Return to Oz

Here I am at Sydney International airport again and I don't know where the last week has gone.  Its actually been 8 days since the marathon flight from the UK and oddly enough, I'm still not quite over the jet lag despite everything that's been squeezed into this week.  The 24 hours on a plane wasn't as bad as I had been expecting it to be, and while I managed to sleep a bit on the first flight to Hong Kong, I planned to stay awake on the the following day time flight to Sydney so I stood a chance of sleeping when I arrived at my motel, but after a second breakfast as we flew south, we were asked to lower the blinds, the lights were dimmed and even the Kings Speech couldn't keep me from nodding off.

I arrived at my hotel at about 9pm, got settled but couldn't sleep until the early hours and the following day was pretty much written off as I didn't wake up until 1pm.    The following day was better, and I really needed to get myself in gear as I had been invited to visit friends to watch the Royal Wedding with them.  Sonia and Rob are the couple I met in Hong Kong last year and despite being on their honey moon at the time, they really didn't mind having someone tag along so we ended up doing quite a few day trips together and even bumped into each other again in Macau once we had gone our separate ways.  Sonia being a Royalist had asked me to pick up a souvenir Royal Wedding mug in the UK so armed with that and the Guide to the Royal Wedding from the weekend paper I hoped on the ferry from Manly and was met at Circular Quay for the walk back to their apartment in Pyrmont.  And where better to watch the wedding?  The keen supporters who watched outside a pub in the city got quite wet as it rained all evening so with a glass of wine in hand we had our own analysis of events as they unfolded.  Sonia's friend came along too, bringing with her the ultimate in newfangled kitchen gadgets, a Thermomix which by all accounts weight, chops blends and cooks, all in one clever contraption and throughout the course of the evening made flour which then became bread rolls, and a risotto which didn't require patiently stirring while adding ladel after ladel of stock - but you'd never have know the difference.  The finished dish was delicious.  And its a steal at only £1200! 


I stayed over with Rob and Sonia and the following morning headed back to Manly for a lovely lunch with Michelle and Stephen at their home which is not far from my hotel. I walked back from Pyrmont to Circular Quay just missing the 10am ferry, the next one being at 1030 which I though gave me plenty of time but then I realised that it would get me in at 1105 and Michelle and Stephen were going to meet me at my hotel at 1130 so it was a mad rush in the muggy heat back to the hotel, a cold shower, clean clothes and then back downstairs.  Naturally it was lovely to see them again, I've seen more of them in the last 12 months than I probably did when Michelle still lived at home and was my neighbour in Fleet but the highlight this time was to meet 7 week old Sophie who was an absolute delight.  Lunch was a selection of cold meats, cheeses, fresh prawns and smoked salmon and salad and absolutely spot on delicious.


Sunday I had a day off from meeting people and enjoyed the hustle and bustle of Manly at a weekend.  My hotel was on the beach and from my room, I could see the surfers bobbing on the water catching a wave or two. The aussies really do make the most of the outdoors and at the weekend the town comes alive with people sitting outside cafes, eating drinking and of course walking along the promenade. 


Then the following day Diana and Gary, a couple I met in Fiji the first time round last year, came to collect me and took me out of the suburbs and into the hills for an indonesian lunch at a cute little outdoor restaurant called Buddah Belly.  They are so good at what they call Asian food here in Australia, I hadn't had indonesian food before but the meal I chose was twice cooked duck with asian veg and coconut infused rice and it was absolutely superb.  Such a nice day, despite the rain, to get away from the city to places I wouldn't have been able to get to otherwise. On the way back to Manly we took the scenic route through a national park and past another enclosed harbour before a short stop at their home to see Sally Border, the border collie who was only a small puppy in October who is now a handful but still very cute.

On Tuesday I was treated to THE most amazing Malaysian meal by Rob and Sonia.  The restaurant is called Malaya and if you should ever find yourself in Sydney, you'll find the resturannt on Lime street, close to Darling Harbour.  As Rob had been there before, Sonia and I let him order.  What came was a selection of dishes which you could loosely class as curries but all with different flavours.  To start, we had Roti bread with a chicken curry sauce and satay skewers with satay sauce which bore no resemblance to the peanut butter coloured sauce you'd usually associate with satay, it was hotter and very tasty.  Then the main courses were a selection of duck, slow cooked beef and prawn curries which were out of this world.  The flavours all so differet, the meat and even the prawns were melt in the mouth, I've never tasted anything like it.  The beauty of knowing local people who know the best places to go.  Such a treat.  I caught a cab back to Circular Quay and having just missed a ferry, I sat in the open air and had a glass of wine, listening to a busker with an accordian before a very pleasant but slightly chilly boat ride back.  

