Island Hopping Day 31: Fiji

Just walking the beach . . .

And relaxing by the pool . . . I did not even take a photo so snagged this from the Hilton website. 

I found it odd that neither hotel had chairs on the beach but only the pool.  People just walked on the beach . . . no one laid or sat on the beach.  My last Fiji water.

Then packing my bags.  Fiji Airways offers resort check-in and bag drop which is a nice program.  The Hilton is only for flights to New Zealand or Australia and if flying to the US you had to go to the Sofitel.  I did a trial walk to the Sofitel which was not bad but no way I was dragging all my checked and carry-on bags there.  I had read Fiji Airways has very strict baggage limits for carry-on bags. I can take 2 carry-on bags but must weigh 7 kg or less. Do you know how hard that is? Thankfully I bought my hand scale because that’s basically a laptop, camera, portable chargers, and a change of clothes! I can check three bags weighing 30 kg which is a lot compared to carry on bags. 
 
The nightly entertainment was a group of fire dancers.

Island Hopping Day 30: Fiji

I am changing hotels today, but first breakfast which was included with the room. I really wanted to taste a few things on the menu and asked . . . I was told honey, you are on holiday you can have whatever you want.  And that is the exact sentiment of everyone I encountered.  I could have ordered at least 5 different options but asked for 2 with smaller portions.

Banana Bread French Toast and Coconut Pancakes with mango and fresh watermelon juice . . . and of course all my other drinks since you know I like a variety to get my day started.

 
It was good bye InterContinental Fiji . . .
 
It’s about an hour drive to my next hotel. I am moving because I can stay at my next hotel for free on points and it is closer to the airport.  I was not in the mood for anymore tours but a stop at one of the roadside stalls was good for some fresh mango.

And then I realized that they might not be clean or have been washed with unfiltered water. The last thing I need is travel belly right before I fly home.

Hello Hilton Fiji!

It was such a different vibe than the InterContinental.  I did have a nice view of the pool/ocean area that was right in the middle of all the action.

My room was ready early so I dropped my bags and took a spin around Port Denarau Island on the Bula Bus which stops at all the resort hotels.  It did not take long but was nice to see the area.  I can tell you I wish I had stayed at the InterContinental the entire time!

Island Hopping Day 29: Fiji

BULA!  Nothing!  All Day Long! 

I was up early, had breakfast, and claimed my spot at the pool.  The InterContinental Hotel Fiji is on Natadola Beach which is considered one of the best areas in Fiji.  This is the resort aerial photo.  My room is bottom left . . . you know the garden view room . . . also known as the cheapest room.  

You know when you book these types of resorts you never know if it will look like the photos.  I can confirm it was just a beautiful and amazing.  The staff was over the top friendly too.  I can't tell you how many times I heard Bula . . . hello . . . everyone always greeted you.  Found my pool chair . . . 

. . . walked the beach 

. . . picked up a million shells that I knew I could not take with me . . .

. . . and enjoyed getting to the sandbar area.  The beach looks so different depending on the time of day.  It was crazy that late morning the tide went out and you could wade out to a sandbar pretty far out.

I took a nap.  Then headed back to the pool area to grab lunch.

I was early to the nightly entertainment of the tribal drummers and torch lighting!  I had a front row seat.

 

I really can not say enough great things about this hotel! 

Island Hopping Day 28: Lautoka, Fiji

LAND HOOOOOO!  The second cruise has officially ended!

After 25 days of living on a ship, I’m on land for a few days before flying home! I’m so ready to just find a spot and enjoy being alone while doing nothing!  But first, I have a tour of the local area before my hotel transfer.

First Landing Village 

 

Sugar cane is widely grown in Fiji.  It is harvesting time and some fires burning the fields.  I was shocked to just see fires beside the road and no one around to watch them. 

Garden of the Sleeping Giant

 

 

Mud Pool and Hot Springs

 

Sri Siva Subramaniya Temple

The hotel was about an hour from the last tour stop.  I have high hopes that it will be an amazing hotel.  I was shuttled to my room and wow is my room nice; inside and outside.  I picked the cheapest room possible and it was huge especially for one person.

I dropped my bags and set out for a late lunch.  Then off to explore the resort.  Not a bad first view of the beach!

It is super windy but nice to sit outside and listen to waves versus laying in bed feeling them.  I even attended the wedding of Christopher and Tori!  The wedding was near the main common area of the resort so it was a bit weird to sit nearby and listen to all the speeches and toasts.  I don’t know why anyone would want to have their wedding at a resort right in the middle of a bunch of tourists; don't get me wrong it is a beautiful resort.  I missed the nightly entertainment because they changed the location . . . no big deal.  I just walked around before returning to my room.

Island Hopping Day 27: Dravuni Island, Fiji

Dravuni Island is known for its pristine sandy beaches and clear water.  The island is about 1 mile long and has a permanent local population of about 150 people.  Seriously, no stores, no cars, no resort hotels, no restaurants . . . what there is instead is a real village, full of people who were genuinely glad to see us, and that's what made it special.  And the kids . . . you know they melted my heart with their singing.

