Quack Quack Continues sort of !!!

A quick check on boat projects, sign a contract to have the deck repainted and booked a trip to an eco-lodge near Suva.

Hopped into a taxi to SUNNY Lautoka, then the express bus to Suva where we arrived in a torrential rain storm…..what is it with our vacation plans and the rain?????  After a quick run, sprint....splash ... sprint...splash to the store across from the Suva bus depot to buying fruit and cheese, we took a taxi to our home for 4 nights; Colo-i-Suva resort, an eco-lodge not far from the capital Suva.  Let’s just say we arrived at reception like two drowned rat !!  When the bus guy was getting out our backpacks he was standing in 6 or 8 inches of water you get the picture.

The first thing the resort does it gives us umbrellas!  Hummmm what are they trying to tell us ???Then we go to our room and check our bags out to see how wet they got.  Finally the rain tapered off  and you could see the view, our balcony overlooked a lily pond!  Lovely and peaceful.

 

 

Next morning with the sun out we took off for the rainforest walk, which started some 300 meters from the lodge.  It took us about 2 hours; we walked past something like 10 waterfalls, beautiful!  After our walk we did our laps in the pool and we had the afternoon off to sit on the balcony and read.  Perfect planning as the skies opened up for the afternoon, not like the day before, but made reading the activity of choice. After a lovey meal at the resort we went back to our balcony to watch our night time entertainment, the bats flying over the pond.  

Off we went to Suva, after coffee and fruit salad on the balcony watching the birds and water lilies, yup the water lilies need watching as they do change as the sun comes up…about as fast as paint drying.  We went to the movies and saw American Sniper, then tried for lunch.  The place we were looking for was called Guava, we even had the address from the internet, when we got there we found that it had been closed for some time!  So much for checking things out on the internet.  So we went to Bad Dog Cafe, a restaurant we had tried to go to with Bruce, but it was always closed.  While this time it was open, had our favorite Malbec and a lovely risotto with duck confit!  We caught the local bus back to the resort for laps in the pool and to watch our bats.

Next day we did a walk again in the rainforest, but backwards, so that we ended with the waterfalls to cool off.  This time we were at the lower pools and they had a Tarzan swing, which we partook of.  A local family was there, they had left home at 7am to spend the day at the pools and picnic.  The boys offered us the rope and said “you go first” we are not sure if they were being gentlemanly or they just want to see if we would swing on the rope, so Karen took the challenge.  Yup the water was let’s say refreshing but you can’t back out when you are swinging from a rope, right!!!.  It was a lot of fun.  We guess we provide enough entertainment for the family they even offered us food.  Should we change our names to Jane 1 and Jane 2?????

IT IS GOING TO BE COOOOOOLD

Where is  Tarzan when you need him ????

 

Back at the lodge we had noodle soup and then went to play pool.  To which I must say, we stunk!!  But it was fun.  Dinner was a taste of Fiji, they do it every night, 5 different dishes each night, a great idea.  Val and Brian the owners bought us a bowl of Papaya soup, which was also lovely!

 

 

 

 

 

Back to Vuda Marina.  A taxi, a bus and a taxi.  When we arrive they give us the keys to the cabin, the room we have reserved, open the door to find someone else’s clothes there!  Oops, they check the booking and it was us who were supposed to be there alright.  Anyway we were given the upgrade of the Cottage for the night for the same price, life is good.

As for the paint job on the boat the contractor didn’t get as far along as we hoped or they hoped but work has started.  The forecast for the week looks good for the paint job, so we will see how it goes!

We plan to hang around the marina while Interlude is being painted so we have volunteered our painting and sanding skills to our friends on Summer Spirit as we can't do anything on our boat except supervise and we are bored....okay Cheryl is bored.

 

Life as a Duck !!!!

Off to Vanuatu.  This started as an inexpensive way to stay 6 more months in Fiji, it became a week vacation with plans to dive and visit a very active volcano.   When you enter Fiji you get a Visa for a 4 month stay.  For $96Fj, you can get a 2 month extension.  Then the 6 month extension costs almost $800 Fj pp and entails a good deal of paperwork.  So we opted for the $644 return airfare.

