustrating however because the tv screens got turned off 10 minutes before my film ended!
Landing before the scheduled arrival time in the end, I landed before I left technically. This was because we crossed the international date line meaning I went back 24 hours. Prior to arriving I had been warned by my American friends on the Fiji trip that US customs were a nightmare. To be fair I thought I was proving them wrong after getting through passport control without any major problems, but then when queuing up for bio security this dog started barking at me because of my shoes. This meant I had to go for further checks and hand in my shoes and bags while I waited in a room. Eventually they let me leave the airport, giving me back my shoes which they had cleaned!
After changing up my last remaining Fijian Dollars into American Dollars, I walked out the airport ready to walk to my hostel which I opted to walk to as it was only about 6 miles away. I thought it would be as simple as heading down to the beach and across to get there although I was proved wrong as it was hard enough just getting out of the airport. I eventually got out, following the road right round and down to the seafront, although I soon realised that a big marina was stopping me from going to directly to my hostel. It wasn't until around about 6 when I finally arrived into hostel based just a minute or so from Venice Beach.
One of the main benefits of my hostel was free Wifi, as well as free breakfast, and after checking in I surprisingly just collapsed on my bed because I was so exhausted. I didn't stay there for long though as I couldn't just arrive in LA and go to bed. With sunset not until 8 now being in the northern hemisphere, I managed to catch the sunset over the impressively big beach. I only checked out the beach though as I plan to go Venice Beach tomorrow. When finally going back to the room I just crashed out and went to bed, I pretty tired.
Tuesday, 13 May 2014
May 8th... Mantaray Island again
My early night once again resulted in me waking up pretty early by my standards, early enough to be well over an hour before breakfast. Instead of trying to go back to bed however I headed down to the beachfront where I curled up in a hammock chair thing and typed up a blog. This was all done as the sun rose over the neighboring island which made for a pretty idyllic setting. Soon after finishing it was time for breakfast, once again being a buffet like yesterday, although the fact I was like first up for breakfast meant I ended up having chocolate cake amongst other things for breakfast.
With many activities on offer once again today I opted to do the bush walk. This activity rotates between an island walk and a bush walk each day, although I am not entirely sure what the difference is. With just 5 of us turning up for the 9am start we set off with our guide who was carrying a machete to explore the island. I decided to go Fijian style for the walk too, going bare foot which is what everyone else did. The walk started by going through the area strictly marked as staff area before heading up to perhaps the highest point of the island which gave cracking views every so often in every direction. When up top perhaps the best view was a birds eye view of our resort below.
Continuing through the bushes which our guide was hacking away at with his machete, we headed down. The ground was covered in these small prickly things which were slightly painful on the feet although before long we reached the bottom which was just palm trees linking the sandy beaches either side of the island. These beaches were the more remote ones of the island which are only accessible by clambering over rocks. From here our guide took us across to the beach where I went tubing yesterday which was nice and sandy, before we followed this rock face along these rocks to the next beach.
After following the completely untouched beach ahead of us, we went out as far as this rocky outlet with views of the neighboring island to the south as well as out to sea. Whilst here however this bat colony awoke and made a racket at they swooped around above us! I also slipped over on the slippery rocks as we approached the point, although I only cut my leg in two places so it was ok. Heading back the same way, we got to a point where our guide snuck off without us noticing. When realising he was gone we soon found out he was using his machete to cut foot rests to climb a tree! What he was in fact doing was retrieving some coconuts for us.
After finally getting enough coconuts for one each, he chopped off the top of each one with ease with his machete, giving us the whole coconut to drink the juice. Under normal circumstances I dislike coconut although the fact it was so sweet made it so refreshing. We even got to scoop out the meat after, which once again was nice because of the sweetness. From here we headed across to the other beach through the palm trees. Instead of climbing back over the hill to the resort however we clambered over the rocks across to the beach the resort was on, arriving back after a good couple of hours exploring the island.
Playing rummy 500 with all the Danish people when getting back, it wasn't long before lunch was ready. Today I opted for the fish curry which was very nice. It has been nice to have curry so many times since being in Fiji. Come afternoon I finally got the chance to go Mantaray swimming, as signalled by the drums which they bang when sighting's are confirmed. Collecting a snorkel and rushing down to the beach, we were taken out to the main channel where they swim and it wasn't long before we saw them on the surface. To see these we had to go out in front of them, then wait for them to swim past, then fight against the current to stay with them.
Doing the aforementioned routine four times, I managed to see the Mantaray on two of the occasions. It was simply amazing snorkelling above such a massive sea creature, which seemed so calm about the number of people above it. I was unable to follow it though as the current was so strong I was paddling just to stay in one spot. In terms of the reef however, it was equally as stunning with more colourful corals than the barrier reef, although with less colourful fish to balance things out. I was glad to finally go out snorkeling with the Mantarays in the end as I was worried about missing out on seeing them!
When returning I headed to the quieter of the two beaches and sat and relaxed. It was however a tad too warm for me so after a while I jumped into the sea, although I soon realised that the rip tides were a little strong. Instead of overheating myself once again I instead headed back to go and play volleyball which was once again lots of fun. It was hilarious though this time as one of the gay workers played and the way he ran round was so funny! After the game finished I headed back over to the other beach to watch the sunset for one last time which as usual was a pretty decent sight. I this time managed to get pictures too which I was happy about.
By the time the sunset was over this was still in excess of an hour until dinner, although I ended up watching the rugby 7s which took me right through to dinner. Dinner this evening was brilliant once again being a soup followed by this spring roll based thing. For my main this evening I opted for the mackerel which was chosen after careful consideration. I would have picked the curry if I hadn't of had it for lunch. To finish off our last supper as a group, we got ice cream and fruits for dessert.
Come evening games were once again planned, the first one being a bit of crab racing. With a bucket full of crabs each of us had to pick one and mark it to say it was ours. The crab's were then placed in the middle of this circle and the first one out won. It was a good concept, however the sheer quantity meant no one actually remembered which crab was there's come the end! To follow this game, a couple of group games were played which were a laugh. To end the evening the four of us remaining from Feejee Experience just got together for one last drink to toast goodbye. Before long it was then off to bed for the last time in Fiji.
With many activities on offer once again today I opted to do the bush walk. This activity rotates between an island walk and a bush walk each day, although I am not entirely sure what the difference is. With just 5 of us turning up for the 9am start we set off with our guide who was carrying a machete to explore the island. I decided to go Fijian style for the walk too, going bare foot which is what everyone else did. The walk started by going through the area strictly marked as staff area before heading up to perhaps the highest point of the island which gave cracking views every so often in every direction. When up top perhaps the best view was a birds eye view of our resort below.
Continuing through the bushes which our guide was hacking away at with his machete, we headed down. The ground was covered in these small prickly things which were slightly painful on the feet although before long we reached the bottom which was just palm trees linking the sandy beaches either side of the island. These beaches were the more remote ones of the island which are only accessible by clambering over rocks. From here our guide took us across to the beach where I went tubing yesterday which was nice and sandy, before we followed this rock face along these rocks to the next beach.
After following the completely untouched beach ahead of us, we went out as far as this rocky outlet with views of the neighboring island to the south as well as out to sea. Whilst here however this bat colony awoke and made a racket at they swooped around above us! I also slipped over on the slippery rocks as we approached the point, although I only cut my leg in two places so it was ok. Heading back the same way, we got to a point where our guide snuck off without us noticing. When realising he was gone we soon found out he was using his machete to cut foot rests to climb a tree! What he was in fact doing was retrieving some coconuts for us.
After finally getting enough coconuts for one each, he chopped off the top of each one with ease with his machete, giving us the whole coconut to drink the juice. Under normal circumstances I dislike coconut although the fact it was so sweet made it so refreshing. We even got to scoop out the meat after, which once again was nice because of the sweetness. From here we headed across to the other beach through the palm trees. Instead of climbing back over the hill to the resort however we clambered over the rocks across to the beach the resort was on, arriving back after a good couple of hours exploring the island.
Playing rummy 500 with all the Danish people when getting back, it wasn't long before lunch was ready. Today I opted for the fish curry which was very nice. It has been nice to have curry so many times since being in Fiji. Come afternoon I finally got the chance to go Mantaray swimming, as signalled by the drums which they bang when sighting's are confirmed. Collecting a snorkel and rushing down to the beach, we were taken out to the main channel where they swim and it wasn't long before we saw them on the surface. To see these we had to go out in front of them, then wait for them to swim past, then fight against the current to stay with them.
Doing the aforementioned routine four times, I managed to see the Mantaray on two of the occasions. It was simply amazing snorkelling above such a massive sea creature, which seemed so calm about the number of people above it. I was unable to follow it though as the current was so strong I was paddling just to stay in one spot. In terms of the reef however, it was equally as stunning with more colourful corals than the barrier reef, although with less colourful fish to balance things out. I was glad to finally go out snorkeling with the Mantarays in the end as I was worried about missing out on seeing them!
When returning I headed to the quieter of the two beaches and sat and relaxed. It was however a tad too warm for me so after a while I jumped into the sea, although I soon realised that the rip tides were a little strong. Instead of overheating myself once again I instead headed back to go and play volleyball which was once again lots of fun. It was hilarious though this time as one of the gay workers played and the way he ran round was so funny! After the game finished I headed back over to the other beach to watch the sunset for one last time which as usual was a pretty decent sight. I this time managed to get pictures too which I was happy about.
By the time the sunset was over this was still in excess of an hour until dinner, although I ended up watching the rugby 7s which took me right through to dinner. Dinner this evening was brilliant once again being a soup followed by this spring roll based thing. For my main this evening I opted for the mackerel which was chosen after careful consideration. I would have picked the curry if I hadn't of had it for lunch. To finish off our last supper as a group, we got ice cream and fruits for dessert.
Come evening games were once again planned, the first one being a bit of crab racing. With a bucket full of crabs each of us had to pick one and mark it to say it was ours. The crab's were then placed in the middle of this circle and the first one out won. It was a good concept, however the sheer quantity meant no one actually remembered which crab was there's come the end! To follow this game, a couple of group games were played which were a laugh. To end the evening the four of us remaining from Feejee Experience just got together for one last drink to toast goodbye. Before long it was then off to bed for the last time in Fiji.
Monday, 12 May 2014
May 7th... Mantaray Island
Last night was a pretty good nights sleep, getting a solid 10 hours after finally getting a proper early nights sleep. It was also nice as the 32 bed dorm I was in had little box sections which gave each bed a bit of privacy. In addition to this I had my own mosquito net which meant I wasn't worried about getting bitten like I did at Beachcomber where you were completely exposed to the elements. Breakfast this morning was a cracking buffet, in my case consisting of eggs, beans and toast to start with, followed by a plate of pastries with pancakes, finished off with a plate of fresh fruits. All this was washed down with many glasses of juice!
After my mammoth breakfast the a member of Mantaray staff came up and promoted the activities on offer to us, which are pretty similar day by day which means I don't have to worry about missing out each day. With so much to choose from I decided to take the relaxing approach to the day, laying back in the hammock and writing up a blog. It wasn't long however before I started my first activity of the day, bracelet making. With an array of craft based activities each day, this is the one that appealed to me most as it involved sawing apart coconuts and sanding them down into shape. I was pretty content with my effort in the end although I gave it to the woman behind the bar in the hope of getting a free drink later!
After finishing the bracelet making I relaxed inside. It was weird because after having breakfast at like half 8, lunchtime was first approaching being scheduled for 12. It was pretty cool whilst chilling in the shade though to watch this plane land next to the resort, the quick and expensive way of island hopping. This plane had water ski things on the bottom and we even watched it take off, going metres from our heads after doing a loop! After this I somehow got into a conversation with one of the Danish guys about design, and from here we had a drawing competition. Being really bad at the artistic side of things, I just chucked in some of my technical drawing techniques and showed off a bit with them!
This brought us nicely up to lunch, today opting for the club sandwich and chips. It is frustrating because all 12 dishes on the menu seem so nice and I am only going to get to try 4 of them! After lunch I spent a while relaxing in the hammock, although the fact there are a lot of building works currently going on in the resort meant I soon left my position to go somewhere a little quieter. I instead ended up back in the dorm where I took the opportunity to write up my postcards which I kind of hadn't written since my rainy days in Kaikoura! I haven't really got many for Fiji though as they barely sell them!
Come the later afternoon I decided to go and play a bit of volleyball, managing to get enough people for a 4 on 4 game which got slightly competitive. I only played this for an hour or so however as I had booked myself onto this sunset tubing trip as I didn't want to go the whole day without doing anything physical. Getting taking out by boat I soon realised by the really clear waters that the corals and fish were so diverse and perhaps the reef system as a whole was better than the barrier reef. I say better in the respect that it is less damaged.
In terms of the tubing we got taken right round to the other side of the island nearby a beach which I had not seen yet. I got my first proper idea of the size of the island too, being bigger than I thought. After settling down just off the shore, we were each given a rubber ring thing which we were to float in whilst watching the sunset into the horizon which just happened to be in just open seas. I made sure I was furthest out and to be fair the sunset was pretty impressive. It was a shame I couldn't realistically take my camera out although I still got some photos thanks to the boat driver.
When returning and having a quick shower which was after a long queue to get in funnily enough, it came the time for another 4 course dinner. With a pea based soup for starter shortly followed by these tortilla things, it was a far quicker service than yesterday where it took us about an hour to finish dinner. There were four choices for main again and for some reason I went for the vegetarian option for the second consecutive night, opting for the vegetable pasta which was the dreaded tagliatelle which I am awful at eating. Dessert however was perhaps my favourite dessert of all, being papaya cheesecake. I even managed to get an extra piece as someone didn't want there's. All in all it was a brilliant dinner once again.
Come evening there were more activities, tonight being pub games. The first two games revolved around this stone and pushing it as far you can without crossing the line. At first it was done in pair where one person had to hold the other person whilst they pushed the stone, and pull them back without crossing the line. It was then done individually, although one hand could touch the floor for support this time. It was won both times by this really tall girl who obviously did gymnastics. The final game was simply a game of balance where you had to stand on one leg and pick up a box which gradually got smaller just using the mouth. I was dismal at this game! After finishing the games most people headed straight off to bed again, following suit once again. Mantaray island isn't really a party kind of island.
After my mammoth breakfast the a member of Mantaray staff came up and promoted the activities on offer to us, which are pretty similar day by day which means I don't have to worry about missing out each day. With so much to choose from I decided to take the relaxing approach to the day, laying back in the hammock and writing up a blog. It wasn't long however before I started my first activity of the day, bracelet making. With an array of craft based activities each day, this is the one that appealed to me most as it involved sawing apart coconuts and sanding them down into shape. I was pretty content with my effort in the end although I gave it to the woman behind the bar in the hope of getting a free drink later!
After finishing the bracelet making I relaxed inside. It was weird because after having breakfast at like half 8, lunchtime was first approaching being scheduled for 12. It was pretty cool whilst chilling in the shade though to watch this plane land next to the resort, the quick and expensive way of island hopping. This plane had water ski things on the bottom and we even watched it take off, going metres from our heads after doing a loop! After this I somehow got into a conversation with one of the Danish guys about design, and from here we had a drawing competition. Being really bad at the artistic side of things, I just chucked in some of my technical drawing techniques and showed off a bit with them!
