BULA everyone! Well, Fiji was DEFINITELY an experience. I traveled with the company Feejee
Experience; not your everyday mainstream tour operator. Feejee Experience takes you beyond the glossy postcard island scenes and introduces you to Fijian culture and history. Basically, Fiji is made up of 3 main islands: Viti Levu, Vanua Levu and Taveuni. I flew into Nadi (pronounced Nandi) on the island of Viti Levu and spent the next 4 days touring this island.
Viki and I spent our first night at Smuggler’s Cove. Nice enough, price was right but probably wouldn’t recommend it. Ended up with mass amounts of mosquito bites (24 on 1 leg! In a span of 5 minutes). We were lounging by the beach when hoards of frogs suddenly emerged. Next thing I know, we’re talking to a couple guys and we’re being bitten like crazy. I literally had to run into the dorm to grab my bug stuff. Unfortunately, I was way too late. My leg still looks diseased to this day. Lesson learned. Even if no mosquitoes in the area at the time, always have your bug repellent on, or handy. Anyhow, I had anticipated staying at Nadi Bay Hotel where I was supposed to be meeting up with Val from home. She was supposed to have been in Nadi for a couple days already. Being that I was at a different hostel, I assumed that I would just see her on the bus in the morning. Just falling asleep when a lady comes around telling me that Val’s on the phone. Turns out she’s been stuck in LA for the past two days. Apparently, there was a bird stuck in the number one engine and then her luggage was lost (and recovered). Sounds like something that might happen to Val.
Travel Day 1: Nadi to Coral Coast - Picked up from our hostel bright and early and yes, Val was on the bus. Nice to see a familiar face. Have to admit, I was a little teary-eyed. The sun was out and it was hot, hot, hot. Abou
t 20 of us in total on the tour. Most from England I later found out. Our first stop was the Nadi markets. It’s customary for men and women to wear sulus (sarongs) in the villages so for those of us without, it was our chance to pick one up. Not much to see in Nadi really. Very commercialized and geared toward tourism. From Nadi, we deviated from the main road and traveled along a gravel road through villages and sugar cane fields to beautiful Natadola Beach. The water was clear blue, the beaches were sandy white and we were surrounded by lush greenery. My first stop was the water. Soooo much warmer in Fiji than it is in Australia. Sunbathing and swimming were the main activities, followed by a BBQ lunch prepared by our tour guide, Bola. Val had a chance to begin ridding her body of its reflective winterish glow and we were no longer blinded when looking at her. Moving on from Natadola Beach, we headed to the coastal village of Malo-malo. As we entered the village wearing our sulus (nice to see the guys went with some patterns), we were met by a dozen or so children anxious to hold our hands and find out where we were from. Malo-malo is a predominantly self-sufficient village with income and meals reliant on crop growth. The water is drawn from a well within the village. Most of the houses are made from scraps of materials and only a few had furniture, most members spending their nights sleeping on mats. We sat in a traditional bure that was made using traditional Fijian methods with local materials. Apparently, this bure has survived 7 cyclones to date. Impressive. While inside the bure, Bola told us a little about day-to-day life in the village, village relationships and Fijian marriage. The visit to this village negated my naive perceptions of what I thought Fiji would be like. It also left me with a greater appreciation for my home in Canada. For our final activity of the day we headed back onto the main road to our next stop, the Sigatoka sand dunes. Apparently, the sand dunes are an archeological site and the wind sometimes uncovers human bones from old burial sites. For us, it was more or less an opportunity to bring out the body boards. However, after watching one guy face plant and then shake away the stars that were clearly circling his head, I decided to refrain from the activity. The thought of having sand in every crevice of my body was also less than appealing. After the testosterone in the group died down, we headed to our accommodation for the night, the Mango Bay Resort. Looking back, the nicest place we stayed. The air smelled sweet, we had our own individual 
mosquito nets and we were in the middle of a lush green valley. There was a pool, bar, nightclub and they served the most amazing buffet dinner. If I hadn’t been on a schedule, another couple nights here would have been ideal. A small group from a nearby village performed traditional songs and dances and we had the opportunity to participate in our first kava ceremony. Kava root is made into a powder and emulsified in water, resulting in a bowl of what appears to be muddy water. Kava ceremonies are prominent in social gatherings, promoting relaxation and a general sense of well-being. The group of us sat in a circle, guys cross-legged, girls side-saddle (very uncomfortable for long periods) and we each took turns taking bowls of kava. The custom is to clap once, say "Bula", drink and then clap three more times.
