Day 81, 82, and 83 - Fiji-time on the Yasawa Islands

Day 81 - Sunday 11th December 2022
A rainy day with Amyth

It was pouring rain again today. Every hour or so, there was a downpour on our tin roof. Nevertheless, we wanted to have a cozy day and do some reading, researching, and relaxing. But the homeowner, Amyth, had other plans. Right after breakfast, he came over to us and told us about his life on the islands. He works at a resort on the Yasawa Islands as an accountant and has to stay on the islands continuously for at least 20 days. After those workdays, he has 7-10 consecutive days off. He explained that alcohol is banned for employees, so he likes to spend his time at home with a beer. After that, we went to the town to buy the aforementioned brew. We accompanied the host, as we needed to replenish our water and snack supply for the upcoming island hopping. Amyth had a lot to talk about, and we spent the whole afternoon on his terrace, listening to his stories. In the evening, he invited us to his apartment for dinner. Anna played with his daughter all afternoon. They painted pictures, played with the ball, and laughed together. It was exhausting but very lovely.

Day 82 - Monday 12th December 2022
Off to the Yasawa Islands

The day started off less than pleasant. Saleshni (Amyth's wife) demanded much more money than we had thought for transportation to the harbor, but we paid the amount because we were too polite to intervene. The stay with them was lovely, but this 'rip-off' dampened the feeling a bit. After saying goodbye to Amyth's family, we got our ticket for the ferry. The prices were already extremely high. We had already paid online, but the additional cost for the supposedly much more expensive fuel was just outrageous. We had to pay almost 30 euros more, a total of 170 euros, for the 1-hour ride to the first island of the Yasawa group. After our anger over the exorbitant prices subsided, we calmed ourselves with a cappuccino at the harbor and waited for departure. The crossing from Viti Levu (main island) to Waya Lailai (first small island of the Yasawa Islands) was exciting but a bit shaky. The waves were relatively high, and both of us had to fight a little against our seasickness. The ferry stopped about 200 meters from the island. There, we were picked up by Ece, our new host, and her husband Josh, with a boat. We were accommodated in a typical Fijian hut in the middle of the village. The village was very authentic - Anna was not allowed to walk to the beach in a bikini, but had to wear a sarong, and Manfred was not allowed to wear a cap when walking through the village, for example. Ece was very hospitable, and her children helped us carry our luggage there. After a short settling in and an instant coffee, we set off to explore the beach. The sand was white, the sea was blue, and we felt like we were on a Caribbean island. In the evening, Ece made us dinner, and then she went back to her family, who lived on the other end of the village. We read a bit more and then prepared for bed. Manfred went to the bathroom one more time and made a fateful discovery there. Behind the toilet bowl, there lived a hand-sized spider that came out of hiding every evening. Since Anna has a slight phobia of spiders (at least of big ones), Manfred didn't know how or if he should tell her. But Anna immediately recognized from Manfred's face that something was wrong. We watched the spider from a respectable distance and decided to ask Ece the next day if she could remove the 'monster'. After that, we went to bed, with a very uneasy feeling, I might add. The night was anything but restful. We woke up again and again as countless insects, mice, and other creatures became active throughout the house. Luckily, we had a mosquito net, although it had gaps.

Day 83 - Tuesday 13th December 2022
Fiji-time

After the somewhat restless night, we were immediately delighted when the Lali (a type of drum to wake up the village) sounded and drummed us out of bed. Ece was already in the house and prepared breakfast for us. Coffee, fresh fruits, and Fijian pancakes were already on the table. We ate what we could, but Ece had prepared too much. After the truly excellent breakfast, Ece explained to us that everything on the Yasawa Islands is done at a relaxed pace, which the locals call Fiji-time. We took this to heart and spent the whole day reading, playing cards, and relaxing. Of course, we told Ece about the spider, but instead of capturing the spider or something similar, she gave us a broom and said that if it appeared again, we should scare it away with the broom. This answer was anything but reassuring, but we accepted it. We wanted to live like the Fijians, and that was part of it. Today, two more vacationers arrived, who were also accommodated in our house. Of course, they were two Germans. Jenny and Felix were colleagues who embarked on a world trip together. Especially Jenny was very talkative and told us about her previous experiences all evening. After some nice conversations, a few walks on the beach, and, of course, lunch and dinner, the day was already over, and night fell. It was spider time again. Felix and Jenny also had a healthy respect for the huge creature, so we had to deal with the spider on our backs during our visits to the toilet. But we learned to deal with it, especially Anna had to gather all her courage to use the toilet. Nevertheless, we tried to enjoy our time on the island, and during the day, or as long as it was light, it was no problem. But the nights became wilder and more uncomfortable. Every night, it felt like more and more animals visited us, and we got very little rest. Neither of us looked forward to going to bed, even though we were exhausted.