This brought us nicely up to lunch, today opting for the club sandwich and chips. It is frustrating because all 12 dishes on the menu seem so nice and I am only going to get to try 4 of them! After lunch I spent a while relaxing in the hammock, although the fact there are a lot of building works currently going on in the resort meant I soon left my position to go somewhere a little quieter. I instead ended up back in the dorm where I took the opportunity to write up my postcards which I kind of hadn't written since my rainy days in Kaikoura! I haven't really got many for Fiji though as they barely sell them!
Come the later afternoon I decided to go and play a bit of volleyball, managing to get enough people for a 4 on 4 game which got slightly competitive. I only played this for an hour or so however as I had booked myself onto this sunset tubing trip as I didn't want to go the whole day without doing anything physical. Getting taking out by boat I soon realised by the really clear waters that the corals and fish were so diverse and perhaps the reef system as a whole was better than the barrier reef. I say better in the respect that it is less damaged.
In terms of the tubing we got taken right round to the other side of the island nearby a beach which I had not seen yet. I got my first proper idea of the size of the island too, being bigger than I thought. After settling down just off the shore, we were each given a rubber ring thing which we were to float in whilst watching the sunset into the horizon which just happened to be in just open seas. I made sure I was furthest out and to be fair the sunset was pretty impressive. It was a shame I couldn't realistically take my camera out although I still got some photos thanks to the boat driver.
When returning and having a quick shower which was after a long queue to get in funnily enough, it came the time for another 4 course dinner. With a pea based soup for starter shortly followed by these tortilla things, it was a far quicker service than yesterday where it took us about an hour to finish dinner. There were four choices for main again and for some reason I went for the vegetarian option for the second consecutive night, opting for the vegetable pasta which was the dreaded tagliatelle which I am awful at eating. Dessert however was perhaps my favourite dessert of all, being papaya cheesecake. I even managed to get an extra piece as someone didn't want there's. All in all it was a brilliant dinner once again.
Come evening there were more activities, tonight being pub games. The first two games revolved around this stone and pushing it as far you can without crossing the line. At first it was done in pair where one person had to hold the other person whilst they pushed the stone, and pull them back without crossing the line. It was then done individually, although one hand could touch the floor for support this time. It was won both times by this really tall girl who obviously did gymnastics. The final game was simply a game of balance where you had to stand on one leg and pick up a box which gradually got smaller just using the mouth. I was dismal at this game! After finishing the games most people headed straight off to bed again, following suit once again. Mantaray island isn't really a party kind of island.
Sunday, 11 May 2014
May 6th... From Beachcomber Island to Mantaray Island
I was up pretty early this morning despite my relatively late night last night, getting straight out of bed for breakfast. It was once again them pigs tail sausage things with beans and fruits amongst other things. I was the first one to have these as well because they don't start serving what they call a big breakfast until 8, with just toast available before this. With a 9am departure from here I checked out of the island and got my backpack all tagged up, which I had sensibly packed last night, before saying my goodbyes to the group of 3 English in the group. Just 4 of us bought the pass go up to the next island, Mantaray Island.
After boarding the small boats owned by Beachcomber, it wasn't long before I had the chance to take photos of the whole island due to the small size. One thing that confused me this morning however was the fact my right arm was covered in red spots. I was worried I had got dengue fever or something although after talking to someone they said it was more likely bedbugs. To be fair they didn't look like mosquito bites so I stopped worrying about it. It wasn't long before the main ferry arrived and before long I boarded the sizeable vessel, sitting in the warm heat on the open top deck to get a good view as we sailed through the islands.
I have already said Fiji is made up of many little islands, and I got the chance to see loads as we left the Mamanucas island group I had been staying in, heading north into what is known as the Yasawa island group. En route we passed many different resorts which not only presented brilliant beaches but also things like hiking and wildlife opportunities with the mountainous geography of the islands. In the end we arrived into my island at the bottom of the Yasawas and after a short transfer arrived into my resort on Mantaray Island, which was in close proximity to a couple of other islands.
When landing onto the island we sat inside and got a free complimentary welcome drink which was basically juice and ice in a blender, getting informed about things to do on the island. The island is considerably bigger than Beachcomber although it is still small in the respect you could walk round it in a couple of hours. The main attraction on the island is the Mantarays which are these fish similar to Stingrays, just a lot bigger. The island runs snorkeling trips to see these fascinating creatures. Other activities vary from day to day although there is a board which tells you what is on offer each day. Lets just say I won't be bored on the island.
Due to arriving near lunchtime which runs at 12 each day, it was straight up for lunch which basically works on a menu basis with 12 different choices. Today I opted for the chicken burrito with chips which was very nice! It was nice here to meet the Canadians and Koreans who had gone straight here after the main island. After lunch I explored the resort a little which is actually really nice, boasting two beaches, one ideal for sunrise and the other for sunset. The resort also had a pretty decent bar area, the only thing lacking being a swimming pool. Before relaxing however I had to pay the compulsory meal package charge, which lets say wasn't cheap. Being on an island I guess it was island prices.
With three nights to be spent on the island I opted to spend the afternoon relaxing, finding myself a nice shady spot in a hammock. It was hilarious however because the islands pet goat started humping the Korean whilst his wife took pictures, and then starting chasing them! All the goat seems to do is annoy people! There are two pet dogs as well on the island which were both pretty friendly. After a short timing laying back in the hammock I joined the others in relaxing on the beach, although they had the idea by being in the sea. It was nice the water was shallow although you couldn't go too far out as there were loads of corals. It was fascinating though as these little fish kept coming real close to the shore!
With a fair chunk of the afternoon spent down on the beach, I spent the latter part playing volleyball with the Danish guys who had also come from Beachcomber. With 4 of us playing it was a nice way to finish the day, although I couldn't quite pull off a Rene Higuita return over the net! From here I headed into the dorm where I lay down as doing a bit of exercise kind of exhausted me! It wasn't that bad and I took the chance to write a blog.
Eventually it came to the time to have dinner and I was pretty hungry with lunch at 12 and dinner at 7. Dinner this evening was a four course meal and gourmet is probably the best day to describe it! First course was a tomato soup with vegetables, pasta and croutons, which was shortly followed by these potato based things for our entree. For main there was a choice of 4 dishes and I opted for the Pad Thai which I had a fair bit of in Thailand. For dessert we had a chocolate moose! Considering I was on a remote island the food was top class.
After dinner the entertainment guy from the island who runs all the activities came up to see how we were which was nice. With a dance based activity planned for the evening we got to learn a couple Fijian dances, which was then followed by a group snake dance where you copy what the person as the front does! It was a cracking way to finish the evening, when finishing going straight to bed along the majority of other people.
After boarding the small boats owned by Beachcomber, it wasn't long before I had the chance to take photos of the whole island due to the small size. One thing that confused me this morning however was the fact my right arm was covered in red spots. I was worried I had got dengue fever or something although after talking to someone they said it was more likely bedbugs. To be fair they didn't look like mosquito bites so I stopped worrying about it. It wasn't long before the main ferry arrived and before long I boarded the sizeable vessel, sitting in the warm heat on the open top deck to get a good view as we sailed through the islands.
I have already said Fiji is made up of many little islands, and I got the chance to see loads as we left the Mamanucas island group I had been staying in, heading north into what is known as the Yasawa island group. En route we passed many different resorts which not only presented brilliant beaches but also things like hiking and wildlife opportunities with the mountainous geography of the islands. In the end we arrived into my island at the bottom of the Yasawas and after a short transfer arrived into my resort on Mantaray Island, which was in close proximity to a couple of other islands.
When landing onto the island we sat inside and got a free complimentary welcome drink which was basically juice and ice in a blender, getting informed about things to do on the island. The island is considerably bigger than Beachcomber although it is still small in the respect you could walk round it in a couple of hours. The main attraction on the island is the Mantarays which are these fish similar to Stingrays, just a lot bigger. The island runs snorkeling trips to see these fascinating creatures. Other activities vary from day to day although there is a board which tells you what is on offer each day. Lets just say I won't be bored on the island.
Due to arriving near lunchtime which runs at 12 each day, it was straight up for lunch which basically works on a menu basis with 12 different choices. Today I opted for the chicken burrito with chips which was very nice! It was nice here to meet the Canadians and Koreans who had gone straight here after the main island. After lunch I explored the resort a little which is actually really nice, boasting two beaches, one ideal for sunrise and the other for sunset. The resort also had a pretty decent bar area, the only thing lacking being a swimming pool. Before relaxing however I had to pay the compulsory meal package charge, which lets say wasn't cheap. Being on an island I guess it was island prices.
With three nights to be spent on the island I opted to spend the afternoon relaxing, finding myself a nice shady spot in a hammock. It was hilarious however because the islands pet goat started humping the Korean whilst his wife took pictures, and then starting chasing them! All the goat seems to do is annoy people! There are two pet dogs as well on the island which were both pretty friendly. After a short timing laying back in the hammock I joined the others in relaxing on the beach, although they had the idea by being in the sea. It was nice the water was shallow although you couldn't go too far out as there were loads of corals. It was fascinating though as these little fish kept coming real close to the shore!
With a fair chunk of the afternoon spent down on the beach, I spent the latter part playing volleyball with the Danish guys who had also come from Beachcomber. With 4 of us playing it was a nice way to finish the day, although I couldn't quite pull off a Rene Higuita return over the net! From here I headed into the dorm where I lay down as doing a bit of exercise kind of exhausted me! It wasn't that bad and I took the chance to write a blog.
Eventually it came to the time to have dinner and I was pretty hungry with lunch at 12 and dinner at 7. Dinner this evening was a four course meal and gourmet is probably the best day to describe it! First course was a tomato soup with vegetables, pasta and croutons, which was shortly followed by these potato based things for our entree. For main there was a choice of 4 dishes and I opted for the Pad Thai which I had a fair bit of in Thailand. For dessert we had a chocolate moose! Considering I was on a remote island the food was top class.
After dinner the entertainment guy from the island who runs all the activities came up to see how we were which was nice. With a dance based activity planned for the evening we got to learn a couple Fijian dances, which was then followed by a group snake dance where you copy what the person as the front does! It was a cracking way to finish the evening, when finishing going straight to bed along the majority of other people.
Saturday, 10 May 2014
May 5th... Beachcomber Island
It was weird this morning as I was awoken by my phones sound for low battery. I don't know how this happened although it was just as well because I would have slept through my alarm otherwise. Due to the fact this went off just before I intended to get up I just left my phone on charge and headed straight out for breakfast. With all meals being included on the island we were treated to another buffet this time consisting of sausage, beans, toast and fruit. The sausages were really weird though and looked like pigs tails! Like in Thailand with pineapple, I am also starting to get sick of watermelon. I have had so many chunks of this since being in Fiji!
With my plans for Beachcomber to be relaxing, I spent the first part of the morning in bed writing a blog, which feels weird being able to write but not post. In terms of things to do I had an array of activities to choose from including parasailing, jet skiing and banana boating, all of which were really expensive. Due to the fact I wanted to get something other than laying in the sun and swimming around all day like yesterday, I opted to go for a kayak in the end with a couple of others. We tried to haggle with the price and in the end managed to get ourselves extra hire time.
With a kayak each hired for an hour and a half, we decided to kayak to this tiny island which had a shelter on which we passed coming into Beachcomber. It was either there or the neighboring resort of Treasure Island which is a more posh resort unlike the party island popular with backpackers I am on. Taking about an half an hour to paddle in what was a tough paddle being against the tide, we eventually arrived on this tiny island. After having a quick photo shoot on the island which was made possible by taking our phones in my dry bag, we spent a further half hour or so snorkeling round this island. There was the odd coral and fish although the sea floor was very rocky if anything. The water was crystal clear however.
Before long it came time to leave the small island to head back to Beachcomber. You could really see how small the island was from where we were as it was dwarfed by the neighboring Treasure Island. I really liked the wooden shelter covered in ferns which someone had built on the island we paddled to though which gave off much needed shade. In the end the paddle back to Beachcomber took less than half hour as we were going with the tide. Due to unbearable heat of the day the first thing I did when returning was jump in the islands pool to cool down which was really nice and refreshing.
In the end we ended up staying in the pool right through until lunch time, quickly drying off and loading our plates up with food from the buffet which was once again a bbq including things like lamb, fish and sausage. The thing I like about Beachcomber is the fact the food just keeps coming! After finishing lunch I decided to spend the afternoon having a nap in the hammock underneath a palm tree. Being a shaded spot, the idea of being on a sandy island for a nap under a palm tree actually appealed to me! To be perfectly honest the islands are designed to be relaxing and it is probably good for me to chill out a bit.
In the end I ended up napping until around 4, only being awoken by the sun as it was setting. This was a little bad as I promised to play volleyball at 3, although it wasn't all bad as I was able to say goodbye to the next 3 people to leave the group back to Nadi, which just happened to be all the Germans. This left 7 of us from the original group remaining. After waving them off it was nice to meet these Danish guys who showed a particular passion for English football. It was really nice to get a long overdue proper football chat as one of them even had a pretty decent knowledge of Southampton!
After heading back to the room to relax because I was feeling a little light headed, it came the time for dinner which this evening was a curry night. This included a beef, fish and chicken curry, although one was really hot! Once again there was generous portions, although you could go up as many times as desired. Dessert was even better this evening though being ice cream with syrup which felt really homely!
From here I finally used my free WiFi code, although it only worked after encountering a few problems initially. I spent a fair while catching up on things before meeting up with the others as it was our last night as a group and also my last on Beachcomber. It was pretty disappointing though as the island is billed as party island and there was like no one there and also expensive drinks at island prices. Due to this most people had an early night, although I was pretty content as my WiFi which was meant to last an hour was still working which meant I could do a quick skype call before I followed suit and went to bed.
With my plans for Beachcomber to be relaxing, I spent the first part of the morning in bed writing a blog, which feels weird being able to write but not post. In terms of things to do I had an array of activities to choose from including parasailing, jet skiing and banana boating, all of which were really expensive. Due to the fact I wanted to get something other than laying in the sun and swimming around all day like yesterday, I opted to go for a kayak in the end with a couple of others. We tried to haggle with the price and in the end managed to get ourselves extra hire time.
With a kayak each hired for an hour and a half, we decided to kayak to this tiny island which had a shelter on which we passed coming into Beachcomber. It was either there or the neighboring resort of Treasure Island which is a more posh resort unlike the party island popular with backpackers I am on. Taking about an half an hour to paddle in what was a tough paddle being against the tide, we eventually arrived on this tiny island. After having a quick photo shoot on the island which was made possible by taking our phones in my dry bag, we spent a further half hour or so snorkeling round this island. There was the odd coral and fish although the sea floor was very rocky if anything. The water was crystal clear however.
Before long it came time to leave the small island to head back to Beachcomber. You could really see how small the island was from where we were as it was dwarfed by the neighboring Treasure Island. I really liked the wooden shelter covered in ferns which someone had built on the island we paddled to though which gave off much needed shade. In the end the paddle back to Beachcomber took less than half hour as we were going with the tide. Due to unbearable heat of the day the first thing I did when returning was jump in the islands pool to cool down which was really nice and refreshing.
