BULA VINAKA
hello from post-Fiji holiday! Wow what a blast!! Fiji is incredible!!! So my new friends Micaela, Kate, Molly, and I all planned this Fiji trip for our school’s Spring Break. We began to get real excited as the departure date arrived and next thing we knew we were in GORGEOUS Fiji!!! We planned the trip to stay at Beachcomber Island resort for four nights. This is a private island about 1 mile in circumference. Real tiny. It’s where Mom and Dad spent their honeymoon only 22 years ago! I betcha not much has changed since then.
Day 1
We left Townsville late Saturday night, flew to Brisbane and then off to Fiji!! It was actually a terrible airport adventure. We made it to Brisbane just fine. We grabbed our luggage and headed to the International Terminal on a bus. Now our plan was to breeze through check in and customs and sit down and relax, grab a delicious burger before our overnight flight. You guessed it….that didn’t happen. We got to the Fiji Airways check in area and were greeted with a HUGE line. Ugh. Easily the entire passenger list was queued up trying to check in. One hour into the painstaking wait we realized who the culprits of the slow-moving line were: Americans. There was a group of roughly thirty American teens clogging up the line. As we waited (and maybe complained loudly) we learned what was up. Each, I mean EACH, of the kids had two to four full size suitcases, plus carry ons. They clearly were unaware of the company’s limits on baggage as there were girls trying to stuff their hard shell luggage into the metal sizing boxes, while one guy unpacked about 30 lbs of clothes and wore them so that his baggage would weigh less. The scene was unbelievable. The flight attendants were obviously irked and we were right there with them. They should’ve told them to get their shit together at the back of the line and let the rest of us go ahead. Their excuses were that they were studying abroad in Brisbane and they were stopping in Fiji on their way back to America. They said they were abroad for FOUR MONTHS! It sure made us feel good about overpacking for Fiji or even for our entire Australia trip because we all combined had less luggage than them!! 😡 Anyways, two hours later we were through check in and customs, but now it was 11:30 and every possible eatery was closed. The only choice we had was Coffee Club cold cuts and beer. So that’s what we did. An hour later we were boarded on our way to Fiji. Thank God.
Day Two
The five hour plane ride was just okay. Immediately sleepy for take off, but then they turned on the lights to serve breakfast…..(???? it’s midnight!!) but it actually it was good to get some more food. Then I tried to get as much sleep as possible. When we landed we were in beautiful Fiji just as the sun was rising. We unboarded, went through customs, and got our luggage. Now it was 5:30 am in Fiji. So nothing was open, our phones didn’t work, and we definitely felt a little unsure. So we hopped in a slightly strange cab and headed to Anchorage Resort (Beachcomber’s sister resort on the mainland). The cabbie seemed to know where he was going, but Kate was sure we were gonna get driven off somewhere obscure and die. Nope. We ended up swiftly exactly where we needed to be. We got dropped off at the boat dock, which is at the very bottom of the large hill the resort sits on. We unloaded, paid FJ$30 for the cab. (One fijian dollar equals about 50 cents, USD). It was still 6:30 and the boat wasn’t taking us to Beachcomber until 8:30. So Molly and I hiked up the hill to double check with reception we were at the right place. We were and so we just lounged for an hour along the shore of the boat harbor, enjoying the quiet Fiji morning. Soon enough the restaurant opened up and we grabbed some coffee and brekky for cheap. By 8:30 we were boarding the steel boat and on our way to Beachcomber!
A 45 minute ride later we were greeting with song at the shores of Beachcomber. How magical! I’ve never seen water so clear, so blue. The little island is picture perfect! It was great! Our bags were unloaded for us as we checked in. We sipped on complimentary welcome fruit juice. We checked in hassle free, except for Kate who’s credit card apparently didn’t go through? Once sorted out, we were shown our dorm rooms and they weren’t half bad! We soon changed into our swim suits, sunscreened up, and headed for the beach! We lounged out under the sun, and took a dip in the water, until lunchtime was nearing around 1pm.
The first lunch was easily the worst we had, and it was still yummy. Food is included at Beachcomber, everyone comes out to grab a plate and serve buffet style for each meal. This one, like most, consisted of a mix of different sides, veggie options and meat options. Usually rice too. Scrumptous. We downed it with some relaxing and tropical cocktails to set the Fiji mood.
We suntanned, read books, and rocked out to island jams for the rest of the arvo. We showered up around 5 and got ready to see the sunset. We only had to walk a few yards around the island to reach the perfect sunset spot. It truly was everything you’d expect from a sunset in Fiji. We wandered back to home base for dinner. Then we moved into the bar for a little bit of relaxation, but we were all pretty buggered from the rough flight, so we headed to bed real early. Getting to Fiji was a success!!
