Yasawa Islands, Fiji

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Our Experiences in Fiji, 2024

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Most Memorable Photos and Videos, 2024

Sept 13 - 17: Arrival and Viti Levu

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Highlights & Pointers:

• We really liked the Beachouse Resort. We recommend you get the best accommodation. We had the Frangipani, which was okay, but next time we will upgrade to the Garden Room. Yes, I think we will go back there. It is not expensive and has a nice vibe.
• Make sure your debit card is accepted by the banks in Fiji. Ours (U.S. Bank) was not accepted by the ATMs in Fiji. Fortunately, the ANZ (Australia and New Zealand Banking Group) accepted our credit card. It was something of a sticky point for the first couple of days. See Marg’s Notes.
• If you are going to buy yaqona, then be sure to get “waka”. That is the root of the yaqona plant and makes a better quality drink.
• Snorkeling at the Fiji Beachouse Resort is not the best, but it is okay. It was definitely fun to wade during low tide and see all the interesting critters, sea weed, and coral. High tide has some reasonable snorkeling (we saw clownfish, which is always a treat), but the Yasawas have far better coral.
• Speaking of snorkeling, we tried to call for the Beqa Island shark snorkeling trip. We tried twice and couldn’t reach them. Be persistent.
• For us, visiting Nayavu Village and Inia’s wonderful family was a highlight. If you can get invited to a Fijian Village, it is an experience you will not forget.
• We stayed at Club Fiji Resort for one night. It was an okay place to layover before leaving for the Yasawas the next day. Food was good, as was the company. The lady at the front desk was a grump, but you can work around that. The Yasawa Flyer transport stops here so is a good place to stay the night before you head to the Yasawas.
• Regarding mosquitos and mosquito repellent: We took repellent and used it. We got bites if we didn’t use it and were sweating for some reason (in Fiji, plan to sweat). They like you feet when you are sitting, especially at dinner.

Marg’s Notes:

Sept 13: Workout, clean out fridge, pick up fruit. To Gary’s @ 2:00. Gary drove us to the airport in our car. Lots of traffic! Checked in & waited for our flight to LA. All went well. In LA, we had to walk a long way & get new boarding passes. We began boarding @ 10:40 & left at midnight! Big plane, an Airbus 380. Lots of people! We had a bulkhead seat with plenty of leg room. Our seat mate was named Rachael…from Savu Savu who lives in Seattle. We had dinner & then tried to sleep…unfortunately, a little girl in the seat next to us kept waking up & screaming! Poor thing…sounded like night terrors. We still slept a little. Got thru the entry process easily…then a little problem…my debit card didn’t work I the ATM! ☹! We got our car ~7:00. Even tho we were tired, we decided to drive straight to our hotel. Rod did a great job navigating the Queen’s Road. We were very lucky arriving at The Beach House Resort on the Coral Coast southeast of Sigatoka…the person who was supposed to rent our room last night didn’t show up so our room was ready! This is a funky little resort, but really fun. We took showers, had a cup of tea, & hit the road back to Sigatoka to try to get $. The debit card still didn’t work! Finally went to a Western Union in town & exchanged $100 USD for ~FJD 230! Rod chatted up some men who told him where we could buy some internet. $9.00 for 7 days! Then we went into the market to find some curry. Everyone was very helpful. Rod is pulling out his Fijian & a man named John took us to a curry shop. We wandered thru the market a bit & went to John’s stall…but since we can’t get any cash, we didn’t buy anything from him. Rod also scoped out the yaqona. On the way back to the car, we stopped at a store for H₂O & pop. Back at the Beach House we had our curry. Pretty spicy but good! Very filling too! Spent quite a bit of time trying to get someone to fix our debit card. No luck yet…we were able to get ahold of E thru Facebook, She may have to rescue us! Forgot to say we had Fiji Bitter with lunch. Sat outside by the beach. Sitting out here again with more beer! We also took a short walk on the beach this morning. We actually missed the 12^th with the time change & crossing the international dateline!

