The Magic of Fiji

As I was saying, I awoke the next morning to a lush, tropical paradise, an enormous pool, freshly prepared food, and a multi-blue expanse of ocean! I was immediately inspired to practice some yoga by the water's edge and was delighted that the sound of the water lapping against the sand was more similar to a lake than an ocean! Voli Voli Beach Resort was a fabulous way to unwind and deeply relax. It wasn't their busy season so there were times when I was the only person in the pool (and the surrounding pool deck, for that matter). In spite of the isolated setting, I made some great friends: Gijs from Netherlands, Rosie from England, Siobhan from Ireland, and Radik from Czech Republic. The staff were excellent and knew you by name. Sasha was a treat as he danced around and made exotic cocktails (he used to do a drag show at the resort, but then it was considered too risque....pity). The kava ritual was the most interesting cultural aspect I came across......again and again and again! Kava is a root found in Fiji which is chopped up so that it looks like tea, is then soaked like tea to create a 'muddy' water, and then drank. You find out later, as your tongue numbs and your brain slows, that Kava actually has a slight narcotic effect and is virtually drank in every resort and social gathering in Fiji! And you should see the looks on their faces when you try to refuse! Good lord! The ritual is an experience in itself as you sit on a giant woven mat on the sand and take the kava from a special, carved coconut bowl. After you choose your size (low tide, high tide, or tsunami) you cup-clap your hands once, say "BULA!", drink the coconut bowl full of kava water, return it, say MOTHA (meaning 'empty'), and cup-clap three times. This ceremony has been happening nightly for as long as the Fijian history can remember and it continues to happen today until the wee hours of the morning. After VoliVoli, I had an uneventful journey back to Nadi (other than a thunderstorm, which are frequent; and a stay in a 40 bed dorm....yes FORTY!! It's actually amazing that this stay was uneventful). The next day I was off to Blue Lagoon resort on the island of Nacula, the island furthest north in the Yasawa chain to the west of the big island. This resort was PARADISE! For a meticulously clean dorm and three 5 star meals a day, it was $110 FJD a day (or $65 canadian). Look at it this way: I would pay at least $40 a meal for these same dinners at home, and THEN we got breakfast, lunch, and accomodation. The lagoon sparkled 7 colours of blue and lapped softly against the blindingly white sand beach. At this resort, the love was in the details, such as the old sailing lanterns lit nightly along the pathways. I would lounge and nap most of the day, in a hammock or lawnchair, and it was here that I actually reached my life's pinnacle of relaxation! I felt it, and it was oh so nice. As for some activities, there was a giant sandbar at low tide located a half hour's walk from the resort which was stunning and we attended a church service in the local Fijian village (where the majority of the resort's staff come from) which had an angelic choir, and adorable, curious children in the front pews. We also went caving in the same cave which is featured in the movie 'Blue Lagoon', made bracelots from plant leaves, visited a small (very small) bakery on another island to have cake and tea, got a $20 cnd massage for an hour (i felt like I was lathered in a vat of coconut oil!), and it was a ritual for Kathrin (my 'sweat sister') and I to have pina coladas on the beach or in the ocean while watching the sunset dance upon the ripples of the ocean.....I can still taste the coconut. I also met some fabulous families, such as the Italian family who is actually living on Vancouver Island, or the Norwegian family of four kids under 12 years old and is travelling for six months around the world! (absolute respect for that one!) After Blue Lagoon, Kathrin and I headed to Octopus Resort, the sister hostel to Blue Lagoon, and again lived in lavish luxury for two nights. We had an interesting game of 'shot for shot' volleyball with the staff.....Fiji vs. Foreigners and you get a shot of alcohol for every good shot....and well, every bad shot for that matter. As you can imagine, it was quite a good time! Coincidentally, I met up with some friends whom I met on the Kiwi Experience bus in New Zealand! (amazing how small the world is....especially when you're all travelling on the same route!) At Octopus Resort, I enjoyed open-air showers under the stars and my first experience with a mosquito net (I strangely felt like a princess....not sure why! :P ), and an extremely large cockroach which had us on edge for the rest of the night. But all in all, we were sad to leave such a haven of relaxation. Due to an unfortunate accident, I was without my camera for this last week in Fiji; but fortunately, I've had several people promise to send me pictures of our time at the resorts, namely, Kathrin, Voltaire, and Kate :) This circumstance of being unable to take pictures made me realize the importance of actually LIVING in the moment instead of experiencing it through a 2 inch x 2 inch screen (sounds silly when you think of it that way, eh?). As a result, I can actually remember the experiences during this week better than any on my trip!! Nevertheless, I did give in at the Fiji Airport and bought a Sony camera for $160 cnd (woot woot! what a price!) It's not waterproof.....but it's a 2 inch x 2 inch screen .....and isn't that what we all want in life? ;) And so the plane lifted off of Fiji territory and landed in a place which has always been shrouded in danger and adventure (well, at least for me): the land of OZ!! (or australia, for those of you who are big Wizard of Oz fans and were feeling a bit confused). WHat was in store next?: a crocodile, a bungy jump, snakes slithering every which way!? Find out in the next installment of this travellin' blog :)

Vina, Una, Raji, and Thomas

BULA FIJI!!!

