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We are feeling pretty groggy at the moment having had our 10 hour flight from Fiji to L.A. It has been a real cultural shock arriving in America and we feel slightly disorientated. Anyway the last update with our travel news, so no more large emails to clog up your accounts!
The last time we wrote we were in Suva and just off to our paradise island ‘Leleuvia’. It took us an hour in a taxi and a 45 minute boat ride to get there, but when we did…Leleuvia was incredible. White coral/sandy beaches, palm trees by the hundreds and around 6 westerners and 35 Fijians all living in their traditional houses called ‘bures’ (thatched and woven huts with shutters). There were no modern conveniences except a few toilets and a generator. We had nothing to do all day except swim, stroll round the island (only 15 mins walk), read or ‘play’ the didgeridoo on the hammock. It was hell!! The villagers spent most of the day relaxing with occasional bursts of fishing trips or volleyball. It had a very slow pace and the concept of Fiji time became clear. The food was great, lots of fresh fish and rice/bread. It was extremely hot, although we did benefit from a refreshing sea breeze, and the mozzies were hungry even through repellent and mosquito nets!
We had arrived just after New Year and we couldn’t understand why everyone was constantly being ambushed by groups throwing water over them, until Joe (every Fijian male seemed to be called Joe!) explained that this is a fijian custom for up to a week after New Year - even people travelling on the buses will get buckets of water chucked at them through the windows. Very amusing to watch, not sure it will catch on in the U.K. We were invited to attend a Kava evening with the villagers, which was a real experience. Kava is Fiji’s traditional drink made from ground-up root which has soaked in water for a while. The taste is pretty earthy and it looks like mud, but the effect after several coconut cups is slightly alcoholic. If used regularly, the effects increase. Whilst drinking kava there is lots of melodic singing, clapping and rest bites. All in all a very social night, especially as the Fijians do like to have kava most nights!
Joe took us out snorkelling, whilst he went fishing with a harpoon, to a tiny island called “Honeymoon Island” where we saw lots of fish and coral. Unfortunately the coral didn’t look too healthy in places and is due, apparently, to the water temperature rising.
So we were a little disappointed to have to leave after our three days of paradise, but we had already booked our next accommodation so we had no option. Having arrived back in Suva (and discovering lots of police road-blocks, due to the attempted kidnap of the Prime Minister the day before) we had the joy of some local taxi drivers trying to rip us off, but fortunately due to our bus rides previously we knew that the prices being asked were extortionate. We did finally find a fair fare that took us to our final destination along the Coral coast. We had decided to book 3 days into a mid-range resort, so that we could see all aspects of Fiji (and have a proper bed/shower/toilet/etc..!) and so we ended up in Crusoe’s Resort, along with lots of other Brits! The resort had just what we wanted with really lovely accommodation in a ‘traditional’(!!!) bure, but it was so far removed from the Fiji that we had already seen that we didn’t enjoy it as much as the other two places…..and this was our treat to ourselves!! Never mind, we slept very well and sunbathed in comfort. We were also lucky enough to miss a nearby cyclone, but experience an amazing thunderstorm that lasted throughout the night. A god send to the local village who were running out of water.
So we are now in L.A. where the smog hangs over the city and everyone is running to a schedule - we feel a long way away from Fiji. We are just trying to shake off the jet-lag and adjust to the pace of life before we arrive back in Heathrow on Friday. We are both looking forward to coming home, but feel that our last 3 months have been an invaluable and fun experience.

We have finally located an internet cafe! So I shall try and fill you in from a while back.
From Wanaka we headed for Queenstown, stopping at “Puzzling World”. Here we found a ‘village’ dedicated to wierd and wonderful puzzles and illusions, including a giant wooden 3-D maze. We had an enjoyable morning being children again! The journey to Queenstown took us through amazing scenery and the weather continued to smile down on us. Queenstown (an adventure-seeker’s paradise) is a lively town perched on the side of a lake and surrounded by a large mountain range. We decided against Bungee Jumping, Paragliding, Sky-diving or Jet-boating because of our limited budget. As the weather was holding out, we made the most of our summer tent, in order to save money.
Our trip then took us down to Te Anau where we spent two nights staying on a deer farm, in log cabins, overlooking a valley. Te Anau is thought of as the gateway to New Zealand’s ‘Sounds’ (fjiords), which was where we were making our way towards. We had chosen to visit ‘Doubtful Sound’ as this is relatively unspoilt compared to some of the larger fjiords. We were lucky enough to have a new boat, which had comfortable bunks and two friendly Israelis as cabin mates. It was a fantastic experience where we saw spectacular scenery (as used in ‘Lord of the Rings’) and sailed through totally calm waters. Dolphins came and played in the bow waters and jumped playfully in the air. We came close to a seal colony as we reached the Tasman Sea. The Sound was experiencing unusual weather as it had had 5 days of sun, when usually it rains almost constantly. However, when we decided to go Kayaking from the boat, the heavens opened completely! This was fairly enjoyable as it kept the Sand Flies at bay and encouraged the dolphins to swim nearer us. The food on board was really great and we spent the night playing cards with 3 other back-packers.
Our next destination was Invercargil and the Catlins at the very southern end of NZ. The gravel roads made fun driving!!?! More beautiful scenery.
We then headed to Dunedin for our Christmas hostel. Dunedin is a great town which has a Scottish influence. The hostel was very friendly and we enjoyed our Christmas Day having a cold buffet in the garden with all the other backpackers. Each nationality had to bring or make a dish from their country, we contributed a (bought!) Christmas cake. We also checked with a travel agent about areas to go in Fiji, and discovered that our flight had been re-scheduled and been brought forward two days. This meant that we needed to rush up to Christchurch on Boxing Day so that we could sort out returning the car and selling the tent, etc.. A shame.
Christchurch seemed a really nice city, although we didn’t really have a chance to look round as much as we would have liked. The hostel was really nice though.
Our flight to Fiji was only a third full so we could spread out, which was a real blessing. The heat hit us as soon as we stepped out of the airplane, a staggering 33C! We stayed in Nadi for one night (not a particularly nice place as next to the airport) and then made our way down to the Coral Coast on the local bus, which had air-conditioning…..no glass in the windows. The Fijians were very friendly and were talking to us about the towns and places to go, whilst UB40 played in the background. UB40 is very popular here!
The last 5 days, over New Year, have been spent in a dorm (but by ourselves) in a resort called ‘The Crow’s Nest’. The dorm was actually the crow’s nest. We have relaxed by the pool, watched the sea and read. And what a place to do it! Fiji is fantastic and the locals are extremely nice. They have their own time when they do things (”Fiji time, any time. No rush.”) and everything is just very relaxed. The beer is good and reasonably cold considering how very hot it is out here… sure beats the rain! New Year’s Eve was great, we sat and drank our Duty-free Champagne whilst watching the waves break and the locals dancing around (or in) the pool. Fabulous! …Wish you were here, etc, etc..!
We have now moved around the coast to the capital Suva, where we are waiting (Fiji time) for a boat to come and take us to a nearby island where we will be staying over the next three days. Sand, sea, beer and mosquitoes!
Only nine days before we will be back, and we are already wondering where the three months have gone. Never mind.
Hope all is well and that you have had a good break and a happy Christmas.