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Charlotte ElleryCharlotte Ellery
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traveled in 14 countries Read more
  • TravelerOur Adventure
    Day 680

    Following walking tour routes

    December 28, 2018 in Hong Kong ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Rather conveniently someone has uploaded several walking routes to do around Hong Kong which show you different highlights of the city. For our first day in here we thought we'd explore one of these routes with a few extra stops thrown in along the way. What's also been really useful is that there is an extensive reasonably priced underground network so exploring the city will be quick and cheap. After a quick snacky breakfast and making ourselves a packed lunch we left our room rather sleepily to begin our day of exploring. We needed to catch the tube to the beginning of the walk and as we headed up the road we stumbled across a small park area which featured very stereotypical Chinese architecture, small stone benches and some empty fish ponds. It was a shame the ponds weren't being used because it would have brought this space and garden to life if they had been. Still it was a nice tranquil space and despite the street being 10 metres away it certainly didn't feel like it once you had fully submersed yourself in the area. After catching the train we ended up in a shopping mall and thankfully our first stop, the botanical gardens, was sign posted from here. We spent hours in the gardens exploring the many buildings, displays and areas. Every turn of the path seemed to uncover a completely different styled area and it was a walk of never ending surprises. They even had an exhibition in one of the buildings to explain how the traditional slanted rooves that extend out from the building corners into a point are constructed. When we were in China something like this would have only been in Chinese but what was most pleasing is because it is Hong Kong it was explained in both languages. We actually got to understand it fully rather than making assumptions from the pictures alone. This exhibition lead into a gift shop but not like any gift shop we have been to before. This one stocked many beuaitfully hand made antique pieces worth thousands of pounds. We felt so out of place but obviously didn't look it as a gentleman talked to us extensively about the history of the jewellery his cabinet displayed. He definitely expected us to buy something and as beautiful as they were we are simply not wealthy enough for any of it. After admiring the golden pagoda one more time we left the little haven of greeny and walked through the endless streets to a temple set on a bit of a hillside. Luckily my phone contract works here so when we got a bit lost we were able to rely on Google maps to get us back on track. This temple had so many beautiful Chinese lanterns hanging down and the smell of incesnce burning added to the magic of the space. We walked around respectfully as many people were worshipping and soon found a more private section which had a huge pond full of coy carp and turtles. With bridges and pathways all around the small space we meandered around watching the beautiful colours of fish glide through the water. Before we knew it the time was almost tea time so we headed to mall next door and found a nice restaurant to eat at. The food was warm and delicious and with satisfied stomachs we headed back our accommodation for the night. It was dark when we got back so it wasn't long before we were in bed for our second sleep here. We are definitely using earplugs tonight in the hope of having a better night's sleep than last night!Read more

  • TravelerOur Adventure
    Day 679

    Bye bye mosquitos!

    December 27, 2018 in Hong Kong ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    We actually slept surprisingly well at the Hotel of Capricorn despite so many things going wrong yesterday. Today came the time to leave the moquito covered Fiji behind us and head to Hong Kong. We had considered having a breakfast at the hotel but after seeing the prices we went and bought snacks from a supermarket yesterday instead and just decided to have something hopefully substantial for lunch on the plane. It's one of those risks where you really hope they will give you food but you can never be sure. Despite yesterdays mix up with airport transfers we still got taken back to the airport by the hotel and arrived within plenty of time to check in and get some coffee inside us. I always like to get the airport super early so it does mean we have to wait around for a while but eventually we were boarding the plane ready to fly for what would seem like forever to get to Hong Kong. It was a 10 and half hour flight so I was glad we were sat with just the two of us together before the aisle started. I meant we didn't have to ask anyone to let us out when we needed it. We spent most of our time watching endless films and trying to have a few naps. There was a surprisingly good selection of films to watch so that kept us entertained most of the time. It did drag but not as much as I thought it would so that is reassuring for our 13 hour flight home we've just booked yesterday. After going through customs we had thoroughly researched how to get into the city as cheaply as possible and after purchasing travel cards we hopped on a bus towards Jordan where we'd be staying. When we got on a man followed us wearing a leg brace so Nick offered to help him with his luggage. He then started telling us he was here to bungee jump and we both looked at him puzzlingly because of his leg. He began to laugh and then explained that his leg was fine and he just wears a brace around the airport to pretend to have an injury so he can board the plane first, be taken off first and get driven around instead of having to walk! He painted it as the best idea ever, something we must do, but it just felt so wrong that he's taking those services from people who actually need it. We got off the bus before him and wished him well for his jump before walking towards our accommodation. We entered a residential style block of flats and discovered there is no queueing etiquette for the elevators. We were first in line and as soon as everyone had cleared out the lift people pushed passed us from both sides and before we could even move to get in the lift was full and the doors closing. I was boggled by the rudeness of this. The next lift came and we made sure to stand side by side so no one could get passed us before we got in. We found our hotel on the 7th floor which was basically a tiny room being used as a reception. We were directed upstairs and found our room for the week was in what probably use to be an appartment that has been split up into 4 very modern hotel rooms. We later discovered we have the biggest room of all 4 because we were at the end and on a corner. It's very tiny compared to most rooms but that's not unusual for Hong Kong and it serves it's purpose. I can't imagine how we would feel in the other 3 smaller rooms as ours already feels cramped. It's very noisy outside too even though we are at the back of the building so it may mean we wear earplugs to sleep. The accommodation was significantly cheaper than any other hotel in the area though so I'm pretty pleased with what we have for the price. We headed out to a supermarket nearby to buy some food for lunches and breakfasts before going to a Japanese restaurant for dinner. It's surreal being in such a built up highly populated city but it's a welcomed contrast and something new to explore and experience.Read more

