Fiji - a travel tale

We left Auckland on 19-03-2005 around eight in the evening, knowing that ahead of us lay three weeks to be spent among the most beautiful islands of the Pacific. These are islands we are usually used to seeing only on television, the kind that during cold Italian winters warm our hearts and make us dream. We didn't settle for seeing just one, but made stops in the three most sought-after archipelagos: the Fiji Islands, the Cook Islands and French Polynesia.

In just three hours of flight we reached the island of Viti Levu, and more precisely Nadi, the capital of Fiji. The airport was really small, the kind you expect when you land on a tiny island lost in the middle of the ocean. To top it all off, we were greeted by a cheerful quartet adorned with flower necklaces and brightly colored shirts, playing a tiny little guitar and singing local songs.

As we had already told you, for Fiji we had opted for an "all included" package and, like all self-respecting packages, at the airport we were greeted by a friendly local character who led us to our hotel. Actually it was a hotel for backpackers and, alongside common single rooms, it combined small dormitories. Still a very comfortable accommodation, with a super pool and a very chic restaurant. We went to bed as early as possible since departure for the tour was scheduled for eight the following morning.

Having woken up to the usual ring of our beat-up alarm clock phone, we went down to enjoy a succulent breakfast included in the price, with fresh fruit, cereals, eggs, sausage, bread, butter and jam, in your face, backpackers! At eight the bus left for the port... just enough time to load the luggage and in twenty minutes we were in front of the check-in counter, to hand over our vouchers and collect the final tickets. It seemed done, we already felt like we were on the ship, but unfortunately things weren't that easy. Due to a misunderstanding at the time of booking, our names weren't on the list of departures.

There were brief but intense moments of terror, in which we repeatedly mentioned the name of Valentina (the girl from Auckland who had sold us the vacation) and certainly not to pay her compliments! In any case, after a few phone calls the staff seated us on the Yellow Boat, reassuring us and assuring us that everything would be fine.

And so our adventure in the Fiji archipelago began. Actually our tour focused on the Yasawa group, islands of volcanic origin located north of the archipelago. In particular our itinerary wound among three islands: Nanuya Lailai, Naviti and Kuata. We weren't quite clear on how long the journey to reach the first island would take, so after a couple of hours we turned to the crew to ask for clarification. We discovered that our first resort was located on the northernmost island of the Yasawa group and that to reach it we would take a good four hours. Around 13:30 the Yellow Boat stopped in front of our destination... because of the impenetrable coral reef, in order to disembark onto land, the resort staff came to pick us up with a much smaller boat suitable for navigating the labyrinth of corals.

In true Fijian spirit, on the beach the welcome committee was ready, with the usual flower necklaces, little guitars and lots of enthusiasm. No sooner had we dipped our feet in the water than our hosts had already offered us a very sweet and fresh fruit nectar. We completed the usual check-in procedures and lunch was served. The resort certainly couldn't be compared to a five-star hotel: it was truly basic, with elementary constructions, with sand instead of flooring. The bathrooms were also "essential", slightly smelly and with salt water flowing from the taps. But it didn't matter, we were in Fiji and the scenery, the sea and crystal-clear water more than made up for a few dysfunctions in the accommodation.

Not to be overlooked was the great company we had the fortune to share the experience with: there was Steven, a somewhat atypical Japanese guy with an obsession for the Italian mafia; Eric the Swedish jack-of-all-trades who mangled Italian, and Mark the young London lawyer passionate about Tottenham.

Speaking of water, the temperature it reaches in these parts of the world is incredible... it's boiling hot, unbelievably scalding: you don't even have to worry about "easing in" slowly like we're used to back home, here it feels like getting into a bathtub. After lunch we couldn't resist throwing ourselves into the sweet and welcoming waters of the bay and, with mask and snorkel, we went to discover a wonderful underwater world. Time flies when you're having fun and the sun devours the hours. It was already time for dinner and then to head to our little beds since there's no lively nightlife around these parts.

