Travel Diary based on three weeks in Fiji and Hawaii during May/June 1996.
1UK£ = approx. F$2.30, 1UK£ = approx. US$1.55 (at time of travel)
On arrival at the airport we were greeted by local Fijians – dressed in tradition gear, all trying to "advise" us on a place to stay or go. They were all prepared with brightly coloured clothes and a friendly smile, and they all appeared to have their own little tourist office nestles somewhere in the airport. This was not the high pressure touting that we had experienced in Asia.
The Fijians are big people, most of them with big Afro hairstyles.
We hadn’t booked anything in advance but had an idea that we would spend a couple of nights at Club Fiji – a YHA affiliated place nearby. We got chatting to a travel agent and she was willing to organise a taxi for us and phoned Club Fiji to confirm they had rooms. No problem!
The taxi took about 15 minutes, and on arrival we treated ourselves by checking into a beachfront bungalow. It was a large bamboo and wood construction right on the beachfront, quite spacious and reasonably comfortable. It was late at night and we hadn’t eaten for a while, so we ended up indulging in some really nice traditional food at the open-air restaurant, before retiring to our room to sleep.
The room was F$77 per night (about £30) – a bit expensive, but worth it.We spent the day at Club Fiji. It rained quite a bit, but it was nice and cooling and we had no trouble relaxing. We booked accommodation in advance for "Dive Trek Waya" – a simple resort on a small island. The cost is F$77 per day – all accommodation and food included. It all sounded quite idyllic, and going out to an island was one of the reasons we were visiting Fiji (as well as the fact that it was a "free" stopover!).
We also agreed to pay around F$70 for a boat transfer from the port of Lautoka to the island – it’s apparently three hours there and back by "fast" boat. There are lots of islands to choose from, but Dive-Trek Waya sounded about the best option for our budget. There’s a bit of a lack of information about the resorts, so we’ll have to wait and see what it’s like.
The Food at Club Fiji was amazing and we sat and ate in the "open" dining area in the evening, entertained by some local music. The people here are extremely friendly and laid back.
We decided not to go direct to Waya Island, and cancelled our booking for the meantime – giving us chance to stay a night or two at Lautoka, and to give the weather a chance to improve.
It had chucked it down with rain all night, and was still pretty grey in the morning.
We made a fairly early start and took a bus up to Lautoka. The bus was old, with no windows, and crammed full of local people and local produce. The stereo was playing extremely loud Hindi music. It was also very slow and very bumpy… very entertaining. (and it felt a bit like we were back in India!). Fiji is a mix of local Fijians and Indians (51% to 49% I think).
Lautoka is a fairly big, bustling place and it took about an hour from Nandi. We booked into the "Lautoka Hotel", and at F$22 per night, it was good value. The town itself proved interesting, and we had a good walk around the market and streets, although it was starting to get a bit muddy after all the rain which had been pouring down all day. We ate some great Indian food in a small Indian coffee shop and then relaxed after some more exploring.
In the evening we relaxed in the bar and ate at the pizza place next door. Plenty of Fiji Bitter, a Mexicana pizza and some garlic bread – the best garlic bread I’ve ever had!
Had breakfast in the hotel and wandered to the produce market. Lots of colourful people and unusual things to look at and buy. There weren’t many tourists in Lautoka, and I worked out that most people who visit Fiji head to coastal resorts.
We got the boat to Waya Island at 11:40 and it took 1.5 hours (not three as someone quoted). Quite a smooth journey on an old, wooden fast boat. We had to stop twice to change fuel containers. The journey past beautiful islands was fantastic, and we saw lots of colourful fish – including some flying fish.
As we got close to Waya, we changed to a smaller boat, which stopped near to the reef where we walked to the shore. It wasn’t far, but the dead coral was sharp on our feet and it was too shallow to swim.
What can I say about Waya? It’s OK – very very friendly people running a "resort" for a mainly young, backpacker crowd, in a basic setting. It has a nice village feel to it, rather than simply being a resort, which is a real bonus. There was a healthy mix of nationalities, but a strong Scandinavian bias. The "Scandies" are OK, but tend to travel in groups and don’t tend to mix with others. This can be a bit annoying when everyone else is "solo" or in couples.
Our double room was in the "main" building and was costing us F$30 per night each, including all meals. Pretty good value for staying on a paradise island in the Pacific Ocean!
The room was simple – a bed and mosquito net. We decided to stay there for two nights, then move to one of the Bures (traditional thatched cottages) on the beach, which are F$45 per night each. Two nights basic – then two nights "luxury" – a perfect mix!
