Fiji Vacation

Landing in Nadi

Fiji was never really a country that I had considered going to before. It always had seemed too out-of-the way and exotic to be a place that was realistically reachable. Incidentally, while searching plane tickets out of Vanuatu I discovered that tickets to Fiji are cheaper than going pretty much any where else. While before coming to Vanuatu I didn't think that a tropical vacation would be the kind of trip that I would like, WOW have I realized how wrong that impression was. I also had thought that Fiji would be very similar to Vanuatu as geographically the countries are so close. While there are a lot of similarities between the two countries, Fiji has a very different vibe from Vanuatu and I came back to Vanuatu grateful for my Vanuatu Peace Corps placement.

The beach at the Beachhouse

Fijian market food

A few friends and I landed in Nadi to start off our two week vacation. After a couple of days there, we bused on Fiji's awesome buses to The Beachhouse, a backpacker resort on the Coral Coast. It was nice to spend a few days relaxing in hammocks, kayaking, and horseback riding. We then journeyed on to Suva, the capital of Fiji. Suva is definitely a buzzing metropolis compared to Port Vila! It was refreshing to get a big-city vibe after a year of island life. Suva has a variety of restaurants and I was pleased to be able to eat Korean food. Surprisingly, there was also a lot of lamb on the menus, so I ate lamb more times than one probably should in a two week time span. While in Suva we stayed at an Airbnb, which was exciting since it had a washing machine. It's the little things!

Sand dunes

Natadola Beach

After a few days in Suva we backtracked the way we came down the Coral Coast and stayed in another cheap, but nice, place right on the ocean. We spent our time there snorkeling, trying Fijian kava, and walking around some large sand dunes at Fiji's only national park.

After a few days there we headed back to Nadi to spend the rest of our vacation, as accommodation is cheap and it is a good base for day trips. One day trip was to Natadola beach, which was advertised as one of the top 10 beaches in the world. It was a very nice beach, but a very expensive hotel is there and we felt a bit like squatters trying to crouch in some shade while security patrolled the perimeter of the hotel grounds to ensure that people like us didn't step on their grass.

Mud baths

Small island

Another day we went to the mud baths. Basically we just slathered ourselves in mud, let it dry, and then washed ourselves in various hot springs. Our last full day in Fiji we splurged and went on a booze cruise. We ate, drank, and snorkeled. An absolutely gorgeous day!

Snorkeling

After two weeks we said goodbye to that beautiful country and flew back to Vanuatu. What a great trip! I've been so fortunate over the past few years that I am able to take vacations in places like Fiji. How am I supposed to go back and get a job in the US after this??