Last Day in Paradise

Possibly the best morning weather wise we got up and took advantage of the late checkout (because no-one was due in today). A snorkel for both of us before breakfast is a petty cool way to start the day.

The loss of a thong (left too close to the gobbling swells) was tolerated as it was no longer required anyway. A lazy morning in the cabin ensued as the wind picked up again. A slow pack and then a last lunch before checkout in the packed dining room. So whilst we jumped into the good car for the long drive back to Nadi it was with regret as we left behind a beautiful place packed with beautiful people and the whole coast basking in a beautiful day weather wise.

12 hours door to door... the trip was uneventful - apart from a split cup of red wine all over oneself. It's delightful being pinned into the same position for 6 hours smelling of wine, getting cold from it and knowing your clothes will be ruined as a result. Ah the joys of travel....At least Melbourne International was freely moving (1st time ever) - suspect this was due to only two small flights landing at the time.

This is what we came for

The sky was an unbroken sheen of glorious blue when we flipped open the shutters and drew back the blinds. Whilst the persistent easterly continued to.... persist, at least this was the type of vista we expected when we first envisaged this foray. And so in order to make sure we could tick off as many items on the "to do" list as possible.. first up breakfast..nah kidding ..that wasn't on the list... Kayaking was and Kayaking we did.

Paddling furiously against the wind and currents we weaved our way amongst the coral spikes to get as near as we could to the outer reef. Yep.. we eventually got stuck. Teamwork prevailed and we easily zoomed back (with a tailwind and current to help) to our beach front harbour. Next (on the list) was repeating the long trek back along the picturesque beaches to a perfectly located boutique. Run by locals and leveraging off the Hideaway clientele this little shack offers manicures, pedicures, massages, and tattoos.

Partaking in all but the later the following hour or so was spent whiling away the time there whilst effectively giving to the local village. An interesting setup....Perched somewhat precariously between the main road and the cliffs to the beach and backing onto the resort concrete wall (think Berlin ..or maybe modern day Israel ...soon to be Mexico/US .... get my drift here?) the staff are....well locals learning the trade. If you want a 1st world Toorak Road Armadale experience then stay there. The views out the windows of the corrugated iron extension perched high over the beach which houses the 3 massage tables is priceless. The strength in the fingers (let alone the physique) of the masseurs is testament as to why they recently won their first Olympic gold medal.

And thus rubbed, oiled, clipped, filed and painted we fell out of the shack into the burning sun and facing a 4 km walk home. Which we did. Foresight is great...we had sunscreen to reapply and so it was a glorious trek back over now well known terrain. Along the way we picked up previously noted biochemical hazards ..D-Cell batteries. Thought there were 4 ... eventually collected 10 of the monstrosities. Someone around here needs some educating.

Lunch ensued (not on the list...) and then kick back and see if the weather will be kind....and it was. A dip in the (always tempting for the last week) pool at our doorstep was performed (yep...it was on the list) by one and the other later on headed to the outer reaches of the reef - this time armed with two underwater cameras and snorkeling gear (also on the list). Combined, capturing over an hour of never to be looked at footage. At least a couple of selfies may prevail. The reefs are great, mostly so because you can walk out your door and go straight into them. Very few places in the world you can do this. (Note to self : don't be here when a tsunami rolls in.). By then then sun was heading elsewhere an d Pre's were the order of the day. By the time we emerged from our little slice of heaven the sun had gone, Venus was brightly chasing it and in the other direction the full moon was shining brightly behind (curiously) still palm fronds..

And the wind doth blow

The sou'easterly had turned pretty much full on easterly and bordering on gale force as we stumbled out of the cabin after a hard night of arguing with poorly written blog construction apps and inadequate tools running them. The morning was subsequently taken up by trying to recover the losses of the night before. Having posted a 2nd hand version (never as good as the original) we headed off downwind along the beach with the aim off reaching the Hideaway for a reminisce of days long past and prior to current coupling.

Once again the locale comes alive when out of the wind. Leaving our towel behind (hitchhikers all over the galaxy shudder in disbelief) the trek past villages, jungle, elders sitting on rocks, choral deserts and river crossings ( yep..more wet feet) was delightful. Somewhat more exotic than traipsing past houses in 1st world suburbia. The resort was ..well...a resort. Manicured gardens between the plethora of villa's nestled beneath a canopy of palm trees. No one on the extensive beach.

Eventually found everyone crowded around the one pool. Kids screaming. A pod of wannabee scuba divers looking totally out of place in less than 1 meter of water. All the deck chairs full of lounging tourists. Without breaking stride we glided through so thankful that we had our slice if heaven to go back to.
Needless to say the headwinds on the way bank were tiring but to be in the warm tropics on a deserted beach is worth a strong breeze or two.

