After the extortion that was Australia, we welcomed the cheapness of Fiji with open arms. Immediately taken in by the culture and the amazing people, we headed out from the mainland on our island hopping adventure.
First stop, the party central, or so we thought, Beachcomber Island. It was obvious the shine had worn off their crown in recent years but we made the most of the 3 days we were there. Drinking vast amounts of Fiji Gold, enjoying the beautiful sunshine and the nightly traditional Fijian dancing. This was the smallest of the islands we were to visit, with a round trip taking a total of 13 minutes.
Bounty Island next, with a short transfer on the Yasawa Flyer, our catamaran means of transport. We were warmly greeted in the usual Fijian fashion with all the staff stopping what they were doing immediately and all gathering on the beach to sing and dance for our arrival. Big Momma was the head henchman and took care of us for our stay. Bounty Island was the location of filming for that TV shocker, Celebrity Love Island. A fitting place for 3 grown men to spend Valentines Day together we thought. The dormitories were however a bit suspect, with a few resident mice frequently popping in and out throughout the night looking for an easy meal. Much to the horror of some of the female guests.
The next group of islands were the Yasawas, further up the north. Still travelling on a bit of a whim, we chose Manta Ray Island as our next stop. Another paradise island with a reef just off the beach which actually rivalled the Great Barrier Reef. We were there unfortunately out of season for the huge Manta Rays who are visitors throughout the winter season. Here we ate superb food and played our first game of beach volleyball. Lowy picking up some wounds in the process as the court was pretty much made out of hard, super sharp, dead bits of coral. We dedicated an afternoon to go line fishing with out Fijian guide Mahony. Here Lowy broke his previous record of 0 by catching his first fish of the trip.
Our last stop was further north again, Octopus resort on Waya Island. This was a highly anticipated visit as we heard good things about this resort along our travels. We weren’t disappointed as this was bordering 4 star and was literally a tropical honeymoon location. Amazing staff, services, activities and food which included a hog roast on our arrival. We had been watching it being slowly roasted throughout the afternoon on the beach. With the meal came the CRACKLING, something small we missed from home. Here we relaxed for several days, enjoying pool time, gorging ourselves and running up ‘huge’ bar tabs. We were proper flashpacking now.
With 2 days to go we made our way south again and back to the mainland. Here we managed to salvage a few sets of clubs for pennies and play a round of golf at Nadi Airport Golf Course. We battled through the blistering heat and dodged bush fires as we searched for our balls. Fiji overall was truly outstanding and we all regretted not being able to spend more time there. Especially as the when the passports were stamped on the way in, allowing us tourist visas for up to a 4 month stay..