 

It is lovely to walk through the local village and see how people live there. The island has people living in hut like abodes, with chickens and pigs on their land.  What I also noticed were solar panels and huge tanks for water storage.

There is a tall viewpoint that was too steep for me to even think about climbing to the top.

But back to the beach I went to enjoy the views.

Away from where most people hung out was the forest  I just walked through not knowing where I would end up enjoying the wide variety of tropical plants.  

. . . and constant views of the beach and water.

I ended up on the other side of the island to north beach which was super windy and a much rougher sea.

There have been so many beautiful places on this trip.  Dravuni Island felt different because none of it seemed staged; just local people going about their day and always willing to chat. Nobody was trying to sell us anything or haggle us it just was one authentic day of people that were happy to share their space with us. The kids singing, the constant Bula calls made me smile no matter where we went, the water so warm and calm it barely felt real.
 
We think of beautiful beaches but in reality it is rustic living conditions with some of the friendliest people.  I became annoyed by my fellow cruise passengers who were asking for the internet cafe, souvenir shop, and where to grab a beer. It was Sunday and absolutely no beer on Sunday the local lady told people.  Seriously, we have all that on the ship and you can’t enjoy or appreciate the locals and their culture sort of rubbed me wrong.
 
Now back to the ship to pack my suitcase for disembarkation tomorrow! 

Island Hopping Day 26: Savusavu, Fiji

Today was an uneventful day.  It’s hard to find a lot in Savusavu about which to be overly enthusiastic.  The only cruise excursions were to go to a waterfall or snorkel; I wanted to do neither.  I chose to not book a ship excursion due to lack of interest and super expensive cost.  So I am going to just wing it.
 
Savusavu’s primary claim to fame is its bubbling hot springs. The local legend is that a chief from a neighboring island came over to Vanua Levu with a bag carrying hot water. The local chief here threw a spear piercing the bag, and hot water flowed into the earth, but I think that the fact that the Vanua Levu is volcanic in origin might have something to do with it too.  The locals were already out cooking their food on the hot springs . . . heat from beneath the earth's crust created a bubbling . . . 

 

This took about 10 minutes of my time and that included reading the educational boards.  I walked back to the main road to the beach.  It is not a safe beach as there was a lot of broken glass.  I found where the hot springs end up.

I walked around town and bought my first bottle of Fiji water . . . 

. . . super cheap compared to home.  3.50FJD=$1.50USD.  I browsed every aisle of the market looking at brands and products.  It turned out to be a rainy day.  I continued to walk around town and ended up at Savusavu Market.  All the fresh produce was amazing!

I had done about all I could do . . . so back to the ship.

Island Hopping Day 25: at sea

I woke up to chatter on the social media page about our late departure yesterday.  I remember being on the deck for sail away, and they called for two passengers to please report to guest services.  I never saw anyone arrive late and did not think anything of it because we finally left.  A passenger was saying they heard a rumor that two passengers on our ship died while snorkeling in Samoa.  Of course, if you know me you know I have a nickname of SnoopDog.  So of course, I had to hit the internet and the rumors were true.  How awful for these two to die while on an amazing trip.  The cruise ship said absolutely nothing about the horrible tragedy.  Not one single word!  Of course, I thought about that rainbow as we left the port yesterday and how it was a sign . . . if you know me you know I am a big believer in signs and even had a published article about a sign from Sean after he died.

It was a low key day and the only photo I took!

You know what else is exciting about today?  It is my last sea day of this trip!

Island Hopping Day 24: Apia, Samoa

I woke up feeling so much better!  Another day; another island tour!  By this point, it is all starting to look the same and not impressed.  I really should post the cruise excursion descriptions so you can laugh at how grand it sounds but in reality it just isn’t.  Anyway, our first stop was at Finagalo Paia o Iesu (Sacred Heart of Jesus) Catholic Church (10 minutes)

Falefa Waterfall (15 minutes)

Then we were dropped off at Gina’s Tropical Garden (60 minutes).  It was a private residence (yes, I asked) where people lived.  It had beautiful gardens and we were set free to roam . . .

 

At this point of the tour, I was not impressed. I’m not sure if it’s just the tour or the culture. It wasn’t horrible but we were rushed so we could add an extra stop but then we all ended up at same place for an hour to watch a coconut demonstration and snacks!

The beach looked super nice but no way to get down since the gate was locked.

So, the tour still had an hour remaining.  The guide acted as if it was a special stop but all the groups ended up at the same local market (25 minutes) where there was a lot of local produce and goods. And this is where it changed for me. This was truly a local market with local produce and tourist stuff too, but the locals were shopping for their day to day food and supplies. 

 

I got back on the bus and noticed a young boy trying to get our attention. He was a cutie with a sweet smile and charming eyes. He sold 6 sarongs and then all the big kids started invading his territory. Did I need it? No, but I knew that $10 would go a long way for his family and man it tugged at my heart.  I should have given him $20. 

 
As we drove around earlier in the day, I found the most interesting thing was how trash is left at roadside for pick up.  Each house has an elevated platform to prevent animals from getting into the trash.  

And as we finally left port almost 2 hours late, we had a beautiful rainbow.