Click here for the complete photo album for Day 16
We didn't leave from the airport in Nandi until 10pm and we had arranged for the VT mini to pick us up at 4 or 4:30 from Rae's house so we had the whole day to kill. We walked tword town taking pictures and ran into Ravi, Rae's co-worker going to church. We chatted a bit and then caught an open truck with benched and an awning into town for $.50 each.
In town we walked down to 'The Pizza Pallace' I'll let the pictures and videos speak for that!
We caught a cab back and packed. Our VT mini didn't arrive untill just before five but we still made it to the airport by 7:30. There were a huge number of Fijian military and families at the airport, possibly en-route to Iraq, though I'm not sure where that info came from.
We bought last ditch suvenears, nasty prepackaged shot mixers and duty free Bounty! Our plane back was larger than going but more crowded. Meadow and I watched Final Fantasy: Spirits Within on the PSP and then we all tried to sleep. We cleared customs in LA with no problem despite the large quantities of legally questionable Kava. Then we tried to figure out what to do with the alcohol that we had bought in the Fiji airport but couldn't get back onto a plane because it was in lager than 3 ox bottles... how does an international airport not have a good way to deal with this?!? We tried to pack it in one of my bags but a beer bottle broke even before we got it all lacked so we left it with my dad hoping that he could mail it to us.
My dad met us at the airport and took us out to Tequilla Jacks for dinner then to the beach. We walked down and stuck our feet in but the pacific off of CA in April is still cold. We went to the hat shop and Todd tried on the Capitan Morgan hat... he may be the only person alive that can wear a hat like that and not look ridiculous. Then back to the LAX for an uneventfully flight into Boston. Then straight back to work without even going home!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
4.26.8 - Friday - Day 15 (Snorkeling and Trip to Ba)
Click here for the complete photo album for Day 154
Again delicious breakfast on the lounges beside the pool. Then we all grabbed snorkeling equipment, well some of us rented it from the dive shop... and went snorkeling on the reef in front of the resort. We headed left from the boat passage over the area I had scouted the day before.
The reef is in surprisingly good shape for something right in front of a resort and there is a nice contrast between the top of the reef at 1-5 feet and the bottom at 20 - 35feet. Everyone enjoyed themselves and the reef. I saw another ray and found a crown of thorns and a giant clam for Todd and Meadow.
We got back to shore and realized that we had no Rea. Not panicking we searched the resort... then there was a bit of panicking. I went down the beach and scanned the reef for a snorkel or a corpse... Rae walked up behind me. It was a bit of an Indiana Jones moment. She had been caught by a wave, lost her mask and swollowed some sea watter and had been in the bathroom being sick, but was otherwise unharmed.
We all went to the office to pay. The resort was cheaper than I expected and I didn't get charged for one of my dives. The ferry was more expensive than I would have liked. Unfortionatly they had overbooked for the trip back... possibly due to our staying an extra day... though that couldn;t have been the only reason as there were 8 too many people. They asked us if we could wait for an hour for another boat. As we had planned plenty of padding into our schedule we said that was fine.
An hour later the "Awesome Adventure" boat passed by and we were ferried out in a long boar. The Awesome Adventure is a hideous bright yellow supercat that runs the whole Yasawa chain, 28 stops at the backpackers resorts. One could spend more than a few weeks using it to hop throughout.
Unfortionatly we were in the middle of the run and would be making 9 more stops before getting to Laotoka to catch our bus to Ba and get our luggage so that we could go home. Then we found out that the ferry did not even go to Laotoka but ended it's run at Port Denerau. Now it turned out that there was a free shuttle bus that went from Port Denerau to Laotoka... but it would arrive around 7 in the evening, more than five hours behind our planed arrival time... and possibly after the last bus to Ba.
We protested... we had Octopus called on the CB and eventually we came to the conclusion that someone on the staff at the resort had screwed up and that if we pressed things and talked to the management the consequences to them would be out of proportion to the our inconviniance... and the staff had been very nice to us because of Rae being 'local'. So we let it go and enjoyed the rest of the ride. There is a lot of pretty out there.
We grabbed meat pies at the bread shop in Port Denerau and caught the shuttle an hour or so north to Lautoka and began the search for a ride to Ba. Rae found us a 'VT mini', a large van that we packed 15 people into. It was a great ride... I need to remember not to stress about things :) We got dropped off in front of Rae's house. We said our hello's and went into her apt.
Our bottle of Ditron Vodca had come uncapped in my bag and a,, my clothes were soaked. I did laundry in Rae's shower. We all has nice sunburns from the snorkeling despite sunscreen and used the last of the aftersun lotion. We downloaded photos and then called it a night. Ooh, people ran out to a late night store and found fresh samosas... weird but yummy!
Again delicious breakfast on the lounges beside the pool. Then we all grabbed snorkeling equipment, well some of us rented it from the dive shop... and went snorkeling on the reef in front of the resort. We headed left from the boat passage over the area I had scouted the day before.
The reef is in surprisingly good shape for something right in front of a resort and there is a nice contrast between the top of the reef at 1-5 feet and the bottom at 20 - 35feet. Everyone enjoyed themselves and the reef. I saw another ray and found a crown of thorns and a giant clam for Todd and Meadow.
We got back to shore and realized that we had no Rea. Not panicking we searched the resort... then there was a bit of panicking. I went down the beach and scanned the reef for a snorkel or a corpse... Rae walked up behind me. It was a bit of an Indiana Jones moment. She had been caught by a wave, lost her mask and swollowed some sea watter and had been in the bathroom being sick, but was otherwise unharmed.
