Ashley's "Semester Off" Travels 2022

We arrived via boat at Nanuya Island Resort to a mass of staff members singing a welcome song and flower and leaf necklaces. They certainly love their singing here! And they are good at it! We were settled in with welcome smoothies and given the “lay of the land” while our rooms were being prepared. The property extended back to the treetop bures (the best one where we stayed) and the amazing honeymoon suite (an amazing place with private hot tub and private deck right off the ocean where Alex and Chris stayed). The main area had a bar and open air restaurant, along with an enormous grass area where they later did dancing and had several cabanas along the waterfront.

Amy enjoying our welcome drink while waiting for our bure to be ready

Coconut weather station

Main bar area

Dining, grass, and palapas

Back the way we came from the pier were the ground bures (larger and slightly more expensive but without the beautiful views of the treetop bures). Near the dock was the area we shared with their budget accommodations, the Boathouse Nanuya. Here they had another bar/restaurant as well as the activities desk where we could borrow snorkel equipment and kayaks or schedule excursions. They also had the store there where they sold food and other supplies to guests, staff, and the many boats docked off shore. This is where we discovered the wonderful milk slushies! Here we also first met Vata, who pretty much was involved in everything here…activities desk, daily morning greeting, language lessons, native dancing, and he pointed out the wonderful frozen treats that cost only FJ$1.30...strawberry is his favorite so we got those. Later we did a taste test of all four flavors and decided we liked chocolate best followed closely by strawberry with vanilla next and lime as our least favorite.

The four ice milk flavors

Our four contestants in the Taste test

Nanuya Island Resort

Our room was amazing! They are a bit of an uphill hike from the main area, but the view is worth it! There is a bedroom with windows on all three sides. We had the one on the end so we had a beautiful view to the left and also the front where the balcony is. The right side had a view of the pathway and the bure next to us so we kept those shutters closed most of the time. The bathroom had plenty of room though I never managed to get hot water despite the solar heating panels on our roof. The weather here was much cooler than the rest of Fiji with pleasant temps in the mid 70’s.

Pano of our treetop bure

Treetop bure

View from the walkway looking up at the treehouse bures. You can only see our roof to the right.

We went to our free welcome foot massages. It was good so I next tried the 30 minute special back massage that day. That was with the main masseuse and was also very good. Enough to commit me to an hour massage each day. At the end she even used a hot towel to wipe the oil from my feet. The second time I got her to wipe my whole back, so from then on I didn’t have to shower after the massage to get the oil off! That night was the kava demonstration where they showed us how they take the ground kava roots in a cloth bag and wash them into the water to make kava, which if you drink enough will numb your mouth a bit and cause a “state of relaxation and euphoria.” It tastes like dirt and sulphur so there is no way I could ever drink enough to experience anything more than a bad taste in my mouth. There’s a little ceremony with it, which was fun where you say “Bula!” (welcome/hello) and clap before you drink, then clap and say “Vinaka” (thank you).

Preparing for the kava ceremony

washing the kava into the water

Amy wisely declined to participate in the kava “ceremony” but next to me was another single woman traveler, Barbara, who outgoing and adventurous. We got to know her better the next day and she joined us on many of our activities. We met a handful of the guests at the kava ceremony and more of them at mealtimes. Everyone was very friendly and we all exchanged tips about excursions, snorkeling, other activities, and other islands. There was sort of a core group of about 11 of us there at the same time, leaving either the same day as us or the day before. The staff members were also very friendly and we quickly had a little community going. That was really unique for here. Taveuni was very small so just us four guests and the five ladies who worked there. Worldmark was too huge so we certainly didn’t know all the guests or even most of the staff.

Super fun staff members Tui and Lea

Vata and Ronnie sang to use several nights during dinner

Daily board and Senga na lenga which means no worries

I had heard mixed reviews about the food here so I tried to stick with the veggies and seafood, which are locally sourced. For dinner the first night I had the veggie pasta. All of their veggies are grown on site and are delicious! The next day I ate the nice continental breakfast that is provided though you can order hot food. For lunch I had a great crab wrap with chunks of fresh crab in it. Dinner was lobster but they served it cut up in chunks and mixed into a sauce, which was good just not my usual “bathed in butter” method that I love. One night I didn’t like the other choices so I took a chance on the filet mignon and it was terrific! I’m not sure where the bad reviews came from or perhaps they took heed and made sure they got good meat.

Crab wrap

Roasted veggie and pasta was excellent

Lobster dinner

We did some snorkeling, both right in front of our resort and also at the nearby Blue Lagoon. There were even a fish I had not seen at any of the other places. One time I kayaked over with Amy and Barbara and we snorkeled out at a large reef where the “fish feeding” area is. This is a reef in the Blue Lagoon with tons of fish and where people come to feed the fish bread and other carbs that may not be that good for them. However, the fish love it and will swim all around you in hopes you have food for them. I was glad I had my fish pellets with me. My goldfish hate them, but these guys absolutely loved them! The fish were very considerate and gobbled up all the fish food without nibbling any of us.

Needlefish

Blue starfish

Feeding the fish

Fish crowding to get food

Barbara giving them the last of the fish food

Me snorkeliing

Amy snorkeling

We did the cave tour, which is the main place of interest in the area. You take a nice boat ride to one of the upper islands in the area, then walk along the beach, up some carved stone stairs, then down stairs into a cavern. From there you enter the water and hang out in the larger cavern. There are some very tall rocks and one of our guides who has lived here all his life, climbed way up to the top of the cavern and jumped down. I’m scared of heights and this was so far up, just watching him scared the crap out of me! From here, we swam briefly underwater a few seconds to enter the hidden cave, which only has the underwater entrance, so it is pitch black inside. The cavern extended back and around the corner further. It was used as a hiding place when neighboring tribes attacked sometimes for days.