Day Three
We all woke up refreshed. Micaela’s bed and mine were next to each other. And the sunrise hit us straight in the face. The sleep was completely comfy until that sun just heated up the bed, and the flies attacked your skin. But anywho, we slipped out of our PJs and back into our swimsuits, all we ever wore (why we brought entire 50lb suitcases, I’ll never know). We ate the first Fiji breakfast, which turned out to be identical every day. Some sort of potatoes, some sort of green, tea, coffee, juice, and EGGS (any way you want!) They really shouldn’t have tasted as good as they did. I had a mushroom and cheese omelette every day for breakfast I think. One day they even had french fries instead of breakfast potatoes.
Today we set out on our first snorkeling trip! We hired snorkel gear for a $25 deposit and boarded the boat that drove us out to the reef just maybe two miles or less off of the west side of the island. We hopped in and snorkeled as a group for about 300 yards or so. It was clear as day underwater. We could see every fish, every coral, and after a little bit of time I was snorkeling like a pro! This was my first time snorkeling and it was incredible!! I couldn’t believe how much life there was under the sea 🙂 This was the only time all four of us snorkeled. Kate gets a little nauseous so it’s not her fave. But I’m so glad we all did this trip together. And that I brought my underwater camera (thanks Haley!).
We relaxed on the beach for the rest of the day, reapplying sunscreen every four hours!! (No burning allowed!) We hung out with some international friends. Namely this group of guys from England (Callum, Geoff, and Vin), this Scottish girl (Kathy) and a Dutch girl (Meesh). We chatted with them as we passed time under the sun. Molly went on a swim around the island with Geoff and they said it only took 15 minutes! Anyways, we all enjoyed lunch and the lovely afternoon of relaxing. After showers and dinner we retired to the bar for the first real night out in Fiji. Although Molly doesn’t drink, we all took one celebratory Tequila shot. We passed the night playing classic drinking games, dancing to the same playlist that had been playing since we arrived on the island, and enjoying the company of the locals. I didn’t stay out too long and enjoyed a good night’s sleep 🙂
Day Four
We woke up and had our energizing breakfast once again. Molly and Micaela set out at 10 for a scuba dive shesh. Meanwhile Kate and I decided to swim around the island. We stupidly decided to go against the current so it took more like 20 minutes, but the island really is SMALL. We enjoyed our little work out, and rewarded ourselves by relaxing on the beach yet again. We caught up with a Dutch guy (Martin) and a Canadian (Dusty). Soon enough Micaela and Molly came back and shared their stories from their dive trip. Exhausted, we all decided to get massages. 60 minute sessions were perfect. It was beyond relaxing and felt sooooo good. Plus the massage oils later acted as tanning oils 😉 no burning though! Micaela and I decided to go on a stroll around the island with our cameras and we hadn’t yet gotten too many pictures of the island itself. We later played some volleyball and the locals even joined in too. Everyone who works at Beachcomber is so nice, so friendly, and so inviting. They sure are fun people to be around.
Again we relaxed until shower and dinner time. Then we headed to the bar to relax more. It’s so cool to meet new people every night, from all around the world. We learned different versions of the same drinking game, we sung to the same island songs, and we rarely stopped laughing.
Day Five
Our last full day in Fiji was spent with two goals: do everything we have yet to do, and TAN. So that’s what we did. This included Molly and I heading out to snorkel and feed the fish. This was the best snorkel trip we had. It ended up just being Molly, Martin, Meesh, one Beachcomber worker, and I. So we started by getting dropped at one point, and snorkeling to the other. The water was even clearer than before, we’d bob up and down to see a glimpse of every fish. I swear there were more than before, probably because there wasn’t a whole heap of people snorkeling this time. When we got to the boat again, we got a bread roll and held it in the water. The entire schools of fish would pool around your hand and nibble on the bread! You could feel their little teeth touch your skin. It was incredible to feel. It was just as cool to watch. Molly would sink down a few feet as a tornado of fish circled around her for maybe 15 seconds before all the bread was gone. It was easily the coolest thing I’ve ever done. I hadn’t brought my camera on this trip, so it was an image that’ll forever live in my head 🙂
After that, we all prepped for our jet ski trip. Now I’ve never been on a jet ski before either! So Molly and Kate went first (tandem) for thirty minutes. Micaela and I watched from the shoreline. Kelly, the Beachcomber guy running the jet skis, got a little mad because Molly and Kate went out wayyyyy too far. They were halfway to the next island and were apparently supposed to only stay in front of Beachcomber. Oops! Kate was driving when she tried to flip Molly off, but Molly held onto Kate and they both fell in! Haha. Half and hour later it was our turn. Miceala drove for fifteen minutes first. We did as we were told and stayed in the boundaries Kelly gave us! haha It was such a blast! I thought it’d go a little faster, but we took some crazy turns that nearly threw us both off. I drove for the second half of our time and it was so cool!! Other than getting a butt rash from the wet seat, it was perfect!! We thanked Kerry and stayed back on land for the rest of the day.