We all went to the office to pay. The resort was cheaper than I expected and I didn't get charged for one of my dives. The ferry was more expensive than I would have liked. Unfortionatly they had overbooked for the trip back... possibly due to our staying an extra day... though that couldn;t have been the only reason as there were 8 too many people. They asked us if we could wait for an hour for another boat. As we had planned plenty of padding into our schedule we said that was fine.
An hour later the "Awesome Adventure" boat passed by and we were ferried out in a long boar. The Awesome Adventure is a hideous bright yellow supercat that runs the whole Yasawa chain, 28 stops at the backpackers resorts. One could spend more than a few weeks using it to hop throughout.
Unfortionatly we were in the middle of the run and would be making 9 more stops before getting to Laotoka to catch our bus to Ba and get our luggage so that we could go home. Then we found out that the ferry did not even go to Laotoka but ended it's run at Port Denerau. Now it turned out that there was a free shuttle bus that went from Port Denerau to Laotoka... but it would arrive around 7 in the evening, more than five hours behind our planed arrival time... and possibly after the last bus to Ba.
We protested... we had Octopus called on the CB and eventually we came to the conclusion that someone on the staff at the resort had screwed up and that if we pressed things and talked to the management the consequences to them would be out of proportion to the our inconviniance... and the staff had been very nice to us because of Rae being 'local'. So we let it go and enjoyed the rest of the ride. There is a lot of pretty out there.
We grabbed meat pies at the bread shop in Port Denerau and caught the shuttle an hour or so north to Lautoka and began the search for a ride to Ba. Rae found us a 'VT mini', a large van that we packed 15 people into. It was a great ride... I need to remember not to stress about things :) We got dropped off in front of Rae's house. We said our hello's and went into her apt.
Our bottle of Ditron Vodca had come uncapped in my bag and a,, my clothes were soaked. I did laundry in Rae's shower. We all has nice sunburns from the snorkeling despite sunscreen and used the last of the aftersun lotion. We downloaded photos and then called it a night. Ooh, people ran out to a late night store and found fresh samosas... weird but yummy!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
4.25.8 - Friday - Day 14 (Summit Hike and Snorkling)
Click here for the complete photo album for Day 14
We got up early and enjoyed the contential breakfase again before Rae Chris S and I met with our guide for our hike to the summet of the island. Since we were aranging things directly with the guide we were also paying him directly, $100 for three people for a four hour hike...about $8 an hour, realy pretty resonable. There was some wierdness when there were not enough people for the main planed resort hike and they decided to go to the summet as well. It apeared that the resort tried to combine the hikes, which was fine by us.. but the guides seemed to conspire to miss each other so we went seperatly. Presumably that was so that the money would go directly to the guides, which was also fine with us, but I think that the resort was a little anoyed.
Our guide took us over the pass in the island to the village on the other side where he handed us off to another guide, this time about 15 years old. We walked down the main 'street' of the village trailed by the village children and dogs. Both seemed happy and healthy.. oh! We passed the pig village on the way there. Rae and chris had seen it the day before, but it was new to me. Thee were a few dozen pigs being kept in neat pins that looked like something out of 'A Swiss Family Robenson'
We crossed a couple of beaches and streams, the beaches were mildly littered with plastic bottles and plastic burlap from rice bags or tarps. The village was a mix of traditional and cinder block houses.
In any case we entered the joungle past the village. It was less...deep isn't quite the right word... tall I guess, than the jungle on the interior of Viti Levu where we rafted and Zip lined. But it was lush and beautiful. We moved between jungle and grasslands as we climbed. And climb we did. The trail was as steep as stairs and alternatly muddy and slippery with dry dirt. THe ocational volcanic rock patches were a releif. After a half an hour or so we started taking breaks for people to catch their breath. This served to give us an opertunity to take photos, which we did with abandon.
Eventualy we got up above the treeline and the viwe was spectacualr. We aproched the first black monolith of volcanic rock that was the lower of the twin peaks on the island. It rose a good 1000 feet more above us as we circled around to it's back side where the climb was easier. The last 100 feet or so was up a crack and then a scramble up to the flat top of the mountian. I sat there on the coffeetable sizes platform dangling my feet over the drop. Then deciding that peeing my pants would make for an uncomfortable hike back down I crept off the ledge and helped the others up so that they could take photos.
Getting back down was an adventure in it's self. I've never been so glad to have climbing shoes. We all made it off alive though and started our trip back down. This turned out to be far more dangerious than our trip up. Rae and Chris slid most of the way down on their bun's... ok that's an exageration but not by a lot. I wasn't so stable myself and fell and cut my finger on small splintered stump. The cut wasn't too deep but there was a lot of blood. We got down to the village without further injury.
We had to take a detour to avoid the villages bathing pools as people were bathing. So we ended up going by the part of the river where they did laundry. We ran into a small mob of nekkid children....perhaps their clothes were being washed...
We arrived back at the resort in time for lunch.
I grabbed my snorkel gear after lunch and checked out the reef in front of the resort. It was surprisingly good. I saw a ray and got a chance to do some free diving to 35 or 40 feet. We moved to 'Kumar's Room' which was located back behind the servants quarters. It was kind of cool to see behind the scenes, clothes lines drying the bedsheets and such.
