Fiji: October 2015
Hello Fiji
We arrived in Fiji and after collecting our baggage headed over to Vodafone for a new SIM 😉 We had called the day before to confirm a pick-up time. Of course, there was no one there, so we called again. 20 minutes later, someone was there to pick us up, apologizing for the delay. We had read about “Fiji time” and having just spent several months in other islands and SE Asia, we were used to it. I thought it couldn’t be possible, but this place we were staying was even worse than the place in Brisbane. It was a death trap, but at a third of the price, it worked. We were only staying one night and leaving to an island the following morning. It was Sunday afternoon, and everything was closed. We couldn’t even walk to a restaurant if we wanted to. So we waited for our hotel’s restaurant to open for dinner.
Welcome dance from the Island
We were shuttled to the ferry station bright and early. I liked the efficiency of the ferry. The whole process runs like a well-oiled machine. We had a three-hour ferry ride to our island, Drawaqa. We booked a place called Barefoot Manta, which boasts swimming with manta rays, as well as some great snorkeling. When we booked, there were only four-person dorm rooms available. Not our first choice, but we would save a lot of money, and it was all they had.
The way this ferry works is like this; they stop when they arrive at an island, the resort sends a small boat to drop off some guests and pick up others. So, along we go, stopping every 20 minutes or so to bring new people on and take others off. We were staying in the Yasawas, and the ferry starts south, picks up those who wish to travel further north, and drop off those who will be staying on the island. Once they reach the northern most island, they turn around and do the whole trip in the opposite direction. So our friends who are traveling north leave around 11am, and those of us traveling south, leave at 2pm.
Guitar song greeting
We were greeted by a small group singing and playing the guitar. After a quick orientation and walk-around, we were left to our own devices. It was already lunch time, so we sat with our future friends and had our first meal. As usual, Javier wanted to do everything, and I wanted to relax. So instead of going our separate ways, we both ended up in a hammock, reading our books. They have tea time every day at 4pm, followed by volleyball- “Fiji vs the world.” I didn’t want to play, but Javier did. He returned about 30 minutes later with a bloody toe talking about how intense the game was. Apparently, these guys take their volleyball very seriously.
Happiness
They have a different game every night before dinner, so we sat with others and proceeded to play a quiz about Fiji. Our team did really well, and tied for second, but we lost to the volunteers, who have been living here for weeks and have played this quiz a few times. We all thought it was a little unfair, but the volunteers didn’t.
Concentration
We made friends, but here, you make friends one day, and they’re gone the next. Over the next four days, we snorkeled, kayaked, hiked, played games, made jewelry out of coconut shells (Javier made a cup), made bookmarks by weaving leaves, learned some Fijian language, as well as medicinal plants around the island, and my favorite, met Sammy. We had seen Sammy around. He took everyone diving, as well as night snorkeling. When we went on our hike, we saw him teaching a girl how to Absail down the rock face. This guy did everything. He was really quiet, and unassuming, but seemed to have many responsibilities. He took us on the little medicine walk, and was in charge of Fijian language.