And then it was the last day of this leg of the trip but probably the best day weather wise with blue skies and sunshine so I made the most of the facilities at the hotel and had the roof terrace pool and spa all to myself for the afternoon!  Not a bad start to this trip and I can't help feeling a little overwhelmed at how lucky I have been not only that I have met some great people in my travels but that those people have taken time out to help make this trip as special as the last.   Hoping to be able to return the favour when Rob and Sonia visit the UK which I hope will be sometime soon!


So here I am back at the airport making use of the free wifi and looking forward to the next leg of the trip, FIJI.

Hong Kong, the city of bright bright lights......

The contrast between all the places I had been and Hong Kong was amazing and really interesting!  My overnight flight had been changed by Quantas to a day flight so it was 6pm when we landed at the new airport on Lantau Island and already dark.  From my window seat, I had seen patches of lights as we approached, then there was nothing but darkness.  As we got closer to the airport and the cabin lights were dimmed, I made out the lights of a series of high rise appartment buildings, all uniform in height but that was all that stood out in the darkness.  

Pick up by the transfer company was a bit of a fiasco and it was an hour before I was on a coach heading towards Kowloon and I was quite weary after an early start but by the time I arrived in Kowloon itslef, the weariness was replaced with excitement and anticipation.  It was by now about 8.30pm and dark but the streets were brightly lit with illuminated shop signs and with many people still out on the street.  A far contrast from what you would expect in the UK in winter.  And to add to the usual illuminations, the city was already prepared for christmas with decorations and tinsel everywhere too.  First impressions, vibrant and buzzing, a very positive place to be.

My hotel was very central to the Kowloon commercial district, just off Nathan Road which splits that district down the middle.  This proved to be a very useful location and a good choice.  It had had mixed reviews on Trip Advisor for small rooms and unfriendly staff, but I had no issues at all. The only comment I had to make was that the bed was as hard as a board and gave me back ache.  But as I understand, that's how it is in China and hotels cater to local preference rather than the needs of delicate Europeans.

The hotel had a tour desk in the lobby and I picked up a few brochures for day trips which looked interesting, and very reasonable in price so I decided I would try them out with a half day Hong Kong Orientation trip the following day. 

The tour started at our hotel and took us through the tunnel from Kowloon over onto Hong Kong Island and made its way through the central area, past the Happy Valley Race Course and up the hill towards Victoria Peak which was to be our first stop for a view over the city and harbour which was stunning.  Next stop was Aberdeen fishing village to look at the remaining fishing and houseboats and of course to admire the famous Jumbo floating restaurant, the largest floating restaurant in the world.

After that we were taken around the south side of the island, past Repulse Bay and then on to Stanley Market for a spot of shopping.  The guide was really very informative and I learned a lot about Hong Kong, its history and people and traditions which made the trip excellent value.  

That evening, I opted for an evening excursion which would take us on a cruise around the harbour then on to Aberdeen again for dinner on the Jumbo floating restaurant and then a trip up to the mid levels of Victoria Peak to get a view of the city lights and harbour from that vantage point.  The cruise was very interesting, the harbour was pretty choppy and stepping on board our boat was quite interesting, the crew didn't seem to bothered and just yanked us each on board without giving us chance to be too worried about it.  I had met up with an Australian couple, Sonia and Rob who had also been on the earlier trip so we spent the evening getting to know each other.  They were actually on their honeymoon so I was quite lucky that they didn't seem to mind company.

Dinner at the Jumbo was excellent, the benefit of doing a tour and eating with a group of people is that you get to try so many more dishes.  We were started off with soup, then went on to have 5 main dishes, mainly seafood with noodles and rice, all followed by mango pudding.  It was all very tasty and we enjoyed it.

A good day all round, I decided to take the following day to explore myself and headed out to the MTR (underground) station to pick up an Octopus Card, something like the London Oyster card, and take myself over to Hong Kong island to explore.  Once I had established what I was looking at in terms of the map and the different routes, it was fairly easy to navigate and I was really pleased becasue I had been a little disortientated and had been a little intimidated by the size of the place, it was much bigger than I had been expecting and everything looked the same.  Whatsmore, Kowloon is almost built on a grid pattern but with so many one way streets that the buses which did pick up and collection from our hotel seemed to me to be going around in circles.  I normally have a very good sense of direction, but this was very confusing.  So by the time I was on the MTR and heading for Central station on Hong Kong, I was already feeling a small sense of acheivement.