We got up early and enjoyed the contential breakfase again before Rae Chris S and I met with our guide for our hike to the summet of the island. Since we were aranging things directly with the guide we were also paying him directly, $100 for three people for a four hour hike...about $8 an hour, realy pretty resonable. There was some wierdness when there were not enough people for the main planed resort hike and they decided to go to the summet as well. It apeared that the resort tried to combine the hikes, which was fine by us.. but the guides seemed to conspire to miss each other so we went seperatly. Presumably that was so that the money would go directly to the guides, which was also fine with us, but I think that the resort was a little anoyed.
Our guide took us over the pass in the island to the village on the other side where he handed us off to another guide, this time about 15 years old. We walked down the main 'street' of the village trailed by the village children and dogs. Both seemed happy and healthy.. oh! We passed the pig village on the way there. Rae and chris had seen it the day before, but it was new to me. Thee were a few dozen pigs being kept in neat pins that looked like something out of 'A Swiss Family Robenson'
We crossed a couple of beaches and streams, the beaches were mildly littered with plastic bottles and plastic burlap from rice bags or tarps. The village was a mix of traditional and cinder block houses.
In any case we entered the joungle past the village. It was less...deep isn't quite the right word... tall I guess, than the jungle on the interior of Viti Levu where we rafted and Zip lined. But it was lush and beautiful. We moved between jungle and grasslands as we climbed. And climb we did. The trail was as steep as stairs and alternatly muddy and slippery with dry dirt. THe ocational volcanic rock patches were a releif. After a half an hour or so we started taking breaks for people to catch their breath. This served to give us an opertunity to take photos, which we did with abandon.
Eventualy we got up above the treeline and the viwe was spectacualr. We aproched the first black monolith of volcanic rock that was the lower of the twin peaks on the island. It rose a good 1000 feet more above us as we circled around to it's back side where the climb was easier. The last 100 feet or so was up a crack and then a scramble up to the flat top of the mountian. I sat there on the coffeetable sizes platform dangling my feet over the drop. Then deciding that peeing my pants would make for an uncomfortable hike back down I crept off the ledge and helped the others up so that they could take photos.
Getting back down was an adventure in it's self. I've never been so glad to have climbing shoes. We all made it off alive though and started our trip back down. This turned out to be far more dangerious than our trip up. Rae and Chris slid most of the way down on their bun's... ok that's an exageration but not by a lot. I wasn't so stable myself and fell and cut my finger on small splintered stump. The cut wasn't too deep but there was a lot of blood. We got down to the village without further injury.
We had to take a detour to avoid the villages bathing pools as people were bathing. So we ended up going by the part of the river where they did laundry. We ran into a small mob of nekkid children....perhaps their clothes were being washed...
We arrived back at the resort in time for lunch.
I grabbed my snorkel gear after lunch and checked out the reef in front of the resort. It was surprisingly good. I saw a ray and got a chance to do some free diving to 35 or 40 feet. We moved to 'Kumar's Room' which was located back behind the servants quarters. It was kind of cool to see behind the scenes, clothes lines drying the bedsheets and such.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
4.24.8 - Thursday - Day 13 (Kayaking Snorkeling and Glamor Shots)
Click here for the complete photo album for Day 13
The first thing I saw upon waking... I love living in a grass hut!.
We got up in time to catch the continental breakfast which was as lavish as such a thing can be. Again fresh papaya and uncultured yogurt which is stronger than what we are used to but tasty. We rented kayaks, Rae Chris S and I packed packed our snorkeling gear. We paddled across the lagoon and put ashore on a small beach. After poking around a bit and bouldering on the rocks there we swam out to the reef and snorkeled for an hour or so. We came across a school of cuttlefish (a kind of squid) and watched them mating I think. Then swam back to the shore.
Kayaking for fun and profit! ...ok, really just for fun.
Putting the boats out was a little challenging but Rae and Chris didn't have much trouble using the tandem Kayak. I played in the surf a bit but was cautious not wanting to hurt the reef.
Kayaking for fun and profit! ...ok, really just for fun.
We made it back in time for lunch, I had Tahi Coconut chicken curry which was excellent and plentiful.
Sand floor... no shirt, no shoes...no problem!
I decided to go for a second dive but the others passed due to the cost. We were supposed to go for a deeper dive but the water was too choppy for the novice divers in te group so we continued on to a more protected site "mystry reef". It was a bit more vibrant than the previous dive but still showed signs of the cyclones. We saw a small ray which was totally unconcerned with our presence. The dive master found a live Tiger Cowlery and I found three Moles Eye cowlrey's, all larger than any I had seen before. I'll take pictures of the ones I have from my previous trip.
Not the best rocks ever, but the scenery makes up for it.
The dive master found a tiny Mantis shrimp and one of the other divers got pictures with his digital camera which was the smallest waterproof digital I have ever seen. I spotted a lion fish and everyone admired it from a safe distance.
There are better beaches in the world... but only two.
We got bsck and I relaxed a bit on the beach before dinner. Dinner was a fish buffet.I'm not much for fish but this was really good. Both the deep fried and broiled and the raw lime cured fish stew...man do I love that stuff.
Wow...just wow...
We had our bags moved to the dorm which was nice even if it didn't have the privacy of the bury. Oh, we aranced a private guide to take us up to te summet since the next day's group was scheduled to go elsewhere.
Not bad for a dorm.
The first thing I saw upon waking... I love living in a grass hut!.
We got up in time to catch the continental breakfast which was as lavish as such a thing can be. Again fresh papaya and uncultured yogurt which is stronger than what we are used to but tasty. We rented kayaks, Rae Chris S and I packed packed our snorkeling gear. We paddled across the lagoon and put ashore on a small beach. After poking around a bit and bouldering on the rocks there we swam out to the reef and snorkeled for an hour or so. We came across a school of cuttlefish (a kind of squid) and watched them mating I think. Then swam back to the shore.