Amy and Barbara in cave

We passed honeymoon island with beautiful clear blue water

One day we hiked over the hill to the other side of the island where you can stop at Lo’s Teahouse and have fresh made donuts and lemon leaf tea. We took a few wrong turns but google maps set us straight. We got to someone’s house and he directed us across his yard and along a path to another person’s yard. She directed us down another path towards the water and there we saw a woman laying on a sheltered resting area. That was Lo, the tea lady. We placed our order with her and walked down the path to seats overlooking the ocean. She had an adorable daughter who hung out with us and really took a shine to Barbara who let her look through her bag where she discovered lipstick which she promptly put on. The lemon leaf tea was really nice and the chocolate covered doughnuts were crispy and delicious. I was glad I followed Lo’s suggestion and ordered two.

Feeding some water to a baby goat we saw on the way

Barbara played with the little girl who found her lipstick and put it on

Lo and her small child

Lo s Teahouse by the ocean where we got delicious chocolate glazed doughnuts and lemon leaf tea

Crispy doughnuts with chocolate

Doughnuts and Lemon leaf tea

Barbara and Amy on our walk across the island

Next we walked over to the Gold Coast Hotel for lunch. Since the tide was in, we needed to go back up the hill through the two yards, then down another path. The friendly locals gave us directions. Us: “Is this the way to Gold Coast?” Friendly locals: “Yes, down that path.” When we got there, I saw one large building that had a lock on the door. The next building had boards on the windows. Uh oh. That’s a bad sign. We looked all through the property but found no one. Clearly they are not open yet and we were pretty ready for lunch at this point. Now I was even happier I had two doughnuts. We headed back home to get lunch there. When we passed by the friendly locals we said “Gold Coast is not open.” They said yes and nodded in agreement. Apparently we were asking the wrong question.

Nice view from the trail

Sunset panorama in Nanuya

Barbara left the day before we did, but her last night there was Karaoke Night. She is a wonderful singer and sang a few songs before and during dinner, along with some of the staff and the kids from one family of four who were tons of fun. The whole family sang horribly but didn’t care, which made it so much easier for the rest of us horrible singers to step up and sing as well. Their son started with the very best song ever for a non-singer, “Tequilla!” As a general rule I am dead set again singing karaoke since I have been told I am tone deaf, however, Barbara was determined to get us up on stage so I remembered how fun it was to group sing Shania Twain’s “Any man of mine” so I got most of the women together to go onstage and sing it. We also got back up there for Abba’s “Dancing Queen” and “My boyfriend’s back.” I can see where karaoke is loads of fun for the participants though I also recall how awful it was to hear while dealing poker when the bar next door had karaoke.

Beautiful sunset over the grounds

I finally got a picture of the cool chamelions I've seen throughout the South Pacific. They are normally red in front and blue in back when not changing color.

The staff here are happy, but without the pure joy that we saw in Taveuni. Perhaps because they don’t go home to their family every night. Instead they have staff quarters behind and above the treetop bures. Most of them work 6 days and have one day off or they work every day and then go back to their home island for a week or month. I was chatting with one woman who was leaving in a few days to work at another resort. Apparently here they pay decently at FJ$3/hour (about US$1.40), but that place will pay $4.50! I remembered Sarah telling me how 18 years ago she didn’t get paid very much at Coconut Grove, just $1.50 but now they got paid very well though she was not specific about what that was. I assumed that was about $10/hour but now I think it might be more like $5 (about US$2.30).

Native dance night

We took a 2 hour boat back to the main island. Our flight was not until 10pm so we stored our bags at left luggage at the airport, then went into Nadi town to grab some roti and do a little shopping at the tourist stores there. Before dark we went back to the airport and checked our bags. Priority Pass had one lounge there, the Fiji Airways Lounge. It was magical! They had a terrific spread including hot entrees, a salad bar, hot snacks, a freshly fried food section (fresh fries or tempura), a dessert section, and of course a full bar where I signed up for a free shower. They gave me a pager that would buzz when it was time for my shower and I barely sat down and had 2 bites of food before it went off!

Some of the delicious hot entrees

desserts

Salad Bar

Food area of lounge

Beautiful Fiji Airways lounge with 3 living walls of plants

The shower was really nice, very clean and spacious. I showered very quickly and was back finishing my meal in minutes. It felt so good to be clean after a long day of traveling from the other island and wandering about town. The food at the lounge was excellent as well! The Fiji Airways lounge food was far better than the food on the Fiji Airways flight, which was actually some of the worst airplane food I had this trip. I also loved the décor. They had three walls, which were nicely decorated with pictures of plants. Then I gave it a second look and realized they are actually covered in real, live plants! This was easily the best airport lounge of my trip…the best food, an amazing shower, and beautiful décor. When I arrived back home in SFO, I felt blessed to have my sister kindly pick me up at the airport. As Natalie drove me home over the bridge I saw the brown green crappy water of the bay and was shocked at how filthy it was compared to the crystal clear blue I’d been seeing the last 3 months! Welcome home

Super cute matching family we saw in the airport

Finally home on the Big Fiji plane

Welcome home to dirty green water instead of Fiji clear shades of blue

Upon landing in Nadi, we had an hour long ride to Coral Coast, where we would stay one night at the Intercontinental Hotel. We stopped for roti and pies, arriving shortly before 1pm. They had a giant hollowed out log they beat as a drum and they let me try it out, which I’d been wanting to do every since I saw someone try it at Worldmark. Tomasi led us to the lobby, down a long hallway elevated above the beautiful grounds. We checked in but our room wasn’t ready, so a driver took us in a golf cart down to the adult pool, an infinity pool where we relaxed and napped a bit in the loungers. I walked around a bit and took a few pictures of the lovely white sand beach and clear blue water.