The beach at Waya is small and beautiful and the island rises to a peak, which is possible to walk/scramble to. As expected, it’s very laid back.
We had a late lunch of rice, noodles and sausage and then relaxed in the afternoon. The weather slowly got better.
Relaxed and ate food. The weather was first class and we made lots of new friends.
Got up early and trekked to the top of the island. It took about two and a half hours round trip, and we started walking at 6:00 a.m. Dibs started the walk but dropped out – it was hard going and quite slippery. After breakfast we moved into our own Bure, which is really nice. We spent the evening on the beach.
The whole place has got a real family atmosphere and we knew it was going to be hard to leave! Every day the local village "lads" would come down to the field nearby and challenge us to a game of touch rugby. They are bloody good! Our combined England, New Zealand and Australia team stood no chance! The thing with Fiji is – there is only one sport worth playing – and that’s rugby.
The day was very sunny, warm and relaxing! I took an early boat with a German couple over to a nearby uninhabited island for some great exploring and snorkelling. The island was beautiful and the sea was full of life. I went off on my own for an hour or so and explored the jungle along the beach. I even found a deserted shelter, which I assumed must be used by fishermen now and then. Although we were within sight (just about) of Waya I felt a long way from anything. I was tempted to swim back, but it was about a 1km swim, and the threat of sharks put me off. The German couple were great fun, and we had a very enjoyable time.
One of the girls staying at Waya was celebrating her birthday, so we had a bit of a party on the beach late on. There was a pretty good stock of beer, which was unusually quite cold, as the electricity generator (which goes on for a few hours each day) powers a freezer amongst other things!
The locals cooked up a traditional feed for us – the pig was cooked in a hole in the sand! Basically they line it with fire, put the meat in, then cover the whole thing with rocks. Delicious.
I sat chatting until late with some of the local lads about Fiji, women, rugby and life in general. They all looked older than they were (I suppose the fact that they are so big and muscular is deceiving). I found them to be very genuine characters.
We both felt a bit fragile in the morning after last nights party, and were reluctant to leave. We took the boat back to Lautoka and checked back into the Lautoka Hotel – where we relaxed by the pool. I did some banking, my first Fiji bank experience, which took a good two hours of queuing, going from counter to counter, etc. Not such a problem when you have all the time in the world, but I wouldn’t want to be doing it all the time. Fiji banking - another similarity to India!
In the evening we teamed up with some others from Waya Island and spent a very enjoyable evening in the Pizza place next door. We ate like pigs!
When we returned to the hotel, most of the gang went to bed, but I wasn’t tired so I wandered to the small hotel bar. I watched some Australian Rugby League, and when I was ready to go, the barman (a tall Fijian with big Afro and a flower in it!), told me that "The beer must be finished tonight". A strange proposal I thought. Anyway, I told him I was skint, and he said "no problem". He finished his shift and the pair of us spent the rest of the night "finishing the beer". I was pretty drunk – and so was he! What hospitality!
We teamed up with some other travellers and paid F$10 to take a shuttle bus to Suva. It was very fast and more convenient than the buses, although not as much of an adventure.
Suva, the capital, looks OK, but was a little bit grubby. We checked into the "South Seas Hotel", which was very cheap at $18 per night. We wandered around the town and did some chores, before returning to the hotel to meet up with some of our new friends. In the evening we went to "O’Reilleys" Bar for a couple of hours. It was Ok – and we took advantage of happy hour, with jugs of the local beer for F$5 each. The place was full of locals – all blokes, who looked friendly but I suspected would like brawling after a few beers. We left when things started to warm up. We ate at "The Curry House". I had a great goat curry, with the works, for F$6. Very nice too.
Last night in the hotel was very noisy. A group of guests stayed up until 2:00 a.m., being very loud, despite ours and other peoples requests for them to be quiet. Later still, a couple in a nearby room had a massive argument, which turned into a fight – screaming obscenities, hitting the walls, crying, etc. We were a little tired in the morning and have moved upstairs to a quieter room. We wandered a bit more and had lunch with some friends at the "Mad Dog Café", and then booked in advance for accommodation at "Tabakula" on the Coral Coast. F$51 for a bungalow. We had a reasonably early night following a vegetarian feed at the "Hare Krishna" restaurant.
Suva is quite pleasant, although not the sort of place to keep tourists there for more than a few days. Although it’s the capital, it still has a small-town feel to it. The mix of Indian traders, European workers and the Fijians is at it'’ most evident.