Kayaking for fun and profit! ...ok, really just for fun.
Putting the boats out was a little challenging but Rae and Chris didn't have much trouble using the tandem Kayak. I played in the surf a bit but was cautious not wanting to hurt the reef.
Kayaking for fun and profit! ...ok, really just for fun.
We made it back in time for lunch, I had Tahi Coconut chicken curry which was excellent and plentiful.
Sand floor... no shirt, no shoes...no problem!
I decided to go for a second dive but the others passed due to the cost. We were supposed to go for a deeper dive but the water was too choppy for the novice divers in te group so we continued on to a more protected site "mystry reef". It was a bit more vibrant than the previous dive but still showed signs of the cyclones. We saw a small ray which was totally unconcerned with our presence. The dive master found a live Tiger Cowlery and I found three Moles Eye cowlrey's, all larger than any I had seen before. I'll take pictures of the ones I have from my previous trip.
Not the best rocks ever, but the scenery makes up for it.
The dive master found a tiny Mantis shrimp and one of the other divers got pictures with his digital camera which was the smallest waterproof digital I have ever seen. I spotted a lion fish and everyone admired it from a safe distance.
There are better beaches in the world... but only two.
We got bsck and I relaxed a bit on the beach before dinner. Dinner was a fish buffet.I'm not much for fish but this was really good. Both the deep fried and broiled and the raw lime cured fish stew...man do I love that stuff.
Wow...just wow...
We had our bags moved to the dorm which was nice even if it didn't have the privacy of the bury. Oh, we aranced a private guide to take us up to te summet since the next day's group was scheduled to go elsewhere.
Not bad for a dorm.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
4.23.8 - Wednesday - Day 12 (Trip to Octopus and Resort Drive)
Click here for the complete photo album for Day 12
You really want to check this one out, lots of amazing shots.
As we were getting out things moved to the lobby of the hotel a local government (I think) group was gathering at the hotel, all in ties and dress sulu but it had a strangely 'Godfather' feel to it.
Ginger... defiantly Ginger.
The driver from Octopus picked us up a half an hour late and took us to their offices. We didn't have time to fill out paperwork because of the time...this would come back to haunt us later. He then drove us to the harbor outside of the city where we boarded a 20ish foot open boat for the ride out to Waya.
Our first view or Octopus.
The ride was fun, we passed a modernish square rigger and a few smaller islands. Everyone got a bit wet but it was a beautiful day and our luggage was piled in the center of the boat and stayed relatively dry.
Todd and Rae in the hammock outside our bury.
We arrived at the island and transferred to a longboat to get ashore. A small string band welcomed us and we were given fruit juice and had a short orientation.
Todd's impression of a Navy SEAL intimidated the locals.
To say the resort was beautiful would be an injustice. It was the perfect tropical resort, adventurous and rustic and at the same time comfortable and luxurious. And it's where they keep all the pretty tourists!
People in SCUBA gear look silly...they just do.
For lunch there were half a dozen choices from burgers to raw fish stew... I avoided the stew the first day but discovered later that it is one of the best foods EVER! We ate and relaxed a bit, but not for long. We discovered that the learn to dive course was only offered every other day so we had to do it at 2pm or miss it. I talked to the dive master and he let me sit in on the class and take pictures.
We all felt great after the dive though.
After their video and lecture (the power went out half way through and the dive master had to cover the second half with flash cards) Todd, Meadow, Chris and Rae were suited up and hit the pool for their practice exercises. They had a blast though Rae had trouble with her ears and elected not to do the open water portion. Meadow particularly took to it like a fish to...well...
Did I mention that Waya is kind of beautiful.
For the open water dive they took us to a near by reef called 'the three sisters' the dive was to 12 meters (36ft, the gauges were metric which threw me). The island had been hit by three cyclones in January and the reef was pretty beat up. But the new coral growth looked healthy. Compared to some of the dives I remember this one was pretty drab but it was a good introduction for everyone.
Ok, more than a little.
We got back and rinsed off in the pool and relaxed for a couple of hours. Due to the dorm being full we ended up splitting a three person bury and a two person bungalow. They were beautiful, I'll let the photos speak for themselves.
Kava...it still tastes like muddy water... the ceremony was nice though.
Before dinner we had a welcome ceremony and Kava. It was much milder than what we were given in nandi. We watched the stars come out on the beach and turned in early. Oddly given the young crowd there wasn't much of a night life, everyone is exausted by the end of the day.
LINKS
Octopus Resort
Nifty interactive map of Waya
You really want to check this one out, lots of amazing shots.
As we were getting out things moved to the lobby of the hotel a local government (I think) group was gathering at the hotel, all in ties and dress sulu but it had a strangely 'Godfather' feel to it.
Ginger... defiantly Ginger.
The driver from Octopus picked us up a half an hour late and took us to their offices. We didn't have time to fill out paperwork because of the time...this would come back to haunt us later. He then drove us to the harbor outside of the city where we boarded a 20ish foot open boat for the ride out to Waya.
Our first view or Octopus.
The ride was fun, we passed a modernish square rigger and a few smaller islands. Everyone got a bit wet but it was a beautiful day and our luggage was piled in the center of the boat and stayed relatively dry.
Todd and Rae in the hammock outside our bury.
We arrived at the island and transferred to a longboat to get ashore. A small string band welcomed us and we were given fruit juice and had a short orientation.