The other benefit of doing the day trip was that I met people who had been in Hong Kong for longer than me and who had friends living there, so I was able to get some tips from them as to where to go and what to do.  From Central, I wandered towards an area called Soho and found street markets selling fruit and vegetables, meat and fish, lots and lots of fish.    It was really interesting to look at all the produce, some of which I recognised, other things I didn't.  I was looking at fruit on one stall and the stallholder was trying to get me to buy a fruit I didn't recognise.  It was like a large grapefruit but shaped like a pear and some of the fruits had been half peeled like an avocado halved with the tone still in.  It looked interesting and he kept telling me they were very sweet, so I decided to buy one and then worry about what it was afterwards.  He kindly peeled the rest of the fruit for me and separated some of the segments to make it easier to peel then sent me on my way!  I later discovered it to be a Pomelo, the flesh was quite dry and less juicy than a grapefruit and milder in flavour but very interesting.  I enjoyed it.

At the top of the street, there was a large group of people standing outside a bakery, queuing for freshly baked something or other.  I couldn't see what it was so I walked past and then doubled back.  An american bloke was now standing at the back of the queue talking to a group who were with him, I assumed them to be guests visiting from overseas, and he was explaining that this was the place to go for tourist to try the Hong Kong egg tarts, somewhere that Governor Chris Patten used to go when he was in charge there.  So I joined the queue and picked up a tart and some things which looked like they were made of coconut and then headed off to find somewhere for a coffee.

I spent the best part of the morning exploring, even went into Marks and Spencers, only because it was the first M&S I'd seen since August!  Very amusing to see typically M&S clothing in the middle of Hong Kong.  I went for a late lunch back in Kowloon at a place recommended to me by the lady from the tour desk.  It was inside a shopping centre and when I went in, there wasn't a single person in there who wasn't chinese and I soon discovered that the servers didn't speak english!   My server asked me if I wanted chinese tea, but when I asked her what was good on the menu, she didn't understand me.  I spent a little more time looking at the menu offering lots of things which didn't look familar and just as I was about to panic, one of the managers approached me and offered to help me make my selection.  Phew!  Dim Sum was what would be served, a meat choice, a seafood choice and then the restaurant's specialty, one dim sum filled with hairy crab coral.  It was a really delicious lunch and quite special as it was, I beleived quite authenic and in authentic setting surrounded by locals.  Although I have to say I did feel that all the people around me were sniggering at my clumsiness with my chopsticks, but I didn't care!!  And in the main, they did all smile at me which made me feel a bit less like I stuck out!

That day, Sonia and Rob had planned to go to the horse races but we had agreed to meet at a bar near the hotel in a shopping centre called The One.  The bar was on the 19th floor with an outdoor balcony offering seating with a view of the harbour and all the lights of the city. A beautiful location and when they arrived, they brought with them some other aussies who had also been at the races.  It was a fun evening, the view was stunning and at 8pm we had a perfect view of the laser light show.  A great end to the day.


To be continued......

Heatwave in Western Australia!

My flight from Fiji took me to Brisbane for an over night stay before my flight to Perth the following morning.  All pretty painless really, as was the 5 hour flight from the east of Australia to the west and with clear skies, I had an excellent view of the thousands of miles of desert which makes up the vast centre.

I arrived in Perth to a heatwave.  It was sunny and very very hot, 39 degrees and as I waited for the shuttle to my city centre hotel, I was wishing for a cool breeze to help cool me off a little.  And the next couple of days I spent reacquianting myself with the city I last visited in 1997 were almost unbearable, walking the streets exploring what had changed was exhausting, early starts when it was cooler helped, but by lunch time, I found myself seeking the cool air of the hotel before venturing out again after a nap.

Before arriving in Perth, I hadn't made fixed plans of what to do.  My first few days in the hotel on my own after a fabulous second visit to Fiji were a bit challenging again, I missed the company of all those lovely people.  I knew that I would have a bed with my friend Annamarie's daughter Sophie from the Sunday and after that, had thoughts of visiting the south west corner of the state where I worked on a vineyard during my gap year.