  • TravelerOur Adventure
    Day 678

    Ending up at the wrong hotel

    December 26, 2018 in Fiji ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    After our tropical Christmas break it came the time for us to pack up our stuff and leave the little bure behind us. Despite being quite remote we had a great time on the island even with the constant mosquito attacks. At least with sandflies in New Zealand you felt them biting you but with mosquitos you could have one on you for 10 minutes before you even notice, if you even notice, at all. The hotel dropped us to the airport where we sat in the tiny waiting area before having to physically stand with our hand luggage once again on the scales. We gave our big backpacks to the assistant to load onto the little trolley and soon enough our plane landed with the next set of island seeking tourists and locals. The flight over to Nadi was a different route to our first flight from Suva so we could to see so much more of the mainland and its surrounding coast line. The reefs are beyond stunning from the air and you hope the country can maintain their tourism and preserve such an amazing ecosystem forever. We saw so many new types of coral and fish here that it truly feels unique from other reefs so I hope nothing ever changes to alter that. After flying in over lushious green hills we were back at Nadi Airport arriving at the domestic terminal. We had a transfer arranged to our hotel but we soon realised they wouldn't be picking us up from here, despite us asking for it. Instead we chose to leave after 20 minutes of waiting and walk around to the international arrivals where we were picked up last time we were here. Now here is where I made a huge error. It turns out that two hotels decided to put the word "Capricorn" in their name. So there is a Hotel of Capricorn and a Tropic of Capricorn. I mean what are the chances? The hotel we stayed at last time was attached to two other hotels on the same street including the Tropic of Capricorn one and I just always believed this was the one I had booked. We found the shuttle lady and she said we weren't on the list but by this point we didn't know there were two similar named hotels so we insisted we were and she said she had space to take us. We got to the hotel and they couldn't find us on the system, even giving our booking reference didn't help. Eventually the receptionist looked at our booking on our phone and she was the one who spotted that I'd actually booked us into the Hotel of Capricorn, the completely wrong hotel. Feeling very embarrassed we left the reception and flagged down a taxi. The receptionist had told us where it was and 5 minutes later we were at the right hotel. They were rather annoyed at us for not meeting the person at the airport as planned and when I explained what happened trying to lighten the mood she simply replied in a very sarcastic voice "how can anyone mix up Tropic and Hotel". It was rather tense and uncomfortable. She then said our room wasn't ready so we put our stuff into a locked storage room and went to Burger King nextdoor for lunch. I'm surprised Nick even entered such a place but we were both so hungry that we didn't care what we ate. Our room still wasn't ready when we came back, there was a slight feeling this was payback by making us wait, but eventually we got the key. We then discovered WiFi isn't included, I'm surprised busy large hotels even do that anymore, especially when our very budget hotel we had last time here did offer WiFi. So we dumped our bags and left straight away on a taxi back to our first hotel where we sat by the pool on the WiFi wishing I'd booked the right hotel! We managed to book so much of our remaining trip however that it ended up being a very productive afternoon and not such a bad day after all. We even took the plunge and booked our journey home! Home, I can't quite believe we will be going there. Having an end date makes everything seem so limited and we really need to make the most of our remaining time away.Read more

  • TravelerOur Adventure
    Day 677

    It's Christmas!

