Fiji, 2013

I honestly don't even know where to begin.. Fiji is breathtaking - but I'll start from the beginning. As mentally exhausted and physically cramped up we were feeling after our 10hr flight on a budjet Air Pacific plane (with seats as comfortable as bar stools and leg space as limited as the channels on our *broken* TVs) when the six of us first stepped off the plane at 5am on March 4th, we didnt care how we got there: we were in paradise. The air was humid, warm, and smelt of fresh sea water, tropical flowers and juicy fruit. Although I was convinced I was listening to rare, Fijian birds chirping and singing and greeting us as we entered the airport, I was quickly assured by Steve: "That isn't the sound of tropical birds, Chels... It's the squeak of the baggage claim trollys". He was right. I was tired. 

Although the airport is out-dated.. And that's putting it very lightly.. You would never know it by the staff. They met us at the entrance with ukilelees and acoustic guitars, dressed in light cotton tshirts covered in fijian flowers, and singing traditional songs to us while we waited in line to pass security. Security was more like another friendly greeting rather than a check-stop. I don't even know if he looked at my passport, just smiled, said Bula (hello) and pointed us towards Duty Free Bounty rum - which we bought, pronto. We were finally on vacation!

For our first night, we opted to stay at Radisson Resort in Denarau, the man-made island linked by bridge to Nadi. It was stunning. A modern building on the edge of the ocean wall. The grounds were lush with neon green bushes, coconut trees everywhere, flowers of every type and color, and stone pools glistening teal waters. I never saw one Fijian there without a smile on. Whenever they passed you they said Bula! often followed by a high-five or friendly laugh. Walking along the ocean was beautiful but since Denarau was made on marsh land, the ocean was murkier than normal. Still lined with shells, scattered with crabs and offering up a cool breeze - walking along the shoreline couldn't be beat. 

At night we explored the marina, ate a delicious surf and turf dinner, had some drinks, and in the morning, ventured out to Nadi to check out a hostel named Bamboo. Bamboo was more of a backpacking experience. A 9 bed dorm with bunk beds and a fan in place of air con, and a shared shower. Although the coconut ring making, night-time fire show and 4$ beers were enjoyable, my iphone and Coach sunglasses were stolen. We left the next morning to board the Bula ferry, get out of Nadi, and head the furthest north we could through the Yasawa islands.

After a very sea-sick and rocky 5hr ferry ride, we finally landed on Nacula Island and stayed at Safe Landing Resort, simply because we didn't know any better. With no electricity or hot water, let's just say this wasnt the highlight of the islands. Small, very basic, and staff not to be found for the most part, it was a bit of a shock. The food was always some combination of rice and previously frozen vegetables, and if you didnt come to eat at meal times, they came and found you to enquire as to why. There didnt seem to be a choice when it came to participating in activities as well, we had to. And it entailed musical chairs, two rounds of freeze-dance and musical potatoes. It seemed to be built on a grave site as well. Every path we took along the grounds led to a stray of graves and tomb stones. We were told that this island put a halt to their canabalism only a couple generations ago. It made me wonder if any of these tombs represented loved ones eaten years ago. We checked out as soon as we could in the morning, and made a very good decision to explore Tavewa Island, Coralview Resort. We all fell in love with it.

Our planned one night stay turned into three. The staff were so outgoing, friendly in a genuine way, and willing to accomodate in any way possible - our friend and trusted Fijian bartender, Kelly, even encouraged us to plug our ipod into their resort sound system while we drank. He was a big, jolly mid-aged man with a thick moustache, four teenage children and an uncanny intuition for when our drinks were running low. They called us Team Canada, and by then we had added a few travellers to our group: Andrew, who currently lives in Alberta, and two British loves, Hailey and Tom. We did lots on Tavewa - explored the shoreline finding secluded beaches to ourselves (being chased into the water by wild dogs), went on a boat to Suntan Beach, hiked the trails, drank Kava and watched a traditional Lovo dinner be made underground.

After Tavewa, we went to Naviti island, Korovu Resort - another beautiful resort on a long stretch of beach. There were rhinosaurous beetles the size of my hand that ate through bark like it was nothing.

The next night we went to Beachcomber, known as the party island, and danced until we couldnt anymore. We are now at Mana Island at Ratu Kini hostel, and leaving back for the mainland later this afternoon to stay at Smugglers Cove hostel in Nadi. We only have two more nights until we depart for New Zealand, and we're all really looking forward to it!

Instagram: @chelseakop