In the next block from my hotel I found an Avis hire car office and on enquiry, discovered I could hire a small car for a week for a very reasonable amount so decided to go for it, it would be necessary in any case to get myself to Sophies and made complete sense if I was to venture south.  Perfect solution and a plan formed.

I had one night with Sophie, then headed south towards Bunbury and Busselton for my first night away.  The highway was new since I was last in WA and took me straight to Bunbury where I stopped for a spot of lunch.  As I remembered it, Bunbury was a small town and easy to navigate, but not any more.  The road in from the highway was one continuous retail park all the way to the centre which is now a large shopping centre with supermarket and mall.  I didn't hand around as it appeared to have lost a lot of the charm it had before.  It wasn't far to Busselton which is where I had planned to spend my first night.  A quick stop in the Information centre sorted me out with a map and somewhere to stay, the Busselton Guest House close to the beach.  

Luckily this place was much as I rememberd it, quite a lively coastal town, maybe a little more lively that I had seen it before but it was 'Schoolies', the week when school leavers go away to the coast and have fun!  So there was lots going on.  The sun was shining and the accommodation turned out to be very comfortable so I booked straight away for a second night.


The following day,  I drove down the coast a little further to Cape Naturaliste, a rocky point with lighthouse which is lovely to have a walk around.  As I approached the car park, there were thousands of dragon flies circling which was an amazing sight, but when I got out of the car, I discovered they were not alone, there were thousands of flies too which was a real shame.  I had a walk around the lighthouse taking the shortest of several hiking routes and didn't hand around.  By the time I got in the car I had five bites on my legs.
After visiting a couple of the beaches on the way back , I the found my way to the beach at Busselton for views of the coast and the famous jetty and then had a late lunch overlooking the water.  I spent the afternoon having a look around the town before packing to head out early the following day for the journey south the following day.
From Busselton, I drove down towards Margaret River famous for its vineyards.  I stopped breifly for a cold drink and noted that again, it was a little bigger than I rememberd but still small enough to look very similar.  From there, I took the road inland towards Manjimup before branching off to Pemberton.  I spent some time in Pemberton before visiting the enormous Gloucester tree and the railway museum.  Pemberton really hadn't changed that much, I was pleased to note that the Gloucester tree was still standing but there wasn't much esle to see so I pressed on towards Walpole and Denmark.  It was lovely to see these places but they were not so different and I didn't see anything that enticed me to stop and stay over so I continued on to Albany, the largst of the towns of the south west corner and somewhere I had spend many a weekend while working there.


I found a Best Western Motel close to the centre which was very basic but functional which served as my base for the next three nights.  That gave me two full days to explore the area, which is exactly what I did.  When I had been there before, I hadn't had access to a car so had explored mainly on foot but this time, I was able to cover the same ground and more in the time I had.  The main street was much the same although more supermarkets and large stores had moved into town in a new retail area and town itself seemed quieter.  The YHA Backpackers I had stayed in before was still there and looked like it hadn't had much work done in the last 12 years which was amusing.

I was able to venture out to Frenchman Bay and peninsula, a national park offering stunning coastline and beaches all unspoilt.  It was a treat tp find something new that I hadn't already discovered.  The highlight was the deserted Goode Beach, crystal clear turquise water, white white sand so fine it squeaked when I walked on it, and not another person in sight
 
Then it was time to head back to Perth for an evening with Sophie before she went off on a big bus trip, leaving me in the unit for my last few days in WA.  I set off from Albany with a full tank of petrol for the 460+ Km journey back to Perth, planning to stop off in Frankland, the town I lived in while working on the vineyard.   

Thirty minutes up the Albany Highway, I passed Mount Barker and knew that the turning to Franland wouild be coming up on the left hand side but none of the side roads appeared to be very well sign posted and 15 minutes later, I was starting to worry I might have missed it.  Resigning myself to the fact I may not be going back to Frankland this time round, I continued on but then a sign in the distance indicated a turn off to the Frankland River Wine Region.  Well that was new!   And not long afterwards, a roadsign indicating 59km to Frankland.  Something I hadn't remembered, that the road to Frankland was actually that far off the mainroad!  I continued on but a change in my planned route back to Perth started to form in my head, although I realised that in '97 the road on from Frankland back to Manjimup was a red dirt bush road.  