Stopping at our towel we plunged into the shallow waters to cool off after our efforts (8 kms). Well actually the water is so shallow at low tide it was more "lower ourselves into the remaining dregs"...still clear, clean and refreshing though.
The afternoon was consumed by massages alternating with reading and with the wind continuing at its feverish pitch putting paid to any notion of water activities.
Then pre's. Then dinner. Then blogging. Then bed. Day done.

This is what Paradise is all about.

The early morning sun cast yellow beams of happiness through the green fronds of the palm trees and onto the gleaming white sands signalling the beginning of a day with a somewhat ambitious agenda.

Given the conditions - immediately after pancakes for breakfast we threw ourselves into a snorkelling foray in the waters lapping on (well OK then ..20 meters away from) our doorstep. Then we wandered up the road in order to jump on top of a couple of previously mentioned "Rollin' in sands" horses and spent the next hour strolling along the beach conveyed by beasts.

Beware the horse snorts and I was....frequently.Very well trained and beautiful animals. A very generous gesture by Ro to jump off and run up to our kitchen to snag some carrot treats for them. Next we jumped into our hosts brand spankin'  4wd and headed off up into the forests in search of rushing waters. Arriving in a local village we had to partake in the traditional greeting ceremony (kava and coordinated clapping - shoes and hats off, cross legged in grass mats, $50 donation to the village) followed by the chance to purchase a plethora if local handcrafts.

Happily handing over the dosh ( they need it - especially the chief - he gets all of Wednesdays takings - seriously - other days goes to the school etc.)  and having no cash left afterwards for delightfully decorated ornaments we headed upstream. Into the plush rainforest we plunged. Luckily the path was well trodden and the aforementioned funds were paying the way for a paved path to keep the tourists feet from mud and slippage. And thus more will come. 9 river crossings (wet shoes) and 3km through classical jungle landscape we arrived at the waterfall. Pristine and perfect, we frolicked in the crystal clear fresh waters.

It was only after prompting, our guide (Daniel) informed us that the natives considered these waters to hold mystical fertility powers. If our kids get a sibling out of this there will need to be some serious scientific studies into exactly what is floating in these waters after so many generations of "frolicking" by the locals. The chicken and tuna sandwiches we ordered for lunch were a lesson - in both taste and in ordering - clarifying when specifying when one wants a variety....not a combination. Heading back down we crossed the 15k steps mark on the Fitbit  and the 18th river crossing for the day (woo hoo!). The drive back to the compound ( well it is behind a big concrete wall) was insightful with Wayne the owner espousing how difficult it is to make life work as an ex-pat in Fiji. 1st world problems in a 3rd world country....at least he's giving it a red hot go. Back at camp we luxuriated in our 1st world privileges. One on a deck chair beside the pool the other out to the far reaches of the reef - armed with nought but snorkel, flippers and waterproof camera. An hour later a 10 minute blast of one of the last vestiges of the crappy weather touched the shore. However by then it was time for debrief and cocktails back at HQ. Dinner was proceeded by a quick reconnoiter up to the ATM/supermarket/liquor shop and then we got to try and rate a new dish created by the chef. Seafood Crepe...really? can it possibly get better than this? Well - yes it can ... it's now late and it's raining.. as it's meant to do in the tropics ( e.g. at night). So care factor = 0.

Doing goodness out west

It's amazing how sometimes a plan works exceedingly well. Set it up, go with flow whilst executing and it all just falls into place...For the first time the sun was out when we woke, the wind had dropped and the crystal clear waters of the warm tropical coral reef beckoned like a siren from the rocks.

Tempted as we were, we had to forgo the pristine delights that lapped at our doorstep and instead climbed into our tiered old jalopy and headed into the gloom of the west.
Our genius hosts had managed to secure a hire car for the day at incredibly cheap rates and no paper to fill out. The poor old thing has done over 250,000 km and struggled a bit up the hills. However with a maximum allowable speed of 80kph this did not really concern us. We were by no means the slowest on the road.
Loaded with goodies we caught up with our rendezvous at the Hindu temple in Nandi.

