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Fiji 2023

March 2023
A quick trip back to paradise 🌴☀️🐟🐠 Read more
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  • Off Duty PharmacistFiji 2023
    Day 1

    Travel day tiredness

    March 3, 2023 in Fiji ⋅ 🌧 25 °C

    After a few small hurdles, we made it to Fiji. When we arrived at Brisbane airport at 8:45pm, there was a bit of a line for check in - we waited about 30 minutes and right when we were at the counter the immigration system failed. It meant that they couldn't fully complete checks and couldnt print boarding passes. We were told to wait in the area and an announcement would be made when we could collect our boarding passes. Just after 10pm, a few people were being processed so we waited a little more and then collected our boarding passes. We made it to the Qantas Club by 10:30pm, so we had a few snacks and some water. At 11pm it closes (our flight was codeshare Qantas) so we went to the gate to wait for boarding for our 11:55pm flight. They were running a bit late, but soon we were boarding. Once everyone boarded, we waited. Eventually the captain announced there would be a delay as they were having issues getting some of the cargo off the plane from the previous flight, so it was coming back to Fiji with us 😂. We finally got going at about 1am. The lights were dimmed for takeoff (yay) but then were back on for the meal service at around 2am (not so yay). Needless to say, by the time we were landing (6:50am local time, 4:50am AEST) I was struggling to stay awake. Not to worry, the hour wait at immigration (with live Fijian music) kept me awake. Finally we were through, grabbed our bags and met our transfer. We were whisked away to Vuda Marina and met by the Navini boys at their boat. The story continues in the next postRead more

  • Off Duty PharmacistFiji 2023
    Day 2

    Navini

    March 4, 2023 in Fiji ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    Stepping foot on the beach when we arrived was wonderful. We were greeted and walked up to the main area. During the walk we were told we will be the only guests on the island for our stay! After breakfast, we saw Losalini from our last visit and she gave us both a hug. We headed to our room. I jumped in the shower, B headed to the outdoor daybed. After my shower I tried to nap a little, and B napped too.

    I got up at around 12pm and felt a bit better, so I started my first book. At 1pm we heard the beating of the drum so headed to lunch and then read for a bit in the main area. We then went back to our room. The afternoon consisted of more relaxing - reading, playing a few card games, a slow walk along the beach with my feet in the water (amazing), watching the waves come and go, watching the boys attach logs of driftwood to the boat cable and reel it in (with the boys attached) . We think they were moving the driftwood (likely brought in by the waves from the recent cyclones. Fiji itself didnt suffer any damage, just winds and increased seas).

    We headed up to dinner and then read for a little afterwards before headed back to our bure for a very early night. We can both already feel the hustle and bustle of every day life and work slipping away, Navini island is good at that.

    Breakfast: fruit, crossaint and coffee (B), oatmeal with grilled banana and tea (A)
    Lunch: karaage chicken sliders with homemade crisps and salad (B), spinach and ricotta roll with salad (A), citrus cake (B), island made icecream (A).
    Dinner: salt and pepper squid with veggies and rice (B), coconut crusted chicken with veggies and rice (A), homemade pineapple strudel (A+B).    Read more

  • Off Duty PharmacistFiji 2023
    Day 2

    Lolo lesson

    March 4, 2023 in Fiji ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    Today we woke up to the sun after what has to be the best sleep we have had in a very long time. We walked along the beach to breakfast before reading and watching the waves roll in for a little while. At 10am we had a cooking lesson from Chef Michael, who showed us how to make ika lolo (fish in coconut). First we cracked the coconut with the back of a cleaver, then we scraped out the coconut flesh. B was a star at both of these, and Michael said he could put B to work with a whole sack of coconuts 😂 Michael then proceeded to scrape the coconut at lightning speed. We finished off the dish, cooking the fish, adding the fresh coconut milk and a few other ingredients. It was fantastic! After that we headed back to our bure for a dip in the water, floating with the slow waves rolling in was very relaxing. We then did some reading before lunch. After lunch we played some chess, went back to our bure for more reading and relaxing before a storm came over. At around 6:30pm we headed up for entertainment, which was Dumu playing guitar, and quickly turned into a chat about football - he was quite keen to learn about AFL, and was excited to tell us that Fiji was playing Australia (NSW) in the rugby tonight. We had dinner and then returned to our bure for some reading (and writing this blog for me).