Frankland had not changed a bit, small still, and not a soul about.  I didn't stop in the General Store as the name on the outside was one I didn't recognise, so obvously not the same family running it and the post office.  And the Road House was closed so no need to pop in there either.  I drove around to Rhonda and Jason's and the house I used to stay at, but it was closed up for the weekend, along with the house belonging to Di, another vineyard worker, but that's what I had expected as they have a house in Albany somewhere too. 
Pressing on on the road towards Manjimup,  I passed many more fields of vines than I remembered and then took the side dirt road down towards the vineyard I worked on, and the little house I stayed in first on the corner of the vineyard, the one without furniture and with red backs in the corners outside.  This time it looked a little more lived in, there were cars outside so obviously someone is now making it more of a home.  

I was pleased to find though that the tarmac didn't run out as I made my way further across country towards Manjimup.  It was actually a really pleasant drive, red dirt to the sides of the roads, green bushland and fields with cows, sheep and views strethcing on for miiles and miles.  The road strethced out ahead of me, the mirages disappeared the closer I got with more and more appeared in the distance.  Except one mirage didn't disappear and the closer I got, there was still a line across the road, so I slammed on the breaks and missed squshing a massive lizard by only a couple of feet.  He moved out of the road but was kind enough to stop by the side of the road for me to take a photo.

It was 4.30pm by the time I arrived back in Perth after only a brief stop for lunch.  It had been a long day of driving, I had seen lots of wildlife, lizards and colourful birds.  What struck me as I approached the outskirts of the city was that when something startled the birds out a tree, what flew out were white cockatoos, grey and pink gallahs and red and green parrots.  Beautiful, makes a change from our usual selection of brown native birds as lovely as they may be. Dinner that evening had been arranged by Sophie and her boyfriend Wez for her last night before she went off for three weeks and she had invited her brother Lachlan, his fiancee Dana and their little girl Ayla to come along too.  Now I had last seen Sophie and Lachlan in 1998 when they were 5 and 8 respectively and neither of them really remember me, but that didn't mean they were any less pleased to see me and warmly welcomed me in their mother's absence.  It was great to catch up with them and for me, to tell them some of the funny stories from the three months I spent with them.  It was a pleasure to see them all grown up and responsible and was nice to be looked after by them, last time, it was me taking responsibility for looking after them!


Once Sophie had gone off on her trip, I had a couple of days to enjoy the last of the heatwave, more 35+ degrees of heat and sunshine.  I had to go in to Fremantle on the sunday as that was the only place in the area with a supermarket opening on a sunday, something which I found a little bizarre.  The many many bottleshops seem to be open at all times and all hours but buying a pint of milk a little more challenging.  So I had a little walk around Freo in the sunshine, had a look at the shops and got a coffee.

The the last day, I spend doing all my laundry so I would leave Australia en route to Hong Kong with plenty of clean clothes!

It was a little sad to leave Australia again, but I have a feeling it won't be 12 years before I go back this time and have plans to see Annamarie and the Alexander clan again soon and for more time to have a proper catch up and who knows when that may be.  We will have to see how the job market is in the New Year!!!
 

A fond farewell to Fiji.....and plans for a possible return.

After saying good byes to all my fellow passengers on the cruise, I was surprised to see Joanne and David in the car behind me following me all the way back to First Landing.  And when I got there, Fiona and John were there ahead of me as their taxi driver had brought them for lunch on their way back to the airport.  So I was shown to my new room then joined Fiona and John for lunch before they were then whisked off to make their flight back to Sydney.

That evening over dinner, I met Peg and Fred, a couple from Seattle who have a boat in the marina and then along came Ken a Kiwi who I had met last time when I had champagne with Peter on his boat.  So we all had lots to talk about, everyone was keen to hear about my cruise and how it went.  It is such a small place, I spoke to Colin a Pom come Aussie who runs a small airline who was keen to pass my good feedback on to Tim at Blue Lagoon and Alex, the resort manager also wanted to make sure that my comments got back to Tim.  I was grateful for this as I had missed the chance to thank Tim before leaving Lautoka.

The forecast for the following few days was rain, so not weather for sitting out on a hammock so I decided to head into Lautoka city the following day for a spot of window shopping.  Masi behind the bar kindly arranged with Jim the resident driver to take me and it was settled that I would leave at 10am the following morning.  With an invited from Peg and also from Ken to pop by their boats at the Marina for coffee, I said goodnight and agreed to have dinner with Joanne and David the following night, their last night before they went home.
In the morning, I waited at the entrance to the resort at 10am for Jim to arrive but he didn't appear.  Salome arrived and asked where I was going, she called Jim and it transpired that he had been double booked and was actually taking Joanne and David to Denerau for the day.  I was about to resort to taking the bus, a bit of a brave move since I didn't know really where I was going although perfectly safe, but Ken arrived, announced he was going into town and offered to give me a lift as long as I didn't mind a quick stop at the chemical factory on the way!  Well how could I refuse a free lift and chance to visit the chemical factory.