    December 25, 2018 in Fiji

    Merry Christmas from Fiji! I never would have believed it if 22 months ago I was told we'd actually spend 2 Christmas' away from home. I hung on to our Christmas hats from last year just for this day. The Xmas songs have been blaring around the hotel all day day although it never truly feels like Christmas when it's so hot and you're use to colder weather on this day. We had no specific plans for our Christmas, just to relax and enjoy each other's company which is what Christmas is all about. We treated ourselves to a lavish breakfast and even put our names down for a Fijian style Christmas Dinner to have in the evening. One thing I desperately wanted to do was to make a sandman: a snowman basically made out of sand. Not that we ever really get to make snowmen at Christmas back home but it just felt right! After opening cards and a couple of lovely gifts from home we made our way down to the beach and had it all to ourselves. We enjoyed a coffee at the beachside cafe before setting about making our sandman. Turns out the sand on this particular beach is rather coarse so didn't bond together very well but with a little help of a waterbottle to prop him up eventually Toothy was born! Aptly named given the state of his smile. We also realised we'd started building him under a coconut tree so it was a rather speedy process for fear of being hit of the head by a falling coconut. Something apparently that quite a lot of people die from. We had considered going in the sea but after dropping off washing yesterday to the hotel we didn't really want to get lots of clothes covered in salty water again. Instead we sat enjoying the view and sound of the waves feeling lucky to be here in this moment. After returning back to the hotel and bit of lunch we did decide to take a dip in the pool, at least the water wasn't salty here. I don't know what it is about salt water but it really does make your clothes smell even when you rinse them out. We're in the habit of wearing trousers in the sea now too to protect our legs from sunburn so it would have been rather a lot of smelly items to have to pack away before we fly back to the mainland. The pool was cool and inviting and we enjoyed our swim before lying back in the hammocks to dry off. The rest of the day was filled with playing games before our Christmas dinner which was an interesting chicken dish, we're not too sure what it contained but it was still very tasty. What was so lovely about the day was being able to video call home in the evening when everyone was up and opening presents back home. Knowing we will be home soon, although no one else knows that, makes it easier to just enjoy being a part of these moments rather than longing to be there every second you're on video call. Who knows with Canada in the pipe line we may make it to 3 Christmas away from home!Read more

  • TravelerOur Adventure
    Day 676

    Tropical weather? Let's do a hike!

    December 24, 2018 in Fiji

    One of the main attractions to see on the island is a series of 3 waterfalls all created by the same river. You have to hike up to each one and apparently the hike gets harder the higher up you go. We asked the hotel to offer this tour but unfortunately we were the only ones who signed up so they decided not to run it. Another couple we met had managed to do it on their own by getting the public bus that operates 3 times a day. After some much needed breakfast we walked to the nearest shop, 25 minutes in boiling sun at 7.30am, to discover it was closed even though it said it should be open. Luckily a smaller one was open so we managed to get some snacks and water to take on the hike. After layeringon insect repellent, sun cream and good hiking clothes we stood on the road to wait for the bus. It was hot and I mean really hot. The road had no shade and the half an hour wait was torture. After what felt like a lifetime of melting away along came a very packed old bus chugging up the hill really struggling to make. Now we understood why it was late. We were fortunate enough to get seats although it was a very unpleasant closeness to a stranger because we couldn't sit together. Thankfully the bus had open sides instead of windows so we did get a nice breeze when we got up to some speed. We stopped outside so many small villages and people's houses and it was definitely an experience we won't forget. We felt like this was the real island life of Fiji, seeing children playing in the river, locals carting huge sacks of flour off the bus to last them months and it felt good in the end that the trip was cancelled as we would have missed out on experiencing this. We eventually spotted our stop and after paying a woman in a tiny little shop to enter the reserve where the waterfalls were we started our hike. The track to the first waterfall was mostly flat, walking along a grass covered path lined with all kinds of tropical flowers and plants. The forest was alive with insects and birds, the sound was beautiful. We had bought swimming things but when we got to the waterfall we found several locals swimming there and feeling self conscious we took a photo and continued our walk. The path then got much harder with a steep ascent up some steps. This went on for what felt like forever but after probably 10000 steps (I may be exaggerating here) we made it to a small covered seating area overlooking the incredible view of the sea below on one side and the rainforest the other. Another couple were enjoying this spot so we carried on instead. The path then entered the forest and weaved its way through with several ascents and descents after each other. It almost felt like we were undoing progress everytime we descended. We had to watch out for cane toads and spiderwebs but eventually came to our second waterfall. Harder to see than the first we paused for some time before deciding to head back down instead of climbing to the third waterfall. There was only one bus left to run for the day and we didn't want to miss it. On our way back we sat and ate lunch under the covered seats as the heavens opened and we were surrounded by tropical rain. It felt invigorating and freeing just sitting there soaking it in. After some slippery steps down we were back at the start and sat talking to the lady while we waited for the bus. After a while a family turned up the father of which she knew who had his family coming to stay for Christmas and they wanted to see the falls. After a while of talking he actually offered to take us back, for a fee, but she confirmed he is a taxi driver. We weren't sure, it felt unsafe but after the bus still did not arrive we accepted and he dropped us at the closed shop we visited this morning to get supplies before we walked the rest of the way home with Nick somehow carrying 6 2L bottles of water. We had to hand wash all our clothes under the tap just to remove all the disgustingness of the day, knowing they'd dry within minutes on the balcony. It certainly was an adventurous but extremely tiring day and we will definitely sleep well tonight.Read more

