Journey to the end of the earth - Part Two - Taveuni

The morning after the men's fishing competition, I woke up too early again, so I went upstairs, got myself a cup of coffee and headed out to the back of the boat to see if any of the crew were fishing.  There wasn't much going on and it was still dark apart from the light from the full moon still shimmering on the water, but it wasn't long before Head Chef Koro came out to start fishing and let me have one of his lines.   I fished for about an hour and a half, staying even after Koro disappeared to oversee breakfast, but there wasn't much biting, the fish were probably all still hiding from the moon.  So I gave up and left the line with one of the crew with just enough time to get showered and changed and have breakfast ready for our transfer to the shore. 

Our fully air conditioned bus!

 Tourism Policeman who joined us for the day to keep us safe

Welcome to Taveuni - green writing bottom left says 'Bar Open Sundays 10am - 1pm'!

There was a bus waiting for us on Taveuni when we disembarked the tenders, the bus was to be our vehicle for the day to take us all round the island to our various stops.  It was a typical, air-conditioned Fijian bus...the kind which doesn't have glass in the windows, only blinds which can be pulled down in case of rain.  As usual, I'd been one of the first to shore, so we hovered beside the bus and took a few photos (above) while we waited until everyone was with us.  Then we piled onto the bus, full of excitement for what the day had in store.  When we were all on board, the engine started, we edged forward onto the road, then something happened, the engine was still running but we were going nowhere.  We were asked to get off the bus so that the crew could push the bus backwards, out of the road while the driver attended to the problem.  I didn't hear  what was going on but the next thing I saw was the driver waving the gear stick in the air.  A couple of attempts to get the bus going were fruitless and in the end a second bus was called for.  These things happen everywhere, and especially in Fiji, and no-one really cared, actually we all thought it rather funny and it added to the true Fiji experience.   In no time at all, the second bus arrived, we piled on again and a huge cheer went up as the engine started and the bus pulled away.   

Photos of the stained glass taken by James and Denise

Our first stop was only a short distance up the road, the Wairiki Catholic Mission, a church with beautiful stained glass windows which, local legend says, came from a cathedral which was demolished during the french revolution.  Supposedly the glass was intended for a number of churches throughout the pacific but somehow it all ended up at Wairiki.  It was quite strange to see such a traditional church here on this tropical island, complete with its beautiful windows and bell tower.  But something I didn't expect, there were no pews - churchgoers sit on the floor because that way, they can fit more people in, or so I was told.

Behind the mission was a school.  We were invited to go and have a look at the classrooms and watch through the doors and windows as the children had their lessons.  Once again, very well turned out, immaculate children learning and a way which is now considered old fashioned, repeating by rote their times tables and spelling.  We did cause a bit of a disturbance, but it was great to see the children as interested in us as we were in them, coming to the windows where they could to have their photos taken.   And the last stop on the school visit was the dormitories where the boarders who are from families living too far away to travel daily stayed.  It certainly made me think twice before I complain again about my own boarding school experience...at least I had a mattress on my bed.

After the mission it was back on the bus and up the hill to the 180th Meridian, the International Date Line.  In fact, the International Date Line has been moved for the convenience of the islanders but you can still stand on the spot where the 180th Meridian intersects the island and for a moment, have one foot in today and one in yesterday, or is it, one foot in today and one in tomorrow......I'll leave you to work that one out!  

Crew members standing on the 180th Meridian

Then onwards again for our morning tea stop - yes, it appeared it was time for them to feed us again.  We stopped at the bus depot in Waiyevo for a traditional Fijian experience representing the strong indian influence on the Fijian culture.  Inside the depot where buses would normally be worked on, a table had been set up with a selection of sweet and savoury treats and sweet hot tea for us to try, surprisingly very refreshing even on a hot and humid day.  

Morning Tea - Fijian-Indian Style, served in the bus depot

After we'd eaten we were encouraged to explore the village, to have a look in some of the shops for souvenirs and admire the fruits and vegetables at the market stalls.  I  found a little clothes shop which sold sarongs so I purchased two at a very good price and then in another shop, picked up a souvenir T-shirt of the Tagamaucia flower, a beautiful rare flower which is unique to Taveuni.  Legend has it that there once was a princess who was about to be married to a man chosen by her family, but she was in love with another man.  So in desperation, she fled into the mountains to escape the marriage.  She reached the volcanic lake high in the mountains where she fell asleep and while sleeping she cried.  Her tears ran down her cheeks and turned into flowers and those flowers became the Tagamaucia.  

Fruit and veg stalls by the side of the road - giant pineapples!