Todd's impression of a Navy SEAL intimidated the locals.
To say the resort was beautiful would be an injustice. It was the perfect tropical resort, adventurous and rustic and at the same time comfortable and luxurious. And it's where they keep all the pretty tourists!
People in SCUBA gear look silly...they just do.
For lunch there were half a dozen choices from burgers to raw fish stew... I avoided the stew the first day but discovered later that it is one of the best foods EVER! We ate and relaxed a bit, but not for long. We discovered that the learn to dive course was only offered every other day so we had to do it at 2pm or miss it. I talked to the dive master and he let me sit in on the class and take pictures.
We all felt great after the dive though.
After their video and lecture (the power went out half way through and the dive master had to cover the second half with flash cards) Todd, Meadow, Chris and Rae were suited up and hit the pool for their practice exercises. They had a blast though Rae had trouble with her ears and elected not to do the open water portion. Meadow particularly took to it like a fish to...well...
Did I mention that Waya is kind of beautiful.
For the open water dive they took us to a near by reef called 'the three sisters' the dive was to 12 meters (36ft, the gauges were metric which threw me). The island had been hit by three cyclones in January and the reef was pretty beat up. But the new coral growth looked healthy. Compared to some of the dives I remember this one was pretty drab but it was a good introduction for everyone.
Ok, more than a little.
We got back and rinsed off in the pool and relaxed for a couple of hours. Due to the dorm being full we ended up splitting a three person bury and a two person bungalow. They were beautiful, I'll let the photos speak for themselves.
Kava...it still tastes like muddy water... the ceremony was nice though.
Before dinner we had a welcome ceremony and Kava. It was much milder than what we were given in nandi. We watched the stars come out on the beach and turned in early. Oddly given the young crowd there wasn't much of a night life, everyone is exausted by the end of the day.
LINKS
Octopus Resort
Nifty interactive map of Waya
4.22.8 - Tuesday - Day 11 (Rainforest Zip Line and drive to Laotoka)
Click here for the complete photo album for Day 11
Big Bug! Really Really Big Bug!
I got up early and went fro a run down to the Pearl and back, the resort dogs were my escort :) The others were up when I got back and we had the complementary breakfast... I am coming to love fresh papaya.
Chris S had no fear!
We called about the zip lines and found out that we could go at 1 p.m. Chris, Rae and I went this time. The first run was off a Cliff across the river and to the ground. Then there was a climb up to the second run. After the first run you never touch the ground until the end of the 8 runs. We got to make two circuits. It was thrilling, though by the end of it we had the hang of it (pun intended) and were playing around, going backwards and spinning... on purpose even. We took lots of pictures and video:
Rae went first.
I talked a bit with the owner who said that there is some great climbing in fiji but little interest among tourists in doing it...I wonder if it is a marketing issue?
When we got back we used the uprising Internet and spent some time setting up our stay at Octopus and hotel in Laotoka. The drive back was beautiful!
Vibrum 5 Fingers are great for many sports, now including Ziplines!
We stopped for dinner at 'The Crows Nest' resort's restaurant. I remember eating there on my first trip to Fiji. In my memory there is an old man sitting in the corner smoking a pipe and looking wise... I always thought that would be a good place to be at 80.
The Crow's Nest seems not to have changed much in the last 20 years.
We got into Laotoka late and got a room at the hotel Cathay. It was a bit of a dive but cheep and we could get picked up there by the folks at octopus.
LINKS
Zip Fiji Website
Zip Fiji Video (amature, but with wierd ants)
Big Bug! Really Really Big Bug!
I got up early and went fro a run down to the Pearl and back, the resort dogs were my escort :) The others were up when I got back and we had the complementary breakfast... I am coming to love fresh papaya.
Chris S had no fear!
We called about the zip lines and found out that we could go at 1 p.m. Chris, Rae and I went this time. The first run was off a Cliff across the river and to the ground. Then there was a climb up to the second run. After the first run you never touch the ground until the end of the 8 runs. We got to make two circuits. It was thrilling, though by the end of it we had the hang of it (pun intended) and were playing around, going backwards and spinning... on purpose even. We took lots of pictures and video:
Rae went first.
I talked a bit with the owner who said that there is some great climbing in fiji but little interest among tourists in doing it...I wonder if it is a marketing issue?
When we got back we used the uprising Internet and spent some time setting up our stay at Octopus and hotel in Laotoka. The drive back was beautiful!
Vibrum 5 Fingers are great for many sports, now including Ziplines!
We stopped for dinner at 'The Crows Nest' resort's restaurant. I remember eating there on my first trip to Fiji. In my memory there is an old man sitting in the corner smoking a pipe and looking wise... I always thought that would be a good place to be at 80.
The Crow's Nest seems not to have changed much in the last 20 years.
We got into Laotoka late and got a room at the hotel Cathay. It was a bit of a dive but cheep and we could get picked up there by the folks at octopus.
LINKS
Zip Fiji Website
Zip Fiji Video (amature, but with wierd ants)
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
4.21.8 - Monday - Day 10 (White Water Rafting and Horseback Riding)
Click here for the complete photo album for Day 10
We got up at 5:30 am to get ready for rafting. The report from Rea's tent was that a tent on a packed dirt floor with no pads is not comfortable.
When we got to the Pearl, which was where the Rivers Fiji offices were located, we were told that there was no room on the rafting trip because they had already sent out the food for the day. We sulked and ended up speaking with the head river guide, Moses. He spoke to the manager and we were allowed to bring our own food and go!
