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Bula Fiji
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Bula Fiji

Our first trip post covid and we chose beautiful Fiji 🌴 Read more
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  • Trip start
    July 31, 2022
    Off Duty PharmacistBula FijiOff Duty Pharmacist

    First night in paradise

    July 31, 2022 in Fiji ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    After 4 cancelled ubers (eeeeeek!) we were on our way in a taxi to Brisbane International Airport for our 8:30am flight to Nadi. Check in was a little longer with the additional requirements - insurance cover including covid-19, international vaccination certificates, proof of booked RAT in Fiji (which for us was a fit to fly certificate from our GP as we recently had covid). Security was pretty quick and so was immigration - we were soon browsing the duty free and selecting some welcome home gifts for ourselves 🤣. The flight left slightly late, but was a good flight with Virgin - we took some snacks, and tea, coffee and water were complimentary.
    Once we cleared immigration and customs in Nadi, we went to wait for our transfer and were soon at our accommodation for one night - The Palms. It was a super clean room with two queen beds. At about 5pm we strolled over to the port and found where we would check in for our transfer in the morning, had a delicious seafood dinner at Bonefish and bought a few things from the convenience store. Tired, we read our eReaders before falling asleep.    Read more

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    Magical Matamanoa

    August 1, 2022 in Fiji ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Today we woke up and went down for breakfast at the cafe of our accommodation - banana pancakes and a mocha for B and potato cake with egg, spinach and beans and a flat white for me. We then did some reading before checking out just before 11am and strolling over to the port to check in for our transfer to Matamanoa island. We checked in, gave our bags over and paid a fuel surcharge (F$20 each) before grabbing some drinks and free wifi at a nearby cafe. Soon enough we were boarding the catamaran for the 2 hour journey. We stopped off at a few places on the way - it was fascinating to watch the resorts bring out a people boat and a luggage boat for the ocean transfer. Arriving at Matamanoa, we were sung a welcome song as the little boat cruised into the beach. We got some cold towels and fruit drinks during check in and were taken to our room - the same one we had in 2018 🤣. We had a relaxing afternoon in the plunge pool, reading and playing card games before heading up to the restaurant for dinner at 6:30pm. We shared bruschetta for entree, B had a chicken dish with ratatouille veggies and pesto and I had a sundried tomato pasta. We shared a banana bread and butter pudding for dessert before heading back to our room for the night. One of our favourite people from 2018 is still here, so we chatted to at dinner and I shared some pictures from 2018 with her.Read more

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    Sunsets, swims and singing

    August 2, 2022 in Fiji ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Today we woke to the brightest, clearest day and headed to breakfast. After breakfast we found some chairs near the main pool and hung out there for a few hours, listening to the music, reading and relaxing. Then we headed back to our room for a dip in the pool before reading and playing cards on the day bed. After some grilled fish and chips for lunch, we once again hung out at the main pool before heading back for another dip on the plunge pool. After some naps, we walked along the beach for sunset before getting ready for dinner. Chicken scnitzel for me and steak for Brenton and then we shared a bush lemon tart for dessert. We enjoyed the music from the band, who seemingly can sing pretty much any song and make it sound good.
    After dinner we had a very serious conversation about how we may run out of books to read (🤣) before heading back to the room to read and retire.    Read more

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    Massages on the hillside

    August 3, 2022 in Fiji ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Today we headed to breakfast - grilled fish, tomato and potato for me, eggs on toast with sausages and bacon for B. After breakfast we booked our massages for this afternoon before returning to our room. We then spent the morning and afternoon alternating between reading, playing our card game, going for a dip in the pool when it got warm. At 2pm we headed up to the hillside for our massages - it was beautifully windy and cool up there. The temperature here is warm, but not humid or sticky unless in the sun for a while with no breeze. Relaxed, we floated back to our room for a big afternoon of reading and swimming. At 5:30pm we headed up to the main area to have a drink, finish watching the sun set and listen to the live band. Dinner was grilled chicken and veggies for me, and steak and veggies for B with a shared chocolate tart for dessert.Read more

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    Snorkelling and sunsets

    August 4, 2022 in Fiji ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Today we had breakfast at 8:30am then went for a stroll out to the boardwalk and looked for crabs and fish in the rocks. After that we went to green coconut tasting and watched the coconut retrieval process and skillful machete wielding. We then relaxed at the pool area and enjoyed the music and atmosphere before having lunch at 1pm. After lunch we went for a lay down and did some reading before heading out for a snorkel off the beach. We saw some awesome fish and some bright coral with fluorescent tips. After snorkelling we went for a dip in our plunge pool before some more reading. We then watched the sun set at the boardwalk before getting reading for dinner. For dinner we shared lobster bisque and B had teriyaki steak and I had chilli lime fish. We got serenaded by the 4 piece band at our table as celebration of our last night.Read more