I stopped and chatted to some of the ladies with market stalls along the side of the road selling fruit and vegetables.  It all looked so inviting, if we weren't on a trip which fed us almost every hour, I might have been inclined to buy something, the pineapples were huge and the small, hot chillis bright and colourful.  I understood at that point why this island is known as the 'Garden Island' of Fiji.  In fact, as a volcanic island with a central ridge of up to 900m the island acts as a barrier for the warm moist wind coming off the sea and the windward side of the island can get up to 1000cm of rain per year.  The soil is rich and red and such that its ideal for agriculture which accounts for the fact that everywhere you looked there were trees, bushes and other green plants both natural and farmed.  

We almost had to be rounded up to get back on the bus for the next leg of the journey which took about 45 minutes, to a small beach where lunch would be served.  Again, it was lovely to eat on the beach, sitting in the sand with a plate of salads and chicken and local root vegetables - oh and a beer, listening to a local group of singers serenade us with some popular songs.  A few of the crew members had met us at the lunch stop having gone on ahead to prepare, but we were all supposed to get back on the bus heading onwards around the northern tip of the island.  Unfortunately, there wasn't room on the bus or in the lockers for the eski/chillybin/coolbox so we had to leave barman Suli behind guarding the beer waiting for a taxi to take him back to the boat which had moved to a new location ready to pick us up at the end of the day.

It was an hours drive to our next stop, first on a tarmac road, then on a dirt track for the rest of the journey.  Once we hit the dirt track, it got quite dusty in the bus without windows and the dust was getting in my eyes so I made the mistake and closed them....and dropped off.  How I managed to sleep on the bumpy ride, I don't know, the beer with my lunch probably helped, along with the 4.30am wake up, but if I did sleep while the bus was rocking and rolling, all I can say is that I must have needed it.  Our last stop for the day was Bouma, a village which turned down an offer of a lucrative logging deal in favour of a F$60,000 grant from New Zealand to allow them to develop tourism to their glorious waterfall.  Instead of allowing a logging company to destroy their forests, they have used the grant to improve access to the falls and provide better facilities for visitors.  Our first stop at Bouma was the falls, so from the bus, we walked the short distance along a beautiful grassy path to where we could hear the water of the falls crashing into the pool below.  It was so warm we wasted no time in stripping down to our togs/bathers and getting in the cool water.  Certainly the coolest water we would be experiencing on this trip but it was very refreshing.  

Bouma Falls

Some of the crew joined us and in no time were up on the ledge over the pool jumping into the water below.  We watched for a while then some of the passengers decided to give it a go.  I wanted to have a go too and although a bit nervous, I climbed up the rocks in the company of John who said he'd go with me for moral support.  Well when I got up there it was higher than I'd thought and the distance you needed to jump out from the rock to avoid the shallower water directly below was further than I had expected to so after John went ahead and jumped, and after a spot of dithering on my part, I decided to give it a miss and went back down the hard way.  In all honesty, I'm not sure what I was thinking, I was always the one who would hold up the queue for the high diving board at the HMS Collingwood pool when I was young, dithering for ages before sometimes chickening out, so why I thought this would be any different I don't know.  But I suppose I normally take the approach that you have to do these things when you're in a new place.  Not this time though!

It seemed I had to be dragged out of the pool,  I could have stayed there a while longer, and I was the last of the passengers to arrive back where the bus was parked, next to a covered eating area and arena filled with local people preparing to entertain us with traditional dress and song.  While the school children sang and danced for us, a traditional Fijian Fijian afternoon tea was served to us, cakes and deserts not surprisingly made mainly from all the good parts of coconut.  Lemon tea was served with the food, I'm not sure exactly how it was made but like the tea we had been served that morning, it was tasty and very refreshing. 

Traditionally, visitors who are entertained as we were, present fabric to the group as a thank you gift.  The way this is done is that the ladies of the visiting group tie each piece of fabric together to make a long strip which is then carried out to the singers and laid on the ground around them.  I was pleased to be asked to participate in this ritual, along with most of the female passengers and we did this as the group sang Isa Lei, the farewell song to us.  Someone thoughtfully sent a hat round for a cash collection from the passengers to leave with the community for school materials and then it was time to say our goodbyes.

My underwater camera had steamed up in the heat but here we're presenting the fabric to the performers - I was somewhere near the front of the snake.

We boarded the bus again for the last time, bound for the beach where the tenders were waiting for us to ferry us back to the Mystique Princess where it was time to prepare for pre-dinner cocktails, hors d'oeuves and then dinner!  After dinner, Alan Roxbrugh presented to us about the history of the Lau Group of islands, of which Vanua Balavu is one.

One of the many delicious cocktails we all enjoyed!

And this was only the end of day three, by this stage, we had done so much and had bonded really well with our fellow passengers, it was hard to believe that we had another three whole days to go.  After dinner, Captain Saula lifted the anchor and we commenced our overnight passage towards Vanua Balavu, the newest stop on the Historic and Cultural Cruise itinerary.  Timing was of the essence because we had to reach the gap in the reef in daylight so that the captain and crew could bring us safely inside.