At that point we discovered that there were some scheduling issues (the manager had taken a reservation while at the bar the night before and forgotten to write it down) and we had an hour to kill before we headed out. We took the time to go buy some food to take with us.
Eventualy we climbed on the bus and headed down the coast. We hit our turn off and waited a bit to collect the almost forgotten people who were coming from the other direction. I got a great picture of Todd and Chris under a HUGE banyon tree.
Todd and Chris are a good 50ft in front of the tree so it's even bigger than it looks!
The road through the rain-forest covered mountians was amazing. The views and the forrest were beautiful. We went through Mahogany groves (well not so much groves as jungle infested with mahogany trees). They are not native and cause problems with some of the local food plants. That is they kill the taro root and other traditional staples because they make the soil too acidic. But on the other hand they are a good source om income, the guides were conflicted about it. We gave a ride to a half a dozen local guys to the village that was near the head of the river. They bounced around in the back of the buss but were somehow unhurt. We arrived at the put in point and then hiked around the first rapid while the guides went down it alont, it was a class 4.
Our Guides took the boats through that alone
We got in in the pool below the rapids and were off. Chris and a woman from the Soloman Islands (who had shared our dorm the previous night) were in front and Todd and I were in the back. Moses was our guide. Rae and Meadow skiped the rafting due to money and fear of death, though as we would find out their day was at least as exciting as ours.
Our Entry: Less Excitement AND Less Death!
I'll let the pictures speak for themselves but... we went through canyons and waterfalls with mild rapids and eventualy we got to a swimming hole. We had lunch there then swam in the poole where a tributary joined the river. I hiked up half a dozen falls and explored. I came back in sight of the rest of the party just as people were prepairing to leave, one of the guides gestured to me, motioning for me to come back. I gave the OK sign a half a second before remembering that that is the sign for 'ass hole' in fijian. The guide looked shocked and then another guide gestured furiously to him giving the thumbs up signal and explaining that I was a stupid tourist. The other guide was mullified and the international peace was maintained.
What the rapids lacked in thrills they made up for in beauty.
A bit further down the river was the 'free massage waterfall' which you could either lay or stand under...wonderfull! Todd, Chris and I all ended up laying under it. The water was coming down so hard you could bearly force yourself back up to your knees to crawl out from under it.
Ooh, the first waterfall that we passed fell onto jagged rocks and was called the 'Push Each other" waterfall. The story was that in pre-western Fiji a man's two wives went up to do laundry and after a long argumentended up pushing each other off. Moses insisted that he had been up to the top hunting boar and had seen the remains of their washing pottery.
Thanks to Moses for the photo.
On the flat water there was a lot of horse play, Moses kept trying to knock one of the other guides into the water. He had me try to hook him with the T of my paddle but he hung on. A few minutes later we came up behind his boat again and I grabed him by his lifejacket. I pulled and he fell backwards flailing in the ier for a few seconds before loosing his balance and falling into the river. It was funny but Moses completely lost it, laughing so hard he had tears running down his face.
And this is Moses!
We took out at a small interior village, some cynder block buildings but a lot of traditional burries too. Just north of the village there was a guy in a loin cloth with a cane knife and all his clothes held above his head wadeing and then swimming across the river. We used the rafts to ferry a few people across the river.
Oh, further up the river we passed a guy building a bili bili, a traditional bamboo raft. Although he was making it out of the larger imported bamboo rather than the smaller native bamboo.
Two more shots of the canyon
The ride back was breathtaking and spine jarring but uneventful. We dropped our things at the dorm and walked down to the beach to find Rae and Meadow.
They came galloping, or at least cantering, down the beach just as we arived. I'll leave the story of their cyninatic and equine adventures for one of them to detail:
Rae's horse was named 'Treason'!
We went to the uprising bar for dinner. By the end of the meal I had a splitting headache. The rest of the crew drove down to the Perl for drinks while I turned in early. It was raining. Again I'll leave their adventure or lack there of for them to describe:
Another sunset, because every day ended like that!
LINKS:
Rivers Fiji
Profesional Video of Rafting on the Upper Nevaru
Amature video, but it has Moses
We got up at 5:30 am to get ready for rafting. The report from Rea's tent was that a tent on a packed dirt floor with no pads is not comfortable.
When we got to the Pearl, which was where the Rivers Fiji offices were located, we were told that there was no room on the rafting trip because they had already sent out the food for the day. We sulked and ended up speaking with the head river guide, Moses. He spoke to the manager and we were allowed to bring our own food and go!
At that point we discovered that there were some scheduling issues (the manager had taken a reservation while at the bar the night before and forgotten to write it down) and we had an hour to kill before we headed out. We took the time to go buy some food to take with us.
Eventualy we climbed on the bus and headed down the coast. We hit our turn off and waited a bit to collect the almost forgotten people who were coming from the other direction. I got a great picture of Todd and Chris under a HUGE banyon tree.
Todd and Chris are a good 50ft in front of the tree so it's even bigger than it looks!
The road through the rain-forest covered mountians was amazing. The views and the forrest were beautiful. We went through Mahogany groves (well not so much groves as jungle infested with mahogany trees). They are not native and cause problems with some of the local food plants. That is they kill the taro root and other traditional staples because they make the soil too acidic. But on the other hand they are a good source om income, the guides were conflicted about it. We gave a ride to a half a dozen local guys to the village that was near the head of the river. They bounced around in the back of the buss but were somehow unhurt. We arrived at the put in point and then hiked around the first rapid while the guides went down it alont, it was a class 4.