In the end we ended up staying in the pool right through until lunch time, quickly drying off and loading our plates up with food from the buffet which was once again a bbq including things like lamb, fish and sausage. The thing I like about Beachcomber is the fact the food just keeps coming! After finishing lunch I decided to spend the afternoon having a nap in the hammock underneath a palm tree. Being a shaded spot, the idea of being on a sandy island for a nap under a palm tree actually appealed to me! To be perfectly honest the islands are designed to be relaxing and it is probably good for me to chill out a bit.
In the end I ended up napping until around 4, only being awoken by the sun as it was setting. This was a little bad as I promised to play volleyball at 3, although it wasn't all bad as I was able to say goodbye to the next 3 people to leave the group back to Nadi, which just happened to be all the Germans. This left 7 of us from the original group remaining. After waving them off it was nice to meet these Danish guys who showed a particular passion for English football. It was really nice to get a long overdue proper football chat as one of them even had a pretty decent knowledge of Southampton!
After heading back to the room to relax because I was feeling a little light headed, it came the time for dinner which this evening was a curry night. This included a beef, fish and chicken curry, although one was really hot! Once again there was generous portions, although you could go up as many times as desired. Dessert was even better this evening though being ice cream with syrup which felt really homely!
From here I finally used my free WiFi code, although it only worked after encountering a few problems initially. I spent a fair while catching up on things before meeting up with the others as it was our last night as a group and also my last on Beachcomber. It was pretty disappointing though as the island is billed as party island and there was like no one there and also expensive drinks at island prices. Due to this most people had an early night, although I was pretty content as my WiFi which was meant to last an hour was still working which meant I could do a quick skype call before I followed suit and went to bed.
May 4th... From Nadi to Beachcomber Island
It was nice to watch a cracking sunrise this morning on the beach, although this was not planned as I somehow pulled off an all nighter for perhaps the first unplanned time abroad. With an 8am pick up this morning I decided not to go to bed after sunrise, instead waiting for breakfast. Breakfast this morning was another buffet continental breakfast including fruits which is always a nice way to start the day. The problem this morning however was getting everyone up for the bus as they had all gone for a 'ten minute nap'.
Eventually everyone woke up, although it didn't really matter as our bus transfer to the ferry terminal was late anyway. I was pretty content though because the free WiFi from the hostel down the road reached our pick up point! It wasn't all good for everyone though because some people had problems checking out in terms of getting their key deposits back. To be honest as far as hostels go, I stayed at a pretty naff one last night.
By around half 8 we were eventually picked up to begin our journey out to Beachcomber Island which we are staying at 2 nights. There were just 10 of us going here though as the tourism Fiji guys had finished their business trip and the two South Koreans on their honeymoon were going straight to Mantaray. We also lost the two Canadians who are doing their own thing. After loading up the minibus starting with ourselves followed by our stuff, it was a pretty cosy and very muggy ride to the ferry terminal, leaving from Anchorage which operates ferries just to Beachcomber.
After checking in my stuff we had some time to kill before boarding this ancient looking ferry. It was pretty nice when finally boarding though, getting decent views of the mainland and some of the islands. Beachcomber is just around 30 minutes from the mainland, and it wasn't long after a quick ride when we arrived at the island. We kept passing sandy islands en route and thinking it was our stop, but we got the smallest one in the end! As there was no pier on the island we had to transfer to another boat which had a clear bottom! The water was crystal clear so you could see the reef and everything.
When finally landing on the island we had to check into the island, and upon check in we were given an hour of free WiFi. I thought I would use it tomorrow though as I had used it today already. In terms of bed I was in an 84 bed dorm, although it was by no means full. After dumping off my stuff I thought I would take a quick walk round the island. This only took me like 5 minutes though! Beachcomber Island is more commonly known as the party island, and has facilities such as a bar, snorkel shop, souvenir shop, swimming pool, mini golf course and more extreme activities for an additional cost on offer amongst many over things.
One of the nice things about the island was fact you could just relax which is exactly what I did, heading round to a more secluded part of the island with a few others and going for a swim. It was nice sitting on a rock and letting the waves come in because it was just so warm yet refreshing. I eventually relaxed in the hammock to pass the time before lunch. One of the positives about my trip package is that all meals on Beachcomber are included, which was just as well being $90 a day otherwise. Lunch was an all you can eat bbq including sausage, lamb, chicken and fish amongst other extras. It was really nice!
After lunch I continued relaxing on the island, going out for a swim in the sea in a less rocky part compared to where I was earlier. It was cool because there was this platform you could climb onto in the sea and relax on. After a swim in the sea came a swim in the islands pool which I ended up staying in for a fair while both practicing my swimming skills and sitting in the shallow end talking. When getting out the pool we went inside in the shade and played cards, playing rummy 500 which was some more complex version of rummy. I got pretty good at the end!
Another quick swim in the sea followed before heading back round to the hammocks to watch the sunset which was pretty special as it sunk beneath some other islands. Shortly after this it was time for dinner which this evening was another buffet consisting of chicken, pork, spinach, cassava and salad. It was ok although I thought lunch was better! This was all followed by some interesting cake thing. From here I took a really early night as I had not even slept yet. The fact I am here two nights meant I needn't worry about missing out on a night on Beachcomber.
Eventually everyone woke up, although it didn't really matter as our bus transfer to the ferry terminal was late anyway. I was pretty content though because the free WiFi from the hostel down the road reached our pick up point! It wasn't all good for everyone though because some people had problems checking out in terms of getting their key deposits back. To be honest as far as hostels go, I stayed at a pretty naff one last night.
By around half 8 we were eventually picked up to begin our journey out to Beachcomber Island which we are staying at 2 nights. There were just 10 of us going here though as the tourism Fiji guys had finished their business trip and the two South Koreans on their honeymoon were going straight to Mantaray. We also lost the two Canadians who are doing their own thing. After loading up the minibus starting with ourselves followed by our stuff, it was a pretty cosy and very muggy ride to the ferry terminal, leaving from Anchorage which operates ferries just to Beachcomber.
After checking in my stuff we had some time to kill before boarding this ancient looking ferry. It was pretty nice when finally boarding though, getting decent views of the mainland and some of the islands. Beachcomber is just around 30 minutes from the mainland, and it wasn't long after a quick ride when we arrived at the island. We kept passing sandy islands en route and thinking it was our stop, but we got the smallest one in the end! As there was no pier on the island we had to transfer to another boat which had a clear bottom! The water was crystal clear so you could see the reef and everything.
When finally landing on the island we had to check into the island, and upon check in we were given an hour of free WiFi. I thought I would use it tomorrow though as I had used it today already. In terms of bed I was in an 84 bed dorm, although it was by no means full. After dumping off my stuff I thought I would take a quick walk round the island. This only took me like 5 minutes though! Beachcomber Island is more commonly known as the party island, and has facilities such as a bar, snorkel shop, souvenir shop, swimming pool, mini golf course and more extreme activities for an additional cost on offer amongst many over things.
One of the nice things about the island was fact you could just relax which is exactly what I did, heading round to a more secluded part of the island with a few others and going for a swim. It was nice sitting on a rock and letting the waves come in because it was just so warm yet refreshing. I eventually relaxed in the hammock to pass the time before lunch. One of the positives about my trip package is that all meals on Beachcomber are included, which was just as well being $90 a day otherwise. Lunch was an all you can eat bbq including sausage, lamb, chicken and fish amongst other extras. It was really nice!
After lunch I continued relaxing on the island, going out for a swim in the sea in a less rocky part compared to where I was earlier. It was cool because there was this platform you could climb onto in the sea and relax on. After a swim in the sea came a swim in the islands pool which I ended up staying in for a fair while both practicing my swimming skills and sitting in the shallow end talking. When getting out the pool we went inside in the shade and played cards, playing rummy 500 which was some more complex version of rummy. I got pretty good at the end!
Another quick swim in the sea followed before heading back round to the hammocks to watch the sunset which was pretty special as it sunk beneath some other islands. Shortly after this it was time for dinner which this evening was another buffet consisting of chicken, pork, spinach, cassava and salad. It was ok although I thought lunch was better! This was all followed by some interesting cake thing. From here I took a really early night as I had not even slept yet. The fact I am here two nights meant I needn't worry about missing out on a night on Beachcomber.
May 3rd... From Rakiraki to Nadi
Considering I am in Fiji with temperatures over 30 degrees during the day right now, I was surprised to have got to the point where I was shivering last night. This was due to a vicious air con which was a little too effective, which meant the sole bed sheet provided was not adequate to keep me warm. Luckily I wasn't the only one who had this problem as one of the others turned it off at night. Breakfast this morning was strictly 2 eggs, 2 pieces of toast and 2 pieces of fruit. I say strictly because it was laid out like a buffet formation, but when I poured myself a bowl of cereal they took it off me and made my breakfast for me! This wasn't great for one of the people in my group who was allergic to eggs!
With a half 9 start scheduled for this morning we were able to relax a little, spending this time in bed. After loading up the minibus once again we were off and shortly arrived into our first stop, the town of Rakiraki. A little off the tourist trail, this was a bustling town full of locals and shops, all centred around a market. Whilst here we purchased some things to give to the orphanage which we visited later that day. Our guide made the point that some locals stare at you in Rakiraki because they see foreigners so little, and this was actually true!
After eventually leaving Rakiraki after our driver found it funny not letting the last person in by opening and closing the bus doors, we started a long drive further round the coast to Lautoka for lunch. Lautoka is the second biggest city in Fiji and is also known as the sugar city. It is also home to where many of the alcoholic beverages of Fiji are made. We made our orders for lunch here last night, which meant when arriving at the waterfront restaurant our food was only 5 minutes or so away. I had the beef curry for dinner here.
When finishing lunch it was pretty pleasant taking a walk down the waterfront before setting off in the bus for our next stop of the day, the Tifajek mud pools. Only being a short drive from Lautoka, actually getting to this location was a different matter, taking us down this gravel track beneath the hills which I actually walked under on my first day. When finally arriving at the mud pools I put on my ripped shorts, the idea to bin them after, and jumped into this murky water. It felt weird inside as my feet had this leafy stuff round them. What we had to do was get a bucket and fill it with the mud beneath and smother it over ourselves, something which is apparently very good for you!
Eventually we were all covered head to toe in mud, although when I slapped it on my face it went in my mouth a little! I even put it in my hair! From here we got a group photo of everyone before letting the mud dry on our skin. When dry we had to jump back into the murky water to wash the mud off us, when washed off jumping into this hot spring where we could completely clean ourselves. It was like having a bath in this volcanic heated spring. Next to this large spring was a little pool with water of 72 degrees, although that was unbearable even putting your toe inside!
We spent a fair while here in the end and surprisingly were completely clean by the end. From here our guide showed us this hill which was home of the sleeping giant, a rock on a hill which looked like a giant. We then preceded back to the main road and into Nadi where we went to visit an orphanage. Even before arriving the kids were shouting out the window they were watching tv, and when going in we presented our gifts, including my bag of bananas. The kids were then allowed outside to play and we were able to play with them. With swings, trampolines and many other toys, the kids were more than happy to play with us. I did get hit in the head by a car at one point though, although the same kid repeatedly punched someone else! We even played duck duck goose.
Eventually it was time to leave in what was a real eye opening experience, saying our goodbyes to the such energetic and in a way happy kids. They are really well looked after. It was only a short drive from orphanage to the hostel, where I this time stayed at smugglers cove. After dumping my stuff I went down to bamboo backpackers which I had heard had free WiFi which was true, keeping me busy for a while! As I have said many times before I can't upload blogs without internet access, and with the limited availability it has been impossible to upload things on a daily basis in Fiji.
Dinner this evening was a BBQ which included chicken, sausage, lamb and egg at Bamboo, before meeting up with others at smugglers as it was our last night with the guys from tourism Fiji. They have been really useful to talk to and with them being older it has been nice to talk to them about their life experiences amongst other things. It was nice as well that basically everyone turned up which meant after a while we checked out Nadi to say a proper goodbye.
With a half 9 start scheduled for this morning we were able to relax a little, spending this time in bed. After loading up the minibus once again we were off and shortly arrived into our first stop, the town of Rakiraki. A little off the tourist trail, this was a bustling town full of locals and shops, all centred around a market. Whilst here we purchased some things to give to the orphanage which we visited later that day. Our guide made the point that some locals stare at you in Rakiraki because they see foreigners so little, and this was actually true!
After eventually leaving Rakiraki after our driver found it funny not letting the last person in by opening and closing the bus doors, we started a long drive further round the coast to Lautoka for lunch. Lautoka is the second biggest city in Fiji and is also known as the sugar city. It is also home to where many of the alcoholic beverages of Fiji are made. We made our orders for lunch here last night, which meant when arriving at the waterfront restaurant our food was only 5 minutes or so away. I had the beef curry for dinner here.
When finishing lunch it was pretty pleasant taking a walk down the waterfront before setting off in the bus for our next stop of the day, the Tifajek mud pools. Only being a short drive from Lautoka, actually getting to this location was a different matter, taking us down this gravel track beneath the hills which I actually walked under on my first day. When finally arriving at the mud pools I put on my ripped shorts, the idea to bin them after, and jumped into this murky water. It felt weird inside as my feet had this leafy stuff round them. What we had to do was get a bucket and fill it with the mud beneath and smother it over ourselves, something which is apparently very good for you!
Eventually we were all covered head to toe in mud, although when I slapped it on my face it went in my mouth a little! I even put it in my hair! From here we got a group photo of everyone before letting the mud dry on our skin. When dry we had to jump back into the murky water to wash the mud off us, when washed off jumping into this hot spring where we could completely clean ourselves. It was like having a bath in this volcanic heated spring. Next to this large spring was a little pool with water of 72 degrees, although that was unbearable even putting your toe inside!
We spent a fair while here in the end and surprisingly were completely clean by the end. From here our guide showed us this hill which was home of the sleeping giant, a rock on a hill which looked like a giant. We then preceded back to the main road and into Nadi where we went to visit an orphanage. Even before arriving the kids were shouting out the window they were watching tv, and when going in we presented our gifts, including my bag of bananas. The kids were then allowed outside to play and we were able to play with them. With swings, trampolines and many other toys, the kids were more than happy to play with us. I did get hit in the head by a car at one point though, although the same kid repeatedly punched someone else! We even played duck duck goose.
Eventually it was time to leave in what was a real eye opening experience, saying our goodbyes to the such energetic and in a way happy kids. They are really well looked after. It was only a short drive from orphanage to the hostel, where I this time stayed at smugglers cove. After dumping my stuff I went down to bamboo backpackers which I had heard had free WiFi which was true, keeping me busy for a while! As I have said many times before I can't upload blogs without internet access, and with the limited availability it has been impossible to upload things on a daily basis in Fiji.