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    Natural Navini

    August 5, 2022 in Fiji ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Today we finished packing and headed to breakfast before our 9am transfer. At about 8:45am we could see a speedboat from the horizon and it was our Navini Island transfer. The boys welcomed us on board and in about 30 minutes we were on Navini's shores. We were met as we stepped onto the sand and taken for our welcome drink and briefing before being shown to the day room while our room was made up. For lunch B had lasagne while I had karaage chicken sliders with salad. After lunch we were shown to our bure so we unpacked and relaxed for a bit before walking a lap around the island, picking a shell for shell of the day. We plan to collect one shell each day we are here (of course putting them back when we are finished). Soon enough we heard the drum for dinner - beef curry with roti and accompaniments for B and coconut lime chicken breast for me. We were back in our bure just before 9pm, tired from all the activity from the day (🤣).Read more

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    Fishing and fish

    August 6, 2022 in Fiji ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Today we had breakfast and decided whether to go on today's excursion - hand line fishing. The last time we did hand line fishing (in Fiji) we both got motion sickness from the rocking. However, we decided to give it a crack (after some travel sickness medicine). There were 5 guests and we went to about 4 spots to try our luck. The guests caught 4 fish (two for B, none for me), and Thomas (resort boatie) caught about 5 or 6. Thomas was impressed with B's ability to "catch Fiji" - he hauled up two large pieces of coral during the trip. When we got back we had lunch; a fish salad/veggie mix with beans, potato, olives and lettuce and some fruit to finish. I then lost 1-2 hours to a nap before doing some reading before our shell finding lap of the island (which included a glorious sunset). We then headed to dinner - we both had Kokoda (a local dish of fish marinated in lime juice, then served with coconut milk, capsicum and onions), then B had chicken with rice and veggies and I had panko crumbed fish with veggies and dalo (a local root crop). We then had lumberjack cake to finish.Read more

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    Reef snorkelling

    August 7, 2022 in Fiji ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Today we had breakfast before heading out on the snorkelling trip to Guava Reef - a recently discovered snorkelling spot by the boys on Navini. The reef was in the middle of the ocean and beautiful; coral, fish and sealife were everywhere. A few of the others spotted an octopus on the sea floor, so we watched him for about 20 minutes - when he was still you couldn't find him but then his legs moved and he crawled to another spot, changing colour to blend in as he went. After our trip we had lunch before having a quick rest and heading out to snorkel Navini's reef. We saw lots of fish and some massive starfish.
    After showering and reading for a bit we listened to Fiji folklore storytelling before having dinner - teriyaki chicken for me and steak for B.    Read more

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    Memorable meke

    August 8, 2022 in Fiji ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Today we followed our regular routine - awake with the sun, watching and listening to the water lap at the sand, breakfast at 8am then out on a snorkelling trip. Today we went to Honeymoon Island - it's a privately owned uninhabited island, but we snorkeled around it's reef for a few hours. The coral and fish were fantastic - we saw plenty of green throat parrotfish and three trumpet fish swimming together. B also spotted a banded sea snake and we learnt that all sea snakes are poisonous. Lucky we was happy swimming far from us. After snorkelling we headed back for a brief rest before lunch - spaghetti with salad for me and chicken and couscous for B. At lunch we found out tonight was Fijian Night. At 5pm we watched the boys preparing the lovo (underground oven) - the meat was wrapped in coconut leaves before being put in to cook. At 6:30pm we watched the meke (traditional song and dance) which all the staff performed in and then at 7:15pm the lovo was unearthed. We then listened to more of the storytelling before eating at 8pm. It is usually a buffet but due to covid it was like a mini buffet at our table. I forgot to take a photo of the food, but the veggies were so good and the meat was falling of the bone and so tender. For dessert we had cassava cake with caramel sauce and plantains in coconut milk.Read more

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    Breezy bliss

    August 9, 2022 in Fiji ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    The wind was blowing today on the north side of the island (where the restaurant and main area is). The excursion was a sightseeing trip past a nearby island - we've been before so weren't that interested so after breakfast (pancakes) we opted for a relaxing morning reading with the sound of the waves softly crashing into the shore. There's always something to watch on the water here - moving boats and dinghys, people snorkelling or stand up paddleboarding or using kayaks. Before long lunch time had come around - bbq pizza for B and a veg pizza for me, followed by banana and pineapple homemade fritters, yum! This afternoon we headed out for a snorkel (high tide) at about 3pm but the winds had made the reef not as beautiful so we spent a lot of time bobbing up and down rather than snorkelling. We then headed in to the shore and enjoyed the water for a little bit longer before getting out and rinsing off. Just after 5pm we headed round the corner on the beach to collect a shell of the day, look for hermys (hermit crabs), and watch the sunset. After the sunset we did some more reading before dinner - grilled fish with a sweet and sour sauce with rice for both of us, apple cake for B and icecream for me.Read more