The following day, after breakfast, a trip to the caves was scheduled, an optional activity we had purchased at the time. We set off under incessant rain in a tiny few-meter boat that took us beyond the coral reef and then toward an increasingly blue sea. Forty minutes at the mercy of the waves and before us was a new bay beneath which the mysterious caves were hidden. Having taken off t-shirt and flip-flops, after a short climb up the mountain, we reached a narrow crevice that led us toward the heart of the mountain. Actually a few meters were enough, being careful where you put your feet and not banging your head, to reach the first cave: it was magnificent, an amphitheater of rock carved by the waters of the sea that formed a superb natural pool.

We dived in and enjoyed so much beauty; but the excursion didn't end there! Our guides led the way toward a further tunnel that led to other secret rooms. The entrance wasn't the easiest, you had to dive in and continue for a few meters underwater and resurface in pitch darkness. There our guides were waiting for us and, equipped with torches, they allowed us to admire the interior of this second cavity. With cries of Fiji! Fiji! Fiji! we made our way back to the first pool and after a few dives we returned to the resort. After a quick lunch we were on the move again, or rather on a boat this time, to reach the blue lagoon, the very blue lagoon where Brooke Shields filmed the film of the same name. It was again time to get to know the underwater world and bask on a white beach under a blazing sun.

The day had been truly intense and so, having also finished dinner, we threw ourselves into the arms of Morpheus.

The next morning it was already time to leave the first island for Naviti; having gathered our luggage we waited for the Yellow Boat. Punctual as a Swiss watch at 14:00 sharp we were back on board and in forty minutes we were at the new resort: the Korovou. The usual warm welcome with local dances and fruity cocktails. This second island was perhaps even more beautiful than the first, immersed in lush greenery and with a resort equipped with slightly superior services: the water was missing during meals but otherwise all was well.

For this second little island we hadn't booked any extra activities and so we simply followed what the normal resort routine offered. The first afternoon passed between an exploration of the coral reef and a hotly contested game of beach volleyball. Once the sun set, after a refreshing shower (this time with fresh water), we sat around the tables to eat yet another dinner. This time the evening offered us an unexpected surprise: the resort's young people entertained us with the typical local dance, the Bula dance, and then involved us in a big collective Bula.

The following day at 10 o'clock sharp was the fish feeding activity: it simply involved feeding the very hungry fish of the lagoon. Besides being very hungry, these fish also turned out to be rude, arrogant and carnivorous, so much so that we came out of the water with our fingers marked by their teeth. In the afternoon we headed to the other side of the island along a path that made its way among banana trees, mango trees and very tall coconut palms. The new beach, honeymoon beach, was very pretty and suitable for sun lovers, though with slightly more limited marine life.

The two days on the island passed quickly, also thanks to the presence of the friendly Rupi, a big Fijian guy who worked at the resort and with whom we became friends. It was already time for the Yellow Boat to reach Kuata, the last island of our trip. Welcomed by rough seas, we had initially formed a wrong impression of this splendid island, but things immediately turned for the better. Helped also by the fact of having met up again with our old friends from whom we had momentarily been separated, we spent a very pleasant evening.

The following day we met new travelers, in particular Edson, a Brazilian geologist who was aware of our project even before we told him about it: we're famous. We took the opportunity to get important information about one of our next destinations: Brazil. Edson certainly didn't hold back and, seized by an attack of nationalist pride, he rattled off every possible destination in Brazil, organizing the whole trip for us. Again with Edson we spent part of the morning immersed in the warm lagoon admiring one of the best coral formations we had encountered so far. Our stay on Kuata was truly brief and so it was already time to reboard to reach the main island.

Our last day in Fiji we spent again at the same hotel that had welcomed us at the beginning of our adventure, always in the company of the ever-present Edson, between a dip in the pool and a succulent lunch that cost us an arm and a leg (this one, in fact, wasn't included)! Our stay in the astonishing Fiji archipelago was already at its end and so in the evening we headed to the airport to board for the Cook Islands.