Our Guides took the boats through that alone
We got in in the pool below the rapids and were off. Chris and a woman from the Soloman Islands (who had shared our dorm the previous night) were in front and Todd and I were in the back. Moses was our guide. Rae and Meadow skiped the rafting due to money and fear of death, though as we would find out their day was at least as exciting as ours.
Our Entry: Less Excitement AND Less Death!
I'll let the pictures speak for themselves but... we went through canyons and waterfalls with mild rapids and eventualy we got to a swimming hole. We had lunch there then swam in the poole where a tributary joined the river. I hiked up half a dozen falls and explored. I came back in sight of the rest of the party just as people were prepairing to leave, one of the guides gestured to me, motioning for me to come back. I gave the OK sign a half a second before remembering that that is the sign for 'ass hole' in fijian. The guide looked shocked and then another guide gestured furiously to him giving the thumbs up signal and explaining that I was a stupid tourist. The other guide was mullified and the international peace was maintained.
What the rapids lacked in thrills they made up for in beauty.
A bit further down the river was the 'free massage waterfall' which you could either lay or stand under...wonderfull! Todd, Chris and I all ended up laying under it. The water was coming down so hard you could bearly force yourself back up to your knees to crawl out from under it.
Ooh, the first waterfall that we passed fell onto jagged rocks and was called the 'Push Each other" waterfall. The story was that in pre-western Fiji a man's two wives went up to do laundry and after a long argumentended up pushing each other off. Moses insisted that he had been up to the top hunting boar and had seen the remains of their washing pottery.
Thanks to Moses for the photo.
On the flat water there was a lot of horse play, Moses kept trying to knock one of the other guides into the water. He had me try to hook him with the T of my paddle but he hung on. A few minutes later we came up behind his boat again and I grabed him by his lifejacket. I pulled and he fell backwards flailing in the ier for a few seconds before loosing his balance and falling into the river. It was funny but Moses completely lost it, laughing so hard he had tears running down his face.
And this is Moses!
Chris: "Are you fresh and full of life?"
Meadow: "Yes...except when I'm not...then I'm stale and full of dead."
We took out at a small interior village, some cynder block buildings but a lot of traditional burries too. Just north of the village there was a guy in a loin cloth with a cane knife and all his clothes held above his head wadeing and then swimming across the river. We used the rafts to ferry a few people across the river.
Oh, further up the river we passed a guy building a bili bili, a traditional bamboo raft. Although he was making it out of the larger imported bamboo rather than the smaller native bamboo.
Two more shots of the canyon
The ride back was breathtaking and spine jarring but uneventful. We dropped our things at the dorm and walked down to the beach to find Rae and Meadow.
They came galloping, or at least cantering, down the beach just as we arived. I'll leave the story of their cyninatic and equine adventures for one of them to detail:
Rae's horse was named 'Treason'!
We went to the uprising bar for dinner. By the end of the meal I had a splitting headache. The rest of the crew drove down to the Perl for drinks while I turned in early. It was raining. Again I'll leave their adventure or lack there of for them to describe:
Meadow: "I have a tan and two dollars Fijian.
Another sunset, because every day ended like that!
LINKS:
Rivers Fiji
Profesional Video of Rafting on the Upper Nevaru
Amature video, but it has Moses
Saturday, May 24, 2008
4.20.8 - Sunday - Day 9 (Drive to the Coral Coast)
Click here for the complete photo album for Day 9
We had done some packing the night before but after a weeks spreading out we had some work to do...things were looking grim. (Note the remains of the Jackfruit above) I decided to buy everyone breakfast before any blood was spilled. And yes, I got up early and went for my run on the beach! In any case the packing went more smoothly after a tasty meal on the patio of the pool bar.
We got out of the resort in the early afternoon and st oped at the port for meat pies and to exchange money. Shortly after leaving Rae missed her wallet. It was feared that she had left it at the money exchanging place (there is a word for that that is escaping me...) It was not until we unpacked the van for the final time days later that we found it wedged underneath a seat.
Rae: I was missing it, but had the gut feeling it was in the van. And... it was, so no harm done.
From a graveyard near Denerau
The drive was long but scenic. We passed a turnoff that lead to a waterfall we had been told about but it eas further from Pacific Harbor than we had thought so we doubted we would be able to make it back... next time.
It was late afternoon when we got to pacific Harbor so we stopped for a late lunch/early dinner at the cultural center. It has a nice feel. It is sort of a tourist thing but feels nothing like the port at Denerau, which is the apotheosis of timeshares.
We took some photos and had lunch sitting on a deck overlooking a lilly pond. We used their Internet to make reservations at 'Uprising" resort. It was too late to contact the rafting place but we got their number and address for the next morning.
We arrived at Uprising at dusk. It's a beautiful place, all traditional architecture, grass palm fronds and wood. The dorm building was a lot like an African safari lodge. (See photos) The grounds were awesome and the bar open and friendly, all in rich wood.
Rae set up her tent next to the dorm to save money and she, Chris and I decided to go for a walk on the beach. It was full dark at this point but there was a moon and the beach was beautiful. We walked down the beach playing in the water a bit.
Re falling off the mountain above Octopus resort on Waya
We spotted a cluster of lights flickering in the distance down the beach, at least a mile away. I made the joking comment that we should walk all the way there. We speculated that the lights might be 'The Pearl" a near by resort with a reputation for being very posh. (We later found out that it is one of the few five star resorts in the south pacific.)