Me beating log drum at Intercontinental

Lobby at Intercontinental

View from the Intercontinental Lobby

Infinity swimming pool

Coral Coast at Intercontinental

The grounds were perfectly tended and someone was spraying the grass to prevent mosquitos. Along the grass in front of the beach were cabanas that guests could lounge in. Shortly before 2, Tomasi found us and asked if we would be interested in staying in the oceanside suite instead. Yes please. The only catch was that it was a king bed instead of two queens. Share a bed for a suite? No problem! The room was absolutely spectacular! The living room had a dining table, sofa, and tv. The bedroom was huge, and the bathroom was beautiful with separate small rooms for the toilet and for the shower. The huge double balcony overlooked the water and had a lounge area, drying rack, and bathtub. Nice!

Living room

Bedroom

Bathroom

View from our suite balcony

The wardrobe closets open to the bathroom

I settled my bobbing head turtle on a shelf by the bed and then we went snorkeling but missed the last boat out to the good snorkel area and we were unable to find the “great snorkeling right off shore” that we had read about. Perhaps the tide was going the wrong direction. We did find some striped fish that hungrily ate the fish pellets we had soaked for them. Next we swam in the infinity pool for a bit and then I went to go check out the souvenir tents on the public beach next to the hotel. Only one tent had souvenirs. The rest were for horseback rides or massages. I agreed to a 30 minute $35 massage from Tracy and also got a 30 minute $30 foot massage from her sister-in-law.

The massage was a bit annoying. She kept saying things like “Your back is really tense. This will be really helpful. Wow, all these knots” when she was moving her hands across my ribcage nowhere near any of my knots. These comments of course led to inquiring how long I was staying and encouraging me to come back tomorrow. She did do a few good strokes around my upper back and shoulders which was almost worth the FJ$35 for 30 minutes, but the ploy to get me to return left a sour taste in my mouth. The foot massage was more enjoyable though average. I did chat with her a bit, enough to discover that they were from the same village as Tomasi, who she called her brother. Surprised, I asked if they had the same father and learned that everyone in the village is called “brother” or “sister” unless they are an elder who would be “uncle” or “aunt” though they are all related and in the same “clan.”

That evening we listened to some terrific live music on comfy chairs outside the bar below the lobby. They sang some great tunes from the 70’s and 80’s. Sadly we had to leave very early around 6am, but they made us nice to go breakfasts with pastries and chicken wraps. Our stay at Intercontinental in our wonderful suite was far too short, but very enjoyable. I was glad to have the chance to see the famed Coral Coast with its gorgeous sand and water. We got to the dock at Lautoka before 7:30 for our 8:30 transport, and not surprisingly, the office was not yet open despite their email to come an hour early. A couple from Germany, Alex and Chris, were waiting also. We saw some boat taxis come in from nearby islands including one with about 15 school kids on their way to school. Finally 8:30 came about and we took our somewhat bumpy 2 hour trip to Nanuya Island Resort.

Kids taking boat taxi to school

Boarding the boat to Nanuya Island Resort

Amy and I flew a really small plane to Taveuni, the 3rd largest island in Fiji, however it seems less touristy than many of the much smaller islands in the Mamanucas and Yasawas so I think of it as the “authentic island.” It may be due to the place we stayed since a woman we met in the Yasawas did not love Taveuni as much as we did. We stayed at Coconut Grove, which was built by Ronna, an American woman who at 35 got an inheritance and moved to Fiji with her boyfriend to build a small resort. That was over 30 years ago and her boyfriend left her, but she stayed and made this into a very successful resort. Largely due to her attention to detail and the wonderful women she chose to run the place. The five women handle various jobs including cooking, cleaning, giving massages, and scheduling excursions. Three men help out part time with driving, heavy lifting, and handyman stuff.

There were just 7 of us on the plane to Taveuni

Matei Airport on Taveuni

Coconut Grove sign

Taveuni Weather Station

There is one main building with lobby, restaurant, kitchen, and the owner’s bedroom. Then there are just 3 bures (bungalows) so it is a nice small resort. It is literally right across from the airport. They picked us up at the airport and drove maybe 100 yards down the road before turning into the resort, which amused us and the couple who flew in with us, Richard and Suzy. We were greeted by four people smiling and singing a welcome song that indeed made us feel welcome! Flori put a leaf and flower necklace around our necks and led us inside where I spotted a cat! Her name is Biscuit and she loves being petted. I definitely got my cat fix. The last ones I saw were at Bat (or cat) Island in Indonesia several weeks ago. I’m not counting the tigers as I was not able to scratch their ears.

