Fiji - Feejee Experience and Beachcomber

Saturday morning and the start of the Feejee Experience with a hangover! Quick set of introductions, so don't remember anyone's name! For the record they were: Kerry and Katie, Claire, Mike, Mikey, Sam, Baker (Kieran), Crispy (Kieran), Sarah, Victoria, Jane and Kelly (who actually didn't meet up with us until we got down to the Coral Coast). First main stop (not counting the supermarket stop in Nadi) was Natadola Beach for a bit of swimming and lunch before stopping in a local village for a half hour. Then it was off to Sigatoka and the sand dunes for some sand boarding. It was a bit tame for the first run down so Kaka (the driver) gave me a different board to try out. I'm sure if must have had turbos on it and so I managed a spectacular wipeout at the end - sand in every possible entry point! For the accomodation we were the first guests at Mango Bay Resort on the Coral Coast. It was still under construction but with probably be a very nice place when it's finished. However, they will then to work out their stocks a bit better - we drank the bar dry of everything other than a few spirits! As we were at the beach we watched the sunset (very nice) and then had a campfire after the meal (with music provided by the resorts own guitarist).

Sunday started with a 3-hour hike through the rainforest to the river - perfect hangover cure, if a little hot! It's not a standard hiker track as it has been made specially for Fiji Experience and hence is a bit more rugged which also makes it more fun - lots of walking through streams which was really refreshing after the heat of the first part of the hike. At the river we did some tube-ing in the rain (probably more fun than it would have been in the dry) and ended up by jumping off the waterfall (another test for the vertigo!). After an hour or so boating bakc up the river to the bus we drove into Suva for a night of pole dancing and more alcohol!

The next day started with a visit to a local village school where we were guided around by the pupils. They don't just guide the visitors either, there's a vegetable garden where they grow the ingredients for the meals they prepare. Whilst we were there a group of the older pupils were doing some practical wood and metal working - replacing the roof on one of the buildings - I can't see that happening in the UK somehow! We then headed for an inland village for a kava ceremony with the chief followed by Bilibili rafting (and racing) and volleyball (of a kind) with the both the chief and some of the guys from the village. However, heading from the village north to the coast was probably the most surreal part of my time in Fiji - we got caught in the middle of a hailstorm!! The hailstones were not like the small drops we get back in the UK, these things were more like ice cubes, able to crack the windscreen. A few of the guys also had to get out a couple of times to clear fallen trees from the road! Te (the guide) said that she had never seen anything like it before in her life. However, once we got to the coast you would think nothing had happened as it was bright sunshine there. At the coast we boarded a boat for our next destination - Nananu-I-Ra island. After going to the top of the hill to watch another sunset it was back for more drinking games, campfires and skinny dipping (thank good the sea around Fiji is warm!).

A few of us spent the next few days chilling out in Nananu-I-Ra before catching the boat back to the mainland on the Thursday. The highlights of the journey back to Nadi where the goat curry in Ba (populated primarily by ethnic Indians that had come over to Fiji in the mid-1800's to work on the sugar plantations), the hot springs and mud pools. The evening was spent back in the Horizon hostel in Nadi, drinking kava and listening to Tai and the Kavaholics. I have a signed CD so I can subject you to them when I get back!

On the Friday those of us still around headed off to Beachcomber Island for a Feejee Experience reunion. Needless to say it was another late one. Saturday involved lots of sleeping and lots of rain - when it rains here it really rains! It was a slow start to evening (which the band did not help) but we still managed to hang a few (understatement!) on. Sunday was also very chilled and we headed back to Nadi for a very wet evening of goodbyes. New Zeland tomorrow!

Fiji - Nadi and the Yasawas

Well, what happened to Monday? One of the disadvantages of travelling around the world westwards is that at some point you have to cross the international date line and so you lose an entire day. Still shouldn't really complain as the compensation is that every other time I fly I gain a few hours and I don't have to face winter for an entire year!