Welcome to Fiji, indeed!! The names in the title of this blog are the names of my Fijian angels :) But first, we'll start at the very beginning....

After stepping off the Air Pacific plane and out of the Fiji airport, I was almost physically smacked with humidity! But I was oh too happy to be alive and in Fiji. I waddled under the weight of my backpack to the bus stop to catch a local bus over to Lautoka, where I would change buses and then head to RakiRaki at the north end of the big island of Fiji, and then a 15 minute taxi to the tip of VoliVoli beach (gotta love the names, eh?). I was enchanted by the local bus with its bike bells instead of stop bells, an open door policy (literally) at all times, pop music or Indian music blasting through the speakers (for those of you who don't know, Fiji had many migrants from India early on and now I would suspect that the population is almost half of Indian descent), and the pretty much invisible bus stops (not to mention that the local bus doubles as a school bus....I can't imagine the stares I was getting, being the only white person on the bus and NOT in a school uniform!). The white clouds and the lush, green landscape flash by the window and the only thing you can do through the heat is smile. I will never forget the look on a little girl's face as she walked aimlessly along some train tracks beside the road. As the bus drove by, we made eye contact, and her eyes lit up, her smile grew broad on her face, and her hand started waving wildly as she ran her little legs just trying to keep up with the bus. It was all I could do to not jump out the window and start running with her! When I was in China, I realized (while playing hide and seek with a little Chinese boy) that a smile transcends language; but here in Fiji, I realized just how much a smile can cut through tension. The first thing that stikes you about the Fijian people is their smiles, and next on the list is their willingness to help you....no price, no hassle, and no problem. When I glanced around the bus, I realized that a few young faces would continue staring back at me; but as I flashed them a broad grin, I was greeted with giggles and brilliant white teeth. I first spoke with Vina who sat beside me, hesitatingly at first. I leaned over and asked, above the wind of the open window, "How was school today?", she lit up and replied, "Fine, thank-you. How was school for you today?" I was instantly charmed. As we continued along I made small-talk with her and her two friends Una and Raji. Suddenly I realized that we were stopped alongside a sign which read 'Lautoka' and rushed to get up. The girls put there hands up for me to stop and asked me where I was headed. I told them that I had to change buses in Lautoka to get to RakiRaki. The girls ushered me to sit down again and told me that this was not the correct stop. As we rumbled on towards my actual stop, I realized what a situation it would have been to have gotten of the bus at the first Lautoka stop: an industrial district mostly comprised of hardened looking men and about a half hour walk from the true Lautoka bus station. My three little angels then told me that they'd help me find the correct bus (which was much appreciated at the busy bus station). It was not until I had safely stowed my bag and got on the bus that these three little girls (maybe 10 years old, at that) waved an enthusiastic good-bye and disappeared into the crowd. I was already amazed at this country. But the next angel took the cake. About halfway to RakiRaki, an older Fijian man named Thomas sat next to me. Even though it was extremely difficult to understand him (what? sorry? pardon me? ohhhh! [and nod head even though i still don't understand]), we managed to talk about our families and my trip to Fiji, etc... He then asked me if I had planned to get a taxi in RakiRaki when the bus stopped. When I replied yes, he informed me that the taxi services generally stop at 6 pm in RakiRaki! I balked at this and sputtered pure nothings because, well, what could I say? But immediately Thomas asked the bus attendant to get a taxi on the phone, which prompts the attendant to call his best friend and ask him to be waiting for me. I could not express my appreciation!! The sun had already gone down and it was a 15 minute car ride to where I needed to be! Thomas made sure all was ready for me and then got off the bus before rakiraki, waving farewell and smiling a huge squinty smile at me. I flashed him one back.

The taxi was definitely waiting in town and swiftly brought me to volivoli beach resort. It was dark at the time, but the next morning i was to awaken to a masterpiece of nature and R & R.
[stay tuned for my next Fiji post!!]