    Breakfast: oatmeal with caramelised bananas (B), toasted muesli (A), fresh fruit, toast and coffee

    Lunch: grilled fish salad (A+B), snowball (B - ice-cream in coconut and chocolate sauce), fruit (A)

    Dinner: Vietnamese spring rolls (A+B), green Thai curry with chicken (A), pork with pineapple salsa and cassava chips (B) and delicious okra. Profiteroles for dessert (A+B).    Read more

  • Off Duty PharmacistFiji 2023
    1
    Day 3

    Weaving, wind and walks

    March 5, 2023 in Fiji ⋅ 🌧 24 °C

    After a windy night, we woke and headed to breakfast. After breakfast we played chess before a basket weaving session with Dumu. It was probably more chatting than weaving, but we ended up with two baskets.

    We then headed back to our bure for some reading and a small snooze before lunch. We read on the daybed and watched a storm roll across the ocean (the aftermath of cyclone Kevin, which passed through Vanuatu and is on his way away from Fiji).

    We headed up to the main area for lunch and a few chess games before coming back for another reading session. By mid afternoon we were ready for a stroll, so we walked along the beach looking at shells and other washed up items. While looking at the ocean, we got caught in a downpour so we ran to the watersports bure and watched the storm from a bench there. Eventually the rain stopped and we made our way back up the beach, past our bure to the rocks. Here we watched the waves crash over the rocks, and saw lots of crabs clinging to the rocks.

    We headed back to our bure and before long it was time to head up for drinks and dinner (and another game of chess). On the way we scared poor Joyce who was beating the drum to signify dinner.

    After dinner we headed back to our bure (with dessert) to relax a little before bed. The weather is supposed to get a bit better tomorrow, but to be honest, we've been enjoying the downtime. Lots of reading and enjoying the view. As B said "Navini is just beautiful, even when it rains".

    Breakfast: pancakes (A+B)
    Lunch: spicy Thai chicken noodles (B), fish and cassava chips (A), carrot cake (A+B)
    Dinner: panko crumbed fish (B), roast chicken with stuffing and gravy (A - soooo delicious), lumberjack cake (A+B).    Read more

  • Off Duty PharmacistFiji 2023
    Day 4

    Chess and coral

    March 6, 2023 in Fiji ⋅ 🌧 22 °C

    Today we headed to breakfast and then played some chess. After that we headed back to our bure for some reading before lunch.

    After lunch we went on a snorkelling trip to Plantation Pinnacle. Our first snorkelling adventure of the trip! The boat ride there wasn't too bad, but it definitely wasn't flat water when we arrived at the reef. After jumping into the open ocean (still scary) we couldn't see the reef (even scarier), but our guide jumped in and we swam a few metres before it came into view. Visibility was low (maybe 2-3 metres). Last time we were at Plantation Pinnacle, the visibility would have been 20m. So it definitely wasn't as beautiful, but we still saw some coral formations and big fish. The bad weather must have broken some of the coral, we saw broken bits a few times. It started raining so we got back into the boat for the trip back to Navini. We then showered and relaxed a bit before dinner.

    Dinnertime brought a chess game and a delicious meal.

    Breakfast: veggies and falafel (A), crossaint with bacon and cheese (B), fruits and toast.
    Lunch: roasted vegetable panini with salad (A), grilled Cajun chicken couscous salad (B), fruit (A), banana spice cake (B).
    Dinner: bbq pork pancakes (shared), eye fillet with mushroom sauce, cassava chips and salad (A), butter chicken and rice (B), choc orange mousse with biscotti (A+B).    Read more

  • Off Duty PharmacistFiji 2023
    Day 6

    Snorkelling and snoozing

    March 8, 2023 in Fiji ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    We woke up to lots of sun this morning! We headed up to breakfast and enjoyed the sunny outlook before getting ready for another snorkelling trip - this time to Honeymoon Island.

    There was no one else there when we arrived, and the water looked very clear - after jumping in we realised the visibility was much better than yesterday. We snorkelled along the reef which surrounds the island and saw lots of coral, big fish and massive schools of fish. We snorkelled 3/4 of the island in about an hour. We then got back on the boat and headed back to Navini.

    We rinsed off and settled into some reading before lunch.

    We then headed up to lunch at 1pm, then played some chess, gave Harry the dog a nice long scratch and meandered back to our bure. The weather got more windy in the afternoon, and I squeezed in a nap before a casual walk along the beach just after 4pm.

    More reading just before we headed up to the main area at 6:30pm. We had some drinks and listened to Dumu telling us about Fijian Culture before having a candlelit dinner and watching the lights in the distance.

    After dinner we headed back to our bure and were asleep before too long.

