Bula Fiji

July - August 2022
Our first trip post covid and we chose beautiful Fiji 🌴 Read more
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  • 2.7kkilometers
  • 2.7kkilometers
  • Day 11

    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.
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  • Day 12

    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

  • Day 13

    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

  • Day 14

    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

  • Day 15

    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