Dinner this evening was a BBQ which included chicken, sausage, lamb and egg at Bamboo, before meeting up with others at smugglers as it was our last night with the guys from tourism Fiji. They have been really useful to talk to and with them being older it has been nice to talk to them about their life experiences amongst other things. It was nice as well that basically everyone turned up which meant after a while we checked out Nadi to say a proper goodbye.
Monday, 5 May 2014
May 2nd... From Pacific Harbour to Rakiraki
After having an earlyish night I was up bright and early, relaxing in bed for a while before emerging for another jam packed day. I was surprised this morning however when after going out for breakfast it was as close to a fry up as I am going to get! My trip details made very clear you get 4 free continental breakfasts. There were no complaints from me however as I loaded my plate high with bacon, eggs, beans and toast, which was later followed by pancakes and fresh fruits!
This morning everyone basically arrived on time, although we still left 15 minutes late because our guide supposedly drank a bottle of rum under pressure from the locals. I know how lethal the stuff is after finding out it was 58% the other day! After departing to a nice and sunny day, we ended up having a heavy rain shower before arriving into our first stop of the day in Suva. When going in our guide told us about many of the sights including the lethal looking prisons and the harbour.
After a while we pulled into the centre of Suva, which is the capital, and got given a short while to look around all the shops. It was actually a pretty modern area in places compared to some of the corrugated metal and boarded up houses we have passed. Perhaps the highlight was the actual shopping mall which had many big brand shops and a supermarket with some proper lighting which many others seem to lack! Whilst here I also walked down some of the streets of shops right through to the market which was just people on the floor with things like fruits laid out. One of the interesting things people sell are these massive bags full of mussels which are really cheap. The locals dive in rivers at low tide for these.
In the end we spent about 45 minutes in Suva, checking out the large harbour area before heading back to the bus. When driving out our guide spoke to us about more of the cities sights including the many government related buildings and this hotel which the Queen once stayed at. Driving further out we came across the national stadium although it only had one stand, before reaching the largest university in the South Pacific. Our driver stopped here to give his waiting son some money, although when given he asked for an extra $10 for lunch! Our final major sight seen was the McDonalds, one of only three in the country!
Our drive then took us out of Suva for a fair while through to our next stop at Navaoula village, where we were stopping for a traditional Sevusevu ceremony along with lunch and some activities. Before arriving the bus had to nominate the chief which had to be male. I ended up being the chief, basically because I was the youngest! We also had to put on our sarongs which are basically worn like a towel and need to be worn round the village.
We then pulled into the small village where the people were waiting for us, saying our hellos before proceeding with the Kava ceremony. I had to enter first through the front door and welcome my group to the village chief before everyone else could come in, before taking my seat at the front with everyone else down the side. The next part of the ceremony lost me a little because there was a lot of prayer and talk in a different language, although before long the Kava drinking began, me up first. I just had to clap for my bowl of kava, then say Bula, then clap three times saying Vinaka. I had to down three bowls of the stuff though, and accidentally dropped some one go!
Eventually the ceremony was over which meant we had been welcomed into the village, and as chief I had to shake everyone's hand including the children's before leaving the building first whilst every one else did the same. We then sat outside for a short while whilst the mothers of the village prepared lunch which was eventually done. Lunch was a sit down on the floor and use your hands kind of lunch, with little snacks including these spinach based things, sausages, noodles and prawns. It was a very nice spread, sitting at the top of the table being chief.
After lunch we were allowed out of our sarongs whilst we were transported down river by the bus to go bilibili bamboo rafting. Organised by the locals, this activity was very similar to what I did in Thailand just it did not involve rapids and carrying all of our stuff. I was first on and it was all pretty relaxing as we floated down this brown murky river back to the village. When coming in all the children were shouting bula and waving to us! The thing I think Fijians couldn't do however was count as one boat had 8 people and another 2, steered by arguably the most mental person!
When returning to the village we played a few games in the water which was real fun, before getting a few group photos. This is good for me as I am always reluctant to take my phone on water based activities. When finally getting out of the water we went back into village where we had to put back on our sarongs to go back inside the main village house. The village chief told me and everyone else that we were getting entertainment by the children. The fact it was school holidays meant the children were all in the village to perform for us. With an array of singing and dancing it was really good, tipping them in the process.
Our entertainment then became like a disco, starting with the locals promoting their dance moves. We had to sit there whilst we were selected by one of the locals, getting chosen by the old woman who I was practically slow dancing with. We then got our chance to showcase our moves going club style, getting to choose people to dance. I had the kids doing proper dancing by the end, although we got covered in talcom powder by our guide! We then had to do the closing ceremony which involved drinking more kava and a lot of vinaka and morvay. I even had to do a speech to sum up what this experience meant to everyone, which I think under pressure did pretty well!
It then came to the time to finally leave the village, where we were chased down the street by the kids! The day was a real insight into everyday life in Fiji and the culture to add. When driving right up north for our stop for the night in Rakiraki we got the most amazing sunset, seeing Vanua Levu in the process! It wasn't until around half 6 when we finally arrived and after checking into our hostel which was a triple room with en suite for a change, we got a little time to relax. Dinner this evening was a burger which was really nice, accompanied by a cocktail to have a change from the local brew. With a wedding going on tomorrow, we had to vacate the bar after dinner, sitting outside for a while playing pool. I eventually headed to bed to make the most of a hotel experience!
This morning everyone basically arrived on time, although we still left 15 minutes late because our guide supposedly drank a bottle of rum under pressure from the locals. I know how lethal the stuff is after finding out it was 58% the other day! After departing to a nice and sunny day, we ended up having a heavy rain shower before arriving into our first stop of the day in Suva. When going in our guide told us about many of the sights including the lethal looking prisons and the harbour.
After a while we pulled into the centre of Suva, which is the capital, and got given a short while to look around all the shops. It was actually a pretty modern area in places compared to some of the corrugated metal and boarded up houses we have passed. Perhaps the highlight was the actual shopping mall which had many big brand shops and a supermarket with some proper lighting which many others seem to lack! Whilst here I also walked down some of the streets of shops right through to the market which was just people on the floor with things like fruits laid out. One of the interesting things people sell are these massive bags full of mussels which are really cheap. The locals dive in rivers at low tide for these.
In the end we spent about 45 minutes in Suva, checking out the large harbour area before heading back to the bus. When driving out our guide spoke to us about more of the cities sights including the many government related buildings and this hotel which the Queen once stayed at. Driving further out we came across the national stadium although it only had one stand, before reaching the largest university in the South Pacific. Our driver stopped here to give his waiting son some money, although when given he asked for an extra $10 for lunch! Our final major sight seen was the McDonalds, one of only three in the country!
Our drive then took us out of Suva for a fair while through to our next stop at Navaoula village, where we were stopping for a traditional Sevusevu ceremony along with lunch and some activities. Before arriving the bus had to nominate the chief which had to be male. I ended up being the chief, basically because I was the youngest! We also had to put on our sarongs which are basically worn like a towel and need to be worn round the village.
We then pulled into the small village where the people were waiting for us, saying our hellos before proceeding with the Kava ceremony. I had to enter first through the front door and welcome my group to the village chief before everyone else could come in, before taking my seat at the front with everyone else down the side. The next part of the ceremony lost me a little because there was a lot of prayer and talk in a different language, although before long the Kava drinking began, me up first. I just had to clap for my bowl of kava, then say Bula, then clap three times saying Vinaka. I had to down three bowls of the stuff though, and accidentally dropped some one go!
Eventually the ceremony was over which meant we had been welcomed into the village, and as chief I had to shake everyone's hand including the children's before leaving the building first whilst every one else did the same. We then sat outside for a short while whilst the mothers of the village prepared lunch which was eventually done. Lunch was a sit down on the floor and use your hands kind of lunch, with little snacks including these spinach based things, sausages, noodles and prawns. It was a very nice spread, sitting at the top of the table being chief.
After lunch we were allowed out of our sarongs whilst we were transported down river by the bus to go bilibili bamboo rafting. Organised by the locals, this activity was very similar to what I did in Thailand just it did not involve rapids and carrying all of our stuff. I was first on and it was all pretty relaxing as we floated down this brown murky river back to the village. When coming in all the children were shouting bula and waving to us! The thing I think Fijians couldn't do however was count as one boat had 8 people and another 2, steered by arguably the most mental person!
When returning to the village we played a few games in the water which was real fun, before getting a few group photos. This is good for me as I am always reluctant to take my phone on water based activities. When finally getting out of the water we went back into village where we had to put back on our sarongs to go back inside the main village house. The village chief told me and everyone else that we were getting entertainment by the children. The fact it was school holidays meant the children were all in the village to perform for us. With an array of singing and dancing it was really good, tipping them in the process.
Our entertainment then became like a disco, starting with the locals promoting their dance moves. We had to sit there whilst we were selected by one of the locals, getting chosen by the old woman who I was practically slow dancing with. We then got our chance to showcase our moves going club style, getting to choose people to dance. I had the kids doing proper dancing by the end, although we got covered in talcom powder by our guide! We then had to do the closing ceremony which involved drinking more kava and a lot of vinaka and morvay. I even had to do a speech to sum up what this experience meant to everyone, which I think under pressure did pretty well!
It then came to the time to finally leave the village, where we were chased down the street by the kids! The day was a real insight into everyday life in Fiji and the culture to add. When driving right up north for our stop for the night in Rakiraki we got the most amazing sunset, seeing Vanua Levu in the process! It wasn't until around half 6 when we finally arrived and after checking into our hostel which was a triple room with en suite for a change, we got a little time to relax. Dinner this evening was a burger which was really nice, accompanied by a cocktail to have a change from the local brew. With a wedding going on tomorrow, we had to vacate the bar after dinner, sitting outside for a while playing pool. I eventually headed to bed to make the most of a hotel experience!
May 1st... From Coral Coast to Pacific Harbour
With a pretty decent hostel which also operates as a hotel resort as well as having a couple of dorms, I had a good night sleep. The large mass of frogs which were everywhere outside made a racket throughout the night though! The one thing the hostel lacked however was in room power sockets although I solved this problem by giving my phone a quick power charge whilst having my shower. Breakfast this morning was basically toast and fresh fruits. I can't wait to have a fry up again though!
With an 8am departure scheduled this morning, some peoples nights made them slightly sleepy this morning. A few people overslept to the point where they missed breakfast, although by 8.05 most of us were on the bus which was pretty impressive. I say most of us because it happened to be a couple of the older tourism Fiji people who arrived considerably late. Our guide ended up waking one of them up with water, who thought he was going for a surfing lesson at 5am so waited down the beach for 2 hours! It wasn't until 8.45 when we finally left Mango Bay ready for another day of activity.
The plan for today was to spend the morning doing a trek through the Fijian jungle, followed by the afternoon relaxing at our next hotel resort of Uprising Beach. Passing Beqa island en route which is famous for its fire walking, we soon arrived at this track where we were dropped off and taken by this truck into the jungle. It was slightly precarious sitting on the back of this truck along this gravel track though! It took two trips to get everyone in the end, and after heading over this bridge our trek guide gave us a brief of the route which I couldn't understand!
Before leaving we were told to wear decent footwear. I did this, although the rain from yesterday had made the paths very muddy, and people fell over so many times as we headed up and down. It was a laugh on the first section of the trek going through woodland and open grasslands, gaining myself a fern hat en route! Before long however we reached a swampy stream, which I assumed we were crossing. It surprised me however when we were told we were following it! I just decided to go bare foot from here to save destroying my already destroyed trainers as I'm not getting a new pair anywhere soon!
It was pretty refreshing walking through this swamp with knee deep water, although one person took a step and fell to their waist! Baring in mind I had my phone like many others, I am pretty glad that wasn't me! The trek got more off track by this point and we ended up crossing some creeks which had some nice and refreshing water inside. It was pretty dodgy getting into some of the creeks though which had slippery mud to access them. Eventually after crossing 6 creeks and going through open fields we arrived back into the woodland where we reached a waterfall to spend a while playing in.
After a quick swim in the water hole beneath this small waterfall, we all followed this path up through the woods next to the river up to a bigger waterfall where we were able to climb up further slippery rocks and jump off! I even managed to somehow get under the waterfall and swim under the full force of it. After a while spent here we headed back the same way back to the first water hole. I had actually bought swimmers with me, but the fact I was already so muddy meant I didn't bother changing. I did however become everyone's camera holder as I had bought my drybag on the trek with me.
The next part of our trek took us back a different way, although starting out in trekking gear for a hike I had now become topless and barefoot with mud paints on my face. It was pretty muddy along this section which made the squelch between my toes pretty refreshing! We even picked up some fruit to take back to the hostel later. Before long we reached a bigger river which we were told we would paddle through and follow. It was pretty shallow though.
A fair while after following this river we reached a long boat which had come up the murky waters to give us a lift out of the jungle. Once everyone was on we made slow progress as the shallow waters and sheer weight of the boat slowed us down. It was a pretty relaxing boat in the ride getting the odd view. We eventually emerged right on the beachfront which signalled the end of the amusing trek. I did rip my shorts on the boat however. In the space of two days I had destroyed so many of my clothes!
When re boarding the bus we got a quick transfer by our driver to the hostel at Uprising Beach in Pacific Harbour, also known as the adventure capital of Fiji. The first thing I did when getting back was jump into the shower, which had to be quick to wash off the mud between my toes as we had a table booked for lunch. Lunch today was Kokoda which is a traditional Fijian dish I thought I would try. It was nice but not very filling. After lunch I took a little walk down to the beach which was nice, even reading these funny signs, and this distance signpost. I even purchased some handicrafts here which were pretty reasonably priced.
From here the afternoon was spent relaxing, although the free time available allowed me to catch up on my blogs whilst many of the others ended up having naps. I didn't do much else other than relax in bed all afternoon, mainly because it was raining again, and come evening went down for the special island buffet meal called a lovo which was amazing. This was complimented with some island dancing and a fire show for entertainment throughout the evening. From here I had a pretty chilled out evening after last night, finding the Liverpool v Chelsea full match replay which I watched before heading off to bed.
With an 8am departure scheduled this morning, some peoples nights made them slightly sleepy this morning. A few people overslept to the point where they missed breakfast, although by 8.05 most of us were on the bus which was pretty impressive. I say most of us because it happened to be a couple of the older tourism Fiji people who arrived considerably late. Our guide ended up waking one of them up with water, who thought he was going for a surfing lesson at 5am so waited down the beach for 2 hours! It wasn't until 8.45 when we finally left Mango Bay ready for another day of activity.
The plan for today was to spend the morning doing a trek through the Fijian jungle, followed by the afternoon relaxing at our next hotel resort of Uprising Beach. Passing Beqa island en route which is famous for its fire walking, we soon arrived at this track where we were dropped off and taken by this truck into the jungle. It was slightly precarious sitting on the back of this truck along this gravel track though! It took two trips to get everyone in the end, and after heading over this bridge our trek guide gave us a brief of the route which I couldn't understand!
Before leaving we were told to wear decent footwear. I did this, although the rain from yesterday had made the paths very muddy, and people fell over so many times as we headed up and down. It was a laugh on the first section of the trek going through woodland and open grasslands, gaining myself a fern hat en route! Before long however we reached a swampy stream, which I assumed we were crossing. It surprised me however when we were told we were following it! I just decided to go bare foot from here to save destroying my already destroyed trainers as I'm not getting a new pair anywhere soon!