First day in Fiji was spent organising a week (well 6 days actually) up in the Yasawa Islands, which are meant to be really beautiful and relaxing. I also took a wander into Nadi town. They mustn't be used to people walking around here as I lost count of the number of taxi drivers stopping to give me a lift from the hostel into town - and it's only a half hour walk! The town itself is no better for being hassled, with virtually every shop owner wanting you to come in and have a look around. Still, it makes a change from the UK where you basically have to beat someone around the head a few times before they realise that you're there!

Wednesday was a fairly early start in order to catch a big yellow catamaran, the Yasawa Flyer, up to the islands. Also had my first experience of 'Fiji time' whilst waiting for breakfast - I thought I had plenty of time to grab something but ending up running out the door with a handful of toast and eggs. Nothing works fast out here! Of course, once I got out the door I discovered that the coach couldn't fit everyone and so we had to wait for another - which was plenty of time to finish off my breakfast!

The first two nights were spent on Tavewa Island in the Coral View resort. Not the resort (or even the island) I was expecting to be on but it seemed pretty nice and chilled out. After an afternoon of lazing on the beach and a bit of swimming in a really warm sea (bit like getting into a bath - I could get used to swimming in these sort of seas!), we had afternoon tea (including cake!) and then decided to go for a wander around the island. I mean, they're only small islands aren't they? So off we set in shorts and thongs (flip-flops, not G-strings!, for those of you who don't know) for a short stroll. There were 6 of us altogether - Mark & Lynn, Nicky, Louise and Jon (Boy). After we had been walking for a bit and getting towards the third of the resorts on the island, a couple on the beach said that we couln't actually walk all the way around. But then we got to the third resort and one of the people from there did say that we could get around so we carried on. I suppose we really ought to have started asking questions after spending the next hour or so clambering over rocks, a lot of which were damp and very slippy. Not even the snake (which we later found out was a poisonous sea snake!) put us off. However as it started to get darker we did really begin to wonder if it was possible to get around and after a short discussion we decided to had back the way we came, especially as the tide appeared to be coming in. By the time we got to a big clearing in the forest at the edge of the shore it was really quite dark and we wondered about finding a short cut or even stopping for the night there. That idea was soon abandoned when someone's foot went down a hole. Not too much of a problem you would think, but when a very pissed-off crab scrambles out on it's back legs, pincers in the air, it didn't seem such a good idea! We eventually made it back to the third resort and one of the locals offered to guide us back to our resort via a shortcut through the forest. We then tought we would be able to creep back into our resort as if nothing had happened. No chance of that! - some of the staff had formed a search party to come out and find us - very embarrassing! Still it gave us something to talk about!

This next morning we went to visit the Sawa-i-lau limestone caves, this time with a guide! In order to view them properly you have to get wet and swim underwater through a short tunnel. However, as it was high tide outside, it was low tide in the caves and so we didn't have to swim underwater that much. Whilst in there we were introduced to another creatures that likes biting - sea lice, as if the mossies weren't bad even on their own! In the afternoon we take a trip over to the Blue Lagoon, from the first two versions of that film. It is incredibly beautiful, with white sands and the bluest water I ever seen. Unfortunately the resort didn't have any snorkelling gear left so we thought we would only get to see a bit of the sealife that was near the surface, such as a royal blue starfish. Luckily we bumped into some Kiwi couples who had just anchored in the lagoon. They let use use their gear, which let us have a look at the reefs. Whilst these were mostly dead, there was still a lot of fish swimming around, mostly very brightly coloured (the most vivid memory is of a very swim blue fish which almost looked as if it was glowing). I even found Nemo! Unfortunately I did forgot one thing whilst swimming around the lagoon - sun cream! Time for the first lot of sunburn!

We weren't due to leave the resort until the afternoon so we spent the morning on Suntan beach, which was just across the reef from our island. To make a change we had a competition - guys vs. the girls to see who could build the best shelter. The guys won!