It pissed it down with rain last night but was clear in the morning. Our new room was much quieter and we slept well. The bus from Suva was F$5 each and it took two hours to get here. Tabakula is very nice. The "resort" consisted of A-frame type houses decorated in a 70’s style. It’s the sort of place than hasn’t changed for twenty years of so, whilst bigger resorts have opened up around it. It suited us just fine. It was really quiet, right next to the beach, and the houses turned out to be very spacious, and could easily sleep five people. The grounds were well kept and there was even a clean swimming pool - not bad considering the bargain price.
Sigatoka is the nearest town and is only ten minutes away by bus.
We nipped in to get some food supplies, and although the shops were closing early, we managed to get everything we needed. Good job – as everything is closed tomorrow (Sunday) and Monday (as it is a public holiday). There is resort called "The Reef resort" just a short walk down the beach, which looks very posh and apparently we can use the facilities for a small fee, including horse riding for F$5!
Claire and Jessica – two girls we met on Waya – turned up later on. We caught the daily movie in the "club house" – "You Only Live Twice".
I slept like a log last night, and there was no noise at all, and this place is only small, but the atmosphere is good.
Dibs went for her horse riding session and I went for a walk before doing a spot of letter writing, and some more relaxing! After cooking our dinner for the two girls and ourselves we went to the Reef resort for drinks. Very nice.
The coral coast is probably not as stunning as the island we visited, but certainly very relaxing. All the way along the road from Suva to Nadi are resorts, ranging from cheaper ones, like Tabakula, to five-star places for package tourists, mainly from Australia and New Zealand. The beaches are littered with shells and dead coral, but the reef is still fairly healthy. You can see the waves breaking on it from the shoreline, only two or three hundred yards out. The snorkelling is pretty good, although the water between reef and beach is pretty shallow.
Enjoyed another lazy Fiji day. I had a good swim in the morning, managing to beat the extended Indian family who have "owned" the pool for the last few days. I felt like I needed the exercise and followed the swim up with a long walk along the coast and then back into the hills and forest. I would have liked to have spent more time in-land if time had permitted it, as it seemed to have plenty of opportunities for exploration.
In the evening we sat on the porch and watched the sun go down over the sea, before having a good stroll along the beach. In the evening we went to Claire and Jessica’s "house" for dinner and had a good laugh. Quite a late night – 10:30 – by recent standards!
We reluctantly left our "house" in Tabakula at 10:30 this morning and took the regular "cattle class" bus back to Nadi. We decided to stay at "The White House" after recommendations from other travellers. It turned out to be pretty nice, with decent clean rooms, and a friendly atmosphere, costing us F$30 for a double room with bathroom. It’s quite a stroll into town, a mile or two along a main road, but the area is nice and quiet, and the accommodation in Nandi itself appeared to be either very basic or very expensive.
Nadi is nothing special. Just a small town which appears to have sprung up because the airport was built there. Lots of tourists shops, places to eat and drink, and very little else.
We walked around town in the afternoon, did a bit of shopping, etc. It was very hot and sticky. Got back to the hotel later in the day feeling very grubby, so showered up (after waiting an hour for some water).
Relaxed all day and chatted with Rupert and Nancy, who we’d met earlier on Waya Island. They were supposed to be going on to Hawaii, but Nancy (who is Greek) wouldn’t get a visa. She was refused at the airport and the US embassy too! I felt really sorry for the pair of them, but they put on a brave face, and were soon having a laugh about the whole thing. We ate at McDonalds (?!) and then relaxed all evening.
29th May 1996 Waikiki – Hawaii
No mistake with the dates – we actually crossed the international date line and went back 24 hours – so we got two 29th May 1996! Our flight left at 7:30 p.m. Fiji time and it took 5 hours and 40 mins to get to Honolulu. The Air New Zealand flight was great with good food and films. We didn’t sleep very much, so were pretty tired on arrival, which was 3:40 a.m. local time (So – we left at 7:30 p.m. and arrived at 3:40 a.m. on the same day!). The airport was quiet, but there were still a few "Hula girls" walking around giving people flower "Leis"! The immigration officer was a bit OTT, but we passed in without too much trouble.
There wasn’t much information, or many people about, but in the arrivals area there was a big board with hotels, prices, etc. We phoned a few and got through to some of the hotels, and we found the deals for a week to be pretty good. It seemed like we could pay the same price for a hotel room as we’d pay for a private room for a hostel. I guess if you are travelling as a couple, and don’t want to stay in shared dorms, then that’s the case in some places.
We eventually settled on a place called the "Kuhio Village" for US$38 per night (US$41 with tax!). We took a cab there (a great big Cadillac), which cost around US$25. It was our first taste of the U.S. and downtown Honolulu was pretty much like I imagined any U.S. city to be like. Four lane highways, huge cars, big advertising signs, fast food joints. It was good to see it all at such a quiet time of the day.