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    Regal reef

    August 10, 2022 in Fiji ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Today after breakfast the morning excursion was to Plantation Pinnacle Reef. It was low tide at 10am so people where ferried in the dingy to the boat - there was a large group of people today so it took 4-5 trips. Once on board we went on a very slow and rocky journey to the reef. I wasn't sure the swell would ever settle, but sure enough when we got to the reef, it was pretty still. The reef was beautiful - layers upon layers of coral and while there weren't many types of fish, the number was staggering - in some sections I couldn't even see through the fish, there was that many. We followed the edge of the reef for quite a while and then got back in the boat. The trip back was much like those raft boats where you get splashed every second wave 😂 by the time we got back, we were wetter than we were in the water. And so begun the ferrying of people back to shore - the boat is tied about 100m from the shore in low tide. We and our new friends (a family from San Francisco - a middle aged couple and their adult daughter and her partner) decided we would swim to shore instead. The boys would bring our belongings to land on their last trip in. Snorkels and fins back on we snorkeled back in. Being low tide, the last 30m or so was super warm as there was only about 1m of water, but we couldn't walk in as there is still reef at that point. We washed off before having lunch - beef burgers with crispy cassava. After lunch we played a game of chess before reading and snoozing into the afternoon. That night we listened to the band from 6:30pm while enjoying some drinks. They told us one of the songs was about kids getting on the bus for school, but they don't want to pay the fare. The bus driver can't yell at them in front of the village as their parents would hear, so he waits until he is 6 miles out and makes them pay up. The song is called "6 miles" in Fijian.
    Dinner was a shared entree of veggie wontons, then roast pork with veggies and gravy/apple sauce for me and Sichuan chicken stirfry for B. Dessert was bread and butter pudding.    Read more

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    Windy wavy weather

    August 11, 2022 in Fiji ⋅ 🌧 25 °C

    Today we woke to windy weather and it had rained nearly all night. After breakfast we played chess for a while before having a go at basket weaving with Simo. He told us that the coconut leaf baskets have become very popular in Fiji since the plastic bag ban, and you can even buy them in the supermarkets. He said some young girls think they are the height of fashion, so even though they can't weave them themselves, they purchase them and pretend they have made them. Let's just say B and I won't be able to use anything we make with coconut leaves 😂 After some reading we had lunch - BBQ pork baguette for B, and a grilled fish salad for me followed by coconut pannacotta. After lunch we went back to our reading and napping and at 4:30pm we walked up to the main area to play chess. We then returned to get ready for dinner and relax a bit. Dinner was grilled pork chop for B and ika vakalolo for me (traditional Fijian dish of grilled fish cooked in coconut milk - this might be my favourite dish so far). We finished dinner off with key lime pie before heading back to read again before bed.Read more

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    Lolo lesson

    August 12, 2022 in Fiji ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Today was another windy day. After breakfast and a game of chess we took part in a cooking lesson. Joka showed us how to make lolo buns (coconut buns) and Simo provided the coconut - freshly scraped using a special Fijian stool made for the job. The buns are made with a pretty simple dough mix, then steamed over low heat to cook them. After our cooking lesson and taste test, we went back to our bure to read for a while before lunch. For lunch we had fish tacos with papaya and sultana cake for dessert. For the afternoon we relaxed, read and listened to the wind in the trees and waves against the shore. At 6:30pm we listened to part 3 of storytime before having dinner - satay beef with rice and veggies for B and roast chicken with rice and veggies for me. The chicken stuffing was delicious and the chicken was really tender. For dessert we had citrus cheesecake before heading back to bure around 9pm.Read more

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    Coconut conjuring

    August 13, 2022 in Fiji ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Today after breakfast and a chess game we listened to the story of the coconut - a legend told to little children in Fiji. Some guests then tried to crack a coconut with their bare fists - apparently the youngest person to do it on the island was a 14 year old girl. After coconut story telling, we read for a little bit before having lunch - gourmet pork sausages in a homemade bread roll and coconut cake for dessert. We then had a rest and a bit of a walk along the beach to pick out our final shell of the day before choosing the best crab for the 4:30pm crab race. The race was done on the beach and our crab, "Usain Bolt" received two bronze medals and one gold medal! After the crab race we played a game of chess before watching the sunset one final time and then heading to dinner for our candlelight dinner. Dinner was Dhal soup, fish with sweet potatoes and chocolate espresso cake for me, and smoked Walu mousse, butter chicken and choc espresso cake for B. After dinner we headed back to the bure for our final night in paradise.Read more

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    Farewell Fiji

    August 14, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    After breakfast this morning we returned our flippers, paid our bill and gave our small gifts for the village children to Losalini at reception to pass on. Due to Covid Navini weren't doing village visits, but we were happy for them to be sent on our behalf. We finished packing our bags and at around 10:30am boarded the boat one last time for the trip to Vuda Marina. From there we were provided with a transfer to Nadi airport. Check in, immigration and security was simple and after a little bit of a wait we were on the plane home. Everything was uneventful and we soon landed back in cold Brisbane. If you've followed along this far, thank you, I hope this has been entertaining ☺️ stay tuned for our next trip....Read more

    Trip end
    August 14, 2022
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