We left Bruce at the Tanoa International and we went off to Vanuatu for a vacation from our retirement.  We arrive to grey skies, a sign!  Hmmmmm.  We were very pleasantly surprised when we saw Breadfruit apartments, they matched the pictures, perfect!  So after unpacking we walked down the street to Bon Marche Supermarket.  French cheese, duck breasts, baguettes, and local beef…haven!  With a glass of wine, beside our pool, we toasted our vacation. 

Saturday was a walk around town, Port Vila.  We booked diving and an around the island tour.  At the local market we scored RASPBERRIES!!  Yummmy, Yummmy, Yummmmmy!  Back to our apartment for an afternoon swim and a glass of wine.  Life is good.

A quick check of the weather, and oops, what do we see?  Potential for a Tropical Cyclone, and we are just north of its track!  Hmmmm. 

Next day, around the island.  Not our best tour, besides the weather was not our friend.  The island is lush, yes, that means it rains a lot!  A good deal of coast plane, perfect for beef production and we can attest to that.

Early to bed as we are getting picked up at 7:30 for a dive.  We did a wreck dive, Konanda Wreck, sort of cool.  Then a nice shallow dive, twin bombies, with good fish and some corals.  The water temperature was awesome, no need for hoods or gloves, a nice treat.  It started to rain between dives and was getting heavy by the time we got back.  And that was the start.

Wine anyone




Mirror Mirror  on the wall okay in the sea

Hey Little buddy which way do we go??? A little puffer fish

It got heavier, then only a downpour, then heavier and then heavier and then lets describe standing behind a waterfall and looking out!  Get the picture?

Tuesday we check the weather, we are supposed to be flying to Tanna, then a four wheel drive and a hike to the volcano.  Cheryl called and they said the trip was on.  Meanwhile we are looking out the window and we can’t see a break in the waterfall.  We get a call back about ½ hour later cancelling the trip.  So in a break in the rain we go to the dive shop.  No they are not diving because of rain and the winds are forecast to increase.

This way Karen I have the camera :)

So what do we do?  We play cards, watch TV, read books, watch TV, play cards,  read, watch TV, we are so caught up on TV!  When the rain stopped we went for a walk,  that was on Thursday, got back to the lake, which use to be our road, just as it started raining again!  And then we watched TV, played cards and read!

We did have two lovely meals of duck, local beef twice and ate out on our last night.  Have you ever had wild pigeon?  All we can say is:  where is the beef!

A star is born

If you were a duck, it was a great week.  We have to go back.

Oh, by the way, flying back to Fiji the captain comes on to say that there is a lightning storm and we may have to circle for a while before we land!  Instead we landed and then couldn’t get off the plane as the airport had a no movement order because of the storm!  This time, no TV, thank goodness!

 

 

 

                                                                 Quack, Quack!

Bruce's visit to Fiji, in short

Being held captive and forced to write a blog about my adventures with Karen and Cheryl over Christmas and New Years in Fiji.

Three nights in Saweni Beach Apartments to get over major jet lag. Also to be our Christmas home (cottage with four bedrooms). A little site-seeing around Lautoka, Nadi and then on to Rakiraki on the north coast of Fiji, staying in a Tanoa Hotel. Here we were advised about a road trip hopefully along the ocean front. We bottomed out a few times (even when thinking light thoughts) and hit road construction. While the culvert was being installed we were entertained with coconuts, the construction guys chasing eels and local construction techniques.

Karen does this car have a turbo boost option?

Turned the car in and took the express bus to Suva. Karen and Cheryl were not impressed with George of the Jungle that was played on the bus, twice; G-Force was a hit later. Abandoned to guard the bags (don’t move), while Karen and Cheryl bought some fresh fruit and veg at the local market, which was just beside the bus terminal. We eventually made it to the Five Prince’s and a nice separate cabin. Three good nights with bats visible at night, actually kind of cool.