It was pretty refreshing walking through this swamp with knee deep water, although one person took a step and fell to their waist! Baring in mind I had my phone like many others, I am pretty glad that wasn't me! The trek got more off track by this point and we ended up crossing some creeks which had some nice and refreshing water inside. It was pretty dodgy getting into some of the creeks though which had slippery mud to access them. Eventually after crossing 6 creeks and going through open fields we arrived back into the woodland where we reached a waterfall to spend a while playing in.
After a quick swim in the water hole beneath this small waterfall, we all followed this path up through the woods next to the river up to a bigger waterfall where we were able to climb up further slippery rocks and jump off! I even managed to somehow get under the waterfall and swim under the full force of it. After a while spent here we headed back the same way back to the first water hole. I had actually bought swimmers with me, but the fact I was already so muddy meant I didn't bother changing. I did however become everyone's camera holder as I had bought my drybag on the trek with me.
The next part of our trek took us back a different way, although starting out in trekking gear for a hike I had now become topless and barefoot with mud paints on my face. It was pretty muddy along this section which made the squelch between my toes pretty refreshing! We even picked up some fruit to take back to the hostel later. Before long we reached a bigger river which we were told we would paddle through and follow. It was pretty shallow though.
A fair while after following this river we reached a long boat which had come up the murky waters to give us a lift out of the jungle. Once everyone was on we made slow progress as the shallow waters and sheer weight of the boat slowed us down. It was a pretty relaxing boat in the ride getting the odd view. We eventually emerged right on the beachfront which signalled the end of the amusing trek. I did rip my shorts on the boat however. In the space of two days I had destroyed so many of my clothes!
When re boarding the bus we got a quick transfer by our driver to the hostel at Uprising Beach in Pacific Harbour, also known as the adventure capital of Fiji. The first thing I did when getting back was jump into the shower, which had to be quick to wash off the mud between my toes as we had a table booked for lunch. Lunch today was Kokoda which is a traditional Fijian dish I thought I would try. It was nice but not very filling. After lunch I took a little walk down to the beach which was nice, even reading these funny signs, and this distance signpost. I even purchased some handicrafts here which were pretty reasonably priced.
From here the afternoon was spent relaxing, although the free time available allowed me to catch up on my blogs whilst many of the others ended up having naps. I didn't do much else other than relax in bed all afternoon, mainly because it was raining again, and come evening went down for the special island buffet meal called a lovo which was amazing. This was complimented with some island dancing and a fire show for entertainment throughout the evening. From here I had a pretty chilled out evening after last night, finding the Liverpool v Chelsea full match replay which I watched before heading off to bed.
April 30th... From Nadi to Coral Coast
I was up bright and early this morning due an early pick up for the start my tour entitled Triple Treat by Feejee Experience. My tour of Fiji is basically a 10 day 9 night trip round Fiji including a lap of the main island Viti Levu, followed by a few nights on Beachcomber Island and Mantaray Island. Obviously Fiji is made up of 100s of islands so what I am doing will be just giving me a taster of the country. After having my inclusive continental breakfast once again, I was all set to go after packing my bags and having a quick shower.
Due to the persistent rain which showed no signs of letting up, I waited inside the hostel for my pick up which arrived early funnily enough. After loading my bag onto the trailer, which has suddenly got heavier due to no need for a jumper and at the moment trainers, we set out ready to explore Fiji. There were a few more pick ups en route including one at a posh hotel in Denarau! Feejee Experience offers many different packages to suit peoples personalities and time frames, so I may gain and lose people I am travelling with.
After eventually picking everyone up and doing the first few introductions, our first stop of the day was Nadi, where we were dropped off outside a handicraft shop which had free WiFi given to us! It also had reasonably priced souvenirs compared to what I was seeing yesterday! I think people were trying to con me yesterday. Whilst in Nadi we visited a market I missed yesterday which sold lots of fruits and vegetables for very cheap prices. I also bought a sarong here which must be worn in our village visit later this week, giving my first opportunity to showcase my fashion!
After leaving Nadi our guide gave us a talk about the brief history of Fiji, which was very interesting hearing about past cannibalism in the country to impact of the British empire to more geographical related stuff. The concise nature of our guides talk made it very engaging. We then had a chance to introduce ourselves to the group and say a little about ourselves. I will definitely be with all these people for the first 4 days, and as far as I can make out right through to Beachcomber too. I have once again got a brilliant group on first impressions with people from the UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Denmark and South Korea.
Passing a major car crash, well a minibus that had rolled down a hill and left the front attached to mashed up car above, we arrived into our first stop of Natadola Beach. Once rated as one of the worlds top 10 beaches, we had picked a grotty day to come so instead relaxed inside the hotel resort nearby for lunch. Sitting with the English people who have packed in their jobs to move to NZ, I had fish and chips for lunch.
After finishing lunch the rain had eased a little, although it was still moist which meant we headed down the beach where some Fijian children challenged us to game of football. It was a 3 on 3 England v Fiji game which of course England won! Unfortunately after a while the rain started coming down pretty hard again which put an end to my bare foot beach football fun, heading inside where I relaxed on the sofas reading magazines. We spent most of the afternoon here in the end, although my photos didn't quite look like the pictures I had seen prior!
By around 3 we left Natadola beach for our next stop of the day at the Sigatoka sand dunes to go sand boarding. We passed through the town of Sigatoka en route which is also known as the rugby capital of Fiji. Whilst getting to the sand dunes however our driver took us well and truly off road as we just drove through long grasses before reaching a large hill which was basically wet sand. It had stopped raining by now however which made it even better. Due to the fact it was wet sand meant that the sand was slick meaning it was very fast! I probably shouldn't have worn white though! I did get a mouthful of sand on my first go although in all I was pretty good considering the speed the board was going at.
We spent a while here before finally setting off for our overnight stop at the Mango Bay Resort. Rated as the best flash packer hostel in 2007, it was a pretty plush place with a jungle feel setting and bunk beds made out of bamboo! I could have even stayed here longer as the hostel itself ran many daily activities and excursions out to other places. I couldn't properly appreciate the beach front setting of the hostel however as it was dark when checking in and everything. Dinner this evening was curry although it was a little too posh for me! It came in little dishes and I barely knew what to do. Despite food being cheaper than home, I can see it working out expensive as we are eating out for lunch and dinner on the main island!
From here it was nice to spend the evening further getting to know everyone. It was even better having a completely free bar for the first hour, although I was a little cautious about the pay in the morning technique the hostel used. One thing I haven't mentioned is the fact that the marketing director of Feejee Experience and three members of tourism Fiji are on my trip, and it was very interesting getting to know these people not only to learn about Fiji but also their profession. With a quiz and a killer pool competition throughout the evening, I managed to get to know everyone in my group which is such a diverse group of backgrounds and ages.
Due to the persistent rain which showed no signs of letting up, I waited inside the hostel for my pick up which arrived early funnily enough. After loading my bag onto the trailer, which has suddenly got heavier due to no need for a jumper and at the moment trainers, we set out ready to explore Fiji. There were a few more pick ups en route including one at a posh hotel in Denarau! Feejee Experience offers many different packages to suit peoples personalities and time frames, so I may gain and lose people I am travelling with.
After eventually picking everyone up and doing the first few introductions, our first stop of the day was Nadi, where we were dropped off outside a handicraft shop which had free WiFi given to us! It also had reasonably priced souvenirs compared to what I was seeing yesterday! I think people were trying to con me yesterday. Whilst in Nadi we visited a market I missed yesterday which sold lots of fruits and vegetables for very cheap prices. I also bought a sarong here which must be worn in our village visit later this week, giving my first opportunity to showcase my fashion!
After leaving Nadi our guide gave us a talk about the brief history of Fiji, which was very interesting hearing about past cannibalism in the country to impact of the British empire to more geographical related stuff. The concise nature of our guides talk made it very engaging. We then had a chance to introduce ourselves to the group and say a little about ourselves. I will definitely be with all these people for the first 4 days, and as far as I can make out right through to Beachcomber too. I have once again got a brilliant group on first impressions with people from the UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Denmark and South Korea.
Passing a major car crash, well a minibus that had rolled down a hill and left the front attached to mashed up car above, we arrived into our first stop of Natadola Beach. Once rated as one of the worlds top 10 beaches, we had picked a grotty day to come so instead relaxed inside the hotel resort nearby for lunch. Sitting with the English people who have packed in their jobs to move to NZ, I had fish and chips for lunch.
After finishing lunch the rain had eased a little, although it was still moist which meant we headed down the beach where some Fijian children challenged us to game of football. It was a 3 on 3 England v Fiji game which of course England won! Unfortunately after a while the rain started coming down pretty hard again which put an end to my bare foot beach football fun, heading inside where I relaxed on the sofas reading magazines. We spent most of the afternoon here in the end, although my photos didn't quite look like the pictures I had seen prior!
By around 3 we left Natadola beach for our next stop of the day at the Sigatoka sand dunes to go sand boarding. We passed through the town of Sigatoka en route which is also known as the rugby capital of Fiji. Whilst getting to the sand dunes however our driver took us well and truly off road as we just drove through long grasses before reaching a large hill which was basically wet sand. It had stopped raining by now however which made it even better. Due to the fact it was wet sand meant that the sand was slick meaning it was very fast! I probably shouldn't have worn white though! I did get a mouthful of sand on my first go although in all I was pretty good considering the speed the board was going at.
We spent a while here before finally setting off for our overnight stop at the Mango Bay Resort. Rated as the best flash packer hostel in 2007, it was a pretty plush place with a jungle feel setting and bunk beds made out of bamboo! I could have even stayed here longer as the hostel itself ran many daily activities and excursions out to other places. I couldn't properly appreciate the beach front setting of the hostel however as it was dark when checking in and everything. Dinner this evening was curry although it was a little too posh for me! It came in little dishes and I barely knew what to do. Despite food being cheaper than home, I can see it working out expensive as we are eating out for lunch and dinner on the main island!
From here it was nice to spend the evening further getting to know everyone. It was even better having a completely free bar for the first hour, although I was a little cautious about the pay in the morning technique the hostel used. One thing I haven't mentioned is the fact that the marketing director of Feejee Experience and three members of tourism Fiji are on my trip, and it was very interesting getting to know these people not only to learn about Fiji but also their profession. With a quiz and a killer pool competition throughout the evening, I managed to get to know everyone in my group which is such a diverse group of backgrounds and ages.
Saturday, 3 May 2014
April 29th... Nadi again
After my pretty early night, this resulted in me waking up pretty early, although this worked in my favour a little as when getting out of bed I found out the Arsenal v Newcastle game was being shown live. This meant I took a seat and had a relaxing morning, taking full advantage of the hostels inclusive breakfast in the process. Yesterday I had intended to explore Nadi town, although I found out when reaching the airport it was in fact the other direction from the hostel. With no rush however this morning, working on Fiji time as the locals say, I just had a chilled out morning.
Heading out of the hostel and swiftly completing the half hour or so walk from my beachfront hostel to the main road, I walked the opposite direction of yesterday. I had learned from yesterday however, taking sun cream and multi functional headwear as the back of my neck had slightly burned. I blame the cooler conditions of NZ for making me forget! En route to Nadi Town, I passed a McDonalds which was a homely sight, although I didn't stop, which I can't believe thinking back as McDonalds is the worlds ultimate free WiFi hotspot!
I yesterday said there were two geocaches I could potentially find in Nadi, and arguably due to where I go, the whole of Fiji. This meant when reaching the junction to go to Nadi Town, I instead took a slight detour to Port Denarau. This is where many of the ferries leave the island to explore the more remote islands, more commonly known as island hopping. I was going to do this in Fiji, although I thought it lacked the cultural element so my tour starting tomorrow with Feejee Experience is basically a compromise between the two.
When arriving at Denarau after a fair road walk, I soon found out that this area is also the place to come for the posh resorts. Spread over a massive area, this complex included a large marina, a golf course and it's very own beach. I decided to explore the area, doing a big loop to the final cache location. When exploring deeper into the complex I found an inflatable water park which I was so tempted to go to but the fact that it was all young kids gave me second thoughts. There was even a mini golf course and bungy trampolines nearby. The whole complex was pretty impressive, although I couldn't help but think that this wasn't the real Fiji.
I eventually headed down to the beach which was much better than the hostels beach area, walking along, until I got within 100m of the cache taking me to the golf course. I however couldn't find it once again, which was frustrating in terms of probably leaving Fiji without a find now. Despite my disappointment it was nice to look round a more commercial part of Fiji before going to Nadi town.
After having a good chat with the security guard at the complex entrance who I met coming in, I walked back along the road to Nadi. When arriving, I crossed a bridge in where lots of locals were swimming in this murky river. Apparently they were diving for mussels to sell. The town was just round the corner, taking a slow walk along the main high street which included places like Vodafone and designer clothes shops, but also things like handicraft shops and local supermarkets. It was very different to your UK high street.
The locals were once again very friendly and I made sure I stopped to talk to some people along the way. I had to be careful though as some people were trying to deal weed. I guess I was just seen as the tourist, which I was careful about. I even took the time to partake in a Kava welcoming ceremony whereby I learned about the culture and some key phrases. I will learn more about this in my village visit in a few days, although as far as I can make out Fijian people seem to mush up this root and mix it was water. I am not entirely sure of the cultural significance however, although I made sure I said Vinaka after downing three bowls of grey coloured water!
By the time I reached the end of the high street I reached the Indian Temple which is used by the Hindu population of Fiji. It was a very colourful place, a bit like the Taj Mahal in structure. I couldn't go inside though as I was wearing shorts which is disrespectful to the religion. Heading back along the other side of the high street, I picked up some lunch which was an assortment of snacks like samosas and bhajjis which worked out less than 10p each! By the time I reached the end of the street I lost count of the amount of locals I spoke to!
Heading out of the hostel and swiftly completing the half hour or so walk from my beachfront hostel to the main road, I walked the opposite direction of yesterday. I had learned from yesterday however, taking sun cream and multi functional headwear as the back of my neck had slightly burned. I blame the cooler conditions of NZ for making me forget! En route to Nadi Town, I passed a McDonalds which was a homely sight, although I didn't stop, which I can't believe thinking back as McDonalds is the worlds ultimate free WiFi hotspot!
I yesterday said there were two geocaches I could potentially find in Nadi, and arguably due to where I go, the whole of Fiji. This meant when reaching the junction to go to Nadi Town, I instead took a slight detour to Port Denarau. This is where many of the ferries leave the island to explore the more remote islands, more commonly known as island hopping. I was going to do this in Fiji, although I thought it lacked the cultural element so my tour starting tomorrow with Feejee Experience is basically a compromise between the two.
When arriving at Denarau after a fair road walk, I soon found out that this area is also the place to come for the posh resorts. Spread over a massive area, this complex included a large marina, a golf course and it's very own beach. I decided to explore the area, doing a big loop to the final cache location. When exploring deeper into the complex I found an inflatable water park which I was so tempted to go to but the fact that it was all young kids gave me second thoughts. There was even a mini golf course and bungy trampolines nearby. The whole complex was pretty impressive, although I couldn't help but think that this wasn't the real Fiji.