We all went to bed knowing that as the sun came up, we would be seeing islands that very few people let alone tourists would have been lucky enough to have seen before.

To be continued...

Historic and Cultural Cruise, journey to the end of the earth - Part One - Lautoka, Kioa and Rabi

It was an early start on Monday morning 16th May as we would have a full day of sailing ahead of us.  I was collected from my hotel at 8.15am along with Rod, a journalist who would be travelling with us, and taken the short distance back to the Blue Lagoon Lounge.  Although I'd been told to arrive by 8.30am, the lounge was almost empty when I got there but it wasn't long before people started pouring through the door.  As I waited, I was joined at my table by a few of the people I had me the evening before and also by Alan Roxburgh, a Fijian and octogenarian who had spent may years researching the history of the Fijian islands and who had been asked to come along to share some of that history with us.  The excitement was palpable as we waited to board the bus to the wharf, this was the first Historic and Cultural cruise to visit Vanua Balavu, islands which rarely get visitors, let alone tourists like us.  

Map of route, Lautoka-Kioa-Rabi-Taveuni-Vanua Balavu-Levuka-Lautoka

As the bus pulled up alongside the moored vessel, our crew were waiting for us, serenading us.  And Captain Saula, our captain for the week who I had met in November last year was also there to welcome us on board the MV Mystique Princess.


It was the usual routine, get settled in our cabins then meet on the Sky Deck for the welcome meeting.  This was the first opportunity to see the whole collection of passengers and I was pleased to see familiar faces from the evening before and even a couple who had been by the pool in my hotel the previous day.  Among the guests were two journalists, one freelance, one from the Fiji Sun (who would be submitting daily articles and a 4 page weekend spread), a couple from Brazil and Greece, living in Manilla, a Swiss couple who spoke very little English, a German couple living in Thailand, a couple from the US & Canada now living in Brisbane (the ones from my hotel) and a couple from the Sunshine Coast of Australia who thought they were going to the Yasawas.  That was in addition to the people I had met the evening before who were friends of the CEO Tim and his wife Ingrid either through the Variety Club or because they live in Fiji.  Lots of the group had been on cruises before so were used to mingling and already it was promising to be a very good week with plenty of mixing and lots of laughter.


After the usual safety briefing and welcome aboard, morning tea was served, delicious sandwiches and cakes which I usually avoid, but I had skipped breakfast at the hotel on the basis that I knew we would be fed as soon as we were on board so I did have a sarnie or two.  And then it was free time as we would be sailing into the night to reach our first destination, the island of Kioa.  It was lovely to be able to chat to fellow passengers, break the ice and then actually spend some time relaxing with my kindle on one of the extra sunbeds which had appeared on board since the afternoon before.  And in between relaxing, lunch was served, I did have a brief afternoon nap to catch up on some much needed sleep then went back up to the Sky Deck for more relaxation and a presentation by Alan Roxburgh on Kioa and its people.  At around 5pm, our passage took us north from the coast of the main island of Viti Levu across open water towards the south coast of Vanua Levu and despite the expectation that the open water would be rougher, the crossing was actually very calm.  Pre-dinner drinks and hors d'oeuves were served on the Sky Deck and we were entertained by the crew before our call to the dining room.  After dinner that evening, we all joined in with a sing along from the Blue Lagoon Song Book which is made up of many older but very familiar songs like Obla-di Obla-Da, Yellow Submarine and my favourite John Denver classic, Country Road.  

Sunrise off Kioa

I woke up at 5am the following morning, I think it was the sound of the anchor being dropped which woke me but since I'd been used to waking up for the early morning swim the week before, I wasn't too bothered, so I went up to the Sky Deck with my camera to see what was happening.  It was still dark sa I ventured up stairs so I picked up a coffee on my way up, arriving just in time to see a thin line of light on the horizon and the silhouettes of the islands around us.  Shortly afterwards, I was joined by Di, an Australian who lives in Fiji with her husband, and we chatted and took photos as the sun came up, illuminating the bay and showing us for the first time the island of Kioa.

Map showing Kioa and Rabi, our passage marked in green.

It was then time for an early breakfast so we would be ready for the first item on our agenda.  The people of Kioa would be coming out to greet us in their outrigger canoes, dressed in traditional dress, to circle the ship twice before returning to shore ready to welcome us as we were ferried over by tender.  

Kioan villagers in their outrigger canoes

As we watched the spectacle of the outriggers circling the vessel, it was immediately clear there was something different about the people of Kioa, compared that is, with the people we had met in villages on Viti Levu and the Yasawa Islands.  We had been told by Alan the day before that the people who have made their home on Kioa are Polynesians who were displaced from Vaitapu Island, Tuvalu, (which used to be the Ellice Islands).  The Ellice Islands purchased Kioa in 1946 as it was facing over population and some of its people were moved to Kioa.   