Slight embarrassment mistaking the car park attendant for a beggar, we followed to the temporary home of the Ratu family. They normally live on the island Koro. This was directly in the path of the cyclone. Consequently displaced to the outskirts of Nadi whilst Yogen works for a nephew of a work colleague of Ro's. They have a 3 month old baby and live in a ...humpy? constructed of old corrugated iron sheets. Two rooms, grass mats covering the dirt floor. Of course - no services, no fly screens, nothing...just a will to live and a strong family bond.
Due to the close proximity of the concrete factory the baby goes elsewhere during the day. So we met Mum, Dad, Cousin, Niece and Nephew members of the family from all over.
No photo's - felt it would have been bit rude.
It was nice they cleaned up the place and offered Kava whilst were sitting cross legged on the floor in a circle however they seemed to appreciate the declination based on the need to drive. They were very happy with our two suitcases full of essentials (well what we think they may have needed anyway). Maybe next time it may be a little less awkward. So we headed off and onto a highly recommended Chinese restaurant for lunch (LC's - we were originally looking for Elsie's...).
This was followed by a quick poke around the shops of Nadi looking for obscure audio cables before we headed back south, out of the overcast gloom and back to the glistening coast. Just by the time we managed to hit the water the sun disappeared again. urrrgghhh. However the water was warm and the fish glowing brightly against the bleached coral. Dinner in the dining room with one other couple (the other one must've got room service) and a DVD before blogging saw the day to an end.

Chillaxing in the tropics

The coral coast is named as such due to the extensive coral reefs which line the whole southern edge of the main island. Extending about 200 meters from the shoreline they provide a solid barrier to the swells of the open Pacific ocean. The surf constantly pounds against the reef creating an incessant roar which filters through the wooden slats of the villa windows day and night. We have had to keep these mostly closed due to the cold wind accompanying the sound of ocean whipping through the room, making it feel like a typical winters day south of Hounville.

Lesson to be learnt: never assume warm weather in the tropics and pack accordingly.
A short stroll along the beach (before massage for the other one) this morning saw us stumbling across some frolicking horses and an interesting vertical waterfall off the reef. Thinking the weather was improving was purely due to being around the point and out of the wind. Back at Breezy Villa (where the chill winds doth blow) we were kindly entertained by Daniel. Local dude who had many talents inc. Basket weaving, Hat weaving, and other fashion accessories such as glasses and watches.

He also shimmied up a tree to get some fresh coconuts for us to drink from. Very entertaining.
Dinner was delightful. This is certainly the place to come to relax away from the maddening hordes. Given the weather it also puts a whole new meaning to the verb chillax. We do however remain hopeful the sun will prevail at some stage and allow us to
fully enjoy the delights this place has to offer.
Tomorrow we head off into the wild west to seek out some deserving souls.....

A Change in the weather

The locals are abuzz with the fact that the weather is behaving so weirdly. This cold wind and rain is not apparently the norm for this time of the year. Some farmers are enjoying the extra water on their crops whilst others are complaining about their machinery being bogged. At this point in time Fiji itself is not victim to the rising seas of global warming due to its circular barrier reefs. However everyone knows this is just a temporary stay against the impending high tides.
We got to hear the rain pattering down all night as we drifted in an out of a well earned 14 hour sleep. Luckily meal times here are at the bequest of the guests (not dictated to by zealous resort managers) so we abide by our own timetable and thus we do whatever we like whenever we like.

Including sampling the finest the land has to offer.
The rain stopped during the day and we went for a stroll over the coral sand beaches along the coral coast taking in the pristine views of coral infused waters, ringed with palm trees waving in the strong winds over the clumps of washed up coral on the shoreline.
Our journey came to an end when we ran into a village with no clear way along the waterline. So we retreated back to our private residence and spent the rest of the day hangin' about. Watching handmade coconut milk being produced, Spars in dubious water , a massage for one and lots of books being read.

Dinner was good as was the ambience. We now have 4 couples staying in the place. It's almost buzzing with vibe.. (almost).
We've also made contact with our contact who knows how to contact the pending recipients of our extra luggage we lugged here. No doubt this will develop into a comprehensible statement over the next few bloggs....

Marooned in Paradise

Here we are. Stuck on the bottom of Viti Levu with nowhere to go and with no means of getting there.

It's raining - driven by a cool southerly coming of the NZ snow capped mountains thousands of kilometers across the sea. Any notion of exploration of either land or water is quickly forgotten as the precipitation drives the few guests inside their quaint villas. We spent many hours getting here overnight. The 5hour flight was pretty much sleepless. The arival in Nadi was painful due to two flights arriving at the same time, renovations restricting the flow through customs and the really weird band of security guards acting as musicians. The drive (by our jack-of-all-trades Mani) was a fabulous insight into Fiji culture and facts. e.g. approx 850,000 people live here. Only 60 road deaths per year. Mani is obviously not happy with this and subsequently is doing his utmost to increase the stats. Hopefully the top speed limit of 80kph and the excessive speed bumps across the highways will thwart him on his unaware quest. Upon reflection though it was a very useful lesson in how to handle the roads for later.

Our resort is in the middle of nowhere and as we have no wheels it looks as if we are captured for the week. Have just signed up for the meals package so it looks as if we'll be hangin' in our room with the occasional stroll over pseudo pebbled pathways to the dining room to put on calories we have no hope of burning off. Tonight is Curry night. Paradise.