Travel Day 2: Coral Coast to Suva - This was one of the highlights of my Fiji trip even though it
poured rain for the entire day. The Matakibau trek in the Colo-I-Suva Forest Park is an 11km (3hr) hike through rainforest amidst the inner mountains of Fiji. We trekked uphill and downhill, trudged through the mud and waded through creeks. Gorgeous scenery the entire length of the trek and the beautiful Navua River at the end. After lunch by the river, we grabbed our tubes for some tubing action down the river. At this point, it would have been nice if the sun were out, but we still had an awesome time! We stopped at a waterfall to play around a bit, or rather, some of us did. My fingers and toes were purple and I felt like hypothermia was starting to set in so I refrained from the activity. Unfortunately, we still had a 30 min trip by longboat back to the bus. Did I say it was pouring rain?! I spent most of that trip under a tarp getting to know the rest of the group. Back at Raintree Lodge, we attempted to dry ourselves and our clothes off. Then rewarded ourselves with a few Fiji Golds and an amazing italian buffet. Perfect way to end the day. Oh, and did I forget to mention that a select few from our group decided to purchase our own kava. We wanted to experience the full effect so we had our own kava ceremony with our tour guide and some of the locals. After 10-20 cups of kava, I was definitely relaxed and enjoying the kava’s effects. Had one terrific night’s sleep too!
Travel Day 3: Suva to Rakiraki - The rain was relentless and we ended up switching to plan B for day 3. This meant no bilibi rafting. Instead, we visited a school and then traveled to another village where we participated in a sevu suvu, or welcoming ceremony. We presented the chief of the village with a package of kava roots. A ceremony then ensued in which our group sat in a circle listening to our guide and the chief of the village converse back and forth in Fijian. And of course, there was a kava ceremony (number 3 I think?). At this point, I’m starting to acquire a taste for the slightly bitter, grassy tasting drink. Following the ceremony, the women and men were split up. While the men att
ended to their men’s work (kava drinking), the women learned how to weave bracelets with banana leaves. Not the most exciting activity but I did end up with a bracelet. After weaving, we had a coconut carving contest. My team won so we got drink more kava while the other team prepared dessert. One of the highlights of the village visit was using their toilets. No lights, no toilet paper, no soap, no water. I might as well have been peeing in the bush. You sort of have to put your knowledge about germs on the backburner. I have after all, been sharing the same kava bowl with the same people using the same toilets. Mmmmm. Our last stop of the day was Volivoli, our hostel for the evening. The evening was filled with crab racing (mine came in third and I won a free drink) and another game similar to musical chairs, except that you had to grab onto other members of the group and go into a sex position called out by the leader (interesting?). My group won (another free drink). The night ended with yet another kava ceremony, some truth or dare by the bonfire and some late night swimming.
Travel Day 4: Rakiraki to Nadi - Our last day was pretty low key. We stopped in Ba for a traditional
curry meal. Then we headed off through sugar cane and cattle country to the Sabeto Hot Pools. Not just hot pools but mud pools as well. They’ve been left in their natural state so it’s not what I would call a spa experience or anything. Getting into the pool felt like what I would think was like getting into a pool of vomit. Chunks of stuff are rubbing all around your body. Not unpleasant but not totally pleasant at the same time. The good mud that you rub all over is at the bottom of the mud pool. After playing around in the mud for a bit, we headed into the hot thermal mineral water for a soak. The only thing the mud did to my skin was dry it out, but it’s all about the experience right? And so ended the Feejee Experience tour. We were dropped off at Nadi Bay Hotel.
The following day, most of the group headed off to Beachcomber Island, an add-on to the Feejee Experience. Remember the picture-perfect postcards I was talking about at the beginning? Beachcomber Island Resort could BE one of those postcards. Beachcomber is a 30 minute ferry ride from Nadi and the waters are crystal clear blue, the beaches are sandy white and it’s all about relaxing on the beach. The dorm holds 80+ beds. I was a little skeptical but had one of my better sleeps there. It must have been at least 35 degrees when we got there and the sun shone the whole time. We got in some really great snorkeling. I saw more jellyfish than I cared to. Massive purple ones right by the beach. Lots of fish and coral. More suntanning on the beach, drinking, excellent buffets. That about sums up my time at beachcomber and ends my trip in Fiji. I was sad to go. Met a lot of really cool people on the trip but have some new emails and hope to keep in touch. Fiji was awesome!