I eventually headed down to the beach which was much better than the hostels beach area, walking along, until I got within 100m of the cache taking me to the golf course. I however couldn't find it once again, which was frustrating in terms of probably leaving Fiji without a find now. Despite my disappointment it was nice to look round a more commercial part of Fiji before going to Nadi town.
After having a good chat with the security guard at the complex entrance who I met coming in, I walked back along the road to Nadi. When arriving, I crossed a bridge in where lots of locals were swimming in this murky river. Apparently they were diving for mussels to sell. The town was just round the corner, taking a slow walk along the main high street which included places like Vodafone and designer clothes shops, but also things like handicraft shops and local supermarkets. It was very different to your UK high street.
The locals were once again very friendly and I made sure I stopped to talk to some people along the way. I had to be careful though as some people were trying to deal weed. I guess I was just seen as the tourist, which I was careful about. I even took the time to partake in a Kava welcoming ceremony whereby I learned about the culture and some key phrases. I will learn more about this in my village visit in a few days, although as far as I can make out Fijian people seem to mush up this root and mix it was water. I am not entirely sure of the cultural significance however, although I made sure I said Vinaka after downing three bowls of grey coloured water!
By the time I reached the end of the high street I reached the Indian Temple which is used by the Hindu population of Fiji. It was a very colourful place, a bit like the Taj Mahal in structure. I couldn't go inside though as I was wearing shorts which is disrespectful to the religion. Heading back along the other side of the high street, I picked up some lunch which was an assortment of snacks like samosas and bhajjis which worked out less than 10p each! By the time I reached the end of the street I lost count of the amount of locals I spoke to!
April 28th... Nadi
It was a really muggy night last night which brought memories of Thailand flooding back to me. Despite being in a dorm which equated to just £6 a night, it was a perfectly adequate hostel, although the fans were a little noisy. It did take a little getting used to using a bed sheet again after using a duvet for so long prior. Unbelievably breakfast was included in the price of staying at my hostel which was toast and condiments, sitting outside by the pool beneath palm trees on a really sunny day.
In an ideal world I would have been starting my Feejee Experience tour today, but as you know that is not the case. This therefore gave me two free days round Nadi to explore the place. I wasn't very optimistic however as my travel agent said you literally come here to fly in, being the sole international airport of Fiji. After a quick shower I headed out to the beach which was right behind my hostel, and I could see what he meant about the beach not being as spectacular as the islands. It was nice with palm trees and sun, although the sand was grey.
The basic plan for the day was to explore Nadi, with the off chance of two potential geocache finds. There are two active caches around Nadi, although they are both 8km or so in either direction from my hostel. After a short walk down the beach with the aim of getting to the town, I soon had to turn around and come back. Despite my hostel being geographically close to Nadi, the airport runway prevents a short cut in. This meant I had to go back to the hostel and follow the road out to the main road. My hostel was down a remote road next door to many other hostels, offering a more resort like accommodation on the beachfront.
Without a map of Fiji or any idea of my bearings, I naturally assumed that Nadi town would be the direction of the airport. Following the road, which included the sight of a dead dog on the road side, I eventually reached the shops I passed when driving in which included a supermarket. After a quick look round I continued out towards the airport. I had hoped whilst being here I would find a free WiFi hotspot, although I was without luck. Even when reaching the airport which I knew had free WiFi, I was restricted because security were checking flight details before letting people access the airport.
I soon realised after speaking the locals that I wasn't in Nadi town and was in fact just in the airport area which is out of town. Due to the fact I had walked well over an hour from the hostel to the airport I decided to continue walking outwards to find a geocache which was 8km away. The fact I was still 8km away gives you an idea of the sheer size of the runway having to walk round it! Walking over precarious bridges and small villages, I got an increased taster of just how friendly the Fijian locals were. Literally everyone I passed would say Bula without fail, and I lost count of the number of times I stopped to talk to the locals.
Continuing along this road, passing so many little businesses and houses, I eventually reached a turn off down a gravel track which was within a km of the cache. This was an obviously poor area of Fiji with very basic housing, and I was slightly worried about walking through. My worries were soon extinguished however as I met some young Fijian kids who were only too happy to show me round. Despite being unaware of the geocache they guided me up the hill to where it was meant to be, although we couldn't find it. I was even invited back for a drink by some locals on my way back although I thought I better not!
Despite not finding the cache I had such an insight in Fiji already. It was touching just how pleased the locals were to see me in these small villages I passed through outside Nadi. Even these guys doing road works remembered me passing on the way when heading back to Nadi. In addition I even got offered lifts back to the airport, although I didn't risk it! I probably should have accepted though because I got caught in a rain shower which got me drenched, although the sun did come out after.
After eventually getting back to the airport I thought I found some free WiFi as I managed to somehow refresh my Facebook page, although I didn't get as far as reading my messages before it cut off. From here I checked out the big supermarket I missed on my way past. Despite some things being cheap such as deep fried food, branded products are really expensive in Fiji. From the supermarket I took a slow walk back to the hostel looking at the shops. The hostel itself was a half hour walk from the main road, although I got lost going back. I ended up on the beach which was actually a nice detour, walking along the dark sands to the hostel back entrance.
When returning the first thing I did was just jump into the pool as it had been a pretty sticky day. The fact it was gone 5 when I got back meant after a refreshing swim I settled down on the beachfront and watched the sunset. Dinner this evening was chicken fried rice and chips, and the portion was massive! I didn't have much option other than to eat in the reasonably priced hostel restaurant as the nearest supermarket was a half hour walk back to the main road! From here it was all a pretty relaxing evening, once again having an early night.
In an ideal world I would have been starting my Feejee Experience tour today, but as you know that is not the case. This therefore gave me two free days round Nadi to explore the place. I wasn't very optimistic however as my travel agent said you literally come here to fly in, being the sole international airport of Fiji. After a quick shower I headed out to the beach which was right behind my hostel, and I could see what he meant about the beach not being as spectacular as the islands. It was nice with palm trees and sun, although the sand was grey.
The basic plan for the day was to explore Nadi, with the off chance of two potential geocache finds. There are two active caches around Nadi, although they are both 8km or so in either direction from my hostel. After a short walk down the beach with the aim of getting to the town, I soon had to turn around and come back. Despite my hostel being geographically close to Nadi, the airport runway prevents a short cut in. This meant I had to go back to the hostel and follow the road out to the main road. My hostel was down a remote road next door to many other hostels, offering a more resort like accommodation on the beachfront.
Without a map of Fiji or any idea of my bearings, I naturally assumed that Nadi town would be the direction of the airport. Following the road, which included the sight of a dead dog on the road side, I eventually reached the shops I passed when driving in which included a supermarket. After a quick look round I continued out towards the airport. I had hoped whilst being here I would find a free WiFi hotspot, although I was without luck. Even when reaching the airport which I knew had free WiFi, I was restricted because security were checking flight details before letting people access the airport.
I soon realised after speaking the locals that I wasn't in Nadi town and was in fact just in the airport area which is out of town. Due to the fact I had walked well over an hour from the hostel to the airport I decided to continue walking outwards to find a geocache which was 8km away. The fact I was still 8km away gives you an idea of the sheer size of the runway having to walk round it! Walking over precarious bridges and small villages, I got an increased taster of just how friendly the Fijian locals were. Literally everyone I passed would say Bula without fail, and I lost count of the number of times I stopped to talk to the locals.
Continuing along this road, passing so many little businesses and houses, I eventually reached a turn off down a gravel track which was within a km of the cache. This was an obviously poor area of Fiji with very basic housing, and I was slightly worried about walking through. My worries were soon extinguished however as I met some young Fijian kids who were only too happy to show me round. Despite being unaware of the geocache they guided me up the hill to where it was meant to be, although we couldn't find it. I was even invited back for a drink by some locals on my way back although I thought I better not!
Despite not finding the cache I had such an insight in Fiji already. It was touching just how pleased the locals were to see me in these small villages I passed through outside Nadi. Even these guys doing road works remembered me passing on the way when heading back to Nadi. In addition I even got offered lifts back to the airport, although I didn't risk it! I probably should have accepted though because I got caught in a rain shower which got me drenched, although the sun did come out after.
After eventually getting back to the airport I thought I found some free WiFi as I managed to somehow refresh my Facebook page, although I didn't get as far as reading my messages before it cut off. From here I checked out the big supermarket I missed on my way past. Despite some things being cheap such as deep fried food, branded products are really expensive in Fiji. From the supermarket I took a slow walk back to the hostel looking at the shops. The hostel itself was a half hour walk from the main road, although I got lost going back. I ended up on the beach which was actually a nice detour, walking along the dark sands to the hostel back entrance.
When returning the first thing I did was just jump into the pool as it had been a pretty sticky day. The fact it was gone 5 when I got back meant after a refreshing swim I settled down on the beachfront and watched the sunset. Dinner this evening was chicken fried rice and chips, and the portion was massive! I didn't have much option other than to eat in the reasonably priced hostel restaurant as the nearest supermarket was a half hour walk back to the main road! From here it was all a pretty relaxing evening, once again having an early night.
Tuesday, 29 April 2014
April 27th... From Auckland to Nadi
With today being my last day in NZ before my flight, I was up early for no reason, probably due to flight nerves. I wasn't actually entirely sure what time my flight was until late last night as the airports website was slightly confusing to navigate and I saw a flight to Nadi at 11.45am although I eventually realised this was an arrival and my flight in fact departed at 1pm which is what I thought. I guess I just had that in my mind, so to kill time I headed down to countdown to spend my last few coins I had in my wallet for breakfast before heading back to the hostel.
It was frustrating when returning to the hostel however because my key card didn't work to my room, which is annoying after you've climbed several flights of stairs to get there. I eventually sorted out the problem and collected my stuff, leaving behind a half empty bottle of cooking oil and all my water bottles to prevent problems at the airport. After leaving the hostel I waited at the nearby airport shuttle bus stop, although soon after arriving a taxi turned up and offered a lift for the same price which I accepted.
The journey seemed to take forever, forgetting just how far out of town the airport was. I would have probably been better off on the bus as they get bus lane priority although I was ridiculously early anyway so it didn't matter. Being at the airport about 4 hours before departure meant I had around an hour to kill before check in began 3 hours prior to the scheduled departure. About a minute of that time was killed weighing my bag which now weighs 12kg, which I am sure is close to 3kg heavier than I started with. I have no worries exceeding the baggage limit yet however with the limit generally being around 23kg!
With little else to do other than spend money in the international terminal area, I sat in the arrivals area. If Heathrow is anything like this arrivals area then there is no hiding as there was one set of opening doors blackened out, raised one step high with a few rows of seats for people waiting! One of the benefits of the airport however was the complimentary 30 minutes of free WiFi which nicely took me through to check in for my flight to Nadi.
After checking in, I eased my way through security which happened to give people with British passports priority access. There was none of the bio security stuff I had to battle through coming into the country. When getting through to the main airport area, I bypassed the shopping area and checked out the viewing deck where you watch the planes take off. Heading back down after a short while I looked round all the duty free shopping areas, perhaps the highlight being getting to spin a wheel to win a discount voucher. I still had a while to wait for my flight to start boarding, although after finishing my look round the shops I settled down in this bar area and watched the full match replay of the Man Utd game which passed the time nicely.
About an hour before departure I was called down for boarding, however there was a delay in the flight arriving into Auckland which meant boarding was delayed until they had sorted out the plane. It wasn't until around about 15 minutes before the original departure when I managed to finally board, with children and Fijians getting priority boarding. When finally settling down on my Fiji Airways flight on a plane with 2 aisles, 8 seats wide, we didn't depart until at least half an hour late.
With the plane journey being less than 3 hours, I decided to spend the flight watching a film, watching a film about this guy who donated lots of sperm for money then found out he had 533 kids. It was a pretty decent film actually, and during the film got supplied an unexpected lunch which was a tuna roll with scotch fingers and coleslaw, taking a fanta for on the side. I spent the remainder of the flight watching the flight show which is always interesting seeing a birds eye view of the planes journey and the related stats.
In the end we landed at around half 4 and after easing through security, and barely even getting searched in the bio security screening, headed to the Feejee Experience office just to make sure everything was ok. It was all good in the end although the woman did confuse things a little. I had originally planned to start on the 28th April which would have given me two free days at the end, although due to a few misunderstandings I am now starting on the 30th April which gives me no flexibility whatsoever and little space for mishaps otherwise I will get stranded in Fiji!
By the time I had finished in the office it was getting dark, although I got an unexpected transfer to the hostel which was just a well because it was a good ten minute drive! When arriving at Horizon backpackers where I am staying for three nights now, I couldn't resist but have the island curry buffet. I was going to say just last week I was craving a good curry, and with Fijis strong Indian heritage, it was the business! With it being dark outside I stuffed the exploring for tomorrow, instead staying in and having an early night.
It was frustrating when returning to the hostel however because my key card didn't work to my room, which is annoying after you've climbed several flights of stairs to get there. I eventually sorted out the problem and collected my stuff, leaving behind a half empty bottle of cooking oil and all my water bottles to prevent problems at the airport. After leaving the hostel I waited at the nearby airport shuttle bus stop, although soon after arriving a taxi turned up and offered a lift for the same price which I accepted.
The journey seemed to take forever, forgetting just how far out of town the airport was. I would have probably been better off on the bus as they get bus lane priority although I was ridiculously early anyway so it didn't matter. Being at the airport about 4 hours before departure meant I had around an hour to kill before check in began 3 hours prior to the scheduled departure. About a minute of that time was killed weighing my bag which now weighs 12kg, which I am sure is close to 3kg heavier than I started with. I have no worries exceeding the baggage limit yet however with the limit generally being around 23kg!
With little else to do other than spend money in the international terminal area, I sat in the arrivals area. If Heathrow is anything like this arrivals area then there is no hiding as there was one set of opening doors blackened out, raised one step high with a few rows of seats for people waiting! One of the benefits of the airport however was the complimentary 30 minutes of free WiFi which nicely took me through to check in for my flight to Nadi.
After checking in, I eased my way through security which happened to give people with British passports priority access. There was none of the bio security stuff I had to battle through coming into the country. When getting through to the main airport area, I bypassed the shopping area and checked out the viewing deck where you watch the planes take off. Heading back down after a short while I looked round all the duty free shopping areas, perhaps the highlight being getting to spin a wheel to win a discount voucher. I still had a while to wait for my flight to start boarding, although after finishing my look round the shops I settled down in this bar area and watched the full match replay of the Man Utd game which passed the time nicely.
About an hour before departure I was called down for boarding, however there was a delay in the flight arriving into Auckland which meant boarding was delayed until they had sorted out the plane. It wasn't until around about 15 minutes before the original departure when I managed to finally board, with children and Fijians getting priority boarding. When finally settling down on my Fiji Airways flight on a plane with 2 aisles, 8 seats wide, we didn't depart until at least half an hour late.
