Fiji-time (Part 1)

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BULA!



Fijians are both welcoming and enthusiastic. The airport even has its own ukulele band to welcome you off the plane! After check-in and another breakfast we headed yo the spa for our much anticipated treat, full body massages! The rest of the day was spent in a relaxed daze as we tried to catch up with some of the sleep we missed whilst on the plane (we also missed a whole day as the flight left on the 3rd and arrived on the 5th...)



The next day meant an early start and a coach ride to the port where we picked up our full itinerary and jumped on the "Yasawa Flyer" (a rather speedy catamaran ferry) to our first island resort. A wobbly small boat transfer later and we were walking up a white sandy beach to the tunes from another welcome 'bula' song. The island is so small you can walk around the perimeter in 15 minutes, while exploring we found mini-golf, turtles and some excellent snorkeling locations.  




We were given a demonstration of local craftsmanship, using the palm leaves to create useful items. First up was a woven case for cooking fish or chicken (pictured further below) and a basket with handle for carrying items. We had a go at weaving a fish!





After lunch and a round of mini-golf we grabbed some snorkeling gear and had our first taste of the clear Fiji waters, amongst the coral we saw lots of life including a Blue Sea Star, Blue Devil, Scissortail Sergeant, various Triggerfish, Butterflyfish and Amy even spotted a Reef Shark! In the evening we took the few minutes walk to the Western side of the island to watch the sunset.












The next day was sailing day! After breakfast we boarded the catamaran again for our transfer to the 15m yacht 'Seaspray' where we would spend the day. Once boarded and handed our welcome champagne we set sail for the Castaway Islands, named so as they were the filming location of the film Castaway. After sailing through the group of islands we arrived at Modriki Island where filming took place, the yacht moored here whilst we snorkeled in the bay and enjoyed the beach, after an hour of enjoying the water and sun we boarded the yacht for a delicious barbecued lunch.













Unfortunately whilst in the water Amy encountered the notorious 'sea lice' (which we later learnt are jellyfish hatchlings and are barely visible) and suffered nasty stings to her legs which combined with bumpy seas made the sailing a little less pleasant for the next leg.

 Once lunch was over we set sail for Yanuya Island where we visited a Fijian village and were welcomed with a Kava ceremony (a Fijian tradition), a look around the village and a small market to purchase locally made souvenirs.

Back aboard Seaspray we headed back to our starting point and we learnt where the boat got her name, sailing at speed in bumpy seas we were showered by the salty spray as we headed back to our starting point.


The next morning arrived and after breakfast we checked out and caught the Yasawa Flyer once again to head to our next stop, Naqalia Lodge which was to be our first in the Yasawa Islands. 

 Next post: Fiji (Part 2)

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