Sept 14: Last night we met a nice family from Australia. Chatted with them for quite a while. Around 8, I really started to fade. We slept really well until a bit after 4:00. It had started to rain while we were chatting & it rained most of the night. Very cozy. It was actually a bit chilly... Get out the blanket! Dozed until about 6:00 when we decided to get up... Seemed to have avoided jet lag! I think we were the first guests up. We had our tea and coffee, munched on some toast, and popo (papaia). Rod got a message from the bank and team, that our debit cards should work... When the kitchen opened, we shared an omelet. Finally got moving and headed E to see if we could find a snorkeling trip to Benqa. We went to Pacific Harbor. We went to the Peal Resort. There was an ATM there, so we tried to get it to work…still didn’t work! Started to worry a lot about money! The Resort sent us on a goose chase for the Sea the Reef tour we were looking for…we walked; it was hot! Never found the place in the neighborhood! Chatted a bit with a man from Canada. We decided that we should exchange all our USD, so headed back to the resort & Sigatoka. At Western Union, the gal told us to try a different bank ATM! Duh :-P We had been using BSP & Westpac. She said to try ANZ. We walked there & it worked! 😊 Then we went to the Val U Mart supermarket! Got some H₂O, crackers & shampoo. Sigatoka was BUSY! On the way back we got gas at the 1 gas station. We were able to use our credit card at the grocery store & gas station…also got some cheese & wine. Back at the Beach house we had cheese & crackers & beer! Then a rest and then a walk on the beach. Eating here tonight.

Sept 15: Sunday! Today was a down day. We still woke up with the birds. Rod got up at 6:00 & went to get coffee. I dragged myself up & joined him. We sat by the pool & had our caffeine...then some toast…some biscuits & finally shared an omelet. We changed into our swim gear, got our reef shoes & walked out towards the reef…it was low tide. We were out for about an hour. When we got back in, we rinsed off then sat around to dry off. Ended up taking a little rest! Had some cheese & crackers & a beer in the common area. About 3:30 we got ready to snorkel. Chatted a bit with the family we met the other night. Swam around for a little over an hour. Rod was learning to use his new camera. Had a nice shower! Now…Happy Hour!

Sept 16: We woke up early again…because we went to sleep early! Got up ~6:00. Out for tea & toast, then back to pack up. (We also made some P-nut butter sans for the road) We left ~8:30. Today is a holiday, Prophet Mohamed’s birthday. Very little traffic! We drove on the Queen’s Highway to Princess Highway, which ended in Nausori. Stopped at the Nausori market for yaqona & bananas. $80 for yaqona, $5 bananas. On to Nayavu! We did not tell anyone we were coming, so we stopped at the old Amar’s store. There is a family living there now. We walked uup to the school, then back. Chatted with the same woman & asked about Inia & Sai. At about the same time, one of their grandchildren, Atu, wandered by, then Sai (Jr.) appeared. She remembered us. Then, Sai (Sr) drove into the village from Korovou. She had seen us in town as we drove by! Spent almost 2 hours with them. VERY HOT there! Then, on to Raki Raki! This week is Fiji Homecoming. All the mategalis getting together, so 2 of Inia’s daughters were there too! Dinner @ Dud Dua after a rest. It was very good! Curry! Very tired!

Sept 17: our room at Dream View Villas was very nice with a little kitchenette. Slept well but still woke up early! We made tea & coffee in the room & sat outside with it. It was already getting hot, so we packed up & headed out. There was a lot of construction on the road! We stopped in Tavua at the Shop & Save to get some snacks, wine & beer. Still a kind of rough town. Just outside of Ba it started rain! A lot! Cooled things down. We went to the ATM in Ba, then drove by my old house to take a picture…still rainy. Headed to Nadi. Lots of traffic. Rod got tired of driving. We were able to get right into our room at the Club Fiji Resort. Took a rest, then returned the car at the airport. When we got back, our neighbors Barry & Calina greeted us & we took our wine to their deck & chatted…then went to the restaurant with them. Very nice people from Australia.

