MoDana..?

Paradise comes at a price (literally)

After spending a month in New Zealand, we headed for Fiji; the chain of tropical islands in the South Pacific. There, we embarked on a tour with ‘Awesome Adventures’ which took us to four islands, each with a ‘unique’ resort of its own. Well, as unique as an island resort next to a beach can be, of course. Here though, I think ‘unique’ translates into ‘standards.’

From Nadi we boarded the Yasawa Flyer, Awesome Adventures' island-hopping ferry. Our itinerary would see us spend six nights across the islands of Nacula, White Sandy Beach, Wayalaile and South Sea, the latter being remarkably tiny (you can walk around it in just two minutes!) As well as all the others we passed as we headed north, and undoubtedly all those not seen, the islands of Fiji are a lush green, the waters an unbelievably crystal-clear blue, the reefs turquoise, and lush tropics that separate the white beaches from the upthrusts of volcanic rock in the backfall. What's not for a pair of eyes or a camera to love? The scenery was breathtaking, even if it the ferry offers virtually no shelter, inexcusably forcing you to endure a painful and relentless blast of heat from the Pacific sun.

South Sea Island - as big as your local park

Views from the boat

So hot on board I could have jumped right in

Fiji was certainly an adventure. And without going into too much detail, in short, White Sandy Beach was the only really disappointing part. I could complain about so many other things here too, but I’d much rather focus on the positives, and by the end there were plenty. Just don't get me started on the coffee. Okay, it's too late. As you know, I'm a coffee addict. A controlled one, might I add. But these resorts offer the worst coffee I've ever put inside my face - especially now-my sworn enemy White Sandy Beach. I'd have forgiven the fact the cups were crawling with ants before I flicked them all off to pour my cup (as well as being positioned near sea shells which, if you know me, I cannot stand), but I wonder if leaving the ants in would have actually disguised the revoltingly-bitter taste. Get me to America right now, I thought each morning while grimacing wildly. 

On the more positive of notes, I braved snorkelling for the first time in the Blue Lagoon where we saw some zebra fish (I assume that’s what they’re called, and if not they should be!). Being a non-swimmer or at best a very, very early swimmer, I did pretty well although I did wind up hitching a ride back to shore by holding onto the side of our boat. To the passerby - or floaterby - it would have seemed that I needed rescuing as I wasn’t making it back to shore as quickly as our Fijian boat guy liked, which was understandable given I was flirting near a strong current. But actually, the reason I grabbed onto the rope and then the side was to avoid being hit by the boat itself which was, at the time, heading towards me with no signs of stopping!

Zebra fish

A herd or a school? 

James Bond might exude a little elegance than me, but I did feel pretty bad-ass hanging off the side of that boat. Except for the life jacket. And the silent prayers, ‘Oh God, please don’t let me fall.’ But during our boat ride both to the Blue Lagoon and back, I actually felt like Moana. More so on the way back to the resort, as we were bouncing off the developing waves with ferocity. It was terrifying, but I embraced the whipping of the wind in my face and the spray of the saltwater. I didn't sing though. Perhaps on the inside. I'm not a huge fan of the film, but it's a great song, okay? Let it go, already.

But that experience didn’t put me off going snorkelling. In fact, it encouraged me to do it again. So some days later while on Wayalaili (my favourite resort, where we were also upgraded to a honeymoon suite and with a hot shower!), we went snorkelling again. But this time – *drumroll* - with reef sharks. Now that’s when I really felt like James Bond. Again, except for the life jacket and both the horribly-clumsy exiting of the boat and the climbing back into it. But what an experience… Unlike the first snorkelling trip, we were told to get off the boat as it bobbed in the middle of the ocean as opposed to entering from a beach, with the only visible land almost a silhouette where the sky met the sea. On first dunking my head beneath the surface, I didn’t expect to see an underwater canyon some thirty or so feet beneath my flippers, where half-a-dozen sharks were feeding on something at the bottom. And while they are considered harmless to people, it still made the experience a thrilling and exhilarating one nonetheless, and is something I’ve ticked off the bucket list that actually wasn’t really on there to begin with. See, the thing is, I wasn't actually planning on going in. It was something Sian has always wanted to do, but I thought I'd literally dip my toe in the water. And it’s certainly inspired me to want to learn how to properly swim when I return home so that I can continue to enjoy the tranquil alien beauty the world’s oceans will hopefully forever have to offer.

Dan Dan... Dan Dan...

Seconds before my wee obscured the shot

It's great, but luckily it's not white

The sharks probably found me scarier

Sian foolishly saying 'bring it' to the shark. Kind of it to take a picture though

Another world

On leaving the final island South Sea - where we also did a spot of kayaking - for Nadi, we also saw a turtle out at sea, which was a nice bonus. Having spent the past week in Hawaii, we have of course since seen a few more, but it was my first wild turtle, so a real cowabunga-moment for me. And just moments later, I met a huge Ninja Turtles fan who was covered in some turtley awesome tattoos. So that was kind of weird. 

Kayaking out at se_ oh, there's the shore

The shore is now nowhere in sight. Okay, it's just to the right

Kayaking, also known as 'posing'

And on a final note, if you look at the pictures below, you'll see the islands used in the timeless Tom Hanks classic Cast Away. In the first picture, you'll see what I was told is the island that homes the very beach from the film. It's the one that sits between the large piece of land to the left and the two tiny islands to the right. The second picture shows Yasawa (not the one in the foreground). Apparently, and I'm trusting the Fijians' word on this, this is where they shot additional scenes. 

The Cast Away beach is on the island right in the middle 

Yasawa

However, it might disappoint you to know that we decided against a trip to the Cast Away island (not to be confused with an island in Fiji actually named Castaway), because the excursion involved spending all day on a sailboat that offered free alcohol to its passengers, with only a brief touch-down on the infamous beach right at the end and also at an additional cost. But actually, it wasn't just this that discouraged us. There are some film locations I'd rather keep a mystery, and days before we even realised what the excursion entailed, I was already half-decided against going anyway. I just didn't think - and still don't - that the beach would have lived up to my expectations. When I watch the film, there's a real sense of remoteness to it, and I think going there might have somewhat ruined that for me. Nevertheless, we saw it from South Sea Island. Or so we were told. Sadly, we didn't see Wilson bobbing about anywhere.

I guess the idea of ‘paradise’ isn’t just about those majestic views and surroundings - it's also about comfortability. In short, it's everything. And while there's very little the resorts can do about the islands' bug populations, having swarms of ants invade your bed sheets and geckos crawl over your face in the middle of the night, and having to shower in ice-cold water outside warranted a bit of a whinge nonetheless. The trouble with paradise, I suppose, is you get what you pay for. Would I return to Fiji? On a bigger budget, yes. As for White Sandy Beach, I think I'd rather just save my money and take my chances with a hockey blade and a volleyball. 

Six days of cold showers, bugs, basic meals and minimal power had gotten the better of me