The room turned out to be a real bargain. A block away from Waikiki beach, with air conditioning, cable TV, bathroom, towels, etc. The area was busy, even at night, with 24-hour places here and there. Lots of high rise buildings. It was quiet and comfortable, and we knew we’d enjoy our stay. This was going to be our "honeymoon". We’d spend a week on a holiday, blowing the budget when we fancied, and forgetting about the backpacking "thing".
We hit the sack pretty much straight away and slept until 10:30 a.m.
When we got up wed decided do get our "chores" out of the way, so we took a bus ($1) to the GPO, which was near to the airport, to collect our mail. We ate burgers in the airport whilst reading our mail, and then returned on the bus to Waikiki to explore.
We spent a couple of hours wandering around. The beach itself was big and crowded, packed with an almost equal mix of "beautiful people" and "sun wrinkled oldies". The atmosphere reflected that most people were "on vacation", and there appeared to be lots going on to keep people happy.
Hawaii is home to lots of Asian people – I’d say about 70/80% of the people who work there.
We felt tired again in the evening, so we hit the sack pretty early.
Slept until 10:30 a.m. and felt better for a long rest. We took a bus along to the "Ala Moana" shopping centre, which is massive, and spent some money on long overdue items, and a few treats. Dibs even found a baseball cap that fitted her! We ate in the food mall and then returned to Waikiki for haircuts. I paid $11 for one, and it was also long overdue.
We spent the rest of the day lounging around the beach and wandering the town and we ate at the "International Food Court".
An early start with a breakfast at "Jack in the Box" followed by a visit to the Royal Hawaiian centre – where Dibs had a free hula lesson for an hour! We then took a bus to Pearl Harbour and visited the Arizona Memorial. The film, museum and then the boat trip out to the memorial itself were very good. Interesting and quite touching. The memorial itself is built on top of the wrecked U.S.S. Arizona, which sunk with over 1000 men on board during the attack on Pearl Harbour.
In the afternoon we went t the cinema to watch "Mission Impossible", which was a great film. We paid US$6.50 each.
After the film we walked along the beach to catch the sunset. It was really busy along the "front" – lots of entertainment, and we stopped at a beachfront bar for cocktails, where we caught a firework display and some nice sundown views. A very enjoyable "holiday" kind of day! We finished off with a meal in the "International Food Court" again.
As we were walking around we bumped into "Keoki", an American man we had met in Singapore at "Ali’s Nest" hostel. I think he was co-owner? Anyway – it was a bit of a surprise, bumping into someone like that, but he recognised Dahbo straight away and we got chatting. He’d returned to Hawaii after his Mother had become ill. He didn’t look too well himself, and then told us that he had Aids! Sad, but he seemed to be dealing with it OK. He was making garlands and selling them on the streets, and was working for a hostel. We said we’d pop in to see him (although we never got the chance).
Sat on the beach and topped our tans up, sorted out car hire for a couple of days time, and then had a very long walk around Waikiki. In the evening we took advantage of the "meal deal" at "Outrigger East". Two steak diners for US$12.95. Hawaii is pretty good value for money! Although there was lots of exploring around the island, and indeed other islands to visit, we were quite happy staying put for a while. Waikiki, which is part of Honolulu, is a big city, as we discovered with todays walk.
Another day on the beach and the cinema (we watched Twister) followed by another huge walk along the coastline.
I collected our gleaming white Mustang Convertible at 8:30 a.m. and we set off almost straight away. The car was great, although driving on the right felt a bit awkward at first. It did get easier as the day went on though, and I didn’t make too many mistakes. The worst mistake was left turning into the oncoming lane. Luckily there wasn’t much traffic and I managed to get the car over the central reservation in time.
We headed west first, pretty much following the road along the coastline until it ended. We then journeyed through the centre, passing lots of plantations, mainly producing pineapples, before reaching the north shore. This was by far the most beautiful coastline, and although the towns were smaller and the whole area seemed less populated, there were plenty of people there. After this we drove back down the east cost to Waikiki. We driven 169 miles in total and we’d pretty much covered the island of Oahu.
It’s a magnificent island and we purposely avoided the tourist traps and got to some magnificent bays and beached. During the journey we stopped for a while at Sunset Beach on the North Shore, had some (more) burgers at an old converted mill and then topped things off with a trek to the top of Diamond Head crater. The walk wasn’t too hard and the views were pretty special.