We were greeted with singing and flower necklaces

Coconut Grove Resort viewed from the beach

We were seated in the restaurant area, which is a lovely balcony overlooking the ocean where they gave us welcome smoothies, yum! Since we were staying 5 days we also got a Fiji cooking lesson and a complimentary 30 minute massage, YES! Ours were scheduled for late afternoon. We put in our dinner order since they make everything there and needed to know what to prepare then they showed us to our rooms. A path of cement stepping stones with beautiful mosaic sea animals led through down from the main building to the ocean and off to each bure. Our bure was the smallest of the three they have, but it was sufficient for our needs with a decently sized bathroom and a porch with lounge chairs overlooking the ocean.

The Restaurant area overlooking the ocean

Beautiful handcrafted stepping stones

Our Bure

Bedroom and bathroom

Bed with pretty flowers and extensive detailed guidebook from owner which was very useful

Bathroom with safe and fridge

Small towels with instructions on what to use them for

Shower

The massage was amazing! The best I’ve had since Mae in Thailand or Thlm in Cambodia. What a brilliant marketing move…give people a free 30 minute massage so they realize how incredible they are and get one every day, which is exactly what I did! Sarah was my masseuse and Amy had Flori. Sarah was the best so I lucked out. She has been good at massage since she was young, so she has an instinctive sense of how to knead tired muscles. They all took a 63 hour massage course from someone flown in from one of the main islands, which made all of them quite good and made Sarah amazing! Massages were FJD 125/hour but if you get 4 you get one free so really only 100 Fijian, which is only US$47. They have a little palapa right on the beach where they set the tables up. They were pretty liberal with the oil so I needed to shower after every massage, but they were so good it was well worth it! Dinner that night was also fabulous. We had chicken curry, creamed cassava leaves, potatoes, and rice. I was full but couldn’t stop eating, it was that good!

View from our porch at coconut grove
with the massage palapa on the right

Sunset at Coconut grove

My bobbing head turtle looks right at home in Taveuni

The next day we visited the nearby village and school with Flori as our guide as it was her village. We stopped by the grocery store on the way and got some lollipops that they would give out to the students the next day, Friday. I also brought the last of the pens I had. The village was a collection of houses, much nicer than the simple corrugated metal shacks I saw 10 years ago on the main island. We brought kava to the chief, who turned out to be Flori father! From then on we called her Princess Flori. She showed us the kitchen building and we also got to meet her five children. They are too young to be in school yet, but they tagged along with us as we walked over to the church and school. We got to go in several classrooms including the cute 1st years, and the years 5, 6, and 7. The grade 5 students sang a wonderful song for us, which was one of the highlights of my whole trip. We didn’t know it at the time, but Sarah’s daughter was one of the students singing the song to us. I love the words and they sang so beautifully as it seems all Fijians do. It started with “Stay in school…” and ended with “Respect yourself, your parents, and teachers. Choose right over wrong” (see video below)

Entering the chiefs house

The Chief, Flori, and his grandkids plus Suzy and me

Their kitchen in a building out back

Flori showing us how they dry kava

Laundry out drying in the village

Their nice church built with donations from a church in North Carolina

School behind the village

First year classroom

One of the older classes working on fractions

School playground making creative use of old tires

Flori's village

Video of students singing:

Lunch was also fabulous. We ordered the traditional Fijian dish Kokoda, which is like ceviche. It was so good! I also got a delicious fruit plate. My dinner was good, but not as good as the previous meals; however, Amy said hers was excellent. The next morning we got up early and went to our diving and snorkeling trip with Suzy and Richard. They had booked the same day as us, and were staying the same number of days as us. Since they were wonderful to hang out with, we did all our excursions with them and enjoyed dinner with them every night as well, at tables next to each other. The dive company was top rated and recommended by our resort, Taveuni Ocean Sports. Since Rainbow Reef is one of the best places to dive in the world, we needed to go.

Nice fruit plate

Preparing to leave on our dive at rainbow reef

We were on the boat with a couple from Ireland who were completing their Open Water dive certification. Amy and Richard both had ailments that prevented them from diving so they snorkeled instead. Suzy and I had our own dive master guide. The water was very clear and the coral and fish were beautiful. I even saw a few new fish I hadn't seen in Raja Ampat. For dinner we went to Lovo Night at a restaurant down the road. This is where they wrap all the meat and vegetables in foil, and cook them in the ground covered with layers of leaves so they steam. They put all the dishes on a table and we did a buffet style dinner. The food was wonderful especially the eggplant!

On dive boat to Rainbow Reef

Undercovering the steaming food at the Lovo dinner

Lovo dinner menu

Lovo night spread

The next day we scheduled a trip to the other side of Taveuni to see pretty waterfalls and do the “coastal walk.” Unfortunately, Suzy had gotten many mosquito bites and one got very infected so she was not able to go and it was just the three of us. The taxi ride was about an hour, mostly because the paved road quickly ended and we were on a dirt road. We saw several kava plants and some drying as that is a main source of income for many people here, along with tourism. When the road ended, we waded into the ocean and boarded a small speedboat that zipped us along the coast. I was sitting in the middle of the boat and enjoyed bouncing over the waves with the wind whipping my hair back. It reminded me of flying downhill on a bicycle and I could see how dogs might really enjoying sticking their heads out of cars during rides. Granted there were a few major thuds as we hit some larger waves. At the front of the boat, Amy and Richard were far less appreciative of our speed as they bore the brunt of the wave action. At last we got to the waterfalls and cruised inland to the first one.