We were welcomed to the village of Saila by the women of the village who presented us with floral headdresses and we were invited to enter the village hall where we were to be given a traditional welcome.  The traditional dress, the song and the style of dancing was another reminder that these people had a different heritage from the Fijians of the Yasawas.   And of course we were then invited to get up and join in with the dancing which was a little challenging and required quite a lot of co-ordination, which I'm not sure I have!

After the welcome, we were encouraged to explore the village, to walk around the village green, past the houses and over the bridge to the school where we were treated to an impromptu concert by some of the very well turned out and tidy school children.  That was the first occasion (of many) on this trip when I though it might do children in the UK some good to see how some children live and learn.  We were also invited to part with some cash and buy handmade souvenirs from the women of the village.  I invested in a fan made of coconut leaf which was to come in very handy for the rest of the trip.  


Before returning to the boat, we were given the opportunity to have a swim, but someone had spotted a sea-snake in the shallows so I opted for a quick paddle then hopped back on one of the tenders.

Sea Snake

 It was then time for morning tea (more food) as we made our way away from Kioa towards the island of Rabi where we would be having a swim and snorkel and a barbecue lunch on the beach at Tabiang.  It didn't take long before we were there and as usual, I was one of the first at the back of the boat waiting to get to the beach with all my gear.   The water was beautifully clear, a perfect temperature to cool off from the heat of midday and the snorkeling was pretty good.  More photos of fish and corals were taken to add to the collection.  Lunch was also very good, there's not much they don't do well when feeding us on these trips but you can't beat a beach barbecue. 

After lunch, it was back to the vessel for another short passage round the island from Tabiang to Tebewa.  We arrived at around 3.30pm and dropped anchor just off Tebewa and we were ferried straight over to the town where we had been promised a presentation by the children of the school.  We were impressed to see that there was a road on the island and as we stood waiting for everyone to arrive from the vessel, we were passed by several trucks with children riding in the back, in their school uniforms.  Eventually we were all there, but we were still waiting as Tim and Captain Saula went into the council office which was part of the large building in front of us.  Unfortunately, there had been a communication break down between the council and the school.  As it had been school holidays the week prior to our visit, the message had not reached the school that we would be coming so they weren't ready for us and indeed it was their children in the back of the trucks on their way home.  We took a slow stroll through the village towards the school while the teachers tried to muster a group of children who would be able to entertain us, but by the time we reached the gates, it appeared that they hadn't been successful.  Nevertheless, there were some children still waiting for transport who were more than eager to pose for us, and most people we met along the way were keen to be photographed.   It was disappointing, not only because we missed out on a show which we understood was one of the highlights of the trip, but also because the children may have missed out on some of the school equipment, sweets and other goodies that the passengers brought with them.  I should add though that the Blue Lagoon donation to the school was left with the council so at least in that respect at least, the children didn't miss out.  

Tim felt bad that we had missed out on a key part of the itinerary.  So, with a little coercion from the German couple, he laid on free champagne on the Sky Deck when we arrived back on board.  We were all suitably appeased!!   The vessel left Tebewa heading for an anchorage off Taveuni, the Garden Island of Fiji which was to be our destination for the following day.


After dinner was the Men's fishing competition, where all the male passengers were encouraged to participate in trying to catch a fish.  As fishing seems to be a national pass-time in Australia and New Zealand, the back of the boat was full of people trying to catch a fish.  Unfortunately, it was a full moon and in Fiji, apparently, fish don't like a full moon so it makes it hard to catch fish.  Only one fish was caught and the winner of the Men's competition was John with his Barracuda.  Me being me, I had to go down and have a look at the barracuda and all its teeth, so they made me (almost) kiss it, in the style of an Aussie TV personality called Rex Hunt who loves fishing and apparently always kisses his catch.  

My Rex Hunt impression!

To be continued........

Brief intermission in Lautoka!

So the first of my two cruises was over for this trip.  It seemed like no time since we had departed Lautoka on the Monday afternoon, even though each day had been full and interesting. It had been another good trip up the Yasawa Islands.  The slightly odd dynamics of the group of passengers made it different from the last couple of trips I'd done, but that didn't detract from the fun, the beauty and the tranquility of the place which is near the top of my list of favourite places in the world!  Tranquility, that is, until the silence was broken by the sound of laughter!

Before leaving the boat, I had said my goodbyes to the crew members who knew they weren't going to be coming the following week and I was secretly pleased that some of my favourites knew they would be with me for another week.  Sana, head barman extraordinaire would of course be there making beautiful cocktails for another 6 nights!

