Nadi to Sigatoka

Yesterday was Sunday and nothing much to report. Everything is closed today and it drizzled on and off all day. Lots of people departing and arriving at Bamboo, but still some familiar faces around. The girls potter and play games with Dilenne and we get some much needed washing done. We got chatting with another young guest, Alistair, who takes David to play golf at Nadi Golf Course - where Vijay Singh learned to play. The course is sandwiched between the end of the runway for Nadi airport and the Turtle Airways seaplane terminal. The $10 (£3.30) fee seemed reasonable until presented with a $25 (£8.30) bill for half a dozen golf balls and a bag of tees which was subsequently negotiated down to 3 balls each and no tees for $10 (David found some on the course) and a shared set of clubs. The course was short and criss crossed by ditches/streams which made navigating your way round quite difficult. The game was bought to an early close by rain after 12 holes, however a 5 minute walk along the beach seemed like too good an opportunity to miss. David was very wary in the rough for any resident wildlife of the reptile variety but managed to avoid any encounters and returned with the golf balls intact. In the meantime, Nicole and the  girls ventured to a nearby mid market hotel across the road and "borrowed" the pool for an hour or so in the rain. The girls have started to suffer from itchy insect bites and have suddenly developed heat rash so this was a chance for them to cool down a bit and expend a bit of excess energy.
The rest of the day was spent updating the blog, writing journals, replying to emails and finding a new place to stay. Lots of the places we find on the internet are either above our price range or already booked. Eventually we book Vakiviti, a very small backpacker in Sigatoka (Sing a toka) towards Suva and packed up our bags ready for an early start. The rain is much heavier by the time we crawl into our bunks.

Rowan, Samu and Tiegan at Bamboo

Today we left Nadi and Bamboo Backpackers behind and we say goodbye to Samu and the other staff. After an early start, we catch a lift with Pela to rendez vous with a Coral Sun coach to take us along the Coral Coast towards Suva. We are staying at Vakiviti Backpackers in Korotogo near Sigatoka. The coach is very modern and very cold! Yes folks, it is still raining in Fiji and the temperature is less than tropical. It started off as a light drizzle yesterday and rain has fallen steadily ever since. We are travelling towards the east of Vanua Levu (the largest and main Fijian island)  and apparently the easterly side is always wetter. The roads fall into two categories on Fiji - either sealed (tarmacked) or unsealed (dirt tracks). Only the main roads are sealed and after the wind and rain are full of potholes and uneven patches where the surface has been washed away. The rain is so hard that we are dropped at a resort hotel under cover near to Vakiviti, where Karen the manager, meets us there in a rattly old mini van so we dont have to find our way in the wet.

The Vakiviti Van

David breathes a sigh of relief when we are shown to our new home at the sight of a double bed, a fridge, a kettle and a slightly less dank bathroom. The girls have negotiated the "top bunk" rota and are thrilled at the prospect of a pool on site. There is no cafe here so it is self catering for the next few days or going out to eat. Karen drives us into Sigatoka town to buy a few supplies and gives us a mini tour of the area. The Fijian rugby team are staying in the next hotel for pre-world cup training and selection. There is widespread surface water and debris along the shoreline and road sides as a result of the rain and the journey is bumpier than ever. Karen explains that the investment in Fijian infrastructure e.g. drains,  is non existent and that despite money being donated by Chinese, Indian and Malaysian investors the improvements do not come.

Top quality Fijian roads!

In town we dodge in and out of the rain between the supermarket and fruit and vegetable market hall and buy what we need for the next few days. Anything with a recogniseable brand e.g Kellogs, Walkers or Nestle has to imported and is on sale for an enormous price - $17 for a small box of Frosties - around £6.

We avoid the obviously tourist eateries opting for a cafe full of locals and are rewarded with a delicious lunch of chicken chop suey, rice and vegetable curry and roti for the princely sum of £3. Very amusing to watch the locals supping bowls of hot Milo (malted chocolate drink) to warm up!

Vegetable curry - Fiji style
We did also check out the "staff WC" as there wasn't an alternative... let's just say  we wish we had had a camera to record the sheer horror!!!