  • TravelerOur Adventure
    Day 675

    The roughest snorkeling trip yet

    December 23, 2018 in Fiji

    I think because our hotel is so isolated they offer several excursions and trips each day to keep everyone entertained. Guests can sign up to the trip being offered for a certain price and you have to hope enough people want to go on it for it to run. Luckily lots of people signed up for today's snorkeling trip that we went on to Rainbow Reef. After waiting around because the staff run on "Fiji" time, we eventually all walked down to the beach armed with fins, a life vest and a snorkel and mask. At the beach we are bit shocked to discover our boat for today's activity is a tiny wooden vessel with a speed boat motor on the back. It was badly worn and despite the group being split between two boats it still felt like our boat couldn't withstand the weight. However we managed to speed away from shore holding on for dear life as the rough waves threw the boat everywhere. We had a lady who looked to be in her 70s with us and I felt so sorry for her as even when she asked the guy to slow down he would do for a while only before slowly speeding up again as if we wouldn't notice. Eventually we made it out to the reef and we were told to get ready to get in. There was no ladder so the older lady refused to get in for fear of not being able to get out again and because the waves were so rough where we were. Other than us the only other couple on the boat also were reluctant to get in. There was a big language barrier and I got the sense they weren't actually sure what they signed up to with this trip. By the end of it between the 13 of us only 4 of us, Nick and I included, made it in the water and stayed there long enough to follow a guide around the reef. The others either stayed in the boat or got in briefly before getting pulled out again. The reef was beautiful and it was very exciting to see plants and corals we haven't actually seen before on all the snorkeling trips we have done. Once you were face down lying in the water it was easier to forget how rough the sea was. Unfortunately my mask was leaking but after a while Nick decided to head back so he kindly gave me his while I carried on for another 10 minutes with the other couple and our guide. After a good amount of time in the water we headed to a remote island for lunch on a secluded beach. As we arrived a pod of dolphins came to say hello which was a pretty special moment. I snorkeled around the shore here because we found out that after food we would be heading back to the hotel. It was a bit annoying really that it was a snorkeling trip but we only got to do one dive. I guess though with over half of the group not wanting to take part it wouldn't have been very fair on them to stay out longer in the sun. Once back at the hotel it was so hot we had to have a dip in the pool in the afternoon before getting completely covered up ready for dinner. Getting to the restaurant is a task at night time as we have discovered it's when cane toads decide to flood the poorly lit pathways. Luckily we have torches to dodge the toads!Read more