With the plane journey being less than 3 hours, I decided to spend the flight watching a film, watching a film about this guy who donated lots of sperm for money then found out he had 533 kids. It was a pretty decent film actually, and during the film got supplied an unexpected lunch which was a tuna roll with scotch fingers and coleslaw, taking a fanta for on the side. I spent the remainder of the flight watching the flight show which is always interesting seeing a birds eye view of the planes journey and the related stats.
In the end we landed at around half 4 and after easing through security, and barely even getting searched in the bio security screening, headed to the Feejee Experience office just to make sure everything was ok. It was all good in the end although the woman did confuse things a little. I had originally planned to start on the 28th April which would have given me two free days at the end, although due to a few misunderstandings I am now starting on the 30th April which gives me no flexibility whatsoever and little space for mishaps otherwise I will get stranded in Fiji!
By the time I had finished in the office it was getting dark, although I got an unexpected transfer to the hostel which was just a well because it was a good ten minute drive! When arriving at Horizon backpackers where I am staying for three nights now, I couldn't resist but have the island curry buffet. I was going to say just last week I was craving a good curry, and with Fijis strong Indian heritage, it was the business! With it being dark outside I stuffed the exploring for tomorrow, instead staying in and having an early night.
April 26th... Auckland
With a dead phone, I ended up having a lie in this morning with no alarm to work off. Luckily I wasn't up too late with other peoples alarms going off, heading off for a shower and write my blog while I risked charging my phone in the hallway. The plan for the day was basically to go to the sky tower, with little idea of what to do after. Auckland is a really nice place but despite the massive size there are very few cost effective things to do other than perhaps going up volcanoes or going window shopping. To be honest not knowing what to do generally works in my favour because it forces me to explore more.
Heading out in the morning, I walked through the shops before turning off to the imposing sky tower. This unique structure, *cough* Seattle Sydney *cough* was built in the 1990s and is over 300m tall, although the public can only go to about 220m as the top is more for broadcasting. I had three options with the tower, the one I was considering most being the sky jump where you jump off the tower. I opted against this however as it looked pretty tame being a controlled jump unlike a bungy. The other option was the sky walk where you walk around the edge of the tower without a barrier. I thought this was pretty expensive for what it was.
In the end I just opted to go up the tower as I thought I would get just as much out of the experience instead of worrying about a thrill activity. Having a burger king breakfast en route, yes I'm getting bad, I managed to get a discounted rate up the tower as I classed as a concession being a backpacker! We then boarded this lift with a glass bottom, being able to see as we went up through the cylindrical structure. Our first stop was floor 52 I think at 192m. From here we were able to gain 360 degree views of the city, which was on the widest section of the tower. This meant there were also glass floors on the outer rim so we could look straight down!
After a short while here, it was into another lift which took us up to floor 60, at 220m this time I think. This was in a smaller circular area although being higher up you could look down on the buildings a little more. There was even a sweet shop up here and mr sky tower himself who I did his respect handshake with! Before long I headed back down from the sky deck to the observation deck. It was pretty cool watching the people as they jumped off, which was done with three ropes controlling the fall. I spent a fair while on here just sitting on the bench's round the circumference to take in the scenery.
On the level below the observation deck was a cafe, which I looked at but didn't buy anything. The other area on the tower, an area I couldn't visit was the orbit restaurant which was a revolving restaurant. It takes an hour to make one full revolution! By the time I reached the bottom I had spent well in excess of an hour up top, heading straight back to the hostel after a look round the gift shop. When returning I still wasn't sure what to do come afternoon. Under normal circumstances I would have just gone geocaching although I'm awful in city environments as the tall buildings interfere with the gps.
In the end I took a random walk towards the green area I saw from the tower, called the Auckland Domain on my map. En route to this area I got lost however, finding myself within the university campus whilst taking a shortcut! I soon got back on track however and headed through this green area like any other city park up to the Auckland museum. I was going to visit this historical building although I then saw you had to pay to get in, and even from the outside Te Papa in Wellington looked better.
Heading back out another way, I eventually emerged at beach road which surprisingly meant I knew where I was because the kiwi experience office was down here. Passing the old railway station and events arena, I soon got back to the hostel where I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing. I headed out after a short while however to check out the harbour bridge at sunset. I timed it all just right in the end, and even had time for a couple of geocache finds in this area a little more out of town.
By now it was dark, although I bumped into this woman on the way back who told me all about Auckland being a local. I eventually found my way back to the city and after returning to the hostel fulfilled a skype session as this was my last day in NZ and I wasn't sure about WiFi in Fiji. It was all a pretty relaxing evening, although after one last trip to countdown for dinner, I headed out for the football which was reasonable kick off time for once. It was another pretty good evening, although I was outnumbered two to one by Everton fans, although I was the happy one at the end.
Heading out in the morning, I walked through the shops before turning off to the imposing sky tower. This unique structure, *cough* Seattle Sydney *cough* was built in the 1990s and is over 300m tall, although the public can only go to about 220m as the top is more for broadcasting. I had three options with the tower, the one I was considering most being the sky jump where you jump off the tower. I opted against this however as it looked pretty tame being a controlled jump unlike a bungy. The other option was the sky walk where you walk around the edge of the tower without a barrier. I thought this was pretty expensive for what it was.
In the end I just opted to go up the tower as I thought I would get just as much out of the experience instead of worrying about a thrill activity. Having a burger king breakfast en route, yes I'm getting bad, I managed to get a discounted rate up the tower as I classed as a concession being a backpacker! We then boarded this lift with a glass bottom, being able to see as we went up through the cylindrical structure. Our first stop was floor 52 I think at 192m. From here we were able to gain 360 degree views of the city, which was on the widest section of the tower. This meant there were also glass floors on the outer rim so we could look straight down!
After a short while here, it was into another lift which took us up to floor 60, at 220m this time I think. This was in a smaller circular area although being higher up you could look down on the buildings a little more. There was even a sweet shop up here and mr sky tower himself who I did his respect handshake with! Before long I headed back down from the sky deck to the observation deck. It was pretty cool watching the people as they jumped off, which was done with three ropes controlling the fall. I spent a fair while on here just sitting on the bench's round the circumference to take in the scenery.
On the level below the observation deck was a cafe, which I looked at but didn't buy anything. The other area on the tower, an area I couldn't visit was the orbit restaurant which was a revolving restaurant. It takes an hour to make one full revolution! By the time I reached the bottom I had spent well in excess of an hour up top, heading straight back to the hostel after a look round the gift shop. When returning I still wasn't sure what to do come afternoon. Under normal circumstances I would have just gone geocaching although I'm awful in city environments as the tall buildings interfere with the gps.
In the end I took a random walk towards the green area I saw from the tower, called the Auckland Domain on my map. En route to this area I got lost however, finding myself within the university campus whilst taking a shortcut! I soon got back on track however and headed through this green area like any other city park up to the Auckland museum. I was going to visit this historical building although I then saw you had to pay to get in, and even from the outside Te Papa in Wellington looked better.
Heading back out another way, I eventually emerged at beach road which surprisingly meant I knew where I was because the kiwi experience office was down here. Passing the old railway station and events arena, I soon got back to the hostel where I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing. I headed out after a short while however to check out the harbour bridge at sunset. I timed it all just right in the end, and even had time for a couple of geocache finds in this area a little more out of town.
By now it was dark, although I bumped into this woman on the way back who told me all about Auckland being a local. I eventually found my way back to the city and after returning to the hostel fulfilled a skype session as this was my last day in NZ and I wasn't sure about WiFi in Fiji. It was all a pretty relaxing evening, although after one last trip to countdown for dinner, I headed out for the football which was reasonable kick off time for once. It was another pretty good evening, although I was outnumbered two to one by Everton fans, although I was the happy one at the end.
April 25th... Rangitoto Island
I was up early this morning, waking up to a room full of people who must have turned up in the night. To be fair I was really tired last night and fell asleep early which is probably why I didn't hear them. After a quick shower and writing of my blog, I set out ready for a planned day on Rangitoto Island. What I didn't realise however was that it was Anzac Day, which meant two things. I could have saved money by doing the early bird ferry sailing over to the island being a public holiday but also the shops were all shut until the afternoon due to it. I think Anzac Day is their equivalent of Remembrance Day.
After being unable to get lunch from countdown, I ended up having to go to fix which is an expensive newsagent chain. In the end I ended up getting lunch from Subway. It was pretty important to buy lunch as Rangitoto Island doesn't have running water let alone food outlets! With a 9.15 departure from the main ferry terminal in Auckland Harbour, I had a bit of time to kill although a nice walk down the more industrial side of the harbour compared the glamorous Wynard Quay killed the time.
The ferry departed slightly late in the end in what was a glorious day. It was pretty rammed full of people, and en route to the island the ferry stopped at Devonport to pick up some more passengers. This is a basically a village on the opposite side in of the main harbour to the cbd. Whilst sailing out to Rangitoto there were some cracking views of the distinctive city skyline and out towards the large harbour bridge. The ferry journey took around 25 minutes in the end, getting dropped off on this rickety old walkway to access the island.
Said to have been formed around about 400 years ago, Rangitoto Island is the result of a long term volcanic eruption prior. Forming within the harbour through the solidification of volcanic lava, the island is now a tree infested island with a large hill visible from Auckland city. My plan for the day was to combine an interesting walk called the volcanic explorer with a series of caches someone had just happened to place along this route. Funnily enough some people still live on the island in these houses called baches which is where I found my first find. Each time one of the residents dies the houses are demolished with the goal I think to make Rangitoto a completely natural pest free island.
The island itself is not too far from the city with my GPS yesterday registering the nearest cache as just 8km from my city based hostel. My walk on the island begun by taking me along this 4wd track covered in black sands before detouring off to Flax Point to see the black gull colony. There were terrific views of the city skyline from here, slightly obscured by Devonport which is the peninsula. The terrain here was also a little precarious in places with these large volcanic rocks deposited all over the place. Despite finding a couple of caches by this point, there were a couple I thought were stupid to attempt directing me across these unstable rocks which cut my leg when attempting to walk on!
By this point it started to rain, although I got shelter under some trees. The path I was walking on was pretty safe being used by 4wd vehicles, it was just the detours that were slightly precarious as was with my next find which took me up these rocks to get a view of both the city skylines. From here I continued onto Mackenzie Bay and the lighthouse which was red and white. It was nice and sunny again by now made nicer by the sandy beach which I ended up having my lunch on.
After lunch the coastal track I had been on began to go inland which came with it a gradual climb. The path took me through these vast lava fields with the caches seeming to run on a theme of the lighthouse being where's wally! The path then went back into the woods where there was a real cluster of caches to find along here before I took the detour to reach the summit of the volcano. It was only little over 200m though so I was barely climbing a mountain!
The path then took me up this boardwalk, finding a cache en route which gave brilliant views of the islands north of the harbour. It was hard to believe I was in Auckland at this point with the such scarce development. Before long I reached another junction where I opted to take the long route to the summit so I could walk around the crater. It was pretty cool looking down but it was not like the old picture books with a pool of flowing lava, just a large hole with trees growing inside, and I mean it was like half a mile to walk round! I didn't need to worry if it erupted though as there were evacuation buildings!
I eventually reached the summit of Rangitoto, up top getting rewarded with some cracking views back towards Auckland, although getting in the right position gave me views in all directions. After a short while up top I got the dreaded GPS out of battery message which put an end to my day of caching, my spare batteries frustratingly being back at the hostel. I therefore instead headed down to the lava caves which was this cave, although more like a long tunnel formed by lava flows many years ago. There was a hole in the roof in the middle which let lots of light in. The terrain was pretty rocky getting here though, putting the first noticeable signs of wear into my new trainers!
I had originally planned to get back to the harbour along the Islington Bay Road, although now my GPS was dead I decided to head back down the summit track, taking a detour en route to do the short kidney fern walk to see the rare plants. I ended up arriving back to the harbour by around half 2 in the end, although with the return ferry not until 4 I walked round to the opposite side of the harbour for the views. When returning I gave a good read of the information boards outlining the history of Rangitoto Island before queuing up for the ferry. There were these young boys jumping off the pier into the water which I wouldn't have fancied!
Come 4 everyone had boarded the ferry to make a spot on departure. Despite my gps dying on me I still had a pretty good day on the island which if anything was interesting with all the geological and historical aspects associated with the place. Stopping off at Devonport en route, we were back to the city by half 4 although it was pretty chilly on the boat because of the wind! Straight after disembarking I took a walk over to the sky tower just to stand beneath it. I plan to do one of the three activities on it tomorrow.
Come evening I took a walk down to the harbour as far as the restaurants on the harbour edge to catch the sunset. It was pretty lively yet expensive down here, although I liked the modern approach taken to the containers which many were built in. It was even nice to see the Americas cup yachts docked in the harbour! Dinner this evening was pizza hut as the kitchen in the hostel is chaos, being on the top floor and tiny. There are 21 flights of stairs to get to it! I then headed back to the hostel through the shopping area where upon return I just relaxed, although my phone soon ran out of battery. There is one power point between 8 people in my room!
After being unable to get lunch from countdown, I ended up having to go to fix which is an expensive newsagent chain. In the end I ended up getting lunch from Subway. It was pretty important to buy lunch as Rangitoto Island doesn't have running water let alone food outlets! With a 9.15 departure from the main ferry terminal in Auckland Harbour, I had a bit of time to kill although a nice walk down the more industrial side of the harbour compared the glamorous Wynard Quay killed the time.
The ferry departed slightly late in the end in what was a glorious day. It was pretty rammed full of people, and en route to the island the ferry stopped at Devonport to pick up some more passengers. This is a basically a village on the opposite side in of the main harbour to the cbd. Whilst sailing out to Rangitoto there were some cracking views of the distinctive city skyline and out towards the large harbour bridge. The ferry journey took around 25 minutes in the end, getting dropped off on this rickety old walkway to access the island.
Said to have been formed around about 400 years ago, Rangitoto Island is the result of a long term volcanic eruption prior. Forming within the harbour through the solidification of volcanic lava, the island is now a tree infested island with a large hill visible from Auckland city. My plan for the day was to combine an interesting walk called the volcanic explorer with a series of caches someone had just happened to place along this route. Funnily enough some people still live on the island in these houses called baches which is where I found my first find. Each time one of the residents dies the houses are demolished with the goal I think to make Rangitoto a completely natural pest free island.
The island itself is not too far from the city with my GPS yesterday registering the nearest cache as just 8km from my city based hostel. My walk on the island begun by taking me along this 4wd track covered in black sands before detouring off to Flax Point to see the black gull colony. There were terrific views of the city skyline from here, slightly obscured by Devonport which is the peninsula. The terrain here was also a little precarious in places with these large volcanic rocks deposited all over the place. Despite finding a couple of caches by this point, there were a couple I thought were stupid to attempt directing me across these unstable rocks which cut my leg when attempting to walk on!
By this point it started to rain, although I got shelter under some trees. The path I was walking on was pretty safe being used by 4wd vehicles, it was just the detours that were slightly precarious as was with my next find which took me up these rocks to get a view of both the city skylines. From here I continued onto Mackenzie Bay and the lighthouse which was red and white. It was nice and sunny again by now made nicer by the sandy beach which I ended up having my lunch on.