The next island was Naviti. Nicky, Louise and I stayed at the Korovou Eco Resort, with Mark and Lynn staying at the Coconut Bay, which was a few minutes walk along the beach. Korovou was a very nice resort, with a pool that had just been opened on that day. However, Coconut Bay was very quiet and so Mark and Lynn tended to spend most of their time in ours. The entertainment for the evening was a Fire Dance, performed by the staff. Pretty impressive apart from the times when some of the torches slipped out of the dancers hands and ended up under the tables! The next couple of days were spent not doing much, especially as we couldn't go fishing. We did go kayaking on the final morning, not realising quite how tiring it was!

The final night was spent on Kuata Island. This wasn't as interesting as the other two islands and so we spent the evening drinking and decided that we would try and wait for the sunrise but ended up giving in at 4:30am! Needless to say, the final day in the islands was a very quiet one!

The next few days were spent back in the hostels in Nadi, basically just chilling out by the pool. However we did have a reunion (including Lee & Helen) in Horizon on the Thursday (some of the others having gone to Beachcomber Island for a few days after the Yasawas). This was also my first chance to listen to Tai and the Kavaholics live (I would hearing them quite a bit of the next week or so). Friday was meant to be a quiet day before joining the Feejee Experience on Saturday. However, that was before we discovered Ed's Bar!

Hawaii

Eventually got to Honolulu on the Monday evening after being screwed over by the staff at LAX. I got there before the flight was due but there was already a massive queue. I heard a member of the airline staff telling people on the 8:30am flight to move to another queue in order to get on. However, when I went to speak to her she said I hadn't waited long enough and so had to continue in the main queue (so as not to jump ahead of other people). When she finally decided that I had waited long enough it was too late to board the plane with luggage and so I would have to wait for the next one! Luckily that was only a few hours later but I couldn't board it until the last minute as it was fully booked. Last time I bother obeying requests from airline staff!

Tuesday was spent in the Waikiki beach area. It is definately a tourist trap with very little space on the beach and loads of souvenir / gift shops dotted along the main road. Luckily I was booked in at a hostel on the North Shore for the next day and so only had the one day to put up with.

Headed up to the North Shore on the Wednesday in a free shuttle provided by the hostel. Took a walk along the beach, which was a lot different from Waikiki. Rather than being 2 inches of beach between people, you had to walk for a few minutes before spotting the next person. However, after heading back to the hostel for dinner (which was meant to be a BBQ), the first of the rains started. It was quite warm rain but still very wet and meant that the BBQ was cancelled and forced most people into their own huts, which cut down on any socialising.

On the Thursday I hired a bike to cycle up to Haleíwa, which was meant to be the main historical point of interest on the north shore. Well, it's quite a nice little village but that's as far as it goes. I then cycled back past the hostel to go further eastwards up the north shore. Lots more deserted beaches and a lots of pineapple stalls. However, as I headed back the rain started again and so I was drenched by the time I got back.

Friday was spent relaxing in the hostel as the rains were on and off again.

It was back to Waikiki the next day, mainly to ensure that I was in the area to catch the flight to Fiji on the Sunday. However I did manage to get onto a tour of the windward shore of the island on the Sunday as well. A lot more deserted beaches and some stunning (but very windy!) views over the Honolulu area. I also got to try some Lau Lau pork, which is pork wrapped and cooked in ti leaves (which, funnily enough, taste a lot like tea!). Very unusual!

Los Angeles

Arrived in LA on late Friday and met up with Susan, who is on secondment out here (actually in Santa Monica) and who had offered her spare room for me to stay in.

On the Saturday morning I took a walk along Venice Beach, not that I could see much of the beach as it was covered in fog! Very unusual mix of street sellers though, not the sort of combination you see everyday! I actually spent most of the day in Santa Monica, picking up things for later in the trip as this was my last real chance to do some shopping in the US proper (next stop was Hawaii but didn't think I would have the chance or inclination to do much shopping there). There's also a load of street entertainers in the 3rd Street Promenade as well, some better than others and some much wierder than others (psychic cat anyone!). Visited my first British pub of the trip as well, Ye Olde Kings Head. It's not quite as bad as the name implies, although the Fish and Chips were still not the real mccoy. It probably helped that I only had to pay for half my drinks at the bar, the barmaid buying the other half!