  • TravelerOur Adventure
    Day 674

    Escaping to island paradise

    December 22, 2018 in Fiji

    Today was a pretty exciting day because we went on the smallest plane of our travels yet. It only had 19 seats! I'm so glad we booked this well in advance as I imagine those seats fill up pretty quickly. We had to catch a taxi to the airport which was quite expensive but the best way for us to make the 40 minute journey there. Also the most reliable way. The domestic terminal was rather small and we had to physically stand on the scales with our hand luggage to check the weight for the plane. I guess when the plane is as tiny as it was they have to be careful not to over load it. The flight over from the mainland to Tauveuni was so magical. Down below us all we could see was coral reefs in Turquoise waters. The water looked so very inviting. We landed after roughly an hour and a half in the air and watched our baggage be unloaded by a single guy with a little cart. We entered the tiniest airport you've ever seen and swiftly discovered the hotel had forgotten to pick us up. After a while one of the staff asked who we were waiting for and kindly called the hotel for us which prompted them to come and get us. It wasn't the best start but we were soon checking in to our little detached bure set on a palm tree covered hill overlooking the sea. Pretty much postcard paradise. The resort use to be 5 stars but apparently went under and now the bures are rented out at a much cheaper nightly rate. It does mean there are a few problems but for what we got overall for the price we couldn't complain about anything really. After dropping off our bags we headed down to the beach and although not the nicest in terms of litter it was still quite picturesque. As we walked along the shore we came to quite a rocky area and here I spotted a striped snake. Turns out that Nick had researched snakes in Fiji and it was in fact the most poisonous sea snake in the world. Safe to say we gave it a very wide berth and removed ourselves from the rocky area as quickly as possible. After a quick photo of course! We spent the afternoon in the pool where Nick played games with one of the employee's children. Although it was very fun after a while we just wanted to float around and relax but that was hard to do with a child splashing to get your attention. The only downside is the island isn't very inhabited/developed as you'd imagine a tropical island to be so we are pretty much restricted to the hotel's limited menu for all our meals over the next few days. Still I think there's enough things for us to fancy even if it does include some repitition some days. The biggest down side to paradise is mosquitos. I covered up for dinner, sat by a repellent burning coil and was still bitten 3 times. It looks like it's going to be a few days of being plastered in sun cream and insect repellent!Read more

  • TravelerOur Adventure
    Day 673

    Maybe Suva doesn't have much going on

    December 21, 2018 in Fiji ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    One thing you can always guarantee on there being in pretty much most cities is a cinema. It has become our go to place when we run out of buildings or sites to see and are just wanting to escape back into rural or island life. After extensive googling we couldn't find much that we wanted to actually see in Suva that we didn't visit yesterday. There are trips to places outside of the city but these need to be booked in advance unfortunately so that wasn't an option for today. Instead we took everything at a leisurely pace with no real rush of needing to be anywhere fast. The one thing we had considered doing was going to visit the markets. Although I'd read they were mainly food stalls, I felt it might be a nice experience for us. How wrong I was! We were approached outside when we got there and initially assumed it was for a photo or to try and scam us but surprisingly the guy warned us to be on our guard with our bags if we were venturing into the market. This dramatically changed how we felt about the idea and although we stepped into the area it was then instantly affirmed that this wasn't a good idea. Not only did it feel very intimidating with everyone staring at us but with it's narrow walkways covered in food waste, thick tent coverings trapping the heat in and the overwhelming smell of rotting fish/fruit/potentiallly a person, we opted to take a photo and make a dash back out the way we came where we took the biggest gulp of fresh air we could. That's when it was confirmed that we'd need to fall back on our trusty backup of going to the cinema. Before heading there we went back to our lovely air-conditioned mall and had some more vegetable fried rice. It wasn't quite as good as yesterday but it was still enjoyable. Although we are here to experience other cultures, places and really get a feel for a country it does get tiring being constantly overwhelmed. At the cinema Aquaman has just been released so the place was heaving however we opted to see a film called Mortal Engines and we were 2 of the 4 people who decided to choose this film. The cinema as expected wasn't exactly pleasant to be in but we enjoyed just switching off from the chaos outside and letting our guard down a little. After the film we did have a wonder around some shops in an area we hadn't been too yet before buying some snack food from a shop to take back to have for tea. Travelling has definitely put us out of so many comfort zones but we are still so reserved and don't take many risks compared to other travellers we have met. I do feel our past experiences have put us more on edge but I'd rather that than risk anything bad happening that spoils the whole experience for us.Read more

