Fiji

We arrived late into Fiji so crashed out into a hotel. Up early we got a shuttle to the marina at 8:30am ready to take us to Waya island where we would be spending our time in Fiji.
This was our first experience of the famous 'Fiji' time, which means there is a seclude but things happen when they happen. The locals are very leisurely and insist on you chilling out and being the same.
We got on the resorts supply boat and settled for the 1.5 hour spend boat ride there. Instantly the water colour changed to a stunning blue and islands of all shapes and sizes we passed, often completely empty and unspoilt. I feel asleep after a while and only awoke as we circled our island and started coming into the bay. As we got closer the water colour changed again to a stunning turquoise then completely clear, and you could see heaps of coral underneath you. As we drifted closer I saw some people on the beach and heard the sound of ukuleles and singing. A group of the staff were there with a greeting song and all wished us a big 'Bula' (hello) as we walked up the soft sand. A welcome cocktail also awaited. What a start!

The resort was beautiful, and very quickly we were shown to our beachfront bure which was out of this world. Along with it's own private lounger deck practically over the sea, the mini villa was beautiful. All the mod cons too with air con, mini bar and even an open roofed shower! We knew we'd made the right choice with this place (and was chuffed with our free upgrade).

The resort had a whole range of activities on a daily schedule which we were excited to try, but first we took advantage of one of the biggest draws of the place... being able to snorkel right off the beach into a fantastic coral reef. We hired the equipment for the whole stay and plunged straight in. Obviously we've snorkeled in Australia and New Zealand but this was some of the best yet. We were still seeing new bright fish we'd never seen before and bright alive coral. It proved to be different and exciting every time, and we snorkeled at least twice a day everyday! We'd heard you could see turtles too so on some advice we got up at 6am and ventured out. No turtles that morning but we saw an unbelievable sunrise of a stunning pink sky, and what felt like the whole sea to ourselves and silent. That early morning we took advantage of free yoga at 7:30am on a beach view deck. We felt good by breakfast!
We also ventured the same day on a 'night snorkel' off the beach. We went with a guide and we each had a big underwater torch and off we went to see animals that only come out at night. Every 5 minutes we were finding something new including rock crabs, lobsters, porcupine fish, sea hares and much more! We also saw squid, with neon colours pulsating down their bodies as they swam, incredible! As I followed a smaller squid, a larger one appeared, which was swiftly snatched by a big fish right in front of me. It was so quick I barely reacted but how cool to see. Sorry squid. That snorkel was definitely a highlight and very different experience.

Another time we actually left our reef and went on a boat to another one and did a deeper snorkel where we saw squid in the day too. The water visability however changed so we got taken to a different location. I was first in the water and immediately my skin felt tingly, but I ignored it. Phil swiftly followed and almost immediately shouted 'reef shark'. I stuck my head in the water but it was gone. Phil was a little freaked as he said he was really big, but was clearly terrified of us as it was gone in a flash. I kind of wanted to have seen it, but equally that may have freaked me out just as much. We swam on and I mentioned my skin to Phil as it felt worse and he said the same, then another girl mentioned it. Truthfully it felt like jellyfish stings but we couldn't see anything. After a very short while we decided to get out as it wasn't right. Sure enough a few of us had clear red lines on our body.
Once we got back we spoke to management, had a hot shower and got some vinegar which sorted it out (thank god). Turns out they think it was 'sea lice' which is essentially baby jellyfish. That isn't an area they normally go to so don't think they'll return. Thankfully it wasn't too bad for us either! You never know what will be in the sea I suppose...
Our final snorkel trip off the resort reef however made up for it. On our penultimate morning we jumped out of bed feeling pumped for a snorkel before breakfast. The tide was high and we were the only ones out there, we went to the furthest we'd been away on the reef then suddenly Phil shouts 'turtle' and there it was. A small one, maybe the size of a dinner plate swimming gracefully near the ocean floor. We followed it, trying to keep some distance as it clearly felt our presence. It swam pretty fast but with fins we kept up and it glided up to the surface for air, we had a great view at this point and was incredible to see it thrust itself above the waters surface. Once back under though it blasted out into open ocean and we let it be. We were chuffed with that.
Finally at the end of the day we did some fish feeding which was very cool to have colourful fish surrounding you. It's official.... we love to snorkel!

We did a whole other variety of activities while we were there. One of the first being to visit the local villages church service on Sunday morning, which we were kindly invited to. There was a little bit of drama as we arrived where one of the other guests fainted in the heat. I was the only one with any first aid experience so was able to help her thankfully. First time I've ever used it but made a big difference and we sorted her out. Once she was OK and someone from the resort came to get her, I snuck back into the service and was greeted by unbelievable singing. The whole service was in Fijian, although the pastor occasionally used English with us which was very nice of him. The singing was stunning though, beautiful harmonies that I'll never forget.

Another day we went to a different village on the island which is where the boarding school is. On arrival they put on some adorable performances of singing and dancing, then we got to mingle and they showed us around the school. To say they were excited was an understatement. We were surrounded by children who wanted to be in photos, ask questions, hug, play, everything. They were so adorable I didn't know what to do first. We practised some English, they gave us a tour of their school and some of the recent damage by the storm Winston. It was all very humbling. I could have stayed there much longer. A really wonderful experience and they made me smile the whole time. If only children across the world appreciated their education and each other like these children did...

While at the resort we tried some of the
other cultural experiences form jewellery making (but I've since lost my necklace!) Learnt how to make roti breads, and had lots of local cuisine and massages. The food was to die for with lots of fresh fish and coconut based sauces and desserts.

We actually tried our hand at catching some fish the traditional way by handline fishing. This is much harder than it looks! You drop a line down deep in the water, with a hook and bait on the end. Once you feel the tugging you need to flip the line a certain way to catch the hook on the fish to reel it in. This was the hardest bit which none of us seemed to master. At one point Phil was convinced he had and started pulling in the line. We were all cheering and suddenly he pulled up a big bit of coral attached to the hook. The fisherman screamed 'CORALFISH' and we all burst out laughing. Poor Phil. Clearly something that takes a lot of practise.

Beyond the activities the place was so beautiful and it is literally one of the most stunning places I've ever been. I couldn't get over opening the door of our bure and seeing the gorgeous sand and sea, often with butterflies swirling round and landing on me, and hearing the waves crash gently day and night. The atmosphere was so relaxed and we did definitely ease into Fiji time. It was a complete break away from the world and we both felt this is what paradise means.

BethRead more