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.

Club Oceanus and back to Vakaviti

  

So after a very relaxing 3 days at Club Oceanus we say goodbye. We  were back on the Pacific Transport coach travelling along the Coral Coast and back towards Sigatoka. We have made the decision to stay with Karen, Jhoti and Edward at Vakaviti. We are dropped at the roundabout and  take the now familiar 5 minute walk along Sunset Strip. We  feel a sense of real comfort as we head up the steep drive and are again in surroundings we already know. The girls spent the first afternoon in the pool and Nicole ventured into Sigatoka town to buy basic supplies at the now familiar MH and the produce market.  Not sure how it happened but the spend was $80 - ok this is only £25 for 4 days x 3 meals (self catering again!) but even so!!! Although there was beer involved. Managed to stay away from the imported iceberg lettuce which was $18 FD - a mere £6! Also decided against this local delicacy - which is on lots of locals menus. Mmm Yum!

We spend the next day or so around Sigatoka and Korotogo, enjoying the sunshine  (it has finally made an appearance!) and glorious temperatures.

     

We have lots of walks along the coast road and Nicole finally manages to get a photo of the elusive Krishna temple which sits on the hillside overlooking Sigatoka town.

  

We spend an hour in the supermarket/cafe/tour centre/car hire/taxi rank/hairdresser/beauty parlour- 3 shops run by the same Indo Fijian family at the end of Sunset Strip and decide to mark our return to Korolevu with henna tattoos. The girls take forever to decide but finally opt for these designs which will last about 2 weeks.

On our last morning the grown ups finally relent to the endless badgering and agree to pony rides along the beach. David duly negotiates a deal (he is becoming ruthless at this!) $50FD reduced to $30 and Tiegan is lifted onto Joe Frazier while Rowan gets a legup onto Michael Jackson. Co incidentally the owner of the horse was also called Michael- which he told us about 35 times!

   

Michael, the owner not the horse plonks hats on- but they were enormous and Rowan tells us, on her return, that her hat fell in the sea a couple of times along the half hour "beach tour". 

Suva to Pacific Harbour and a reliable internet connection HURRAY!!!!

We have decided we are in need of a slight step up in accommodation and also a bit of down time for both the girls and the grown ups. We have stayed in some pretty basic and cheap places during our time in Fiji - not as basic as we had imagined and nothing completely awful. We had always said that along the way when we need to we would take a few days off the usual traveller haunts and spend time in slightly better surroundings. It is time this plan was put into action!

We still have 9 nights left and have decided to travel back along the King's Highway to the south of Viti Levu towards Nadi and the airport. We had planned to visit the Zip Fiji centre and also to try a spot of white water rafting along the way, but it is massively expensive and out of our price range. Instead we have opted for a step up in accommodation for 3 nights and the girls have chosen to go horse riding on Natadola Beach in a few days time. We spend the morning in Suva stocking up on basic shopping for eating in and replenishing supplies of insect repellent and "Stop Itch" and "Buddha Balm" passing through the busy municipal market and cant help marvelling at the beautiful flowers for sale here for pennies.

We find and board the bus to Pacific Harbour and the relative luxury of Club Oceanus. It costs about $30 FD more per night than we have been paying (about £10) but is definitely well worth it.

The bus driver drops us here, at what we now find is Pacific Harbour. This is more of a complex than a town, village or a resort. A sort of man made "holiday village" with tourist type souvenir shops and tourist prices in the bars, restaurants and cafes.There is an ATM, a laundry and a little supermarket with tourist prices to match and all set on a beautiful lily pond. However, first we have to find where we are staying - which turns out to be a good 10 minute walk further along the road. We are not amused and there is a stony silence as we march, fully laden with packs and bags of basic foodstuffs and bottles of water bought from Suva in case there was no store close by. We walk in the mid afternoon sunshine and are all relieved when we finally see the sign appear round the corner!

  We unpack a bit and in our now usual ritual do a bit of washing while the girls explore and jump in the pool!

In the afternoon we stroll up the road (this time slightly less weighed down!) and enjoy a stroll around Pacific Harbour - the water lillies are beautiful and the girls  tried to spot the fish swimming around in the pool.