Experience; not your everyday mainstream tour operator. Feejee Experience takes you beyond the glossy postcard island scenes and introduces you to Fijian culture and history. Basically, Fiji is made up of 3 main islands: Viti Levu, Vanua Levu and Taveuni. I flew into Nadi (pronounced Nandi) on the island of Viti Levu and spent the next 4 days touring this island.Viki and I spent our first night at Smuggler’s Cove. Nice enough, price was right but probably wouldn’t recommend it. Ended up with mass amounts of mosquito bites (24 on 1 leg! In a span of 5 minutes). We were lounging by the beach when hoards of frogs suddenly emerged. Next thing I know, we’re talking to a couple guys and we’re being bitten like crazy. I literally had to run into the dorm to grab my bug stuff. Unfortunately, I was way too late. My leg still looks diseased to this day. Lesson learned. Even if no mosquitoes in the area at the time, always have your bug repellent on, or handy. Anyhow, I had anticipated staying at Nadi Bay Hotel where I was supposed to be meeting up with Val from home. She was supposed to have been in Nadi for a couple days already. Being that I was at a different hostel, I assumed that I would just see her on the bus in the morning. Just falling asleep when a lady comes around telling me that Val’s on the phone. Turns out she’s been stuck in LA for the past two days. Apparently, there was a bird stuck in the number one engine and then her luggage was lost (and recovered). Sounds like something that might happen to Val.
Travel Day 1: Nadi to Coral Coast - Picked up from our hostel bright and early and yes, Val was on the bus. Nice to see a familiar face. Have to admit, I was a little teary-eyed. The sun was out and it was hot, hot, hot. Abou
t 20 of us in total on the tour. Most from England I later found out. Our first stop was the Nadi markets. It’s customary for men and women to wear sulus (sarongs) in the villages so for those of us without, it was our chance to pick one up. Not much to see in Nadi really. Very commercialized and geared toward tourism. From Nadi, we deviated from the main road and traveled along a gravel road through villages and sugar cane fields to beautiful Natadola Beach. The water was clear blue, the beaches were sandy white and we were surrounded by lush greenery. My first stop was the water. Soooo much warmer in Fiji than it is in Australia. Sunbathing and swimming were the main activities, followed by a BBQ lunch prepared by our tour guide, Bola. Val had a chance to begin ridding her body of its reflective winterish glow and we were no longer blinded when looking at her. Moving on from Natadola Beach, we headed to the coastal village of Malo-malo. As we entered the village wearing our sulus (nice to see the guys went with some patterns), we were met by a dozen or so children anxious to hold our hands and find out where we were from. Malo-malo is a predominantly self-sufficient village with income and meals reliant on crop growth. The water is drawn from a well within the village. Most of the houses are made from scraps of materials and only a few had furniture, most members spending their nights sleeping on mats. We sat in a traditional bure that was made using traditional Fijian methods with local materials. Apparently, this bure has survived 7 cyclones to date. Impressive. While inside the bure, Bola told us a little about day-to-day life in the village, village relationships and Fijian marriage. The visit to this village negated my naive perceptions of what I thought Fiji would be like. It also left me with a greater appreciation for my home in Canada. For our final activity of the day we headed back onto the main road to our next stop, the Sigatoka sand dunes. Apparently, the sand dunes are an archeological site and the wind sometimes uncovers human bones from old burial sites. For us, it was more or less an opportunity to bring out the body boards. However, after watching one guy face plant and then shake away the stars that were clearly circling his head, I decided to refrain from the activity. The thought of having sand in every crevice of my body was also less than appealing. After the testosterone in the group died down, we headed to our accommodation for the night, the Mango Bay Resort. Looking back, the nicest place we stayed. The air smelled sweet, we had our own individual 
mosquito nets and we were in the middle of a lush green valley. There was a pool, bar, nightclub and they served the most amazing buffet dinner. If I hadn’t been on a schedule, another couple nights here would have been ideal. A small group from a nearby village performed traditional songs and dances and we had the opportunity to participate in our first kava ceremony. Kava root is made into a powder and emulsified in water, resulting in a bowl of what appears to be muddy water. Kava ceremonies are prominent in social gatherings, promoting relaxation and a general sense of well-being. The group of us sat in a circle, guys cross-legged, girls side-saddle (very uncomfortable for long periods) and we each took turns taking bowls of kava. The custom is to clap once, say "Bula", drink and then clap three more times.Travel Day 2: Coral Coast to Suva - This was one of the highlights of my Fiji trip even though it
