Bula from Fiji! We have had a great time here over the last two weeks. Our expectations were not super high, as we didn’t have the funds to do the ‘traditional’ Fiji experience, but we have been pleasantly, and thoroughly, surprised. Over the two weeks we have split our time between the Coral Coast, Suva and Levuka, experiencing three very different sides to Fiji.

After arriving by plane from New Caledonia (having woken up at 3:30am to drive to the airport, ugh), we hopped on a bus to the Coral Coast. The Coral Coast is located on the southern part of the main island of Fiji, Viti Levu, between Nadi and Suva. The bus took around 2h30, leading us to arrive at our hostel, The Beachouse, just in time for afternoon tea! We stayed six nights at The Beachouse and we had the best time (if we hadn’t already booked flights for later in the week, we probably would have stayed the full two weeks here!)

The Beachouse is located on the beach (of course) and has a very laid back feel. They organise some activities (snorkelling, island trips, waterfall trips, etc.), as well as having access from the beach to snorkelling, paddle boarding and surfing. It is a classic tropical paradise place! Whilst there, Raphael decided to complete his Advanced Open Water diving course, with Coral Coast Divers, and I relaxed, sunbathed and went on a shark snorkelling tour!

Originally we had both planned to do the shark snorkel, but as it didn’t run every day, I ended up going by myself (whilst Raphael went diving, with a different group of sharks!) This was a really brave moment for me, as I am terrified of open water and sharks, but I wanted to challenge myself (and maybe work up the courage to get my diving certificate later in the trip!) I am so pleased I went! On the trip we saw at least five (probably more, as they kept coming and going – five was the maximum we saw in one go) white-tip reef sharks, named for the white tips on their fins. They were pretty un-fussed by us, allowing us to get quite close, but not too close! There were a few scary moments when they would start to move towards me, but I kept calm and quickly realised they were just changing direction to maximise their fishing opportunities! Overall it was an amazing experience and something I wouldn’t hesitate to do again.

After a relaxing few days at The Beachouse, we caught the bus further along the coast to Suva. Suva is the capital of Fiji as well as being the economic and cultural capital of the South Pacific. It is not a typical destination on a trip to Fiji, but we were curious about life in Fiji and so decided to add it as a stopping point.

As we arrived in Suva, we were quickly accosted by a taxi driver, who took us to our B&B. He was a very enthusiastic man, who gave us many tips on staying safe in Suva and not being ripped off as well as some suggestions for things to do. He gave us his phone number, and we ended up using his taxi more than once in our two days in Suva! (He also invited us to come and celebrate Diwali in his village and gave us the number of his family in New Zealand, in case we needed it!) The people in Fiji were generally really friendly towards us and curious about our trip, what we thought of Fiji and where we came from!

Our first stop in the Suva area was Colo-i-Suva, a small forest park just north of the city. It has some lovely forest walks and some pools in which to swim. We spent a half day there, wandering around and swimming. It was very pleasant! After our swim we decided to make the most of being in a big city and headed to the cinema! We went to see Abominable (for £2.70!) and I had a great time watching the sights of China flash across the screen.

The next day we went into central Suva, to see the Fiji Museum, Cathedral and Markets. The Museum was super interesting and gave us a good understanding of the traditional ways of life in Fiji, as well as information about the European settlers and the spread of Christianity. We also saw the last Fijian Canoe on display, which was impressive. After the Museum, we went to get some lunch at an Indian restaurant which had excellent reviews on tripadvisor. The meal was amazing – possibly the best Indian food either of us had ever had! If you are ever in Suva, visit the Yellow Chilli Restaurant! Once our bellies were stuffed, we waddled over to the markets and the cathedral. They were interesting to see, but similar to others we had seen across the Pacific. We then headed back to our B&B to pack for our early morning flight to Levuka.

Our decision to go to Levuka was based purely on the price – it was the only place on another island (Ovalau) were we could both get there cheaply and stay in reasonably priced accommodation! I am glad we decided to go though, as it had a very different feel to both the Coral Coast and Suva. Our adventure to Levuka started with a 15-minute flight from Suva airport on an eight-seater plane, the smallest we had been on (and possibly the smallest on our trip – but we shall see!) It was noisy and quite cramped, but otherwise not too scary!

The landing strip in Ovalau was small (I think they only have one flight a day) and only one taxi was waiting to take all the passengers to town (four of us in total). The taxi also took all the mail, newspapers and other supplies to the town, so it was a bit squished! Once we had arrived and settled into our hotel, we went for a walk about town. It was a bit rainy, but we were still able to see the main sights.

Levuka is the original capital of Fiji and the place were the first Europeans settled. It was designated a World Heritage Site in 2013, the first in Fiji. There are many examples of Colonial buildings in town, and the high street looks like something from the Wild West! After walking around the town, we headed up the 199 steps to see the view of Levuka and the sea from Mission Hill. The next day, we stopped off in the library/tourist information centre, where we found some information about a village tour and viewed the Islands collection of historical items and shells.

After lunch, we called the person who organises a village tour and we arranged to go on Friday. The organiser, Joanna, came to our hotel to speak to us and to give us further details of the tour. She also recommended we walked about an hour north of Levuka, to see the aftermath of Cyclone Winston (2016).

We took the walk the next day, following the coastal road. Along the way we met many Fijians, the majority of which greeted us with ‘Bula, where are you from?’ We chatted to quite a few people on the way, all of them curious to speak to us and eager to invite us to their village. After about an hour walking, we saw what we had come to see – a grounded ship. During the cyclone, the waves and wind were so strong, they lifted the ship and carried her inland, before dumping her on the beach. The crew of the ship thought they had landed on the reef, but upon lighting their flares, they realised they had been grounded on the beach! It was a fascinating sight to see, especially as the sea beyond the reef was at least 50 metres out. It struck us to see how devastating Cyclone Winston must have been.

On the Friday, we set off early on our village tour. We were picked up and driven around the island and into the extinct volcanic crater, where the villages of Lovoni are located. We were met by our host Joe, and taken to his house. We were given an overview of the day, before being taken on a tour of the village. We were first taken to the Chief’s house, where we would normally ask for permission to visit the village (the Chief was, however, out of town that day). We then saw the Church and school, from which we got a view over the whole village. On our walk, Joe showed us all the food they grew in the village, including cassava, taro, water cress and a type of spinach. They also grew kava, and we saw some being chopped and dried.

After the tour of the village, we went on a walk in the surrounding area, where Joe showed us all the plants they use in traditional medicine. He showed us which leaves to use when we had a cut, needed to wash our hands, had a cold or needed to induce labour! It was really interesting to see all the plants, especially as they still use a lot of them today (there is only one hospital on Ovalau and it doesn’t store a wide variety of medicines). After our walk, we had a quick swim in the river, which was very refreshing.

We then headed back to Joe’s house, where we were treated to a traditional Lovoni village lunch. We were given taro leaves, cassava, fried aubergine, water cress and papaya – most of it prepared with coconut cream (and for Raphael, some fish!) The food was delicious! After we had eaten all we could, we were given lemon leaf tea (also delicious) and told the history of the village. We were also able to chat with Joe and discuss the differences between France and England and Fiji. It was a fantastic day and one of the most authentic activities we have done in the South Pacific.

We are now back in The Beachouse for the weekend, before heading to Nadi for our flight tomorrow. I will be sad to leave Fiji, but I am excited to see all that Samoa has to offer!