  • TravelerOur Adventure
    Day 672

    Exploring the city

    December 20, 2018 in Fiji ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    After spending the night on an incredibly hard thin mattress that gave us so many flashbacks to our time in China, we woke up ready to explore Suva. However coffee was definitely on our mind! Our first stop for the day was to the national museum of Fiji which initially didn't look like it would amount to much as we entered a single room but to our pleasant surprise there was a door to the side which led to a gift shop and many over exhibition rooms almost quadrupling the size we thought the museum was initially. It was a bit of a mishmash through and there was no clear history given as to how Fiji was discovered or cultivated, which was a shame. You assume museums abroad would go back to the very beginning and outline the basics of how that country was established but then you remember that very few museums in our own country go in to that much background detail. It feels wrong therefore to expect over country's museums to do this. All knowleged out and with coffee in our bellies we began to walk into the city centre of Suva. Our taxi had driven through this area yesterday so we knew it wasn't too far away from where we are staying, or the museum, which is good because our accommodation host suggested we needed to get a taxi into town. What a waste of money that would have been and we would have also missed out on seeing some of the sights of the city such as the presidential buildings and their surrounding gardens and greenery. Like Nadi the centre of Suva is chaotic and full of scams. We instantly stand out from the crowd and we completely had our guard up for anyone who approached us. Luckily I'd read online about one particular scam where you will be approached by someone asking all out you and as soon as they find out your name they start carving it on to something wooden which they then insist you buy. This almost happened to us until I insisted the guy didn't carve our names into this ugly wooden sword but he kept saying it was a gift and we wouldn't need to pay. In the end I just said I knew he was scamming us and off we walked. We found safety within malls knowing there was security around and we used them as a base to check the maps on our phones to where we were visiting next. Along our way we came across Ellery Street, it would be so cool to find out how exactly this street earned such a great name. Suva is an odd city in the sense that it has this amazing old architecture which is so detailed and intricute but alongside this are buildings that are pretty much falling apart. It's an odd mixture but there is a certain charm to the city especially in the older and greener parts. We ended our day with a meal in a food court at the top of the most expensive looking mall around. Vegetarian was hard to come by but the vegetable fried rice we had went down a treat.Read more

  • TravelerOur Adventure
    Day 671

    Thank goodness for kind people

    December 19, 2018 in Fiji ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Today could have been a complete disaster if it hadn't been for one man, Peter. It all began with us checking out of our hotel, leaving behind a horrible amount of plastic bottles that you pray get reused or recycled and getting a taxi to the bus station. Our destination was Suva, the country's capital and once at the station we found the stop we needed to depart from. There was one bus already there but it looked so cramped and it was a company I hadn't read about online. We decided not to buy tickets from them and wait for the one at 11am like we had planned. As we were waiting a guy named Peter approached us and offered us some of his Fanta which we kindly declined genuinely believing we were about to have another bad experience with a local like we had the last time we were at this bus station. We engaged in polite conversation and discovered he actually works on a resort on one of the islands and was travelling to see family for 3 days before going back to work again. We slowly realised he was actually being genuine. We soon learnt that we needed to purchase a Vodafone travel card and the only way to get on the bus is by scanning your card and getting a ticket. He said it's a system they introduced recently to prevent drivers overcharging tourists and pocketing the extra. Instead of getting on the bus he took Nick to show him where to get a card. I waited with the bags for an anxious 5 minutes before they came back. It turns out the whole bus station had run out of cards, this meant we couldn't get on the bus to Suva. Not only did Peter miss his bus to help us out he also gave us his spare travel card so we could top it up and get tickets. Unfortunately the next bus at 11:30 was full after going to the airport so we couldn't get on that one either. I felt so bad and kept apologising to Peter for him missing that bus. He said he believes in karma and will always help people when he can. This was apparent when he helped two other couples at the station as well. The first ones didn't want to listen to him at all even when I joined in backing up what he was saying. Luckily they were only going to a beach nearby so could buy a $10 single use travel card, not the reusable ones we needed for a larger amount of money. They were adamant they didn't what to do this as they'd lose the $3 left on the card. They were quite rude to Peter about it and I did say to them that it's an option of losing $3, paying 4 times as much for taxi there and back or not going to the beach. Eventually Peter bought them tickets for the way there on his card, I'm hoping they paid him back, and then they only needed a $5 card for the way back. This all went on for an hour over $3 and even after he helped them they were still very rude and unappreciative. Luckily the ticket sales for the next bus were open while this was happening but Peter wasn't queuing with Nick because he was helping this couple. I managed to get Peter's card and get Nick to buy his ticket as I was worried with so many people crowded around that he wouldn't get on. By this point we'd all been there for 2 hours. Eventually the bus came and somehow they managed to fit 5 seats in each row where every normal bus only has 4. It was an uncomfy ride being half sat on a seat but somehow it managed to go quite quickly. We watched both couples he helped get off the bus and eventually Peter left too and all we could do was thank him with huge smiles and waves. Thanks to him we made it to a rainy Suva, hopped in a taxi and got to our hostel. I'll never forget what he did for us and it's made me want to be more aware of people around me when I'm out and about at home to see if anyone needs someone to stop and take the time to help.Read more

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