On the way back to the lodge we filled our bottles from a natural spring, gathering some of the expensive 'Fiji Water' we have seen sold back in England and that celebrities swear by.
That afternoon we saw the lovo lovo being prepared for dinner, an underground oven where the food is covered with elephant leaves and left to cook for many hours. We had a feast that evening of tarrow, locally caught fish, chicken, lamb neck, egg plant and pineapple cake.
We went snorkelling at honeymoon island on our second day.
The island was tiny, we were the only people on it, the sand was bright white and the sea was aquamarine and crystal clear. We saw starfish, coral reefs, a multitude of tropical fish and even a deadly sea snake which fortunately minded its own business! We also tried our hands at a little hermit crab racing. Needless to say despite best efforts on the Suncream in the blistering 35 degree heat we ended up with some atrociously patchy sunburn (though mild in comparison with what was yet to come...)
In the evening we said farewell to Louise for a couple of days as we left for the island of Qamea. Our transportation was the equivalent of a tiny tin can which barely fit the group in alongside our luggage and left us so drenched that we would have been drier if we'd swam.
As we pulled up to the sandy beach we felt like we had arrived in a scene out of 'Lost' with nothing but jungle as far as the eye could see. The accommodation was basic but beautiful and what it lacked in hot water and creature comforts it more than made up for in scenery and the warmth of the people we met there. The rooms were open to the elements with geckos, spiders and mosquitos everywhere, our shower was a rusty pipe jutting out from the wall on the back of the building, we were bitten by very variety and mosquito : deghi, elephant and the little normal buggers too! The four days that we spent on Qamea enabled us to scratch the itch we had for physical activity, we spent our time sea kayaking, snorkelling, fishing, playing fire poi and staff and visiting a local island village.
The rest of our time was spent playing chess and cards, reading books and getting down with the locals. A local Fijian string band came to play for an evening and many people from the local village attended to drink kava and share stories, including one of our personal favourites Fabeyoncé (Fabio).
Toward the end of our stay Susie tagged on to an opporunistic spear fishing trip with Simon, she went out in the kayak with a line attached to a make shift rod (a sweet chilli sauce bottle) with Simon swimming alongside with the spear. After a tug on the line and a fumble to grasp the bottle Susie's paddle was lost and bobbed off in to the horizon, there was lot screaming and shouting for Simon and he eventually came over to see what all the fuss was about, an investigation of the line found that there was a small reef shark attached!
When they arrived back on shore, despite the cool cloudy day, we realised Susie had got severe superficial burns and her shins were soon swollen and covered with weeping blisters... FAIL.
Alongside tending to Susie's burns, our medical skills were called in to action when our friend Toby became unwell with a tropical fever and difficulty breathing and Tony received a gash to the head from a sharp tree branch.
We ended our stay in Qamea with a relaxing Fijian massage before returning to Taveuni for one more night with our friends and then back to the rust bucket for our long journey to the mainland.
The North Islands were an exceptional experience and one of our most favourite parts of our Fiji trip to date.
Unforgettable.
Peace and love,
Jan and Sooz.
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