After a long walk and a number of handstands by Chris we arrived at the lights. They were indeed the Pearl, and it was indeed posh! Everything was lit by torches and candle light. There was a large horseshoe of broad benches with cream colored sued cushons. They were too deep to sit in, you had to recline back onto the pellows. They had a slate platform behind them to rest your drinks on. Inside the bar which resembled a Japanese tea house and a sultans plesure chamber silmoultaniously there were brightly colored silk beanbags and tables made from slices of local hardwoods.
Our Dorm at the Uprising
We wondered into the totaly empty bar and a bartender drifted out of the shadows and handed us menues. I ordered a passionfruit mojito... it was without question the best drink I have ever had, layer after layer of taste...sooo good. After tasting mine Rae ordered one too. It cost more than her night stay at uprising! (ok, so she was sleeping in a tent)
Rae: That drink was orgasmically, mind-blowingly good. I am building a shrine to it when I return.
Flower from the lily pond at the cultural center in Pacific Harbor
We wondered back to the uprising avoiding being attacked by beach guard dogs by walking in the surf and then watched Chris do many more handstands.
Rae: Wait...when was the skinny-dipping?
Chris B: The skinny dipping was the next day, keep your pants on :)
The friendly open bar at Uprising
We found Todd and Meadow playing pool in the uprising's dining room/bar. We joined them for a couple of games, drank some "Fiji Gold" and "Fiji Bitter" and then headed back to the dorm to crash. In the 25 bed dorm there were two other guests. There were fans but no air conditioning, it was fine. And, yay, our first mosquito nets!
LINKS:
Arts Village
Uprising Resort
The Pearl
Video of Uprising
Map of Pacific Harbor
We had done some packing the night before but after a weeks spreading out we had some work to do...things were looking grim. (Note the remains of the Jackfruit above) I decided to buy everyone breakfast before any blood was spilled. And yes, I got up early and went for my run on the beach! In any case the packing went more smoothly after a tasty meal on the patio of the pool bar.
Meadow: "I went diving...I am entitled to my sultananess!."
We got out of the resort in the early afternoon and st oped at the port for meat pies and to exchange money. Shortly after leaving Rae missed her wallet. It was feared that she had left it at the money exchanging place (there is a word for that that is escaping me...) It was not until we unpacked the van for the final time days later that we found it wedged underneath a seat.
Rae: I was missing it, but had the gut feeling it was in the van. And... it was, so no harm done.
From a graveyard near Denerau
The drive was long but scenic. We passed a turnoff that lead to a waterfall we had been told about but it eas further from Pacific Harbor than we had thought so we doubted we would be able to make it back... next time.
It was late afternoon when we got to pacific Harbor so we stopped for a late lunch/early dinner at the cultural center. It has a nice feel. It is sort of a tourist thing but feels nothing like the port at Denerau, which is the apotheosis of timeshares.
We took some photos and had lunch sitting on a deck overlooking a lilly pond. We used their Internet to make reservations at 'Uprising" resort. It was too late to contact the rafting place but we got their number and address for the next morning.
We arrived at Uprising at dusk. It's a beautiful place, all traditional architecture, grass palm fronds and wood. The dorm building was a lot like an African safari lodge. (See photos) The grounds were awesome and the bar open and friendly, all in rich wood.
Rae set up her tent next to the dorm to save money and she, Chris and I decided to go for a walk on the beach. It was full dark at this point but there was a moon and the beach was beautiful. We walked down the beach playing in the water a bit.
Meadow: "Dead tourists are bad juju."
Re falling off the mountain above Octopus resort on Waya
We spotted a cluster of lights flickering in the distance down the beach, at least a mile away. I made the joking comment that we should walk all the way there. We speculated that the lights might be 'The Pearl" a near by resort with a reputation for being very posh. (We later found out that it is one of the few five star resorts in the south pacific.)
After a long walk and a number of handstands by Chris we arrived at the lights. They were indeed the Pearl, and it was indeed posh! Everything was lit by torches and candle light. There was a large horseshoe of broad benches with cream colored sued cushons. They were too deep to sit in, you had to recline back onto the pellows. They had a slate platform behind them to rest your drinks on. Inside the bar which resembled a Japanese tea house and a sultans plesure chamber silmoultaniously there were brightly colored silk beanbags and tables made from slices of local hardwoods.
Our Dorm at the Uprising
We wondered into the totaly empty bar and a bartender drifted out of the shadows and handed us menues. I ordered a passionfruit mojito... it was without question the best drink I have ever had, layer after layer of taste...sooo good. After tasting mine Rae ordered one too. It cost more than her night stay at uprising! (ok, so she was sleeping in a tent)
Rae: That drink was orgasmically, mind-blowingly good. I am building a shrine to it when I return.
Flower from the lily pond at the cultural center in Pacific Harbor
Meadow: "I don't think even Fijian food comes in blue..."
We wondered back to the uprising avoiding being attacked by beach guard dogs by walking in the surf and then watched Chris do many more handstands.
Rae: Wait...when was the skinny-dipping?
Chris B: The skinny dipping was the next day, keep your pants on :)
The friendly open bar at Uprising
We found Todd and Meadow playing pool in the uprising's dining room/bar. We joined them for a couple of games, drank some "Fiji Gold" and "Fiji Bitter" and then headed back to the dorm to crash. In the 25 bed dorm there were two other guests. There were fans but no air conditioning, it was fine. And, yay, our first mosquito nets!
LINKS:
Arts Village
Uprising Resort
The Pearl
Video of Uprising
Map of Pacific Harbor
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