    Breakfast: oatmeal with caramelised bananas (A+B), fruit and toast

    Lunch: beef burger with cassava chips and salad (B), poached coconut prawn salad (A), icecream (B), eclair (A)

    Dinner: filled wontons with dipping sauce (A+B), pork cutlet with pineapple sauce and veggies (A), Sichuan chicken stir fry (B), pavlova (A+B)    Read more

  • Off Duty PharmacistFiji 2023
    Day 6

    On and in the water

    March 8, 2023 in Fiji ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Today we woke to another sunny morning and headed up to breakfast. The best thing about being on Navini is choosing what you want to do - B had mentioned he wanted to do some hand line fishing while here so today was the day!

    After breakfast we headed to our bure to get ready and at 9:30am we were on the boat. We trawled for a little while (slow boating with fishing reels in the water) and then reeled the lines in and headed to a fishing spot. We didn't have much luck so tried another spot. Dumu caught a snapper, so he cut him up and we used him as bait. We tried another few spots; Dumu caught a yellow tail and B caught a good sized snapper. Kooli and I were empty handed. On the way back, we noticed the water was flat - the first time since we've been here. We had fun taking a really wide and fast spin around the island before slowing down and cruising into the shallows to allow us to disembark. We arrived back at 12:30pm, just enough time to get ready for lunch.

    After lunch we relaxed and might have had a small snooze before we snorkelled off the beach. Despite it being flat, the water was still a bit murky, but we headed a little way off the beach and saw some fish, starfish and some coral. We thought we were getting bitten by sea lice so we returned to the beach and sat and enjoyed the sun for a little while, before reading on the sunlounges and then retreating to the cool fan inside.

    At about 6:30pm we headed up to the main area for a game of chess and then dinner. Dinner tonight was candlelit on the beach with the sunset in the distance and waves lightly crashing against the shore. A pretty great last night in Fiji.

    Breakfast: crossaints, fruit and toast (A+B)

    Lunch: grilled fish in fusilli pasta and salad (A), slow cooked pork roll with BBQ sauce and homemade crisps (B), coconut panacotta (A+B)

    Dinner: ika vakalolo (fish in coconut) with cassava and veggies, key lime pie (A+B)    Read more

  • Off Duty PharmacistFiji 2023
    Day 7

    Sota tale Navini

    March 9, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Our final morning in Fiji saw us wake to a sunny and very hot day. We headed to our final breakfast before the morning activity: a visit to the local village.

    We boarded the boat at 9:30am and made our way across the ocean to the village that sits directly across the water from Navini - it's quite a distance, on a clear day you can see the island, but you can't tell there's a village there. We arrived and Kooli took us through the village to the Chief's house, where he presented some kava and our donation to the village (FJ$20 for both of us) to the Chief. He welcomed us and then we headed to the school (not before I slipped on some mud and went a over t 😂) where the headmaster explained how the school works.

    We briefly saw the classrooms and presented our gifts to a student (rugby ball, pump and some school supplies like coloured pencils, sharpeners and stickers for the teachers to use). A few of the classrooms didn't have a teacher and the kids were very well behaved. We explained to Kooli that in Australia you couldn't leave the students alone with no teacher. He said because the village is pretty small, the kids would get into too much trouble for playing up! We then headed to the small handicraft market by the beach, bought a few small things, then headed back to our boat, on a smaller boat as it was closer to low tide.

    Back at Navini, B read inside next to the fan and I floated in the calm water of the beach for a while. It was so relaxing (though not so relaxing as I write this on the plane home, I got a little sunburnt).

    We headed to lunch, then returned to our bure to pack our things. We then headed up to the main area to settle our bill with Losalini, say thank you to Joyce who was in the dining room all week. We saw Simo on our way - he arrived back on the island yesterday and was sad to realise it was us back at Navini and we were about to leave. We also got a goodbye from Harry the Labrador. We headed back to our bure to grab our bags, then walked the shady way to the beach for our pick up. Losalini said she would meet us on the beach, but she was coming with us! She was off for 5 days leave with her family. We boarded the boat and realised there was departure send off for us, with a number of the staff and Harry waving us goodbye from the shady part of the beach. They waved until we could hardly see them again. Bond and Kooli safely delivered us to Vuda Marina, and Losalini gave us each a massive hug before we parted ways. We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare and waited a few minutes for check in to open, then made it through check in, security and immigration in about 10 minutes.

    Breakfast: fruit, pancakes with bacon and eggs (B), french toast with caramelised bananas (A)

    Lunch: vegetarian pizza (A), meat lovers pizza (B) and island made icecream (A).

    Vinaka vakalevu (thank you very much) for following along on our spontaneous Fiji holiday via these posts. Once again, we leave Navini the most relaxed we have been since we last left Navini. Sota tale (see you soon).    Read more

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