He dropped me into Lautoka and gave me a brief overview of the city so I wouldn't get lost, which would have been a challenge since there are effectivley only 2 street built in a block pattern and he said I could either way and easily find my way back to where I started.  So I went straight across the road, down one block and then right.  I had only just turned the corner and heard someone calling my name.  It was Apenisa, crew from my first cruise (who had made my hat for me) coming out of a shop and on his way to join the ship after a week off.  How random.  If I had gone the other way or if Jim had been available, I may not have met up with him and he was as surprised as the others had been to see me in Fiji again so soon!  So I walked with him back towards Blue Lagoon Offices to catch up on the last few weeks and so I could call in to see Tim the CEO to thank him in person for the extras I had received.

I only had a couple of minutes with Tim as I was aware that he was waiting on the new bunch of passengers to head out that day, but I was pleased to be able to thank him in person and discuss ways to get a good deal if I were to return...and the answer was to contact him direct.  Always good to have friends in useful places!  And I will definitely be back one day!

After that, I made my way back into town, it was interesting to be amongst Fijians going about their daily business, different from being in a resort.  I bumped into Carol and Denis, another Kiwi couple I had seen briefly at First Landing and ended up joining them for lunch.  They had come into town on the bus and as they seemed knowledgeable, I went back with them towards the market and bus station via a couple of souvenir shops.  At the bus station, I met Inoke, another crew member who was having his week off and heading back to his family home, then we hopped on the bus, fully airconditioned which in Fiji means it has no windows.  Luckily it has shades which come down if its raining but it was a pleasant trip back to First Landing with school children on their way home.
My last full day in Fiji was a relaxing one, I had no plans to go out and as it turned out, the sun came out in the afternoon so I did manage to have an hour on a hammock with my book.  But when I returned to my room, there had been a power cut, a power line up the street had come down and the whole area was without power.  So Manasa gave me a candle to have a shower, then I returned to the bar to be among people until the power came on, which it did after about 3 hours, much to the relief of Alex and the staff who where concerened about the beer getting warm and food going off in the kitchen.

I had dinner with Denis and Carol who had been out for the day on a sailing boat called the Whale's Tail to celbrate Denis' birthday, then we were joined by Peg.  Peg had been having a small drama with crew to sail with her down to Auckland and was pleased that she had eventually found someone to sail with them.  She told me she had been that desperate she almost asked me if I would crew for them.  I probably would have done it if I had more time, but as it was she had found an alternative solution, this time.  But she will need someone in May to sail back to Fiji and asked if I would be interested.  We exchanged contact details and will drop her an email.  I guess it all depends on what happens when I get home but its nice to have an opportunity like that offered.  We shall see. :-)


Manasa drmmed up a nice group of staff to farewell me for the last time and I managed not to blub too much this time.  Isa Lei does make my bottom lip tremble even when its not me leaving, such a lovely song but I held it together, just!

Tiu, Joka, Masi and Manasa, Bar Team Extraordinaire!

More hugs before I left First Landing this time, but the departure was made easier by the fact that I met Lyn and Jamie from the cruise at the airport.  They were getting ready for their flight to Sydney departing an hour before mine, so we sat and had a drink before they were called to board.  

From the plane as we departed Nadi, I had a good view of the Yasawas and somewhere down below was the MV Mystique Princess with her new passengers for the week.  Until next time.
 

The Yasawas from the plane

Bula Vinaka and a warm warm welcome back to Fiji!

 

It's not always a good idea to go back, things are not always the same, and it had crossed my mind that my intention to go back to Fiji to do it better than the first time, might actually back fire and it could end up a disaster.  But the minute I arrived back at First Landing, I knew that it was a good decision to come back.  Isimeli welcomed me 'home' as I stepped out of the transfer vehicle and before I had even made it down to the reception, I met Joe from the restaurant who immediately remembered me and welcomed me back, shaking my hand vigourously!

