Fiji Time - 7 Days/6 Nights

Fiji - an archipelago consisting of 332 islands - approximately 884,000 inhabitants - independent since 1970 - former British colony - located 1200 km east of Port Vila - paradise-like - dream beaches...

This sounds good and exciting for the week when Michel presents his blonde hair on his arms to the Chinese and coaches the girls to the front 🙌.

On Saturday, 29th September, I started my journey to Nadi in Fiji. After about 2.15 hours, the first small islands and the beautiful coast of Fiji came into view. Immediately, I noticed how dry and barren the land is, making it look somehow tidier and more chic than Vanuatu. I went straight to the bus station to arrive at the resort in the evening, which I booked for 4 nights.

Since I wasn't keen on spending all my savings in a week in Fiji, my travel plan was simple and low-budget. The accommodation on the south coast near Kololevu (Coral Coast) offered a great price for accommodation with breakfast and a daily yoga class included. You could also take kayaks or rent surfboards and paddleboards for an additional fee.

After a 2-hour bus ride to the south of the main island Viti Levu, the landscape changed again to green, tropical rainforest, and the road meandered through small villages, similar to Vanuatu.

Despite the still cloudy and sometimes rainy weather, I had incredibly beautiful and inspiring 4 days on the south coast. The people there were particularly great. A couple from Holland and one from Switzerland were both only on a shorter stop in Fiji, and we exchanged everything about experiences, routes, and tips for further destinations. The yoga teacher Marcia (San Diego), Kylee from Melbourne, Brenda from LA, and Tim from Kansas (but has been living in China for 3 years) were also super nice, and we surfed, snorkeled, and did yoga together :).

For surfing, the surf instructors take you to the reef where the waves break, and for the beginning after a long surfing break, there were perfect baby waves that could be ridden well with the beginner softboard. I could give some tips to the Dutch girl, and she did well too. It was even really fun ;)

At the same time as the couples, we all left the beach house, and I spent another 2 nights in Nadi. Kylee was also there, and even Maria, a friend from Brazil, whom I used to live with in Queenstown. She is still in New Zealand and happened to be on vacation in Fiji at the same time. That was a nice coincidence, and we spent the evening together with her friend and people they met while island hopping.

On the penultimate day, Kylee and I decided to visit the resorts and thus the very touristy and fancy Denarau Peninsula. We went to the city like the locals for 1 Fiji dollar, bought fruits and veggie roti for lunch, and headed towards Denarau. One luxury resort next to the other, huge pools, many people, and expensive prices. We made ourselves comfortable on the beach, relaxed, and mingled with the crowd, in order to hang out at one or the other pool bar :) In the evening, Kylee took me to a meeting with friends from before (she used to be a volunteer in Fiji for a year). It was very interesting to hang out with the locals. Over 50% of the locals have Indian roots. But there are also many Western Fijians and the indigenous Fijians. So it is a very colorful multi-cultural picture, and also on that evening, the table was mixed. We were served everything we wished for, from beer, wine, champagne to gin and tonic. We had funny conversations until we got tired and the driver took us home on his friend's request.

All in all, Fiji is probably 15-20 years ahead of Vanuatu. Truly westernized. The locals go out a lot and have a similar drinking culture to the Aussies. You never see that in Vanuatu.

Unfortunately, the people sometimes seem a bit artificial to me and in the accommodations, they appear forced and almost unfriendly. They see the money in you, and you can feel it very strongly. Stronger than in many other countries where people are even poorer. As a backpacker, I find it a bit difficult, even though there are many affordable accommodations. There, you only feel semi-welcome when you have to pay more on-site than what was stated on the internet, and you wonder why. Whatever...

The beauty of the country makes up for it again, and even though I probably didn't see the top spots, I was able to get a good impression of the country and its people. The many conversations inspired me and also gave me professional ideas. There was the best freshly squeezed pineapple juice, local potato chips with sweet and sour sauce, and probably the most beautiful and colorful sunset I have ever seen.

Maybe Michel and I will come back to Fiji together, if it won't be another archipelago in this huge ocean!? :)