After lunch the coastal track I had been on began to go inland which came with it a gradual climb. The path took me through these vast lava fields with the caches seeming to run on a theme of the lighthouse being where's wally! The path then went back into the woods where there was a real cluster of caches to find along here before I took the detour to reach the summit of the volcano. It was only little over 200m though so I was barely climbing a mountain!
The path then took me up this boardwalk, finding a cache en route which gave brilliant views of the islands north of the harbour. It was hard to believe I was in Auckland at this point with the such scarce development. Before long I reached another junction where I opted to take the long route to the summit so I could walk around the crater. It was pretty cool looking down but it was not like the old picture books with a pool of flowing lava, just a large hole with trees growing inside, and I mean it was like half a mile to walk round! I didn't need to worry if it erupted though as there were evacuation buildings!
I eventually reached the summit of Rangitoto, up top getting rewarded with some cracking views back towards Auckland, although getting in the right position gave me views in all directions. After a short while up top I got the dreaded GPS out of battery message which put an end to my day of caching, my spare batteries frustratingly being back at the hostel. I therefore instead headed down to the lava caves which was this cave, although more like a long tunnel formed by lava flows many years ago. There was a hole in the roof in the middle which let lots of light in. The terrain was pretty rocky getting here though, putting the first noticeable signs of wear into my new trainers!
I had originally planned to get back to the harbour along the Islington Bay Road, although now my GPS was dead I decided to head back down the summit track, taking a detour en route to do the short kidney fern walk to see the rare plants. I ended up arriving back to the harbour by around half 2 in the end, although with the return ferry not until 4 I walked round to the opposite side of the harbour for the views. When returning I gave a good read of the information boards outlining the history of Rangitoto Island before queuing up for the ferry. There were these young boys jumping off the pier into the water which I wouldn't have fancied!
Come 4 everyone had boarded the ferry to make a spot on departure. Despite my gps dying on me I still had a pretty good day on the island which if anything was interesting with all the geological and historical aspects associated with the place. Stopping off at Devonport en route, we were back to the city by half 4 although it was pretty chilly on the boat because of the wind! Straight after disembarking I took a walk over to the sky tower just to stand beneath it. I plan to do one of the three activities on it tomorrow.
Come evening I took a walk down to the harbour as far as the restaurants on the harbour edge to catch the sunset. It was pretty lively yet expensive down here, although I liked the modern approach taken to the containers which many were built in. It was even nice to see the Americas cup yachts docked in the harbour! Dinner this evening was pizza hut as the kitchen in the hostel is chaos, being on the top floor and tiny. There are 21 flights of stairs to get to it! I then headed back to the hostel through the shopping area where upon return I just relaxed, although my phone soon ran out of battery. There is one power point between 8 people in my room!
Saturday, 26 April 2014
April 24th... From Rotorua to Auckland
I was awoken this morning at first by my room mates alarm going off, which she didn't hear at first, shortly followed my phone playing the skype call ringtone! After getting the room to myself eventually I skyped back and after tears were shed about the harsh reality that going to university will probably involve me leaving home, I had the whole morning to myself. The fact I had woken up so early with a departure not until gone 10 meant it was completely unnecessary to have awoken so early!
Due to the fact I had purchased WiFi yesterday I ended up spending the morning online. When finally getting to the 10am check out time which as always is the time you must check out by or risk losing your key deposit, I headed outside to wait for my bus. The pick up time was only vague this morning as Rotorua is just a pick up going north from Taupo en route to Auckland. I certainly won't miss the sulphurous smell round Rotorua which was particularly eggy this morning. I ended up having to breath this in until gone half 10 in the end which is when the bus arrived.
With another cruisey drive planned for the day, our first stop of the day was Matamata for a lunch stop. Whilst here our driver pointed out a cheap cafe which certainly was cheap getting a cheese and onion toastie with a jam filled chocolate dipped shortbread thing for lunch. Matamata is more commonly known as the gateway to Hobbiton, somewhere I passed going south. Within the town there were remnants of this connection including the i site which was built like one of the houses from lord of the rings. There was even a statue of gollum inside. Remember I have watched a film now after my rained out days in Kaikoura!
After around half an hour here which was funnily enough in the rain which had turned from drizzle on arrival to heavy rain when leaving, we continued straight on into Auckland. The city of Auckland is actually double the size of London in terms of land area, although I wouldn't class the countryside we were passing through as city. Before long we came into more built up areas although there were traffic jams going in, something our driver said was common. To be honest our driver wasn't really selling the city to us describing it as an accident waiting to happen with clueless migrants living inside it. I thought this was pretty harsh to be fair.
By around 3 we made it into the city and after checking into the hostel I went straight out to the sta to sort out my problems with the Fiji trip. Despite being unable to directly help me as the uk database is not linked to the nz one, they were helpful in giving me advice everything. Whilst here I also booked my hostel in LA. I was going to split my four nights here between Hollywood and the beach, although they made the valid point that I would lose a day transferring between hostels and day trips from one base is more time effective. I am therefore staying in Santa Monica when I go to LA now.
When getting everything sorted I headed through the city back to the hostel via burger king for dinner. Based around a single street with lots of side streets, I took a slow walk down basically going window shopping through the modern shopping area. When returning to the hostel I basically relaxed, although I did spend time planning geocaches for my day tomorrow. Auckland is built around and probably on volcanoes, with an eruption likely to happen in the future. I am visiting one of these tomorrow!
With two full days planned round Auckland I wasn't too fussed about rushing round and exploring Auckland today, instead spending my evening with a visit to the local supermarket, followed by a return to the hostel. Once again I had a half empty room with just me and Dutch girl having the room to ourselves. She was just starting her kiwi experience trip so I advised her on where to stay longer! I then opted for an early night.
Due to the fact I had purchased WiFi yesterday I ended up spending the morning online. When finally getting to the 10am check out time which as always is the time you must check out by or risk losing your key deposit, I headed outside to wait for my bus. The pick up time was only vague this morning as Rotorua is just a pick up going north from Taupo en route to Auckland. I certainly won't miss the sulphurous smell round Rotorua which was particularly eggy this morning. I ended up having to breath this in until gone half 10 in the end which is when the bus arrived.
With another cruisey drive planned for the day, our first stop of the day was Matamata for a lunch stop. Whilst here our driver pointed out a cheap cafe which certainly was cheap getting a cheese and onion toastie with a jam filled chocolate dipped shortbread thing for lunch. Matamata is more commonly known as the gateway to Hobbiton, somewhere I passed going south. Within the town there were remnants of this connection including the i site which was built like one of the houses from lord of the rings. There was even a statue of gollum inside. Remember I have watched a film now after my rained out days in Kaikoura!
After around half an hour here which was funnily enough in the rain which had turned from drizzle on arrival to heavy rain when leaving, we continued straight on into Auckland. The city of Auckland is actually double the size of London in terms of land area, although I wouldn't class the countryside we were passing through as city. Before long we came into more built up areas although there were traffic jams going in, something our driver said was common. To be honest our driver wasn't really selling the city to us describing it as an accident waiting to happen with clueless migrants living inside it. I thought this was pretty harsh to be fair.
By around 3 we made it into the city and after checking into the hostel I went straight out to the sta to sort out my problems with the Fiji trip. Despite being unable to directly help me as the uk database is not linked to the nz one, they were helpful in giving me advice everything. Whilst here I also booked my hostel in LA. I was going to split my four nights here between Hollywood and the beach, although they made the valid point that I would lose a day transferring between hostels and day trips from one base is more time effective. I am therefore staying in Santa Monica when I go to LA now.
When getting everything sorted I headed through the city back to the hostel via burger king for dinner. Based around a single street with lots of side streets, I took a slow walk down basically going window shopping through the modern shopping area. When returning to the hostel I basically relaxed, although I did spend time planning geocaches for my day tomorrow. Auckland is built around and probably on volcanoes, with an eruption likely to happen in the future. I am visiting one of these tomorrow!
With two full days planned round Auckland I wasn't too fussed about rushing round and exploring Auckland today, instead spending my evening with a visit to the local supermarket, followed by a return to the hostel. Once again I had a half empty room with just me and Dutch girl having the room to ourselves. She was just starting her kiwi experience trip so I advised her on where to stay longer! I then opted for an early night.
Friday, 25 April 2014
April 23rd... From Taupo to Rotorua
With most of room having not done Taupo yet as they started in Christchurch, people were getting up for the 5.30 departure to do the crossing. The constant rustling of bags woke me up however although I soon went back to bed, waking up at around 7 today. With an 8.50 departure this morning, I spent the morning down on the warm lake front catching up on my blog once again before a quick check up on things with the WiFi at the burger king.
The bus arrived early this morning, and by 8.50 the bus departed although there were only like 10 of us on the bus! This number did increase however as we did quite a few pick ups en route before finally leaving Taupo for Auckland, although I am hopping off at Rotorua en route. This isn't an official stop going north but I liked it going down so thought I would spend an extra night here.
Driving through these fields which were just shrouded in cloud, our first stop of the day was at the Waiotapu geothermal mud pools. This was basically this large lake full of mud which bubbled due to the volcanic rift. I got an unwelcome taster of the smell of sulphur once again, although it was fascinating seeing the mud bubble. In places it was really shooting large amounts of this watery mud in the air. From here it was just a short drive into Rotorua, with it only being an hour or so journey from Taupo.
Finally arriving at about half 10 because our driver did a drive round town to show the sights of Rotorua, I was dropped at the base hostel. It was weird that I was the only one who got off here, although some others got dropped off at other hostels. After checking into the hostel I booked myself in to do the zorbing in the afternoon, something I regretted not doing on the way down. With a 1pm pick up from hostel arranged, this allowed me to dump my stuff in my hostel room, which was completely empty, before heading out to look round the city.
First stop of the day was the day was the post office where I sent a few more postcards home. It is always tense seeing whether the people will send them as a letter or a parcel as it is a tight fit! I then headed over to the shopping mall where I had a good look round all the shops, before finally going over the supermarket to get some lunch. I was pretty pleased their nashi pears were on offer as they are really nice! It was then a little stroll round the cbd area with the high street shops which are basically all small souvenir shops before returning to the hostel.
Come 1 I was all outside ready and waiting for my afternoon or zorbing, although come half 1 there was still no one there to pick us up. There were two girls from Guildford doing it as well. It wasn't until 2 when they arrived to pick us up in the end which I wasn't too pleased about! When arriving to the centre we had to fill out our details on an iPad and then choose what kind of zorb we wanted to do. There was basically a choice of wet or dry, with me opting for wet which I was already prepared for.
We were then taken up to the top of this small hill where we were then given the choice of going down a straight course or a zigzag course, I chose zigzag. Due to the fact I did wet basically meant I didn't have to be strapped in unlike dry. The guy up top then filled my zorb up with a bit of water, then told me to dive through the hole which I think I did without touching the edges! The water was warm as well which was nice! They then zipped me into the ball and pushed me down the hill. It was so much fun, falling around everywhere. It was impossible to stand up as I was being tossed around in all directions!
Due to the fact they were late picking us up, they gave us an extra go for free which I suppose worked out in my favour. I was going to do the zurf option on my second go although apparently that is just surfing down the straight hill. I just went for the zigzag which was widely regarded as the better option. It was so much fun like last time, and when reaching the bottom and getting some more photos, I headed inside to dry off before my transfer back to Rotorua. It was a pain though as my photos were on cd as they had ran out of usbs.
When returning to the hostel, I went straight into the on sight hot pool which was empty. This geothermal pool was just like a swimming pool and was a nice way to relax as they had them sausage float things! I then headed into town where I just got the WiFi, finally getting a reply from FeeJee Experience about my booking. In one word disaster, but oh well. It was then back to the hostel where I just got the WiFi to try and sort out my booking. Dinner this evening was pie and bread as it was cheap, before settling down and relaxing in bed in my dorm which had just 2 people in including me!
The bus arrived early this morning, and by 8.50 the bus departed although there were only like 10 of us on the bus! This number did increase however as we did quite a few pick ups en route before finally leaving Taupo for Auckland, although I am hopping off at Rotorua en route. This isn't an official stop going north but I liked it going down so thought I would spend an extra night here.
Driving through these fields which were just shrouded in cloud, our first stop of the day was at the Waiotapu geothermal mud pools. This was basically this large lake full of mud which bubbled due to the volcanic rift. I got an unwelcome taster of the smell of sulphur once again, although it was fascinating seeing the mud bubble. In places it was really shooting large amounts of this watery mud in the air. From here it was just a short drive into Rotorua, with it only being an hour or so journey from Taupo.
Finally arriving at about half 10 because our driver did a drive round town to show the sights of Rotorua, I was dropped at the base hostel. It was weird that I was the only one who got off here, although some others got dropped off at other hostels. After checking into the hostel I booked myself in to do the zorbing in the afternoon, something I regretted not doing on the way down. With a 1pm pick up from hostel arranged, this allowed me to dump my stuff in my hostel room, which was completely empty, before heading out to look round the city.
First stop of the day was the day was the post office where I sent a few more postcards home. It is always tense seeing whether the people will send them as a letter or a parcel as it is a tight fit! I then headed over to the shopping mall where I had a good look round all the shops, before finally going over the supermarket to get some lunch. I was pretty pleased their nashi pears were on offer as they are really nice! It was then a little stroll round the cbd area with the high street shops which are basically all small souvenir shops before returning to the hostel.
Come 1 I was all outside ready and waiting for my afternoon or zorbing, although come half 1 there was still no one there to pick us up. There were two girls from Guildford doing it as well. It wasn't until 2 when they arrived to pick us up in the end which I wasn't too pleased about! When arriving to the centre we had to fill out our details on an iPad and then choose what kind of zorb we wanted to do. There was basically a choice of wet or dry, with me opting for wet which I was already prepared for.
We were then taken up to the top of this small hill where we were then given the choice of going down a straight course or a zigzag course, I chose zigzag. Due to the fact I did wet basically meant I didn't have to be strapped in unlike dry. The guy up top then filled my zorb up with a bit of water, then told me to dive through the hole which I think I did without touching the edges! The water was warm as well which was nice! They then zipped me into the ball and pushed me down the hill. It was so much fun, falling around everywhere. It was impossible to stand up as I was being tossed around in all directions!
Due to the fact they were late picking us up, they gave us an extra go for free which I suppose worked out in my favour. I was going to do the zurf option on my second go although apparently that is just surfing down the straight hill. I just went for the zigzag which was widely regarded as the better option. It was so much fun like last time, and when reaching the bottom and getting some more photos, I headed inside to dry off before my transfer back to Rotorua. It was a pain though as my photos were on cd as they had ran out of usbs.
When returning to the hostel, I went straight into the on sight hot pool which was empty. This geothermal pool was just like a swimming pool and was a nice way to relax as they had them sausage float things! I then headed into town where I just got the WiFi, finally getting a reply from FeeJee Experience about my booking. In one word disaster, but oh well. It was then back to the hostel where I just got the WiFi to try and sort out my booking. Dinner this evening was pie and bread as it was cheap, before settling down and relaxing in bed in my dorm which had just 2 people in including me!
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