Everyone it seemed was glad to see me and I felt very welcome, most of them remembered my name, those who didn't at least remembered my face and that's pretty good going.  After a full on and exciting week in Brisbane, I was happy to have a couple of days of rest at the resort before my cruise and had no major plans but I met Tony who runs the diving school on my first evening and we discussed me doing an introductory dive the following day!


So I joined the dive boat at 7.30am which took me over to Beachcomber Island, a party resort which is the home of the dive school and I would be there for the day until the boat would bring the workers back to the mainland.

The dive itself was pretty spectacular!  After a training session with DVDs and then practice in the pool, they took us out to a nearby reef and put us in the water to firstly feed the fish then to explore the reef.  I had a little trouble with buoyancy to start with and at one point, started floating back up to the survace with no way to get anyone's attention, until someone grabbed my foot and dragged me back down again!  But the fish feeding was brilliant and it was great to get in amongst the coral.  People the day before had seen sharks but there were none when we were down there, which may actually have been a good thing!  They would have only been reef sharks, not great whites or anything truly scary, but I was happy with the experience.  There were a couple of guys on the dive who were staying at a nearby exclusive island resort called Navini so I hopped on the transfer boat which took them back to have sneek peek.  It was lovely although so exclusive there was nothing else on the island, I don't think it would be the place for me for 2 weeks straight but perhaps a good honeymoon destination!


In no time, it was Monday and time to check out and join the cruise.  Alex, the manager of First Landing had called ahead to Tim Stonhill, the CEO of Blue Lagoon to let him know to expect me so when I arrived at the Blue Lagoon check in, Tim was there waiting to welcome me and this time, had upgraded me to the Orchid Deck.  Hooray!

I was pleased to know that Bhim was again going to be our cruise director and got a huge hug from her when she spotted me.  She did tell me she thought she would never see me again after the hash they had made last time and was surprised that I had returned to soon, as was Sefa, our barman who was serving drinks in the check-in lounge.  



On board, my luggage was waiting and again, there was a bottle of champagne waiting for me in my cabin.  A nice touch!  To begin with on the first afternoon as we made our way from Lautoka to the Yasawa Islands, it seemed quite hard to speak to people but Sefa and Tom had me sitting at the bar with them and soon I was chatting to people as they came to get their drinks.  I did wonder at that point whether the group would gel as well as the first cruise, but in no time it became apparent that this group would be even better, if that was at all possible.  While enjoying cocktails on the sky deck that first night, I was approached by Cory one of the Stewards who informed me that I had been invited to join Captain Saula at his table for dinner.  What an honour.  He is a lovely man although really very shy, he did a welcome presentation to all the passengers then sat down at the table with us and told us that he dreads having to stand up in front of us all, no matter how many times he had done it before.  

The following day was actually the best day we had all week weather wise, the sun was shining in the morning and it was dry.  The rainy season had come early and although it was warm, we didn't have the blue skies I had enjoyed when I was there before.  It was still warm but the sun make such a difference to the colour of the water and the snorkelling.  There had been a drought in Fiji for some time before however so I was pleased for them that rain was on the cards. 

The snorkelling was still brilliant, and this time, I had invested in a point and shoot underwater digital camera to record some of the excellent corals and fish and the photos came out really well so it was a worthwhile investment.

The wednesday night was 'Make a Hat' night and this time, Apenisa was not on the boat to make a hat for me so I decided to make one similar to the one he had made me before and collected some drinks cans before asking someone with a machete to cut me a coconut frond.  Alas, I left my things on the beach while snorkelling and those things were retrieved for me and taken back to the boat when the heavens opened.  My things were waiting in my cabin, the cans had been recycled.  So I resorted to a 'Melbourne Cup' inspired fascinator using fresh flowers I had collected from the island.  Although in the end I think it looked more like something that had come from Mardi Gras in Rio!

Spot the fish!

The following day was the visit to the school and from then on, it was all new ground as I passed the point when I had been disembarked last time.  All very exciting and new beaches to visit.  Much more snorkelling, more gorgeous fish and corals, an octopus in a hole in a rock and a flat fish which was so well camoflaged, I almost trod on it!

Sea Cucumber, very squishy!

Large clam

 Thursday night was cross dressing night where most couples opted to wear each others clothes which was quite entertaining and it has to be said many of the men made very convincing women!  I struggled a little until  I asked the first officer for some help and he handed me a shirt complete with epaulets and a very large pair of shoes.  My feet didn't even touch the sides so walking was a bit of a challenge.  Carol, a lady from New Zealand who was on her 20th cruise had borrowed a shirt from Captain Saula so we made a fitting pair....and we both won prizes.


