Current Mood: Tired

I’m not overly looking forward to Fiji, I don’t really know why, maybe because we have been living in a lap of luxury in the camper this past month, eating whenever we wanted, going wherever we pleased knowing that we have a place to eat, sleep and be merry even in the worst of conditions.

But we crunched, grinded and creaked the beloved campervan back (via a charity shop to dump the clothes that we would no longer need) to www.wildernessmotorhomes.co.nz and made our way to check in.  The flight was easy enough, we were all sitting together and no one was pushing us in the back which was an altogether more pleasant experience than previous attempts.

After landing in Nadi we were met by a Fijian rep who greeted us with a garland and a huge smile, the hostel was a 10 minute drive away, I wasn’t looking forward to this night as we were in an 8 bed dorm…  Luckily we were the only ones there – result!  I caught 40 winks while the girls read, then went downstairs for a meal which was lovely (and cheap, hurrah!).

We asked the crazy waiter to book us a taxi and we head off into town, unbeknownst to us there was a fiesta on and we couldn’t get anywhere near anything of value, be it a pub, bar, shop, restaurant, so we caught another taxi straight back to the hostel…  The room is stifling hot so sleeping was a nightmare, but I managed to get a little bit of sleep – next stop Robinson Crusoe Island!

Had a look at Fiji and found this rather amusing ’10 things to know’ on traveljournals.net

10 facts about Fiji

1. Fijians are cheerful. Apart from the occasional political coup or race riot, life is relaxed and laid-back.

2. They say “Bula!” a lot. Means hello/welcome/cheers/good health/good morning/etc. The all-purpose Fijian greeting.

3. They dring kava. A mild intoxicant, looks and tastes like ditch-water, makes your mouth go numb in kind of a nice way. Makes Fijians even more cheerful.

4. Palm trees are dangerous. Watch where you sling your hammock – a coconut might fall on your head. Fijians say coconuts have eyes and choose who to fall on, and if a coconut falls on you then you are going to have really bad luck. Starting right then, presumably.

5. The climate is idyllic. There are no seasons as such – it is warm all the time, except when it is hot. Sometimes it rains.

6. Fijians like to sing. Whenever you step on or off a plane or boat, chances are some guys with guitars and loud floral shirts will sing you a cheerful song.

7. Fiji has its own time zone. Most things operate on flexible “Fiji Time”, like manana but with less sense of urgency.

8. The sea is warm. Clear, blue and calm in the lagoons with lots of colourful fish. You can hear the splashes as they chase each other about after dark. Big surf on the outer reefs to satisfy the kamikaze Aussies.

9. The mynah birds are gallus. Like noisy starlings with attitude. Applies to mynah birds everywhere, but the Fijian ones seem particularly pushy, maybe in contrast to the general laid-back atmosphere.

10. It is paradise – almost. Yer actual tropical island fantasy, apart from the mosquitos which come and whine in your ear as you doze off in your hammock. Bula, ye wee b@#$%@!