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Sammy and Jackie
Javier and I were the only ones to show up for language time, and we only had a few words that we were interested in learning. We started talking to him and it started with, “How long have you worked here?” From there, I kept asking him questions, some more personal than others, and he politely answered. He told us that he came here on holiday. My first thought was that his family must be well-off for him to be able to afford a two-week holiday traveling up and down the Yasawas. He really liked this place, and decided to stay here longer. While he was here, he told us how he brought his own equipment and went parasailing on the beach, and repelling off the cliffs. The owners took notice of him, talked to him, and offered him a job. So of course, I had to ask how he learned all of this. He told us that for 5 years he lived with an ex-Brisitsh serviceman and his wife. The British guy was in some sort of special forces, and taught him everything he knew. Again, I’m curious about people, so very respectfully, I asked how he ended up living with this man and his wife for 5 years. He hesitated and began telling us his beautiful story. To keep it brief, Sammy was raised in a tiny village three hours from Suva. He was a troubled teen, as were most of the children in his town. The government brought in this British man who was to help the young boys. There were 43 of them collected off of the streets, and this man was their life-coach. He taught them skills, team-building activities, and all-around, life-improving skills. Sammy was 16. There was something about him that the man noticed, and when the 1-year program came to a close, the man approached Sammy and asked him if he wanted to come with him and his wife. They were going to be moving around Fiji, working as life-coaches for a wide variety of people. He would be their son, they would feed and clothe him, take care of him, and teach him everything they could. Sammy tells us all of this with tears in his eyes. As he continues to tell his story, the tears start to fall, but he keeps looking at us in the eye, not looking away, completely unashamed. It was intense. I felt my eyes start to water. This man taught Sammy to skydive, rock climb and repel, paraglide, parasail, just to name a few. He also taught him how to survive in the wilderness, and when he was ready, left him in the wild to survive on his own for a few weeks. He also taught him hand to hand combat, which basically makes this quiet, unassuming man a potential killing machine. The man had spent so much of his life teaching young men all of these same skills, but for the purpose of harming others. Sammy possesses all of these same skills, but since he came from a very violent background, this man made him promise to only use it for good- to help others. When the British man and his wife left Fiji, Sammy took over, and gave these life lessons to young men and women, married couples, older people, you name it, he coached them. He said he watched and learned everything from this couple, and for several years, continued their work to help his community. He was looking for something different, which landed him here. He says he really enjoys it here, but knows that at some point, he will go back and continue his work helping others. This is probably one of the greatest stories, and the most amazing person, Javier and I have come across in a very long time.
Kayak fun
We spent the days relaxing. Others around us were diving here and there and talking about it all day long. It has sparked our curiosity. We have decided to try an introductory dive to see if we like it, and if so, we’ll get certified- but not on this trip, or maybe…we’ll see. 🙂
The weather was not very cooperative. I didn’t mind so much, but it was really windy, making it almost chilly on one side of the island. The resort is situated on one side of the island. To walk across from one beach to another, would take all of 5 minutes, as the crow flies, so the difference in wind from one side to another, is truly amazing. We had heard that the snorkeling here was better than at the Great Barrier Reef. Well, the Great Barrier Reef is still top of our list, but I can see their point. Out of the three snorkel sites we visited in the GBR, the snorkeling here in Fiji is better than 2 of those sites. It is truly incredible. But that one snorkel site in GBR…unreal.
Snorkeling sights
Before we knew it, our time was up. We didn’t have a chance to swim with the mantas. They left two days before we arrived. We didn’t mind too much since we already had an opportunity in Indonesia, but it was pretty disappointing for everyone around us. We had two sets of roommates, and were lucky with both. Javier was the only guy in a room of four, and all of the other girls were very courteous and respectful. When we lost two one day, Javier mentioned how he hoped there would be more girls coming. They were cleaner, and more respectful than guys. HA!
At last it was time to go. We boarded our little boat after being serenaded by the workers’ beautiful farewell song. We were taken to the ferry where we climbed on to take our trip back to the main island.
Four days of this. Happy birthday Jackie
We spent the next 4 nights in luxury. It was my birthday, so we splurged. When we booked the room , we weren’t picky, and we booked the cheapest room they had. Apparently, we fancy. We booked a room that included the Waitui Beach Club- a secluded, adult only pool area, that has free beer and wine happy hour every evening. Needless to say, we ate and drank our fill. We spent everyday by the pool, planning our upcoming New Zealand adventure. On my actual birthday, Javier told everyone, and I was serenaded at lunch, dinner, and even poolside complete with a little cake. For birthday dinner, we ate local Fijian food. It was absolutely delicious. Neither of us was expecting to like it so much, but we did, and went back again before we left. We took a couple of yoga lessons, and became really friendly with the staff. We especially liked Alice, who was so sweet and kind to us during our stay. While Fiji was indeed beautiful, and a great place to relax, it was the people we met along the way that made it unforgettable.
To see more pictures of Fiji, click HERE.
Happy birthday My Love!