We step off the airplane, its 6am; my interaction with the passport people doesn’t go as smoothly as I hoped. “Fijian Customs Lady: Where are you going?
Me: Where am I?” She can see we are pretty innocent though, so she lets us into her country. The plan was hop on a bus, any bus, but we decided getting a car might save time. 7am get into rental car, learn how to use stick shift with left hand and drive on the other side of the road. We get to Natadola beach by 9, the horse running down the beach only distracts us for a minute, and the clear blue water welcomes our tired bodies.
Pizza with ketchup at Casablanca hotel gives us a place to relax while a major storm comes though. The warm rain makes us feel closer to the land more than anything in Lonely Planet could. We make it to the sand dunes by 3. How we drive this little car through the dirt roads is a miracle. Another horse is waiting for us, this time she is white and on one side of the sand dune, after running up over the other side we see a beach even closer to paradise. We can’t find surfboards so we swim. Unable to find this waterfall, we concede to the night and stop in an empty hostel close to another beach. The fish tastes amazing, the night swim in phosphorescent. I dream of a talking Dolphin, who tells me that I could swim in the ocean on the moon, if I started writing again. It’s raining hard when we wake up, missed breakfast. On the way to Suva, I see a man sleeping in a wheelbarrow, and know this is my kind of place. The rental car is beginning to be more of a nuisance than fun. We don’t exactly know what to do next, so we walk down town and shop for supplies, peanut butter and jam is the best we can do. There is a ship yard not far, its getting dark, by the time we get there, the only boat leaving is a ferry to Taveuni, its 7pm. When we wake up it 6 in the morning, we are still not there yet. This boat either is going very slow or this island is farther then it looks on the map. Flying fish follow the boat, it reminds of the Yann Martel book “life of Pi”.
When we land it is 10am, the taxi up to Mate takes an hour, and the driver knows his stuff. I feel like I am getting closer. The sailor has the look of a man who is still looking for that “beach”. 1pm we snorkel in the rain after finding a place to stay. It’s called “Bibi’s Hideaway”. We find a cabbie that will take us to Buomo Waterfalls and wait for us to swim then take us back. It’s raining hard, but still warm enough to check these falls out. I pull my back 15 minutes after getting in the water, I have no idea how, but I am almost drowning, and can’t turn my body. The sailor gives me a look as if saying “ You better not let this slow us down”. We go to the next waterfall, by the time we finally get back to our room, I can hardly move. I wake up in serious pain; day four is spent in bed. The Sailor spends the day swimming to a small island a couple miles off the main land. He’s searched for black pearls. Day 5, wake up feeling a little better. Snorkeling gives me some peace. We check out of the hotel. Then go free dive the Rainbow Reef. I have no idea how the Sailor is swimming so deep, but I try and keep up. 4pm, pulled back, sliding down rock waterslide, laughing my ass off. Spend the night back to Suva. Another long sleepless night, reach Suva 9am. Walk to the Yacht club see if any boats need some crew. Nothing. Catch bus back to Nadi, end up at a tourist hostel called tropic of Capricorn, by nightfall I am in a Henry Miller novel. The Sailor doesn’t know what to do with himself in a dorm room with 4 girls getting into pajamas. The French girl starts freaking me out with satanic looks. I fall asleep remembering what going to camp was like. Day 7, go to get on a boat to get to the Yasawas, when we see who else is getting on the boat, we change our mind. The idea of spending our time traveling with rich white people, to resorts, snapped us to our senses. 11am got another car for the day, got some surfboards, got to the Dunes by 2. Ended back in Suva that night. Following day was filled with movies waiting for the next freighter to Kadavu, an island that is suppose to not have roads. 16 hours after getting on a boat to our next island adventure, I look at the Sailor in the face and say “ what do we do now smart-ass, where are we going to stay”. I am not on my game for sure. He ends up getting us a lift with a small motorboat to a resort. Luck is in our favor. Its 5pm and we get to a place full of freaks from all over the world, and we feel right at home. The next day, we start learning how to scuba. This place is a dream, the stories were sharing with each other are amazing. Two kids from England have begun to enjoy clowning with us. The food finally tastes authentic, and the stars are like I have never seen. A local woman takes an interest in me, I flirt, but we never get closer then a kiss. Were Scuba divers, and our first dive is of a dive called the Purple Wall. The current takes us for miles down a wall of underwater life; my mind can barely deal with what’s going on. Day 13, try and leave, get denied, go to waterfall, then free dive deeper then we’ve gone before. Following day we catch a small plane back to the main island. The Sailor was sad when saying goodbye to the friends we made. But were only half way done, and I still don’t feel like I am a Fijian. We get out of Nadi as fast as we can, and cab it Lautoka, we miss the bus to RakiRaki where there is suppose to be a good beach. Day 15 we make it to a place called VoliVoli, bad idea, but were stuck cause we were running out of money. The place gets crawling with Feejee experience idiots. Partying and acting like the kind of people you try and fly half way around the world to get away from. The next day, we plan out how we are going to destroy the evil punks who degrade evolution by staying like cavemen. We only get as far as trying to steal their girlfriends away from them. The Sailor decides to swim to this far away island, I can’t swim as fast so I stay back at the beach roasting my skin, and reading. Day 17, we do a shipwreck dive, and then did some free diving with sharks and barracudas, felt proud about myself. Thank god the next day went back to Nadi and started getting into the mindset of leaving and coming home. That night I finally became Fijian. The Sailor and I met a man visiting home for the first time in 3 years. He had been working as a VIP escort in Iraq, and after making friends with us, decides to invite us to his village. Where his sister and family our making him a welcome home dinner, His friend who is a guide for the Feejee experience company comes too. That night after hours sitting around the Kava circle and eating with this man and his family, How did we get hear, how did we end up a night before we leave in this house, with these beautiful people. Sharing stories and laughter. Comrades coming together from afar. The following morning we hear of a mud bath that is suppose to be really nice. What better thing to do before getting on a plane and come home. I say good-bye to the Sailor who is going to head off to Japan for more adventures.
