Bula! Here are some photos from our Christmas trip to Fiji. It is impossible to fully articulate the experience of these islands in photographs. These shots, unfortunately, do not come close to telling the whole story of our journey. One brilliant (yet strangely not photograph-able) aspect of Fiji is the wonderful personality of the people there. They are so friendly, welcoming and honest. Another thing is the landscape: the wild, hyper-fertile, tropical plants all around defy the photographer's earnest efforts to capture their intricate beauty. Only the naked eye can do them justice. There is an aspect of Fiji that those who didn't join us will not miss: the ferry ride from the big island to Taveuni. You can be glad to only enjoy the most aesthetically pleasing aspects of that journey, and not the more disturbing ones, which I'd be glad to tell you about in gruesome detail if you ask me.
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| Tuvununu Hostel in Nadi |
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| The bus station in Nadi - waiting for our bus to Suva. We were late, but luckily the bus came on "Fiji Time" |
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| In the end, they didn't have room for us on the public bus to Suva, so we had to hire a mini-bus for all 13 of us plus luggage and a big, crazy Fijian driver. We bounced and sped along the roads, hitting bare ground, speed bumps and pot-holes with equivalent vigor. At one point, our guide's girlfriend announced loudly that she had to go to the bathroom, but that would have involved moving 6 large backpacks that were piled on top of each other blocking the exit path out of the way, plus pulling over and losing time, so her pleas were left unanswered. There is a picture somewhere around here documenting how squished we were in this little van, with backpacks, oars and other miscellaneous items bouncing into our laps and faces as we galloped down the road. If I can find it, I'll post it. It's good for a laugh |
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| We boarded the Spirit of Suva at 3pm on December 19th, expecting a 12 hour ride aboard the SOFI |
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| At 6pm, we were underway |
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| We now know the entire ferry journey covers over 250km |
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| Life boats at dusk |
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| Sunrise on the water |
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| Pulling into port Savusavu at dawn - still about 70km from our destination |
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| Departing Savusavu again - direction: Taveuni |
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| Making a little Polynesian-themed addition to the SOFI, courtesy of Aloha Skateboards |
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| Disembarking on Taveuni. We made it! Alive! Now for some super awesome natural rock water-sliding. Sorry, no photos of that part, I was too busy having fun. |
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| The deck at our hostel on Taveuni - Tuvununu. There were more staff than guests most of the time we were there, and we were serenaded by Fijian guitarists at all hours. They played and sang especially well every night when they gathered around the Cava bowl to drink some of the earthy-tasting, natural anesthetic. |
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| We found a coconut! (Not a very difficult feat - they're everywhere!) But now, how to open it? |
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| One of the ever-present, hardworking staff members swoops in to the rescue |
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| By George, I think he's got it! |
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| But what tale of adventure and tropical paradise would be complete without some cute little furry animals? |
1 comment:
Wow
Love the photos I didn't see these before. The videos were also great--- gorgeous sunrises and sunsets! What a nice holiday you had... an adventure in Paradise.
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