I also said a few goodbyes to some of the other passengers before we left the vessel, knowing that it can sometimes be a bit chaotic once you arrive back at the check in lounge with people looking for luggage and for their transportation back to their hotels.  Tim found me shortly after disembarking the bus at the check in lounge and ushered me to the minibus where Kini was waiting to drop me the short distance round the corner to the Waterfront Hotel where I would be spending the night.  Tim came along for the ride and gave me details of arrangements for dinner that night.  Kini would come back and collect me along with five others to go to the Northern Club for dinner.  Tim then announced me at the Reception desk before departing himself and I checked in to my room

I hadn't said farewell to Carol and Rochelle for the last time though.  They were going straight from the cruise to the airport to pick up a hire car and had promised to come back to Lautoka to spend the afternoon with me so I had that to look forward to.   Once in my room I started unpacking the little I had with me for the overnight stay and realised that I only had the clean shorts and t-shirt I'd packed for the following morning, nothing else suitable for dinner so I was just hoping that I'd be respectable enough!

After a short while, I had a call from Rochelle to say that she and Carol were almost back to Lautoka so I went down and met them at reception and we walked towards town in search of a late lunch and cold drink as it was absolutely baking hot.  As we left the hotel drive and looked out at the lagoon ahead, we saw the MV Mystique Princess moored out there for the evening with my suitcase on board - the clean shorts and t-shirt really would have to do for dinner unless I fancied a swim!!! :)

Across the green, on the corner of one of Lautoka's main streets is the Lautoka Hotel with pub down below.  I'd never been in there before, it has reflective glass in the windows and metal cage shutters so it's hard to tell if it's open but Carol suggested we pop in there for lunch.  Three reasons for that suggestion, firstly the toilets are clean, the food is good and lastly, there probably wouldn't be much else open in town on a Sunday afternoon.  As we opened the door, we saw two crew members sitting eating lunch having just got off the boat themselves so we joined them.  It was great to see them now they were off duty and chat to them for more than the couple of minutes you usually get with them between serving drinks or going about other duties.  One of them certainly was going to be with me the following week which was great to know and they filled me in on who else was now definitely coming the following day.  It was all good news, lots of familiar faces, some from the past week, some from last year!

After a couple of hours of chat, we all departed the pub together and it was time to say goodbye to Carol and Rochelle.  I was sad to say goodbye as it had been such a great week with such a lot of laughter but we had already started discussing a possible return so there was hope that we would be able to meet up and do it again.  There were a few tears on both sides as I waved them off back to their hotel, then it was a quick dash for a shower and to put on my only set of clean clothes ready for dinner.

Kini was already in reception waiting when I came down and I was followed shortly afterwards by Wendy, the Blue Lagoon Sales Rep from New Zealand, then by Deb and Rob who would be coming on the cruise the next day and lastly Lauren, the Blue Lagoon Senior Sales Manager from Australia and her husband John.  Lauren and Wendy had a week of work ahead so wouldn't be cruising but Lauren's husband John was booked to come along.  Kini dropped us off at the Northern Club which is an expats club close to the centre of town, where we were given a warm welcome from Tim and then introduced to another group of people who were friends of Tim and his wife, some of whom would be coming on the trip too.  Everyone was looking quite smart so I did feel a little under-dressed but I think I was forgiven!   I was a bit overwhelmed at all the names of the group of people sat at the table and lots of them seemed to know each other but it was great to get a head start meeting people ready for the excitement the following morning.   Dinner was a lovely buffet of different dishes, curry, salads and chinese style pork.  Very tasty.

Over dinner I was able to tell Lauren about the booking experience I'd had on my first trip from my rep at Trailfinders who had given some really good advice while I was making choices about where to go and what to do.  She was interested to hear about him and said she would take his name so that the UK sales rep could thank him.

It wasn't a late night for us which was probably good as we had an early start the following morning but also because some of the group who had come from my hotel had only just flown in that day and were probably tired.  So when Kini dropped us back to the hotel, we said our good-nights and arranged to meet up the following morning to be ferried back to the check in lounge for what promised to be a very special, very interesting, exciting trip.  

Laughter in the Yasawas

On Monday 9th May, I arrived outside Blue Lagoon to a warm welcome kiss and hug from Tim and some of the other check in staff who remembered me.   And while I was filling in my forms at the desk, I jumped when someone came up behind me and pinched my bum!  I looked around and Carol and Rochelle were standing behind me all excited about the trip.  And there, the laughing began.  I can honestly say the week was wonderful not just because we were in a little place resembeling paradise, but because we had so much fun and laughter together with some of the other passengers.

Looking around the check in lounge to see who else was checking in, there were quite a few older people, some using walking sticks which caused us to raise an eyebrow given what we knew about the activities of the trip, even when it came to walking up and down the stairs between decks when the vessel was moving and hopping in and out of tenders from the ship to the beach.  Then in contrast, there appeared to be several lovey dovey couples, possibly honeymooners, so before we'd even boarded the bus (on the instructions that the young and fit should board first and fill from the rear) it appeared to be the cruise for the 'newly-weds and nearly-deads' as Rochelle put it, (and us)!  What would the week have in store?