Sunday was spent at the Getty Museum, the buildings and grounds of which are almost as impressive as the collections. You are also meant to be able to get a good view of LA from here (the museum sits on top of a hill), however the smog prevented me from seeing it. Fairly quiet night in preparation for the flight to Hawaii the next day.

San Diego

Decided to fly down to San Diego from San Francisco as it cost about the same as the bus and took about an hour rather than half a day! This meant that I had a little time to have a look around the Gaslamp District when I arrived. It's very nice and a good place to go to for a night out, especially if you're not on a budget as there are loads of restaurants, some with live music (if you like jazz or blues).

Sunday was spent finding out when the next baseball game was (San Diego is probably the last chance I'll get to see a game) and then taking a walk up to Balboa Park. Balboa Park is massive (although not as big as it used to be due to some of it being used for a Naval Hospital). Joined a Ranger tour to get a bit more information and then sat down to listen to the free organ recital (the Spreckels Organ is the largest outdoor organ in the world). The organist is actually a Brit and she had just come back from visiting her mum back in the UK, so the first few tunes had a very British flavour. Kind of made me feel a little homesick for a few moments but then looked up at the sky and remembered what the weather would probably be like in the UK at that time which soon sorted that! The wierdest bit of the entire recital was when she played the US national anthem and hence everyone got up to sing along, apart from 3 people (me and 2 others who were obviously from overseas). Still I stood up out of respect, just not singing! I then had a look around some of the museums (which are quite small to be honest and only need an hour or two each) before heading back to the Gaslamp for dinner. The music must have had an effect as I went and had a traditional British meal - curry! It was a pretty good curry to be honest but I'm not used to being asked how hot I want it - isn't that what the names are for?

Monday was spent at the zoo. It's meant to be one of the biggest and best in the world. I used to have a CD-ROM about it at home (got it free), so was interested to see it for real. Unfortunately I think my expectations were a bit high and hence it didn't really knock me out. However I did see the pandas and a live wild cat show, which was held a few feet from the audience as the arena that it is normally held in was under reconstruction. The evening was spent at the Ballpark, watching a game between the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants. It wasn't quite what I was expecting as everyone seems to get up to wander around (getting beer and snacks) whilst the game is on! Also wasn't expecting the '7th Innings Stretch' and the rendition of 'Let's Go Down To The Ballpark', but it's all part of the experience. As for the game, Sand Diego took the lead very early in the game but managed to throw it away in the 9th innings due to a mistake by one of the catchers - overhearing a few other people speaking after the game it is something they do a lot! The end of the game was a bit of an anti-climax as everyone filed out quietly - I was expecting a few chants from the Giants fans at least!

The first part of Tuesday was spent back in Balboa Park, going to some of the museums I had missed out on Sunday. The Museum of Man was quite good (partly due to my background interest in archaeology) - although I was a bit disappointed at first as the best bits were upstairs. The Museum of Natural History was a letdown, even more so than New York's. Obviously the museums in Washington and London are two of the best in the world and everywhere else is a pale imitation. Later in the day I headed up to Pacific Beach (or PB as it is known locally) to stay for a few days. Met up with an Irish guys and 3 Kiwi's on the first night and went to a local Kiwi bar (although apparently the only 'Kiwi' link, apart from the backpakcer staff, is the fact that the owners went on holiday to New Zealand a few years back). Then it was across the road to another bar, playing lots of cheesy 80's music - it was great! Can't remember much after that to be honest ;-)

Wednesday was very quiet - very hung-over! Didn't do much until the evening when I went for a wander to find out what else there was to do in the area other than chill-out on the beach. The big thing that stuck in my mind was the number of second-hand shops - it seemed like every other shop was a second-hand shop!

Thursday was a another chilled-out day. Did meet up with one of the guys from the Yosemite trip, which was good fun. Back up to LA tomorrow.