Island Hopping in The Yasawas!

Well, dear readers, you won't believe it, but for the first time, I've had a little bit of writer's block today! I know, me of the lengthy blog entries!!! This is not to say that I haven't had an amazing time out in the Yasawas, because it has been absolutely bloody brilliant! However, it's been such an easygoing week with a real change of pace from my previous adventures that I genuinely think I'd bore you with my usual detail. I mean, how much could you bear to hear about sunbathing, snorkelling, swimming, snorkelling, sunbathing, snorkelling, snorkelling, diving...

To be honest, the thing that has really made the past seven days so memorable are the great people that I've met and I feel they all deserve a special thank you for listening to me chat incessantly for most of the time! Cheers to Michelle & Lee (Canada), Michelle (UK), Adam & Stephanie (Germany), Graham & Al (UK), Karin (Switzerland), Elaine & Marcus (Ireland), Jane (US), Jen, Helen and Ally (UK) and Chris & Karen (UK). It was a blast guys, I hope our paths cross again in the future soon! Anyway, back to the islands! I think the best way to tell you about my week is note form, so here goes:

DAY ONE

Caught Yasawa Flyer and sailed to Coral View Resort on Tavewa Island. After lunch, chatted on beach to new dorm mates. Bought Fijian shell necklace, as everyone else seemed to have one and felt left out! After dinner, played musical statues and card games!

DAY TWO

Up for breakfast at 7.45am, then straight into the sea for snorkelling. Great site, loads of coral, BIG triggerfish and banded sea snake (1m long!). Watched snake surface for air a few metres away. Watched (deadly venomous) snake swim towards me and so beat a hasty retreat. After lunch, more snorkelling at the Blue Lagoon, where the Brooke Shields movie was filmed. Took well needed shower then climbed hill behind resort to watch sunset, benefit of shower negated! Had great fun taking silly photos, descent through "David Bellamy" style vegetation not so easy in the dark!

Me, Michelle, Lee, Adam & Stephanie

DAY THREE

Went SHARK DIVING! Hilarious to see Fijian guy dive overhead with wheelie bin full of food! Saw grey reef and white-tipped sharks, big moray eel and two huge sicklefin lemon sharks! Enquired if lemon sharks are dangerous, apparently not, they are very shy and polite! Damn, not scary enough! Took Yasawa Flyer south to White Sandy Beach on Naviti Island. Lovely little place, nice beach and friendly staff. Watched girls perform their Bula Dance after dinner!

DAY FOUR

In sea snorkelling again after breakfast, another great site, loads of fish. Taught myself how to skin dive. Back at 10am for church!!! Great fun, good practice if I ever visit the Bible Belt! Highly amused by simple hut by the forest with PowerPoint projection of hymns onto the ceiling! More snorkelling before lunch, then turned into a big prune after spending 3 hours in sea chatting to Elaine and Marcus! More dancing after dinner, this time we learned the moves as well!

DAY FIVE

More snorkelling after brekkie, back out at 9am to make coconut bracelet, back in at 10am and gave friends a fish tour! Elaine asked "What's that fish?" I replied, "Well, I don't know ALL the fish!" Back for lunch, informed that Flyer would be several hours late. Oh well, got to spend an extra few hours in paradise! Flyer eventually arrived, but water taxi too heavy to move at low tide, had to get out and push it, then motor fell off as we reached the Flyer! Hilarious, had to be towed to Flyer by another resort's taxi! Met Jane on boat to Waya Lailai, hope to do US Road Trip together one day! Arrived at next resort, great food, watched fire dance in evening.

DAY SIX

Lazy, lazy day on beach, chatting and swimming to all my new friends from the week, who by a great twist of fate were all in the same resort! Made crown of frangipani flowers in the afternoon with Jane, so became known as "Frangipani Girl" to the staff!! Saw poisonous sea snake on the beach, plus more sea, sun and sand, saw sunset and played the "I Can Name All 50 States" game with Jane! Got to 47 and was stuck, as usual!!!

Sea Snake Knows My Initials!!!

DAY SEVEN

Last day on the Yasawas. More swimming and sunbathing, checked out in morning and had pandanus leaf bracelet made in afternoon. Took Flyer back to Nadi, and spent my last few hours yakking to my friends again!!! Bus back to resort easy peasy, checked in again at Horizon Backpackers, this time in dorm with fan only. Met new roomies, chatted some more, went to bed. Fan really noisy, but pointed in opposite direction, so no benefit felt. On top of really wonky bunk bed, guy below must have had worms as he wriggled all night, didn't get much sleep!

So that's about it! It was great, great fun and I'm really loving meeting so many new people, they really did make my week special! Dorms are definitely the way to go and I wish I'd known that when I was in Asia; although I had a great time there, I was quite lonely at times and so I'm not sure if I made the most of my time there! Oh well, just have to go back again! Anyway, I've got 3 more nights on Fiji, so rather than stay in Nadi all the time, I'm off to The Beachouse on the Coral Coast today! Apparently, the first series of ITV's Love Island was filmed there! Anyway, I'll be back on Saturday to tell you all about it before I head off to New Zealand!!!