Circling Viti Levu

Bula all,

My time in Fiji is winding down so today I am taking a chill day to update this and hopefully figure out where to sleep when I get to Auckland (and lay by the ocean or pool of course :)). Here's what I've been up to.

I decided to go to the island of Nananu-i-ra just off the north xoast of Viti Levu as it seemed easier to get to than the other island I was considering. So I hopped on a bus from Latouka and 3 hours later found myself in Rakiraki town. There was a taxi waiting to take me to the ferry and it was a quick 20 minutes to the island. Nananu-i-ra is absolutely idyllic! White sand beaches, turquoise waters, pretty much exactly what you think of when you think of Fiji. There were very few people on the island so I had the 4 bed dorn with a kitchen all to myself. I spent the next day and a half swimming in the ocean, walking the beaches, and reading. It was all very relaxing. Too relaxing actually, I got kind of bored. So after 2 nights, it was time to move on (the roach that landed on my head the last morning was a sure sign I'd made the correct decision).

At this point, I was a little disheartened that I had not yet tried kava, the local drink made from mixing dried and crushed roots with water. It is not alcoholic, but mildly narcotic. I need not have worried. I was in the taxi back to Rakiraki (at 8:30 AM) when the driver pulled up next to a road crew who had a bucket of kava and gave us each a coconut bowl full. Kava looks and tastes like muddy water and I have yet to feel an effect other than a mild numbing of the tongue, but hey, when in Fiji... Oh and I am quite partial to the local beer Fiji Bitter. Much nicer than Fiji Gold, but less popular with the tourists.

Anyway, from Rakiraki I headed through the interior of Viti Levu through loads of little villages until I made it to Suva, the biggest city. I'm not a big city fan so I hopped on another bus to Pacific Harbour. Practically as soon as I got off the bus, it started to rain quite hard (OK, it was when I decided to take a walk to the closed dive shop). It rained sporadically all night and the next day. But that was OK because I met CJ and Rich, a British couple who is at the end of their year long excursion. We met at the tiki bar next to the pool with the big warrior head in it (and a slide that comes out the side) and I spent the next afternoon playing cards and drinking beers with them out of the rain. I had my own dorm room in Pac Harbour as well. And the few tourists meant that we became close with the staff of the hostel. Fijians are so amazingly friendly. Everyone smiles and says "Bula" as you walk by. I planned to spend just one or two nights in Pacific Harbour but CJ convinced me to stay a third. They moved to a posh resort for their last week and I tagged along and spent the afternoon by the pool watching the rich tourists and hanging by the ocean. Yesterday though, I decided to move on.

So now I am outside of Nadi on Wailoaloa Beach. The dorm room here is full but it is definitely more of a travelers scene. Last night I went to the kava ceremony at Smuggler's Cove (really a jam session with a bowl of kava in the middle) and hung out with people from Germany, Australia, Brazil, Sweden, England, Argentina, etc. Tonight they are having a meke with fire and knife dancing. And tomorrow, I am spending the day cruising around the Mamuca islands and snorkeling. No diving unfortunately. It is really pricy here. I tried in Pacific Harbour but at both places I called a child answered the phone and said s/he didn't know if a boat was going out the next day. Add that to the closed place I went to in the rain and I decided I can save scuba for a later destination (or two). Thursday I head to New Zealand!

I hope you are all well. Let me know what is going on. And tell me if this was way too much detail and what you'd like to know more about.