‘There’s no such thing as paradise’. This is what my sister, Lisa, said, on Skype yesterday. I laughed then felt relieved. She said it in response to me saying I’m having misery days in paradise and how can that be.
I’m sure that if you wiz over here in a plane and stay five nights in a posh resort and get massages every day and eat the meal plan and only see smiling locals, then you could be fooled.
But we’re away for six months and shit happens in six months. Normal things like being tired and grumpy, and loosing things, and meeting people you don’t like. Most of all though it’s a long time to be away from your ‘world’.
Dean and I are getting on really well but we have our moments. It’s hard to run away when you’re on a boat and tantrums need to be quite short. And you have to be kind.
I’m not complaining! It’s just interesting that I expected to be more happy in paradise than life back in NZ. And I’m desperately missing Mum, more so than last year.
Enough of that – back to ‘paradise’.
More than one person told us not to bother with going to the Yasawas in Western Fiji because it was too commercial. Another person said not to go because there’s too many unchartered reef systems. What a load of bollocks. We’ve been here for three gorgeous weeks. Actually the bit about reefs is true – even with three separate navigation systems (that don’t see eye to eye) we still have to have one of us on the bow a lot of the time.
We’ve had days where we saw no one – and we’ve had days where we were in bays with 30 other boats and a resort with a Coconut Bar and Lady Gaga . There’s so much to explore. We’ve now learnt that the longer you stay somewhere, the more you see, on all levels. We’re always adding to our “when we come back” list. It makes leaving somewhere or missing out on something less annoying.
Favourite places in the Yasawas:
1. Somosomo Bay, Naviti Island: Our favourite place so far. In the first bay there’s an unmarked track to the left of the beach. It’s leads you through hay fields and awesome scenery to the other side. You can snorkel to a WWII plane (at the smaller second buoy). The landscape is astonishing… little teeny islands, bird life, whitest sand, and a very peaceful feeling. Could have spent a week here.
2. Blue Lagoon: A very sheltered bay with no swell. The walk around the island is lovely. You can walk across to the small village from the resort and go to a tea house for coffee and cake. Apparently you can get a good massage here for half the price that the resort charges. We visited the fabulous fruit and vege farm at Bay of Plenty (it’s a 40 minute dinghy ride – we went in our small 5hp dinghy and nearly killed ourselves when the wind picked up – go with someone with a big motor.)
The walk from Nalauwaki Bay to the resort.
3. Waya Island: Anywhere although there was quite a lot of swell which meant we’re a bit sleep deprived. Yalobi Bay was our favourite village. But this was my last church service – I wasn’t raised a feminist to have a man scream and point his finger at me for an hour and a half – in Tongan. Also Nalauwaki Bay in the north has cute bubby pigs. After we did sevusevu the chief’s grandson took us for a walk to chop us down some coconut and pawpaw. He had a huge infected gash on his leg from a fishing knife so Kim and Peter, and us, gave him some medical supplies.
We stayed at Vuda Point Marina, Veti Levu and caught the bus to Lautoka. It’s a bigger Labasa.
4. Lautoka. The op shops are incredible. OMG I could have spent days here. Australian designers give their clothes as ‘aid’ to the Pacific. So you see women in villages wearing designer clothes – I love it. For $5 I bought a White Stuff tunic with birds on and a Christopher Chronis shimmery top. HEAVEN.
We are now getting the boat ready to sail to Vanuatu on Saturday. That is going to be a whole different experience altogether.
Happy adventure everyone.
NOT Zena!
Sawailau – cooking dinner – our own private beach party.
Hair cut, paradise style.
Bay of Plenty farm, Blue Lagoon. We ‘ordered’ our veges and then watched them being plucked from the ground.
Dean’s new fishing lure after advice from a local. Fish count: 1 Lures lost: 5 (in the whole of Tonga and Fiji). Useless.
No Game Boys for these kids – it’s bashing the shite out of shellfish on rocks.
Every island has different volcanic influence.
The Yasawas have had no significant rain for two years. When we were at Yalobi Bay on Waya Island, the school was shut because they ran out of water. Villages who don’t have natural springs basically eat root veges. Someone told us that cassava has natural steroids in and that’s why Fijian women are big and strong.
The same local said women cannot catch fish. Meet Mary. She’s a woman and she catches plenty of fish. Sometimes more than the men. Mary is single (unusual) and is a teacher so she works in different villages. She is the only Fijian I’ve met who wears sunscreen.
We’re not sure if this girl knew which way her fingers were facing. Her brother just caught Nemo.
The kids are very sunny. The boy who caught Nemo asked me for apple cake. Then he asked for money. That’s the first and only time that’s happened. I said, ‘no’. He said, ‘okay’.
View from the hike on Southern Waya Island.
Took ages for this pussy cat to come to me. Then it kept whacking my ankles when I tried to leave. It never purred.
In paradise I’m very, very tall.
Rubbish, grot, mess or chaos (and the real paradise) is always around the corner.
We’re getting sick of happy selfies.
Something gorgeous to finish with.
Sailing is Not Scary 