Friendly kids

Viewing waterfalls by boat

Boating to one of the waterfalls

After the first one, we cruised by a few more. They were gorgeous falling into the beautiful clear blue ocean water. These are ones you can only see by boat. We then were dropped off on the coastal walk near the end. We walked about half an hour over some wet slippery rocks and muddy trails to the end, which was a clear stream with a waterfall at one end. We swam out to get a better look and I managed not to drown. Then we ate some lunch and walked back along the trail, an hour and a half, to where our taxi was waiting to take us back. Along the way we got some beautiful views of the ocean and rocks, waded through some streams, and encountered some friendly locals walking, fishing, and collecting some sealife (clams?) on the beach at low tide.

Beautiful blue water and waterfalls

crystal clear water and waterfall

Amy and I at waterfall

Amy crossing river

They call these the mushroom rocks

Rock reflected nicely

View on coastal walk

Kids at the beach

Our taxi driver gave us some distressing news: the resort had called and Suzy had been taken to the hospital. We quickly went back to the resort and Richard went on to the hospital. Suzy had gotten worse, but after the IV, she was feeling better. Apparently the “hospital” is more like a clinic so it is lucky nothing worse happened. Flori had just attended a funeral for her nephew who had gone to another island to play rugby. He came back with a headache and after a week he went into a coma. They flew him to a hospital in Suva and did a brain scan on him, but could find nothing wrong. He died a couple days later and they called it witchcraft (I’m not sure who “they” is, I hope not the doctors). Suzy was released from the hospital in time to have dinner with us though she had to stick with soup and could not partake of the wonderful homemade lasagna the rest of us ate. We were glad to have her back with us.

Dinner with Suzy and Richard

Amy and I got up a bit before 6am to attend an online memorial service, which required sitting up at the lobby porch for wifi. At 7;00 the lobby opened up and we signed forms to check out a kayak since today was our last day to kayak to the third island to snorkel. Fina single-handedly pulled a kayak out from the group, and carried it down to the water’s edge. At we looked out, it looked a bit overcast so we waited a bit, chatting with Richard and Suzy and having something for breakfast. The wind had also picked up and was about 16mph so not very inviting. After all Fina’s work to get the kayak to the shore, Amy and I were determined to kayak so around 10 we gathered our courage and tried it out. At first it went pretty well, but the further from shore we got, the larger the waves got and the wind seemed to pick up also though that may have been my imagination. We were headed between the first and second islands and then we were to cut up towards the third to avoid the strong currents. Due to the wind and waves we were doing two strokes on the left side then one on the right, which was working pretty well. Until we realized that the first and second islands were really the second and third islands. The first island is very close to shore so we had forgotten about it, but as we got closer it became more obvious that it was an island, not part of Taveuni.

So now we needed to cut parallel to the shore and almost directly into the wind to pass between the first and second islands and avoid the strong current. We didn’t know if the wind and waves would change the suggested path so we kept on with the wind blowing water from the splashing waves into our faces. It felt like we were barely moving, but eventually we did get near the second island. I hopefully suggested that if we went around the back side of the island (the recommended path) that maybe the wind would be less, but Amy pointed out that that was the direction the wand was coming from so we would get the full force! We reevaluated our plans and decided that snorkeling was not necessary and that we had made use of the kayak, so that was good enough. We also took a minute to ceremonially dip our tie-dyed sarongs into the salt water so we could dry them to help set the dye (see pics).

Amy and I dipping our tie dyes in salt water

Once we got closer to shore, the waves died down and the wind died down too. I think it was just because we had decided not to continue that the weather got better, but it may have had something to do with the island blocking the wind.

Amy using the outdoor shower after kayaking

For lunch I had two kokondas (like ceviche) made from fresh local fish, which was fabulous! Then I got ready for my last massage. Sadly, Sarah doesn’t work Sundays as she is active in her church so I had a new person, Fina, who was pretty good though not with Sarah’s ability to listen to my muscles. Still very much worth the US$59 ($47 counting the free one) and significantly better than any of the massages I got in Denarau and Nadi.

At our cooking lesson

Our last dinner was amazing! They started with fresh baked buns with butter (aka the secret ingredient to make all food taste better). Then a really good soup using my new favorite green, taro leaves. It even tasted healthy and I still loved it (though there was a lot of coconut milk in it which pretty much guarantees I will love it). Finally came the best part, locally grown grass fed beef that has been aged 40 days. They cooked it with some very light sauce/seasonings that was incredible (sort of like chimchurri sauce but different, but along those same lines). It has a brown sauce with it that I did not sully the steak with, but which went well on the greens (also taro) and mashed potatoes. Definitely one of the better steaks I’ve had and a food highlight for me. The only dish I didn’t like here was the shrimp curry, which was ironically the most expensive at $30 for curry + $39.50 for the add-on of shrimp. The delicious steak is only $65. I should have read the fine print. However, they did not charge us for several items and seemed to have given me my second serving of kokoda for free. BTW, the kokodas are a steal at FJ$15 (US $7).

They sang a goodbye song for us (it was in Fijian but they jokingly told us it was called “get off my island”) and I wondered what they would do with a child that was tone deaf since singing is so central to the culture here and everyone sings beautifully. We had a nice chat with the others staying here and I shared the video link of “Backyard Squirrel Maze 1.0” which is hilarious…you should all go watch it on youtube. I will try to post it below.