I was the last off the bus when we reached the wharf and was delighted to be welcomed by the captain I'd met on my first cruise, the three day one where I had to leave the ship mid cruise, the one who had sent me off with tin foil filled with fresh fruit and bread because I hadn't had time to finish my lunch.  Always nice to see familiar faces and be remembered!

After finding our cabins, we gathered for the welcome meeting in the dining room, where we were offered afternoon tea as the vessel left the wharf.  It  was time to meet the crew and  I was so pleased to have some of my favourite crew travelling with us and was greeted by Sana the head barman with a warm hug.  I shouldn't have favourites but if I did, he would be it because he's always smiling and makes the most amazing cocktails with fruit garnishes and umbrellas!!

 
After the welcome we moved into the information and safety briefing and as Big Joe, our cruise director, introduced us to the the vessel, facilities and procedures on board, he was interrupted every so often by a passenger who seemed to think she knew more about it than he did.  Eyebrows were raised at our table as this very large woman with the gravelly voice of a longtime cigarette smoker continued to undermine the experienced cruise director by telling him what to say and how to say it.  Well as it transpired, this was a woman who had travelled with Blue Lagoon before and she was very keen to let everyone know that this was her fourth cruise.  But sitting next to me was Carol, my friend from New Zealand who was on her 21st cruise, who had started coming with her parents many years ago and continued to make it an annual visit even after her parents had passed away.  Interestingly Carol didn't feel the need to tell the crew how to do their jobs and Rochelle and I wondered how long it would be before someone would put the other woman in her in her place.  

Radhouane & Monica

The dynamics of this group were much different from the last trip, possibly because elderly people were part of a group of old school friends holidaying together and two dining tables were put together so they could eat as a large group.  There were a few more eurpoeans on this trip too, a couple from Austria, a German couple and a French couple who were living in New Caledonia (another pacific island a couple of hours flight from Fiji).  Unlike last time when everyone mingled at mealtimes and sat at different tables, this time, probably because of the big group of old school friends,  as early as the first night, people formed groups and sat together at each mealtime.   Rochelle, Carol and I joined up with the Austrian couple, Monika and Radhouanne and the French couple, Genvieve and Jean-Francois.  I have to say, it was the most delightful combination which had us laughing our way through every mealtime. I  was quite amazed that, English-English, New Zealand-English, French and German and the different meanings and pronunciation of words and language barriers could have us entertained night after night!  The french lady told me in french how different I was from the stereotypical English person they imagine and I have so say, I thought the same of them;  they didn't fit my stereotype of middle aged french people either, they were great fun. 

Rochelle, Big Joe & Carol

Our first full day was a visit to the village in the morning for the welcome ceremony, the kava ceremony and then traditional entertainment from the villagers.  I had been there before and seen the same thing take place but it was still interesting to be back again and join in with the dancing.  The afternoon was spent then on a beach, a beach I hadn 't been to before which was great to go somewhere different.  The West facing beach didn't offer very much shade and got quite hot so once we had been for the first of many snorkelling trips, Rochelle and I found it most comfortable to sit in the sea while we were served refreshing Fiji Gold (beer)!

The second day was more of the same, sun untouched beach, beautiful snorkelling, lunch on the beach, a perfect day before an evening which was to be the 'cross dressing' evening.  Well, much to our surprise, the group of old school friends really pulled the stops out for that one and they seemed to enjoy themselves enormously.  There was one rather strange German gentleman (and I say that because some of his behaviour up until that point had been quite odd, so mcuh so that I wondered whether he may actually have had an illness) who came to cocktail hour dressed in his wife's bathing costume and proceeded to use of the uprights on the SkyDeck to do a poledance for all of us to see.  It had us all in hysterics and some of the newlywed 'women' also join in.   The gravelly voiced lady arrived at the Sky Bar wearing Big Joe's (Cruise Director) uniform shirt and proceeded to tell all the crew that she was now their boss.  Eyebrows were raised yet again, and not just by Rochelle and I but by other passengers who were starting to get fed up with the way she treated the crew.  But then the door opened and in walked Carol in the Captain's uniform, looking very official (apart from the buttons undone flashing a little bit of cleavage!) and you should have seen the other womans face!  Priceless! 

On the thursday, there would normally be a visit to the school at Nacula to hear the kids sing but as it was school holidays we weren't able to do it this time.  Such a shame as they sing with such enthusasm, its so loud that when you leave the hall your ears are ringing just like you'd been in a nightclub!  So it meant we had an extra morning on the beach.  And then an afternoon spent on another beach and more snorkelling.

It sounds like there isn't much to tell, just another beach, another snorkelling trip...but its as if I didn't stop all week.  Days started at 6am for the early morning swim on a deserted beach, returning to the vessel to shower for breakfast.  After breakfast to the beach in the tenders and no sooner were we set up on the beach then it would be time for snorkelling.  After that it would be morning tea, followed by swimming then back to the boat for lunch while we moved to another beach for more snorkelling, afternoon tea then back to the boat for the evening.  Defintely not much time for lying in the sun!  I did take my kindle to the beach each time in a special plastic protective wallet but I was glad I'd finshed the last book at the hotel because I barely got through one chapter of the new book during that week!

