It's All a Bit Strange......But Totally Wicked!!!!

Fiji.....WooooHooo!!!
Sunday, August 1st, 2010
Arrival at Coral View Resort, Tavewa Island, Fiji

So I have arrived in Fiji and have survived my first night here on the Island. Of course to say “island” singular is incorrect as Fiji is made up of over 200 hundred……all of which seem beautiful and amazing in their own way.

On the "mainland" at Port Denarau, there are some familiar favourites.....but once I left here, western culture disappeared for the most part.

Port Denarau Island is a very exclusive part of Nadi. Very expensive homes, big boats and fancy cars. I'm told mostly "business men" own out here.

Some of the boats you will pass as you leave Port Denarau and make your way to the Mamanuca Islands and eventually the group of islands that make up the Yasawas.

Anyway, my arrival here was pretty uneventful. I left Honolulu at 2359 (1159pm) on Friday July 30th and arrived in Nadi, Fiji at 0445 on Sunday August 1st, 2010. Yes I did lose a day but according to my watch I had actually gained 2 hours. You can imagine my confusion. I arrived, along with a plane full of people to great fan fare….a welcome song. Yes even at 0445 someone was there to sing us into the airport.

The lovely gentlemen who were there to welcome us to Fiji.

A little bit of their welcome song.

I also received a shell necklace on arrival. So far I can honestly say that Fijians are some of the nicest and most welcoming people I have met. They seem to take pleasure in helping you out. I had about a 2 hour wait and then my driver arrived to take me to the Yasawa Flyer……the commuter boat that takes people and tourists from island to island and resort to resort.

The Flyer. It was a short 5 hour boat ride to my first resort, Coral View. My package was set up so that my first day I travelled to the farthest point north possible and then would work my way back south over the week. That meant my travel days would keep getting shorter.

I am booked into a package which means that I do not have to book resorts or find transportation and that pretty much everything is already taken care of for me. It is very, very nice not to have to worry about anything but knowing what time to be on the boat. It is a 7 day, 6 night package that a lot of other people seem to be booked into....many a day ahead of me however which means that we would be meeting up at several different times during the week.

A sight you have to get very use to if you are island hopping in the Yasawas. These little boats are what take you and all your stuff from the big yellow boat to the island resorts. Actually a fun ride.....just a little difficult to get on and off.

I am a little out of my element on this trip however because I am currently sitting on the top bunk of a 20 bed co-ed dorm room. Yeah….you read that right. I am sleeping in a dorm. I feel like I just lost 15 years and am back at summer camp (ok maybe 20 years). Certainly not the Marriott I just spent 4 nights in Honolulu but you will be happy to know I am not the oldest one here. Most people here however are under the age of 25, from Britain and on their way home from Australia...not to Australia. Oh well, everyone is just here for a good time and so far everyone has been really, really nice.

A few from the Flyer of a few of the islands we passed along the way. There were a lot of them. Eventually I stopped taking pictures and took a nap.

Did I mention I'm in Fiji? Seriously, I think this place is fantastic. So beautiful….just like every postcard you have seen. So hard to explain and so hard to soak it all in but I will try.

Upon arrival at Coral View after my 5 hour trip, basically I took enough time to have lunch (the first of many amazing meals) unload my stuff, put on a bikini and head to the water. A couple of the boys I met on the boat were eager to do some snorkeling so we headed out to see a few things. Not disappointed at all. So beautiful below the water too. I got to play with some clown fish today that were protecting their home….the sea anomie (seriously think Finding Nemo….every time we would dive down to look at them, they would swim out to say hi. One of them even had a little baby clown fish with them. So much fun. I feel I will be in the water a lot over the next week. The pre-trip purchase of my snorkel gear will not go to waste.

Swimming in the awesome clear water that is Fiji. So great. And also warmer than the shower.

A first look at those clown fish. Yeah, I took this picture. I love my new underwater camera.

That clown fish looking at me. They were super funny...trying to scare me away.

Lee and Robbie (both from England) were also amused by the clown fish. You have to look closely but those little orange fish are in this picture.

My first night at Coral View...once I finally got out of the water, I also decided to join a group who wandered up the local mountain to watch the sunset. Alex, Nina, Lucie and Scott are on the same package as me but a day ahead. Alex was very happy that I had hiking boots to wear (he is a solider in the British Army but heading back to England for Officer training and had to work in a new pair of boots) so he would not be the only one in boots.

That's a coconut in my hand. Alex found it and decided that it needed to be in every picture.

Yes the sunset is the most important part of this picture but Nina, Scott, Lucie and I are also in this picture.

So worth the climb.

Once we got back down the hill it was time for dinner and some evening entertainment. The food so far has been excellent. The beer……well it’s cold at first and that’s about it, but it won't stop me from drinking it and I will comment on it no further. The company is diverse and fun.

A few of our wonderful hosts at Coral View entertaining us.

If Day One is any indication......it is going to be a very fun time here in Fiji.

Julie