Gorgeous sunrise

Amy and I flew out the next morning. I made my last minute purchases, getting a nice wooden salad bowl and some PureFiji mosquito repellent that really works using lemongrass and citronella instead of deet. I was lucky to have bought it as it was only FJ$28 for the large 8oz bottle and when we saw it at other places they charged that much for the small 2oz bottle! Biu’s daughter works for the company so perhaps they get a discount. They sang us a farewell song and dropped us at the airport. Check in was super easy and they tossed our bags onto the luggage wagon. Awhile later I realized I forgot to give them the Ghirardelli chocolates I had brought. I asked the check-in guy if I could get something out of my bag and he said yes then gestured to the wagon. Mine was on top. I walked over to it through the gate, grabbed it, retrieved the chocolates, then replaced the bag. No one batted an eye. Then I ran 3 minutes down the road (I told you it was close) back to the resort and gave them the chocolate.

Matei Airport check in counter

I love how warm hearted and truly joyous these people of Taveuni are. Next time I come to Fiji, I am definitely adding a stop here. If you book early, flights are just $100 each way from Nadi!

The wonderful ladies taking care of us

Bula (welcome) and Vinaka (thank you) sign

Fiji Nadi Airport ATM tries to get you to withdraw in USD

It was 6am when we got into Fiji and I had not gotten much sleep on the plane since we left at 4pm and it was now only 2am Singapore time. By the time I deplaned and went through customs I was exhausted and barely conscious for my taxi ride to Denarau Island. Worldmark, now called Club Wyndham, had changed more than just its name since the last time I was there 10 years ago. The construction they had been doing was complete, and they now had a brand new (now 8 years old) reception building complete with convenience store and coffee place. Ani at the front desk was wonderful, greeting me warmly and getting me checked in. The friendliness of the native Fijians has not changed at all! My condo was great, just as I expected and I soon showered, put in a load of laundry, then went to sleep for hours.

Welcome gift

Living room

Kitchen

Bedroom

balcony

Bathroom

All Worldmarks have washer dryer and full kitchen

I had a nice relaxing day of sleeping, doing laundry, and blogging. For dinner I tried to go to the restaurant’s Mongolian BBQ Night, but when my 7pm reservation time came around, it was pouring down rain. I found myself wishing they had an umbrella in the room like they did in the Maldives. Just in case I opened up the broom closet where the cleaning supplies are and lo and behold there was an umbrella! I love World Mark. However when I got there they had canceled the dinner since most of the tables were wet and the handful of customers already there had claimed the dry ones. Instead I ordered some gnocchi takeout and went back to my room.

Broom closet with umbrella!

The Mongolian BBQ was a bit damp

The next day I got a massage at Island Surf and Beauty Spa in Nadi. It was good, but not great. I paid extra for a “deep tissue massage” and it was really more of a general massage. It was only $36 US so much cheaper than Singapore, but four times more expensive than the really great Thailand massages. I think Thailand is the capital of amazing cheap massages. The best part of the whole massage was the free ride there and back, because I had him drop me off at Fresh Choice, the grocery at the opposite end of Denarau Ialand so I could buy groceries and walk home. The grocery store had nifty carts that you could put your hand basket on.

The grocery store had a pretty decent selection. I got the basics: some beef for stir fry, frozen chicken thighs, veggies, eggs, noodles, enough water for 2 days since I couldn’t carry more, and of course smoothie ingredients since that is the most important food item on a tropical vacation. If you can’t sit on your balcony and sip a frozen drink then it’s not a tropical vacation! They also had frozen meat pies so I got one of those to check it out. Unfortunately I took so long to decide what to get that it was now dark as I trudged down the 1.25 mi walk home. Luckily a resort van driver took pity on me and gave me a ride. For those of you worried about my hopping into a random tour van, there is a guard at the entrance to Denarau Island so only approved vehicles are allowed in and the authorized tour vans have special plates.

Panorama from balcony

They beat the drums every evening before lighting all the torches around the property

For lunch I had made my remaining ramen noodle from India and for dinner I decided to go with eggs over toast since I had broken an egg taking it putting it in the fridge. Definitely one of the saddest meals I've had this trip but it actually tasted pretty good. And the smoothie was awesome! I had frozen mango, boysenberry swirl ice cream, fruit juice and ice. The ice cream had melted a bit so I also had some ice cream for dessert. I realized I'm eating quite a bit of ice cream, but who cares I'm on vacation! The next day I heated up the frozen precooked minced meat pie, which was wonderful. Definitely getting more of those!

Nothing better than a frozen drink on your balcony

The next day I relaxed and did very little. I justified my down time with the knowledge that when Amy arrived I would go outside and enjoy Fiji. I caught up on my blog and watched some Australian football on tv. Like most things in Australia, they make things bigger, more challenging, and more dangerous. The fields are huge ovals and you can fit an American football field across its middle (the short side, see pics). There is a lot of physical tackling with no pads or safety equipment so when someone goes up to catch a kicked ball they can get slammed with a tackle. They also watch a lot of rugby sevens here (7-a-side rugby which is also played on a field larger than an American football field) and Fiji has had a strong national team for decades. Fiji even came out with a $7 bill to commemorate the Olympic Gold medal they won in 2016, which was the first year they had 7’s in the Olympics. They came out with a new $7 bill in 2020 when the men won Gold again and the women won Bronze.

Fiji money 7s

Fiji money part 1

Fiji money part 2

Amy arrived early the next morning and we took the yellow bus into Nadi for $1, what a deal! It’s the bus that most of the resort workers use to get to and from work. The fun part is when it peels around curves making everyone slide to the left or right. The first time I was unprepared and slid off my seat, grabbing the bar of the seat in front of me just in time to keep from hitting the floor. The bus starts at the market in Nadi then goes around Denarau and ends again at the market. The market is the same giant, open air place with stalls that I saw last time. We bought some fruit and veggies. They also have a fish market but I can’t cook fish so we did not go into that area. Sadly, I felt like Nadi had grown into more of a city and that people were not as friendly as last time. Sort of the difference between a small town and city.