Sunset at 5 Prices in Suva

Next day the Museum and attempting to find a new place for the 3 nights after 5 Prince’s. As it turns out the last weekend before Xmas is a very busy time in Suva and many Fijians come to the capital to shop. Our next hotel turned out to be another Tanoa. Karen wanted to see the lights of Suva come on, from a roof-top bar, not a bad idea.  But the roof top bar turned out to be a dive, three people being arrested on the stairs up, not really a safe feeling. Saw the last Hobbit movie in 3D. Disappointed with Royal Suva Yacht Club, it was really a dive! We did a walking tour of Suva and walked around the Milo trail, which runs 4.5 kilometers along the waterfront of Suva. Near the end of the walk we stopped to have our picture taken with the ceremonial guard at the prime minister's house. Then we hopped on the bus back to our Christmas House on Saweni Bay.

The house was lovely, the staff had made flower arrangements and put Frangipani around so it both looked and smelled lovely. Bill and Natalia (Island Bound) cooked beef curry on our first night there. After Carla and Doug (Moondance) arrived we decorated! Our tree was a rake suitably decorated with lights and baubles. Cheryl had the Charlie Brown Ikea tree, Carla had Christmas gels, that stick to glass and the fridge and we had the snow globe cards from prior years, so the house was very festive. Cheryl’s tortiere was baked on a bbq Christmas Eve. The Grinch was performed by Cheryl, to a very appreciative and knowledgeable audience. Santa arrived! (believe it or not).


What a haul

The turkey was cooked on the barbeque, wrapped in foil containers. You see barbeque is really a grill in this country, so we had to improvise. The staff on site joined us for Xmas dinner, it was a lovely meal. The next day, in the afternoon Wiggle Butt (a dog) arrived with Colleen and Ian (Summer Spirit). That night Moondance cooked.  All in all it was a good time, too much excellent food and great company, who can ask for anything more!

A new car and off to Sigatoka and another chalet owned by the same company that owned the Christmas house (Fiji4Less). We were welcomed by a cow and calf. We are not kidding.  A Real  BBQ this time, a north American style barbeque. Next day it was the  Sigatoka Sand dune National Park it was an amazing place. The sand dunes are up to 60 meters high, go right to the water, kind of forlorn with driftwood sand and wind, and onto a mahogany forest, all in short 4 kilometer walk.

Sand dunes

The next day a good one way drive out and back along the Sigatoka River. Picked up a local and dropped him off in the next town. Some paved roads (in the towns) then back to gravel. We turned around just before the end (because the bus passed us twice). Another day we went to the Eco Park just down the road from the hotel (really well done). However Charlie (the parrot star of Swiss Family Robinson) didn’t say hello. Yet another day we toured a century old Hill fort of a Tongan chief, on the other side of the river from Sigatoka town: just shows how controlling the height is important in battle field scenarios.

Almost missed the next hotel because the name was different. Only Karen noticing the glass wedding chapel allowed us to find the place. Not what we were expecting and noisy at night, thankfully we stayed only two nights because Cheryl and Karen needed their rest. Drove to Pacific Harbour to see about the white water rafting trip (my Christmas present), okay to see about a dry (not) trip.


Bruce front left, Cheryl red shirt, Karen behind guy in blue shirt

 

 

One of the many waterfalls in the river

It was a spectacular trip but my thighs are still sore from the walk to the start of the rafting. On the advice of the rafting people we moved on from Coral Cove to the hotel, The Lagoon Resort, where they filmed Anaconda 2. It saved us from having to get up at 4 a.m.!!! It was a great trip, the gorge was narrow at the start, and there was barely room for the rafts. Waterfalls everywhere, beautiful site after beautiful site. A great day! On our way back to Nadi we went to the Wainadoi spice gardens. We had an amazing tour, first time we had seen vanilla growing.

We spent the last three nights at Tanoa International in Nadi a really nice hotel. We went to Port Denarau, to the rum tasting and to have dinner with Moondance, so they could say good bye to Bruce. Dinner at Vuda so Summer Spirit could say good bye to Bruce, not to mention having the salt and pepper calamari and Tomahawk steak again! The girls will be leaving on Friday morning for Vanuatu by plane for a week and I will wait in the lobby (rather than the airport) until my shuttle to take me to the airport to fly home to Canada.

I need to point out that while there are weather reports in the papers they do not give temperatures!!!

Best Wishes to all for 2015!!