That afternoon we finally found the mini golf course that’s hidden between all of the huts on the island. We hired some golf clubs and played a lil round of mini golf. (I’m sure I won)
The last thing we did before the day ended was check out the sunset once again on the island. It was just as spectacular as ever 🙂 Before the night was over, they performed traditional Fijian dances and a fire ceremony. That was really really cool to see! We even got to join in and dance a little! We once again did the ‘Bula Dance’ and taught Meesh how to do it too. We partied for one last night on Beachcomber, and enjoyed every minute of it.
Day Six
Today was the last day in Fiji. We were leaving Beachcomber to spend the final night on the mainland in order to catch our 6 am flight in the morning. But the boat to take us back to Anchorage wasn’t leaving until 4 pm. So we spent the last day on the island tanning more and enjoying the natural beauty. Molly and I went snorkeling and fish feeding one last time. I took my camera this time, but the experience wasn’t like before. We chose the wrong time to go as this trip was two boats filled with day trippers going snorkeling. The water was rougher and not very clear. We fed fish at the start, so we got to have a little fun at least.
Since it was the final morning, we finally attended the Kava Ceremony. Now it’s said you haven’t really been to Fiji if you haven’t had Kava. It’s a sort of juice made from water and this root that’s actually a narcotic. It is GROSS, like dirty dish water. But we sat down and participated in the whole ceremony and each drank a whole bowlful of Kava. It makes your mouth and tongue numb and tingly.
After that we all checked out and packed our stuff up, and just relaxed on the beach and in the water until it was time to board our boat. We said our goodbyes to the locals and to the friends we made just that day, haha. The boat took us to Anchorage Resort, where we checked in and they showed us our rooms. OMG real beds. We were in no way ‘roughing it’ on Beachcomber, but a heated shower, a fluffy bed, and the most magical view, was just what we needed before a huge day of traveling.
We showered and cleaned up and then headed back down to the shore to get some dinner. It felt so so so good not to cook on Beachcomber. Everything was made for you, we got to try amazing new things, and every meal was an adventure. However, it wasn’t always the best, and sitting down and ordering what I wanted was actually really nice after five days. I ordered the special – honey glazed pork chops with mashed potatoes and roasted veggies (swoon). IT WAS BEYOND DELICIOUS.
We also picked the right night to come to Anchorage as they had free rum cocktails and performed more traditional and fire dances. It was a perfect end to a perfect holiday, just chatting around candlelight on the shore of a magical island. We retired to our rooms quite early and slept like rocks in our nice beds.
Day Seven
We woke up bright and early and took a cab back to Nadi Airport. After baggage drop off, customs, and security. We made a breakfast stop at a cafe. We ate quiche and…(drumroll please)….we drank Fiji water….IN FIJI ! Trippy, aye!?
The trip to Brisbane was just as okay as the flight to Fiji. We got to Brisbane at 10 am local time. We trekked to the domestic terminal, and got some food from Hungry Jacks (Burger King) and some coffee to keep us going. We had a three hour layover. Around an hour after arriving, it started to rain. Queensland CANNOT handle their rain. They kept saying it’s storming, although it really seemed like just a normal April day in Seattle. Anyways, after another hour went by, flights started getting delayed. Our 1:30 flight time got pushed back an hour….then another hour. We were huddled around the phone chargers just waiting and waiting. At about 3:15 they boarded us on the plane. Ha! I had the ENTIRE row (ALL SIX SEATS) to myself. The back of the plane was just empty. But then they announced that the airport is ‘closed’. WTF. yes….the airport is closed. No take offs, no landings, no taxiing. Nothing. So for another ninety minutes we sat in the metal tube, getting anxious. It was just getting past 5 pm when we FINALLY left the gate and took the small opportunity of a pause in the ‘storm’ to take off. UGGH. Couldn’t be worse ending to the trip. We were beyond tired when we made it to Townsville. We embraced all the friends we missed and had a great night’s sleep.
Fiji was magical. MAGICAL. The beauty of those islands is just indescribable. Really. I loved the way we traveled, just staying on one island. Most everyone we met, backpackers, were hopping to different islands every day. That’s just too much movement. I mean how different can the different islands really be. There were only three downsides to Beachcomber: the flies, the sand (there were rough and sharp shells lining the actual shoreline, so so so hard to get in and out of the water or onto the boats 😦 ) and the front desk (damn they did NOT know what they were doing there). But would I change anything?? No. The unfortunate thing was that there ended up being an unbelievable amount of drama with Molly and people back in Townsville, and just a whole blow up of stuff. That did put a slight damper on the memories. But we all definitely made the most of our trip and I’m so thankful I was able to see the same place my parents saw years ago. So so special ❤
19south146east 