Wednesday 6th July - Leaving Maqai

We are fed up! Everything is damp, we are dirty and we feel like caged animals. We have made the decision to leave the remoteness and frankly appalling weather and leave Maqai. We have had enough of camping and cold showers and sand in everything and not feeling clean and damp beds.  We seem to have been followed around Fiji by unseasonably bad weather and this hasnt helped - so we pack up, have the goodbye song, say our goodbyes 

 

 

 climb aboard the speed boat...                                    and take one last look at Maqai as we speed away.

We have an exciting boat to boat mid sea transfer as soon as we get off the reef and then a series of vans and pickups before reaching civilisation, the sun shining and best of all an ice cold can of Sprite from good old MH (Fijian Sainsburys as the girls call it.)

We say goodbye to James and Hannah (from NZ) who continued on round Taveuni to their new luxury resort and say hello to "First Light" in Waiyevo - near the ferry port. Hopefully we will meet up with them again when we are in Aukland, NZ.

It looks horrendous from the road; rooms above a small parade of tatty looking shops and a cafe, but as soon as we venture up the stairs the outlook is brighter and we heave a collective sigh of relief and head to the comfort of a hot shower.

Nicole attempts to hand wash our dirty clothes and towels while sitting on the floor of the shower but gives it up as an impossible task - the lady from the cafe downstairs does a far better job, and dries, folds and delivers it back in less than 12 hours, all for $10 FJ (about £3).

Waiyevo is a quiet little place - really only notable for the fact that the 180 line runs through it. This invisible line - otherwise known as the international dateline - means that technically we stood in today and tomorrow or was it today and yesterday! (We never did figure it out!)  Although Fiji conveniently bends the line so that as a whole it works on the same timezone - however, we are learning that "Fiji Time" operates entirely differently though. We venture up the hill to jump from one to the other.

















We return to find that because we havent ordered our supper by 11am, from perhaps the grumpiest Fijian lady ever from the cafe under our motel, there is no supper and we have no choice (!) but to eat the cheapest thing on the menu at the very pricey neighbouring resort - it was very pleasant though!

 

Update and photos 4th July - Maqai

   

Monday 4th July - This morning has been spent pottering around camp - swimming, swinging on the rope swing and a bit of snorkelling, catching sand crabs for the resident baby hawksbill turtle, reading, walking on the beach, bit of table tennis and generally passing the time. 

 
   

After lunch Simon decides a jungle walk is in order and we head off up the track along with Wendy, Lillian and Rebecca. It has been drizzling a bit and so everything is a bit wet and muddy.  It transpires the "walk" is more of a jungle hike/trek - vertical in places and requires hanging on to anything within reach to haul ourselves up over seemingly impassable places or to steady ourselves as we ascend and descend the ever more twisty and hidden path! Health and safety eat your heart out! No risk assessments here!

   

View of the next village through the trees at the top.        The Devil Tree - he hides here during the day

   

Huge hairy caterpillar spotted by Rowan on the climb!

  

        The next bay around from Maqai.                          Simon descending another tricky drop/turn.

                         

Going up..... and up.....

    

a bit more jungle.... and up again...

                        At one point we appear to be about as high up as we can  be on the island and Simon (barefoot all the way) encourages us to climb up onto a ledge where the locals come to say goodbye to the souls of the newly deceased as they rise. It is a sheer drop on all sides and not for the faint hearted! We pass by the "devils tree" where he hides during the day and we see land crabs and several toads along the way. In all the "walk" takes over 2 hours and we come back muddy and wet - having seen amazing views and some amazing tales of Fijian folklore, medicinal plants, wild pig hunts and overnight camps!

 

Nearly at the bottom... Simon helps Rowan down.

Updates and Photos 5th July - Maqai Fiji

Myrtle the Turtle in her bowl.

Tuesday 5th July - The girls spend the morning playing cards,swinging, reading and hunting for crabs for Myrtle the Turtle, as she has now been nicknamed. They also go with Stefanie Bej and Melanie to take Myrtle for a walk and a swim.

    

Stefanie with Myrtle the turtle.                                         Myrtle enjoying the freedom out of her bowl

    

Bej, Melanie and Stefanie making sure that Myrtle doesnt escape!

Rowan holding Myrtle.

The weather has turned again - I fear we are not having the best weather Fiji has to offer! After lunch there is crab racing. We each choose a random hermit crab which Simon has collected from the beach. The big ones seem to be the obvious choice but in reality appear to be asleep! The smaller ones more keen to get started! We mark each crab with a number and then they are released in the centre area from the jam jar to make their bid for victory and freedom! Sorry to say that not one of the 4 crabs chosen by the Handley clan made it to the final of the 3 knockout heats - in fact David's burrowed into the sand and Rowan's refused to move during the second race!

Update and Photos 3rd July Maqai, Fiji

Sunday 3rd July - Wake early and explore our home for the next few days. We are staying in little more than a glorified tent! There is no hot water and only sporadic electricity! Waves crash constantly all night long just outside our bure and the local bird and insect life only have "loud" volume setting! Totally amazing!

Our bure is 10 feet from the beach and has its own hammock. 

View from the back door while sitting on the loo!

   

Everything feels brighter and better today - we were both a bit in shock yesterday - but after a good nights sleep we feel more settled and begin to adjust to our new surroundings. The bure is basic but clean - with a back door which doubles as the outside toilet door! 

The makeshift volleyball court is just behind and there is a comedy moment when David is having some "me time" in our outside facilities during a game of volleyball, all the while praying that the ball does not crash over the top!

 Marina's husband has brought her 4 children by boat from their village to play with the girls and after a slow start they spend time swinging on the 2 rope swings, playing in the sea, hunting for sand crabs and snorkelling.Their patchy English was much better than our non existent Fijian!

  

Robert (10) takes quite a shine to Rowan showing  her the best places to snorkel and bringing her a beautiful starfish. He also climbs a tree and picks her several ripe pawpaws! Grace (6) plays in the sand with Tiegan making faces in the sand with a variety of found objects and they sit and draw together. The girls have the freedom here to take off and please themselves and do so throughout the day.  Max (4) and Caleb (2) tag along and join in when allowed to!

The other guests are a real variety. Surfers ( 2 German, 1 NZ/Fijian) who are in their 4th week here, a middle aged Australian couple and their 16 year old daughter, backpackers from the US(2), New Zealand (2), Germany (1) and the UK(1)  and a French couple (in their 30s) who are on a 2 month mini world tour. In addition there are many local Fijian ladies who run the resort and a collection of young ish Fijian men who hang out a lot and run a few ad hoc activities e.g. spear fishing, surfing trips, snorkelling at the edge of the reef, village tours etc. They welcome the children, engaging with them,  playing cards, singing both Polynesian/Fijian and Western songs, playing table tennis and pushing them on the rope swing.  

Rowan with Nicky and Colin (Aus) during a game of football.

The girls are coping really well and it is great to see them so comfortable around such a diverse mix of people.

David is adapting well to such an arduous lifestyle! There isnt much to do here apart from relax!