Sept 18 – 21: Yasawas – Waya Lailai Island

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Highlights & Pointers:

• I guess you can find a cheaper way to go to the Yasawa Islands? But for us, we got the 12-day Bula Pass on the Yasawa Flyer and that worked out great. It is not cheap, but much easier than trying to count every penny. Just get the pass.
• While on the Yasawa Flyer, we found it was pretty hot. You might want to spend a few extra bucks and get a place in the Captain’s Lounge. Air conditioning and better seating (although the seating was not that bad in the commoner areas). There is an air conditioned space for commoners as well.
• You have got to do the shark dive from Waya Lailai Eco Haven . Just sign up for it.
• If you are in good shape, do the Sunset Hike from the Eco Haven. It is steep and you will sweat, but the view from the top was very nice. Take a flashlight, or you phone with a flashlight on it. That is what all of us that went on the hike did – phone with flashlight. Worked great.

Marg’s Notes:

Sept 18 (Marg’s birthday): Up at 6:00 to pack & catch the Yasawa Flyer! All went well. We sat outside on the catamaran for our trip. The waves were fairly big. I dozed a bit because I took Dramamine! About 1½ hour trip. Our stop was the third one. The tide was out & the sea was a bit rough. We were in a little boat for transport to the island. Had to walk across the rocks in our shoes to complete our journey! Reef shoes would have been good! Also…backpacking back packs…the suitcases were awkward for getting off the boat & walking to our lodging. Waya Lailai Resort. Very village like! We had to wait for our room because a family had to stay here the previous night instead of going on further out due to weather! We had lunch, then rested in hammocks on the beach! When our bure was ready, we took another rest. 3:00 was tea time! Chatted with the man who works in the dive shop, Seru, and a man from Israel who comes here often. After that, we took a walk on the beach, then headed to the dining area to write. However, all the staff were having yaqona! We joined in until dinner.

Sept 19: Woke up early again! Thursday was a low key day. The sea was still a bit rough, but we were able to take a fairly long walk on the beach. We read, I did some wash & we rested. After tea, the waves calmed down so we went snorkeling. Pretty amazing! Some bleached coral, but also some healthy. I saw a lot of fish I haven’t seen before. We met Bernard from Australia. He had done lots of traveling! Went to be ~8:30!

Sept 20: Slept a bit later today. At 10:45 we headed for the swim with sharks snorkeling trip. Took a small boat over to the other side of the island & swam around a bit. Saw lots of fish & a few sharks. The coral was pretty nice. Got back in the boat & took a wild ride out to another reef. It was really choppy! Had to sit in the bottom of the boat. It was worth it tho. Beautiful coral, lots of fish & sharks! Rod got great pictures! It was a bit awkward getting back into the boat! The ride back was calmer. Got back at 1:00. They had saved our lunch for us. Took a rest until teat time! Took a shower & read in the afternoon. I did some wash in the morning, so messed with that too. Had some wine on our front porch, then to dinner.

Sept 21: Slept well! Went for a walk on the beach & found some shells. We had signed up for the “medicine walk” but too late. No one came to take us. So…first we talked about going kayaking, but the tide was going out. We went snorkeling instead. We were out for over an hour. Lots of healthy looking coral. Again, Rod took lots of pictures. Came back in in time for showers before lunch. A new batch of people arrive & some left ~10:30. So, met some of the new people at lunchtime. Then, a nap. At 4:00 we set out on the sunset hike. Good hike, but hot! Pretty steep climb. Almost 1,200 ft elevation gain! Beautiful at the top. There were a lot of clouds, but we got some pretty sunset pics. It got dark quickly, especially as we got into the bush overhang. We all had our phone flashlights tho…so not too many problems. Rod slipped a few times, got a scrap on his arm. Went straight to dinner when we got back…all hot & sweaty! Drank lots of water. We went back for another shower, then had a beer & went to bed. Met Lisa & Michael from Australia. On hike: Chris, Dani & Cassie.

Sept 22 – 25: Yasawas – Drawaqa Island, Barefoot Manta Resort

Photos and Videos

Highlights & Pointers:

• Drawaqa Island has a lot of black sand. They call it Barefoot Manta Resort, but I found that my feet got a good shade of black if I went barefoot all the time. But nobody really cares.
• The best coral is on the Sunrise Beach side. Facing out from the beach, go out maybe 75 yards and then got to your right. There is incredible coral for hundreds of yards all the way along the reef and many fish. The Sunset Beach side is not very good for snorkeling.
• Take the short hike to the top of the island. It is very easy compared to the hike on Waya Lailai.
• Manta Ray swim is cool. Be prepared for lots of people. Also, be sure to have your gear ready and snatch it up if you hear the Manta Lali (drum), especially if your bure is one of the furthest away from Manta Beach, like ours.
• We stayed in the Beachfront Adi (Queen) Bure and it was perfect.
• The happy hour is really nice and the food is excellent.