Our last full day of the cruise was to be spent at the Blue Lagoon and a day on the private island of Nanuya Lailai where there would be more snorkelling, fish feeding, fishing and the crew would prepare a traditional lovo feast which is meat cooked underground using coconut husk embers.  The food was to be served to us on the beach and the final night celebrations would be a beach party and bonfire.   That was if the weather permitted and sadly, the last day was the worst day weather wise and it rained all day.  It was raining as those of us who were keen enough went out in the dark for our early morning swim and after breakfast as the MV Mystique Princess was backed up close to the beach and tethered to a coconut tree, it still hadn't abated.  It didn't dampen our enthusiasm however, it would be wet when we got in the water after all!

Me and the MV Mystique Princess tied to a coconut tree!

First activity of the morining was fish feeding.  The crew took all the left over bread from the week in a huge bin liner, some spectators watched from the tenders and the rest of us got in the water with sorkels and it was a real feeding frenzy!  We were suddenly surrounded by fish everywhere we looked, all different colours, shapes and sizes seemingly unafraid of us.  Mikia, one of the crew seemed to think it was amuzing to throw bread at me, I put my head out of the water to see what it was and when I looked back down into the water, there were fish right in my face.  Such a lovely experience.

Shortly after, we were treated to a demonstration of how to husk a coconut as this was the main activity for the crew who were preparing for the fire to start cooking the meat.  They made it look so easy but I think its actually a bit more difficult than it looks!  We were all invited to try some of the lovely fresh coconut whcih was delicious.  After that it was still raining as we had morning tea and after that more snorkelling.  

After lunch a group of us were taken out fishing, although that was an unsuccessful trip, noone caught anything but it wasn't really the right time, the best fishing is apparently first thing in the morning or last thing at night.  Disappointingly the rain got heavier and the wind got up so the ship was moved away from the beach and at 5pm we were all brought back on board for the last time to have our cocktails and dinner on board.



 

The meal was delicious.  The meat was so tender and just fell apart and I also tried something called Kokoda (pronounced Kokonda) for the first time.  Its chunks of fish which are soaked for 24 hours in lime juice then marinated in cocnut milk with small tomato and cucmber mixed in.  So the fish isn't cooked, just 'cooked' in the acid of the lime juice.  Delicious and if you ever get to Fiji, then try it, its out of this world.


I became honourary Fijian that evening for the singing competition.  Each country represented among the passengers had to form a group and sing a song from their country.  The Australians sang the 'Vegemite' Song, the Kiwis sang 'Po Keri Keri Ana', the Califonians sang 'California here we come' and I chickened out as I was the only English person so joined the Fijians for their national anthem.  Throughout the week we had established that the Fijians are enthusastic when it comes to singing and they can make some noise when they all get together so although I didn't know the words to their anthem, it was quite incredible to be standing in amongst the crew when they started singing.  Amazing.


Then there was dancing and we all tried to stay up as late as we could to make the most of the last night, all the while the rain was still coming down!  Captain Saula had planned to leave the blue lagoon before daybreak the following morning due to the weather so when I woke up cold at 4.30am the following morning, I could hear things going on outside.  Since it was warmer outside than in, I got dressed and went out to see what was going on and hopefully get some photos of the sunrise but as soon as I got outside, there was a lot of activity and the engines were being run independently of each other, then a tender was launched and I realised something was wrong.  


Overnight, the two anchor chains had become twisted and they were unable to get them untangled.  We were effectively stuck.  They sent a diver down to help resolve the issue, but in the end they had to get the blow torch out and cut one of the chains.  All very exciting in the dark and the rain.


Much as I was hoping that we would be stuck there indefinitely, we got under way while breakfast was being served.  Because of the time, the course the Captain took was more direct than he had planned, straight across the open water and it soon became quite choppy.  Lots of people were feeling a little queasy and there was a line of them sitting out on the back deck watching the horizon.  As we docked in Lautoka, the crew farewelled us with the song Isa Lei and Captain Saula thanked us for a great week and then it was time to disembark.  Hugs and kisses all round from the crew, then with all the new friends I'd made.  


No doubting, it was definitely a good decision to come back, it had been better than the first time for sure, despite the weather.  And given that it was better but not perfect, I have threatened to go back and do it right in the sunshine next time!