On the way back we stopped for petrol. The attendant (everything seems to be attended) said "Full service" (or something like that). I didn’t understand what he meant, but later found out that full service (he pumps for you) costs more per gallon than self-service! Petrol was very cheap, and although the car was a bit of a guzzler, it didn’t cost much to fill. It was a great experience, and cost us US$80 for the day. The top was left off all day, as luckily it was a real beauty!
On return to Waikiki we parked up in the hotel garage for security and hit the 7-11 for snacks and drinks before returning to our room for some cable TV. So many channels! Later on in the evening, when it cooled down, we walked around a couple of bars and watched some Karioki in one.
The thing I noticed in Hawaii was "tipping". It seems like everyone is obsessed with it. Ok, I learned a long time ago that waiters don’t get paid much and reply on tips, but I noticed that when a waiter or bar staff approached me, and heard I was English, and probably realised I was travelling on a budget, it effected the service I received.
They seemed to realise that they weren’t getting a good tip, and the service wasn’t as good as it should have been! Now I don’t mind tipping, but it can get pretty silly.
I noticed a group of Americans sitting near to us in one bar, were tipping $5 or even $10 each time they got drinks. The waiter was like a lap dog. I wasn’t tipping much, so I got pretty slack service – in fact it was almost as if the waiters were deliberately ignoring me.
We also stood (yes stood!) at a bar in one place and noticed that the other people were tipping $1 each time the barman gave them their beer! Now – a beer was about $2.50 – and a $1 tip on top is a bit steep, especially if you are drinking lots of beers.
I suppose this is how things work in the States!
Dibs stayed in bed, as she was feeling a bit under the weather, whilst I posted some mail and then booked us onto Germain's Luau – an evenings entertainment "Hawaiian style". I also phoned ahead and organised some accommodation for our arrival in Los Angeles tomorrow.
It turned out to be another hot, sultry day, so I headed to the beach for an hour or so. After a swim and a walk, I got into a conversation with a drunk middle aged American (lots of them about). I think he was queer, but seemed harmless. I could think of worse places to be a drunk or tramp than Hawaii! Dibs did some washing and relaxed – the heat had got to yesterday I think.
The Luau was excellent – much better than expected. Our coach left Waikiki at 5:00 p.m. and our tourist guide "Cousin Jerry" started the party off on the bus. We all got Leis (flower garlands) and some free drink vouchers. An elderly Chinese couple gave me their vouchers as they didn’t drink (I must look the type!), which was very lucky, so it was free drinks all night! These drinks consisted of Blue Hawaii’s (very nice), Mai Tai (OK) and Hawaiian shooters (served in test tubes). I was still pretty sober at the end of the night, and considering my alcohol tolerance levels were pretty low, I suspected that the free drinks were very watered down!
When we arrived (with hundreds of others) at the venue, which was right on a beautiful bit of coastline, we watched some traditional music and dancing, before sitting on bench-like tables to drinks and eat. Everyone was extremely friendly and we had great fun. Lots of American couples on honeymoon and college kids on an end of term college break. It seemed like lots of people wanted to talk to us, just to listen to our accent! Not many foreign tourists there, mainly Americans and Canadians.
The food was delicious and plentiful. We had Pork cooked in a traditional underground oven, chicken, beef, etc. We sat opposite a couple from California (a huge Black guy who was very loud and a small white woman who was quiet!), who were very extremely friendly.
The singing and dancing went on till late and was really good. The host was a bit of an "Elvis" and the dancers, male and female, were quite exciting. There was, of course, some audience participation, which was funny, and Dibs got up for some hula! It was all well worthwhile and cost us a mere US$35 each.
I was glad to have ignored the "backpacker" trail in Hawaii and got the chance meet some "real" people for a change. The problem with going to hostels and staying with backpackers is that lots of travellers rarely let their hair down. They moan about budgets and do little more than doss around. It’s quite easy to "backpack" around countries without actually mixing with any local people, and I’m sure a lot of travellers do this. They just head from hostel to hostel, head in guidebook, ignoring anything which isn’t backpacker related – and slagging off "tourists".
We had a "holiday" from travelling (sounds funny – I know) and met some great people and had some very memorable times.
We both had a nice relaxing day – our last – in Waikiki. Phoned Grandma and Granddad in the evening – which was nice – and wished Granddad a happy 80th birthday. We wandered around the market in the evening. Dibs had her thumbnail painted by "Dilip – the miniature picture artist"! We were both looking forward to moving on, and were quite excited about the next step of our adventure.
Got up at 4:30 a.m. and took the shuttle to the airport. As we were waiting for our plans, guess who we bumped into again…. Keoki! Had another chat with him and gathered a few L.A. tips. Most American advised us "L.A. is crap – get out quick", as did lots of travellers, even though most of them hadn’t been there
!