  

On the Friday, unsurprisingly we were taken to another beach, probably the most beautiful beach of the whole week, champagne sand stretching around a bay of crystal turquoise water.  And something new, we were invited to hike up the hill behind the beach which was the highest point of the narrow island for views of the beaches and reefs on both sides.  It was a hot walk in the humid heat but so worth it when we saw the view from the top.  And some of the older passengers made it too which was pretty impressive.  But what we should remember that we walked part of the route the children from the village walk or run on their two mile trek to school each day.  Its beautiful but life for the people who live there isn't easy, that's for sure.

Friday night was the national anthem competition and I was the only Brit so I was looking for ways to avoid having to stand up and sing on my own.  My Kiwi companions made up of Rochelle and Carol, Jason and Louise and another older couple agreed that as commonwealth members, they would help me out.  Some of the older australians said they'd help out too so I mentioned it to another table of Aussies I'd been talking and basically asked them to join in if they wanted to to help me out.  Now I know that there are quite a proportion of Australians who want to see the country become a republic and given the spirit of the evening, I was quite taken aback by the response I got from one woman who was actually married to a man born in Bristol!  She said, 'We're Australians, why would we sing the national anthem?'.  On face value I see her point but in the circumstances, all I was asking was for help to avoid having to sing on my own.

So I got up with the Kiwis, fumbled my way through the New Zealand national anthem, especially the Maori bit which they had kindly written out phoenetically for me so I could pronounce it!  When that was over, I stepped forward and most of the room got up and stood behind me.  I was quite surprised at the support I got!!!  We sang a rousing version of God Save the Queen, much to the displeasure of the small group who didn't want to join in being Australians.  I don't blame them if they didn't want to join in but the way they spoke to me before and after was not very Australian!!   After us, the Canadians sang their anthem, we all joined in humming the Marseillaise and then the Star Spangled Banner before there were calls for the Austrian couple to sing theirs.  Well Radhouanne is actually from Tunisia but Monika was persuaded to do what I wasn't brave enough to do so she stood up and sang the Austrian anthem on her own.  Then the last person to get up was the slightly odd German man who caused outrage among some of the other passengers by singing a pro-Nazi song.  LIke I said, maybe there was something wrong with him but it did cause a stir!

Bigger fish at the fish feeding session - with teeth!

The last full day of the cruise was the day we spent on Nanuya Lailai, the Blue Lagoon private island.  It was a lovely day which started with an early morning swim and breakfast while the Mystique Princess was reversed up to the beach and tied to a coconut tree again.  The difference this time was that the sun was shining and the sky was blue.  Last time Rochelle, Carol and I were there it was overcast, it rained and the beach party had to be cancelled so it was a positive start.  

Once we had found our spots in sunbeds and hammocks on the beach, it was time to feed the fish which is one of my favourite parts of the week.  Snorkelling above the reef surrounded by hundreds of zebra fish and other coloured fish as they fight to eat all the bread which is being thrown in the water.   Then a brief intermission to sit on our sunbeds and something dropped out of the tree above me and landed on my head which made me squeal, as I shook my hair, it landed on my sunglasses and all I could see was this thing right above my eye.  It then dropped onto the sunbed and I realised it was a small stick-like insect.  I haven't had chance to look up what it was but it proceeded to walk up my arm and back down again for a while.  Very cute.

Mika on his way down the coconut tree

Again, we had a lesson in what you can do with a coconut but unlike last time when they collected fallen coconuts for us, they asked Mika to go up the tree and get a few down.  Bare hands and feet, he was up the tree in no time throwing coconuts down to us and then climbed back down without taking the skin of his knees which of course he made look very easy but I wouldn't like to try it!  After the demonstration, Joe sent us to the bar with an open coconut and told us to go and get a shot of rum and a straw put in it.  Yum!

After that, more snorkelling, then lunch while the chefs prepared the Lovo oven for our dinner. The afternoon could have been quiet but Rochelle and I collected left over bread from lunch and went back to feed the fish and afterwards drank green coconut juice while with some of the crew while the remainder of the crew played volleyball.

  

 

That evening, dinner was served on shore, we watched as the chefs unearthed the meat and root vegetables from the Lovo oven and then were invited to tuck in.  It was delicious,  lovely tender slow cooked meats and my favourite, Kokoda.

The Chefs unearthing dinner

After dinner, there was a thank you from Joe to all passengers and we thanked the crew for a great week.  Joe singled some of us out as returning passengers, starting with the gravelly voiced lady announcing her 4th cruise.  Rochelle got a mention for her second.  I got a special mention for my 3rd cruise and because I was returning the following week for the Historic and Cultural Cruise and then he asked Carol to stand up.  He thanked her for her 21st cruise and all the years of support she'd given the company.  Again, the other woman's face was priceless.  Never mind, she'll get to 21 cruises eventually!

