Fiji Baby and L.A.
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.