Back to Nadi - Aquarius and Sabeto

Another bus journey and we are back in Nadi. Fijians are obviously oblivious to age ratings on films, they dont notice the graphic content, or they simply dont mind what images their children see. Every single long coach journey we have had with a TV really horrid films have been shown, with the volume up very load - hard to escape from. We have a good routine established now to try and protect the girls from this a little - we sit as far back as we can and they sit near the window - they also are then allowed some "precious" nintendo time and are duly plugged in!

We have secured an amazing deal on accommodation for our stay in Nadi for the next 3 days - 3 nights for the price of 2 and an additional 20% off - making Aquarius Fiji almost the cheapest place we have stayed during our time here. It has air conditioning and a pool, complimentary continental breakfast and we all have a bed - the girls are not doubling up or sleeping on a spare mattress on the floor (which they have had to recently).

   

Glorious surroundings - more of a hotel than a backpacker hostel - but for £23.50 a night for the four of us b+b you can hardly complain! The girls have once again renewed their relationship with sand and pottered about on the beach building sandcastles and moats.  

From time to time the seaplane from Turtle Airways takes off or lands right in front of us and in the distance we can see the cruise ships carrying Australian and US passengers on launches to the mainland speeding back and forth. We enjoy the sun setting and plan our last 2 days in the South Pacific.

Nadi is an entry and exit point to Fiji and there is little of note to visit in the near surrounds except the Sabeto Hot Springs where we spend an interesting hour or so. They are located halfway between Nadi and Lautoka - the next town up the coast of Viti Levu. The bus drops us at a crossroads and we are directed to hail a waiting taxi van. We negotiate a price there and back and head off along the increasingly narrow dirt road. We reach a point when we are just not sure we are still headed in the proper direction and eventually happen upon the Sabeto Hot Springs also known as the Sabeto Mud Baths.

Mary, our tour guide, shows us the source of the sulphurous mud pools - a bubbling hot spring which is about 70 - 80 degrees in temperature. The sulphur in the hot springs is believed by locals to have healing properties and we are taken to the first pool and Mary sets about smearing us with slightly grainy and distinctly cold and smelly mud!

  

  

After we are all coated the sun bakes us until our skin feels tight we are allowed to enter the first pool. 

It has no solid bottom, rather a thick layer of soft cool mud, about a foot deep, probably full of all sorts of other debris! It is a slightly unnerving and very unsteady plunge and there is a distinct smell in the air.  It is tepid, but not unpleasant. 

We are encouraged to wash off as much mud as possible before having a final rinse to get the worst of the mud in the nearby shower. We then head to the hot pool- this is just like a very hot bath and it feels good to sink in and enjoy the heat of the soupy water - although again one doesnt like to consider too deeply what might lay beneath the murky depths - this pool does have a stony bottom in places which feels much nicer underfoot! !

We bypass the many local ladies offering massages on a sea of sarongs under the trees

and emerge from the changing hut feeling 16 again ( well that's what Mary said should happen). In reality we were all distinctly quiet and a bit lethargic on the bus journey back to Nadi - and we all smelt very whiffy.