The last day or so has been spent in these beautiful, calm surroundings and almost doesnt feel like Fiji at all. Nicole has spent time updating the blog and David has been researching Christchurch, NZ and beyond. Lots of the places we had earmarked have been damaged by the earthquake and so we have had to have a rethink as beds are now greatly reduced. We will only know the true situation when we land in a weeks time. The girls have played endlessly in the pool and have generally occupied themselves.

 

We have not eaten out at all as, although we have been eating with the locals and therefore very cheaply, we are trying to offset the extra cost of our room. We are also only to aware that we have the most expensive part of our trip coming up and all the travellers we have encountered along the way have warned us how pricey New Zealand and even more so Australia are.  

Tuesday 12th July - Silana and Arouvidi

Today we had "the best day yet" say the girls as we travelled by taxi out to the village of Arovudi, Silana and the hospitality of Seru, Sala and their family. The village is located on the northern tip of Ovalau and about 80 people live there.   We have to  remember our village etiquette  - and Tiegan, Rowan and Nicole have to wear sarongs and dress modestly, no hats or sunglasses and bags carried not over the shoulder. No touching of heads as Fijians regard the head as sacred - and should we meet the chief we have to remember to keep our head lower than his.
We are shown around the church built from stone and baked coral mixed with water (instead of cement)

the meeting house

and also the collection of ramshackle houses which are spread around the village.

Everyone welcomes us with a smile and a handshake. Some income is generated from vegetable and fruit growing and also from the sale of mats woven from pandanus leaves and we sit awhile and watch two ladies show us how.

We sit in the shade  in an open sided area, under a thatched roof with palm leaves covering the pillars. It has an earth floor which Seru covers with a large woven leaf mat. He then shows us how to play Vidi Vidi, a version of Caroum which is popular here - a cross between subbeteo, snooker and shove ha'penny.

We turn out to be "not very good"!

Sala teaches the girls how to make coconut lolly - a bit like coconut ice fudge. She shows them how to husk the coconut, then break it open and the how to grate the inside using a purpose built tool with a rasp at one end and a paddle at the other which one sits on.
                
Tiegan is in charge of the cooking as she is older and Rowan (much to her annoyance) mashes  the banana! Sugar is the only other ingredient - it is still a relative luxury here and these sweets are only cooked on a Sunday - we are privelleged to be shown this.

  The inside of the house is eye watering! 

The cooking facilities no more than a glorified camping stove open flame at knee height and the tiny area is sweltering!

 

There is a Fijian flag on the wall and a picture of the Queen as well as various bible verses and words and phrases of wisdom pinned up.

We head back outside with the finished plate of sweets and the shade.

A delicious traditional, but basic, Fijian lunch of Rou-Rou (boiled dalo leaf parcels in coconut cream stuffed with casava and tuna) and  boiled casava is consumed with gusto. Sadly I didnt have my camera with me to photograph it. But it looked a bit like this!


Migrating humpback whales are spotted in the far distance and we are invited to stand on the table to get a better look. Sadly we can only see the occasional water spout and the flick of a tail. The afternoon draws to a close, we sit together on the woven mat and talk, tell stories and laugh A LOT!

The time to say goodbye comes only too quickly! It is with real sadness that we leave the simplicity of Silana and this lovely family. We pledge to spread the word about this "resort" as they have very few bookings for overnight guests or day tours and they are struggling financially to support themselves.They currently are having to use a local agent for bookings and paying 20% commission and while they are building a website progress is slow. Access to e-mail, internet and computers is in Levuka and patchy at best. There is no electricity in the village as it is too far out - but there is talk this may come soon, maybe by the end of the year.

We board the carrier to make the return journey to Levuka.  It is much cheaper than the $30 FD we paid for the taxi - $2FD each - but not quite as comfortable.

 In essence it is an empty truck with bench seating on 2 sides under a tarpaulin. This is the local transport as the roads are not passable by anything other than 4 wheel drives and heavy duty vehicles. Buses dont run that far to the north of Levuka.

We eat (again) at Kim Paaks Kum Loong as we have done every night and receive local size portions tonight!