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.
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