Stands at the market

Veggie stand at the market

Then we bought roti for lunch, which are like burritos and boy are they delicious! One improvement from 10 years ago is that with more tourists, they have changed the roti to remove the bones. My roti last time had a number of chicken bones I would discover and need to extract. The locals have stands outside the market selling homemade roti, sweets, and drinks. We picked up more water at a nearby grocery store. After that we got lucky and stumbled across a Hot Bread Kitchen store where we got delicious fresh buns and chicken pies. We had the pies for dinner, but the chicken was a bit bland. The next day we went to Port Denarau and tried their smoked chicken with egg and that was much tastier.

Roti booth outside the market

Buying water

Buying bread and pies

The Hot Bread Kitchen shop

Hot Bread Kitchen at Port Denarau

Smoked chicken and egg pie, yum!

View from Port Denarau

Having a drink on the balcony

Amy was a little jet lagged the first couple of nights

At check-in they give everyone a ticket for a complimentary 10-minute foot massage so we scheduled ours. It was very good and the people at the spa desk convinced us to share a 5 hour for FJ$500 package. We scheduled 90 minute massages the next day and then 60 minutes on the morning before we checked out. I asked for the same person who did my foot massage as she had a really good touch, however, her full body massage skills were not as good. She definitely had some training as she knew the different strokes but did them not along the muscle and did not complete the stroke to the attachment points. It’s almost as if she had an 8 or 16 hour course to learn them but not really practice much with the instructor. Amy’s person was not much better. I tried to get a different person the next day, but didn’t. They weren’t my worst massages of the trip, but certainly in the bottom ¼. Next time I will do a 30 minute back massage first before committing to more.

My massuese was better at foot massage than full body

Welcome foot massages

We tried several of the free activities at Worldmark/Wyndham: paddle boarding, a kayak safari to try to see turtles (no turtles but we saw some pretty fish and a blue starfish), and aqua aerobics. Monday was their Owners appreciation night so they had a cocktail hour where we all got to mingle and talk with other owners, which is a great way to learn about other properties and pick up tips about booking. After that they had some fire dancing and also a frog jumping contest. We also did the tie-dyeing. I think last time we actually got to tie-dye, but this time we just purchased the item we wanted (we chose sorongs) and picked the design and color. Two of the activities staff did the folding and the dyeing. They turned out great and were only $12.50. Worldmark is great at giving people value for their money!

Frog racing

Tie-dyeing table

Expert at tie-dye folding

Amys tie dye creation

My tie dye sorong

Yes they do have a lot of Fiji water in Fiji

I think they also treat their employees fairly well as many have been there for a very long time. Ani has been there for 18 years and she showed me the temporary reception hall where we had checked in 10 years ago. It is now the exercise room (see pic of Ani and some others in front of it). Oni, one of the managers has been there 22 years and when they changed the name and were going to throw away the old Worldmark sign behind the reception desk, she kept it and had the employees all sign it. All the people working there always had a smile on their face and a cheerful “Bula!” to greet you.

Ani (center) in front of the old reception now a fitness room

Me on bridge

In front of Worldmark

One of the local vendors who sold me this dish towel and my bobbing head turtle

Adults only pool with swim up bar

Walking to the store

We made stir fry beef and wonderful roasted potatoes with butter

Today I finally got to the post office and mailed the items I’d been carrying around since Nepal. It was clean and efficient as expected for Singapore. I was surprised that the stamps were ones that you lick not peel n press, so they must have chosen this to reduce trash or some other good reason. The post office was a short but hot walk from my hotel and I found myself envying the people I saw who were wise enough to have these sun umbrellas. Not a lot of people had them, but I managed to get a picture of four of them when they passed near each other (see pic).

Post Office in Singapore

It was quite hot out and these four ladies had the right idea

Then I decided to check out Pualu Ubin, an island with wetlands. It's what Singapore used to be like before all the big buildings and modern stuff came in. You take all little boat over and then you rent a bike to ride out to the wetlands. There was no good way to the ferry terminal using public transport so I took a Grab car. Then I followed the signs downstairs where a man kept count of all the passengers. When we got to 12, we boarded the boat and left. It was an old wooden boat, but it got us there just fine. Once on the island, I didn’t see the bike rentals right away, but I finally spotted them up the road to the right. Reviews had said to avoid the first company (#18) so I went with a different one, #25.

Getting off the ferry was a little tricky as it moved in the water

Nice welcome sign as we enter Pulau Ubin island

View down the street to the right as you walk onto Pulau Ubin

Bike Rental Lady 25

I pedaled along and it was so much fun just riding the bike! I hadn’t done any exercising since Nepal and that was painful exercise so it was really enjoyable to exercise with no pain. When you get to the wetlands area, there's a nice walk over the water and through some mangroves. There is also a tower you can climb to a platform where you get a nice view out over the water. On the way back I encountered several monkeys and a couple wild boar. They were right on the road in front of me so I stopped the bike and watched them awhile. The monkeys didn’t mind me or the boars but when a boar got too close they vocalized their displeasure and the boar toddled off in another direction, his nose on the ground searching for food. One boar seemed curious about me. He kept looking up at me as he zigzagged closer, but his fear won out at the end and he followed his friend along a wide arc around me through the woods.