Marg’s Notes:

Sept 22: Travel Day! Packed up, had breakfast & waited for the boat. Not much going on because it’s Sunday. Yesterday we met new people. Lisa & Michael from Australia. She is a nurse. He is a pastor with the Christian church. Very nice people. The seas were calmer, so getting into our boat & into the Yasawa Flyer was much easier! It got HOT sitting up on the deck, so we moved down to the inside lounge. New Resort is Barefoot Manata. A bit fancier! Our place is pretty large with room for a family. We explored the resort & took a nap after lunch. Then, Happy Hour on the Sunset Deck. I had G&T. Rod had wine. Good sunset pics! Dinner was at 7:00. We sat with a guy named Robert who is a professional photographer. However, he is also a biologist. Very knowledgeable. Great food. I had shrimp pasta, Rod had Thai Curry. I couldn’t finish mine. I should mention that I felt bad Saturday. Had to take some meds. Felt great to shower today!

Sept 23: We were able to sleep until a bit past 7:00! Breakfast is at 7:30! We jumped up & headed to eat. Lots of choices! We were sitting around having another cup of tea/coffee when the manta lali went off. We rushed back to put on our swim suites & get our gear. We made it in time for the last boat! Our leader was Meme. She is a marine biologist here at the research center. She was a great guide. There were LOTS of people out to look at the manta, Mantea. We saw him twice. I think he was scared by all the people! It was fun. The boat took us into the channel & we floated with the current 3 times! When we got back, we decided to swim & snorkel some more. We went out on the Sunrise Beach. Saw lots of coral & fish. Unfortunately, Rod’s camera quit working! ☹ We went back & cleaned up. Then lunch. I was tired. I went to take a nap while Rod messed with his camera. After our nap we went for the hike! Only .7 miles. Great views! Again, it was HOT. We had a beer & sat on the beach. We saw our friends Michael & Lisa who arrived today…in spite of troubles with the Yasawa Flyer! Happy Hour again!

Sept 24: Woke up ~6:00 & Rod wanted to go snorkeling. I was not motivated… We went to Sunrise Beach. Rod swam & I had tea. After breakfast, I was more awake, and we went snorkeling! We swam all around the resort from Sunrise Beach to our place on Sunset Beach. We passed Manta Beach on our trip. The coral on our side is pretty sad looking ☹. We took a shower, did some laundry, and read until lunch. After lunch…naptime! Then, we had tea and enjoyed the beach. Tried to sign up for the night snorkel but it was full. There were ladies selling craft things…one from Tailevu. I will get something from her tomorrow. Note: The ladies didn’t come back ☹. We had dinner with Rose, Trevor & their son. They are from New Zealand…originally South Africa. Good conversation.

Sept 25: After breakfast, we went snorkeling on Sunrise Beach. It was a bit choppy but not hard swimming. We went up further & out. Saw a lot of fish & nice coral. Took a shower, then lunch. We read & hung out in the afternoon because we had signed up for the night snorkel at 6:15. Snorkeling a night was a new experience. We didn’t really see anything new, but the bioluminescence was really cool. We turned off our flash lights & the guides turned on black lights! I got pretty cold & was ready for another shower! We got dinner late, but it was very good! Lamb! Slept really well! Have to pack & leave tomorrow.

Sept 26 – 29: Yasawas – Nanuya Lailai Island Resort

Photos and Videos

Highlights & Pointers:

• You absolutely must go to Lo's Tea House. Hopefully, the children will be there. Tell them that Rod and Marguerite sent you. Remind them of the folks who could speak some Fijian and they guided us through the mangroves. One of the best days on the entire trip .
• We got one of the Treehouse bures. It was really nice and had a wonderful view. It was also the treehouse furthest up on the side of the hill, which made for a pretty long walk u the hill each day. We got used to it. Certainly got our steps in 😊. You might want to ask for one a little lower on the hill. The views are still good.
• The Sawa-i-lau Caves: I don’t think I am a fan. It was fun and the caves were interesting. But I got a feeling the villagers really didn’t appreciate us being there. Usually, Fijians smile a lot. The folks selling their goods on the beach at the caves didn’t smile. I tried talking some Fijian. No smiles. I felt like an intruder. Your experience might be different.
• Carry crayons and other goodies for the children. They love it.