Then the prize for the  national anthem singing was announced and much to my embarassment, I won a bottle of bubbly for my effort!  Of course it wouldn't go round the whole group who had supported me, but I decided to share it with Monica and Radhouane as Monica had done well to get up on her own to sing for Austria.   But there were mumblings from the next table of Aussies, the ones who were snipy the night before whinging bec ause I'd had help with my anthem.   Well we were about to be invited to join with our fellow countrymen again to do a show so while everyone else was preparing songs in groups, I decided to make a point and prove the whinging aussies wrong.  After the old school friends did Waltzing Matilda and the Kiwis did Po Kerikeri Ana, I got up and sang Jerusalem (chosen for the reference to England).  I was shaking as I sang but pulled it off, just about.  And the whinging aussies didn 't even get up and perform at all.   Well that certainly shut them up!

Then there was the dancing.  We were told that the bar and the music would go on as long as the last person was standing, but eventually, as people went back to the ship and to bed, Rochelle and I were the last ladies standing and we were joined on the dancefloor by some of the chefs who were finally finished with their cooking and allowed to let their hair down.  That went on for a while but eventually it became apparent as the bar was packed up and tables cleared that we had to get back to the ship.   Reluctantly we got on the last tender and that was the end of  the fabulous last night.

The following morning, after the early morning swim and a final goodbye to the fish we'd been feeding the day before, the Mystique Princess set sail once again back to Lautoka.  As I would have the same cabin for the next cruise the following week, my suitcase stayed on board so all I needed was an overnight bag to see me through the overnight stay in Lautoka.

As I departed the vessel, I was met by Tim half way down the gangplank with an invitation to join him and some friends for dinner later that night at the Northern Club and of course, I accepted.

To be continued....

Bula Vinaka! Welcome back to Fiji!

The deluge!

I landed in Nadi at 7pm on 5th May and as soon as I stepped off the plane, I was hit with a wall of heat bringing with it the smell of Fiji which has become so familiar to me.  Its hard to describe it but its almost floral, earthy with a hint of sweat mixed in, or at least that's what it smells like to me.  It wasn't long before I was walking out of the airport with my luggage to find a taxi and already was finding it very hot and muggy.  Checking in to my hotel was easy after the short taxi ride so I immediately set out to explore the hotel grounds in the dark and find some dinner which was also easy at an outdoor shack serving light meals.  I sat down with my kindle and a glass of wine while I waited for my salad but as I sat there, I felt raindrops and by the time the meal arrived the heavens opened so I was invited to take my dinner back to my room with me.   I was pretty tired so it didn't take me long after dinner to cave in and I slept really well, perhaps the first decent nights sleep I'd had since I'd arrived in Sydney.  When I woke up in the night, I could still hear the rain coming down and in the morning, nothing had changed, the sky was grey and the forecast for the day wasn't good.  So it became a quiet day reading my book in some of the covered areas of the hotel while the heavy rain came and went.

When I returned to my room for a siesta and to get out of the rain for a while, I found an email from Tim Stonhill, the CEO of Blue Lagoon Cruises, letting me know that he and his family would be having dinner the following evening at the First Landing, the hotel I'd stayed at last time, and invited me to join them for a beer.  Unfortunately I had chosen a different hotel this time so had to decline the invitation but it was a very kind gesture, something I hadn't expected.

Kokoda, served in a coconut shell

Saturday was a little better weather wise, I at least managed to spend some time in the sunshine in the morning before the heavens opened again in the early afternoon, but the rain held off long enough for the short demonstration of how to make Kokoda, a dish of fish marinated in lime juice then dressed with coconut milk, chili, onion, peppers and tomato - delicious.  That evening at around about 6pm, we had an absolute deluge of rain, it was torrential and the covered outdoor eating areas which had to be closed as the water was just pouring in through the gaps in the blinds.  I was beginning to wonder whether I was responsible for bringing the rain with me from Sydney and was a little bit concerned about the fortnight of cruising ahead if the weather was going to stay wet.  But Sunday was better, the sun came out and we only had a brief shower or two.  I took the Bula Bus from the hotel to the port at Denerau for a spot of shopping and lunch away from the hotel which was different!  I picked up about 20 postcards with the intention of writing them that afternoon but I got caught up trying to finish my book before the cruise and forgot to start on the postcards.


And then Monday came, the day for joining the MV Mystique Princess for the first of two weeks of cruising the islands of Fiji and there was definite excitement!  For one, I knew what was in store for me for the first week in the Yasawa Islands, but it was going to be especially fun as I would be meeting up with Rochelle and Carol Thompson the mother and daughter I met on the last trip in November.