Nice view part way up the tower in Pulau Ubin

Wild boar getting a little too close to the monkeys

Friendly farewell sign on Pulau Ubin

Monkeys and wold boar:

From there I took a taxi back to Lucky plaza and was able to get my Filipino food at Kabayan. I didn't think I was that hungry but I devoured that pork adobo and rice in about 30 seconds! It was so good! Then I got another drink from the boba tea place outside Lucky Plaza. This time I got a peaches and cream drink that was basically a peach slushie with vanilla ice cream and lychee at the bottom. The peach and vanilla mixed so perfectly it was incredible. I think I need to put ice cream in all of my drinks!

Great Filipino food at Kabayan

Kabayan Filipino Restaurant in Singapore in Lucky Plaza

Peaches and Cream is a peach smoothie with ice cream and lychee cubes which I would gladly eat every day if I could

Earlier that day I had texted Jake and Sherilyn who I had met at the Oslob whale shark swim, to ask about Pulau Ubin. They wanted to meet up and I realized I should have texted them when I first got there, not my very last full day. They asked if I was free for supper, which I was. Then they said that would be after 10pm since they had dinner plans. What? Food is so good in Singapore that they add an extra meal, supper, between 10pm-2am. Cool! And perfect for my late night tendencies. They picked me up around 10pm and took me to great late night food center. Parking was hard to find and they were careful not to park in unauthorized spaces (though we need to be careful here too). I made a comment that in Singapore everyone likes to follow rules and Jake countered saying everyone like to look for loopholes!

Getting supper with Jake and Sherilyn

We waited in line and I looked at the options. You just tell them what you want or pick a preset platter. Since I didn’t know the names of anything I just pointed to a platter that had everything I wanted and had them add an egg on top. It was a busy place with several ladies behind the counter shifting around each other filling orders. Mine had shrimp wontons, rice with an egg on top, and a bunch of other things. It was really good! I think Jake was disappointed that I avoided everything spicy. I found out that Sherilyn works as stewardess at Singapore Airlines! What a great job, getting to fly around to different places. I showed her the pictures I took of the stewardesses on my plane and one of them is a friend of hers! She also explained why Nepal Airlines looked like they had 3 different uniforms: some airlines wear aprons when serving food so without the aprons there were only two uniforms

Late night food options

The ladies filling everyones orders

In Singapore people have to pay heavy fees to get a car. Sherilyn and Jake’s “regular” car cost $100k to buy and get licensed. Of course I later took a look at their “regular” car and it is a BMW sedan, my dream car when I was in college! Worse yet, after 10 years the government takes their car and destroys it…you can’t even sell it to a less fortunate country like the US. I can’t even imagine how much the fancier cars cost like the McLaren I saw or the Ferrari that was parked outside my ritzy hotel. However, while they tax the heck out of luxuries, they also supplement housing and there is a lot of public housing available to meet the needs of all citizens (rentals for lower income or elderly and 99-year leases for finanically secure citizens).

Lamborghini at Shangri-La

Jake and Sherilyn took me to their secret view of Singapore. It is an amazing view of the city, including some of the main neighborhoods and even the Marina Bay Sands with its iconic boat observation deck that spans across all three towers. And its from a high floor of a public housing building! I have no idea which one so their secret is safe with me.

The very best view of Singapore from Jake and Sherilyns secret place

The next morning I had my last massage, this time a one hour relaxing massage since I was still a little tender from my last deep one. The facilities were still fantastic, but the massage (different person) was not as good. Again, my main complaint was that she did the strokes too fast for the depth of the pressure, which was more uncomfortable than relaxing.

At check out, they had not given me the $100 credit for the second stay, so the guy helping me needed to ask someone else. The other guy said in reply to his question "can" and showed him how to make the adjustment. I had heard people say that to me here and in other countries, but I always thought it was a form of broken English. I love that they use “can” just as one word by itself. It just seems so positive and enabling, like an embodiment of the little engine that could. I also love their money with the little clear window and the fact that it is crease resistant. If you try to fold it, it will unfold (see video). It is probably stain resistant too.

Singapore money

Crease resistant money:

I grabbed a Grab to the airport. The Jewel at Changi Airport had its waterfall operating so I admired it and took a few pictures before checking in and going to the airport lounge to await my overnight flight to Fiji.

The Jewel in Singapores Changi Airport

Singapores efficient automated immigration line

Buffet at Airport Lounge

The last place Marilyn had recommended, Lau Pa Sat, was a place we had gone to last time so I felt okay that I did not get to it. The following are all pictures from my first trip here 2 years ago that really should be included as must-see sights of Singapore. We did a lot our first trip here including a visit to see the Merlion fountain and take pictures “drinking” from the fountain and a boat sightseeing trip. We were able to watch the nightly laser show that projects onto fountain sprays then from there we walked up and across to the Gardens by the Bay light show. The “gardens” of Singapore are giant LED trees that light up to music with two shows a night though apparently there are also actual plants there as well. Of course I also had to check out their casino, which is free to enter for foreigners, but locals must pay $100 to enter just to discourage them from coming in. Inside there are 4 stories of tables around the sides and one gigantic ground floor filled with more gaming tables. A cool robot wanders around offering free drinks including some delicious orange juice.

Me drinking from Merlion fountain

Laser light show on fountain spray

Laser light show 2

Sands hotel towers

Giant metal and electric trees in Gardens by the Bay

Gardens by the Bay light show with giant lit trees and lit eggs in a lake

Sands Casino ground floor

Sands Casino