poured rain for the entire day. The Matakibau trek in the Colo-I-Suva Forest Park is an 11km (3hr) hike through rainforest amidst the inner mountains of Fiji. We trekked uphill and downhill, trudged through the mud and waded through creeks. Gorgeous scenery the entire length of the trek and the beautiful Navua River at the end. After lunch by the river, we grabbed our tubes for some tubing action down the river. At this point, it would have been nice if the sun were out, but we still had an awesome time! We stopped at a waterfall to play around a bit, or rather, some of us did. My fingers and toes were purple and I felt like hypothermia was starting to set in so I refrained from the activity. Unfortunately, we still had a 30 min trip by longboat back to the bus. Did I say it was pouring rain?! I spent most of that trip under a tarp getting to know the rest of the group. Back at Raintree Lodge, we attempted to dry ourselves and our clothes off. Then rewarded ourselves with a few Fiji Golds and an amazing italian buffet. Perfect way to end the day. Oh, and did I forget to mention that a select few from our group decided to purchase our own kava. We wanted to experience the full effect so we had our own kava ceremony with our tour guide and some of the locals. After 10-20 cups of kava, I was definitely relaxed and enjoying the kava’s effects. Had one terrific night’s sleep too!Travel Day 3: Suva to Rakiraki - The rain was relentless and we ended up switching to plan B for day 3. This meant no bilibi rafting. Instead, we visited a school and then traveled to another village where we participated in a sevu suvu, or welcoming ceremony. We presented the chief of the village with a package of kava roots. A ceremony then ensued in which our group sat in a circle listening to our guide and the chief of the village converse back and forth in Fijian. And of course, there was a kava ceremony (number 3 I think?). At this point, I’m starting to acquire a taste for the slightly bitter, grassy tasting drink. Following the ceremony, the women and men were split up. While the men att
ended to their men’s work (kava drinking), the women learned how to weave bracelets with banana leaves. Not the most exciting activity but I did end up with a bracelet. After weaving, we had a coconut carving contest. My team won so we got drink more kava while the other team prepared dessert. One of the highlights of the village visit was using their toilets. No lights, no toilet paper, no soap, no water. I might as well have been peeing in the bush. You sort of have to put your knowledge about germs on the backburner. I have after all, been sharing the same kava bowl with the same people using the same toilets. Mmmmm. Our last stop of the day was Volivoli, our hostel for the evening. The evening was filled with crab racing (mine came in third and I won a free drink) and another game similar to musical chairs, except that you had to grab onto other members of the group and go into a sex position called out by the leader (interesting?). My group won (another free drink). The night ended with yet another kava ceremony, some truth or dare by the bonfire and some late night swimming.Travel Day 4: Rakiraki to Nadi - Our last day was pretty low key. We stopped in Ba for a traditional
curry meal. Then we headed off through sugar cane and cattle country to the Sabeto Hot Pools. Not just hot pools but mud pools as well. They’ve been left in their natural state so it’s not what I would call a spa experience or anything. Getting into the pool felt like what I would think was like getting into a pool of vomit. Chunks of stuff are rubbing all around your body. Not unpleasant but not totally pleasant at the same time. The good mud that you rub all over is at the bottom of the mud pool. After playing around in the mud for a bit, we headed into the hot thermal mineral water for a soak. The only thing the mud did to my skin was dry it out, but it’s all about the experience right? And so ended the Feejee Experience tour. We were dropped off at Nadi Bay Hotel.
The following day, most of the group headed off to Beachcomber Island, an add-on to the Feejee Experience. Remember the picture-perfect postcards I was talking about at the beginning? Beachcomber Island Resort could BE one of those postcards. Beachcomber is a 30 minute ferry ride from Nadi and the waters are crystal clear blue, the beaches are sandy white and it’s all about relaxing on the beach. The dorm holds 80+ beds. I was a little skeptical but had one of my better sleeps there. It must have been at least 35 degrees when we got there and the sun shone the whole time. We got in some really great snorkeling. I saw more jellyfish than I cared to. Massive purple ones right by the beach. Lots of fish and coral. More suntanning on the beach, drinking, excellent buffets. That about sums up my time at beachcomber and ends my trip in Fiji. I was sad to go. Met a lot of really cool people on the trip but have some new emails and hope to keep in touch. Fiji was awesome!
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