Marg’s Notes:

Sept 26: After breakfast we packed up. Didn’t really take too long. Checkout was at 10:00, but we headed out ~9:30. We sat on Sunrise Beach & read. Rod fell asleep in the hammock! Had farewell singing at ~11:00. Then, to the boats! Good trip to our next destination. We had to do a quick turnaround because they dropped someone off at the wrong place! We still made it to Nanuya Island Resort on time. We sat inside the whole time this time. Very comfy & cool. Only 4 of us got off. A very nice welcome! We had lunch then went to our bure. It is the last “Treetop” bure. Quite a climb up the hill. The woman who showed us up is from Ba! I was tired & slept until 4:00! We took a long walk on the beach to the southern end of the island. When we got back, we had some beer on our deck to watch the sunset. Dinner was good. I had pasta & Rod had chicken. After dinner was karaoke! We actually sang a son, Country Roads! It was fun! Happy Hour was at 6:00. Had G&Ts!

Sept 27: We slept pretty late. Had breakfast, then headed off on the cross-country island hike. It passes right behind our place. The first part is paved & goes uphill. Some great views. We visited the grave of the man who started the Resort (I think), Ivan Albert Parker. A beautiful place. Walked on thru lots of farming. Cassava mostly. We continued on to the famous Lo’s Tea House. We were greeted by 2 kids, Tina (9), & Losalini (10). We shared some crayons with them. There was a marama with them, Asanate. She was an aunt/mother? We ordered coffee, lemon leaf tea, & a donut. While it was being prepared, the kids showed us the view. We tried out our Fijian & they helped us. The tea was yummy! We paid & rod added $5 FJD for the kids. Then, the kids offered to show us the trail thru the mangroves…sota Lailai (shortcut). So, we splashed thru the mangrove swamp. The kids carried our shoes. When we came out, they indicated the way & we said moce ☹. We walked back along the beach. After a rest & lunch, we went on a guided snorkel trip at 2:30. Moses was our guide. He was an amazing diver! We saw lots of fish, coral & swam quite a way! Shower, then Happy Hour! We ate dinner with Marie who is traveling alone. She is from Montreal. Very interesting. We shared insights about The Cook Islands.

Sept 28: Today was our last full day in the Yasawas. After breakfast we got ready for the cave tour. I was a bit worried because you have to swim thru a small opening. At 9:00 am we went down to the Activities Center & got in a small boat (tinny) & put on life jackets. Uh oh! It was a 45 minute ride. Was a bit choppy, but not like the shark dive trip! Not too many people there when we started. We were only a group of 5. Phoebe, Milosh, & Pete our guide. From the beach we went up some stairs, then down into the cave. Rod had trouble with his fin, but Pete & another guy fixed it. Cave was spectacular! Then into the tiny hole! Phoebe was really afraid. I went first & held her arm as she came thru. No problems. She was really scared tho. There was a float we used to explore around. Then back out. There were people selling things, but we didn’t get any. Boat ride back was smoother. After a rest & some P-nut butter & crackers, we walked down our beach to the Blue Lagoon. When we got down to the point we were hailed by Michael & Lisa! Their homestay had brought them over to swim & have lunch. We snorkeled out pretty far. The coral is in rough shape, but there were lots of fish. We were out ~ an hour. We said our final goodbyes to Michael & Lisa. Michael said a prayer for safe travels. Then, we swam back! It was high tide. We saw quite a few clow fish during this outing. Had a shower when we got back! Happy Hour & Dinner. Marie joined us again. Also, there was a yaqona ceremony. It was a busy day!

Sept 30 – Moce (Goodbye) Fiji, Denarau

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Highlights & Pointers:

• We stayed at the Hotel Bulabard for our last night. I don’t recommend it. Way too loud. You might want to try the Mataswa Resort.