An early afternoon trek into the jungle, saw a bunch of us in search of yet another elusive waterfall. Thanks to Sebastian and Demetre doing the hard yards first, scouting this one by air and by ground. A pleasant stream opening out onto a 150m cliff face, with the water ejecting itself downwards to the valley below. A spectacular site, with the Highlands sprawling out beyond the precipice. Magic!
Having one of those moments after a long day of toiling with work. The busyness tightens you up and all you need is to sit in a room to unwind the tort spring in your head. I've found the solution. Make your way to your favourite music source provider, look up the new Groove Armada album 'Loveboy Rock', insert aforementioned composition into your preferred tone generating device, sling your audiophile, warm, bass enhanced earphones over your head, fast forward to track number 13 and press play. Ohhhhhhhhhh, slump down into an unexpected slouch, and ooze the tension out through your toes as they tap to the slow and melodic rhythm that exhales from the coils over your ears.
Savuione Waterfall, situated in the Koroyanitu National Heritage Park, high above Lautoka perched in the highlands. A truly stunning place with amazing vistas of the valley and out to the islands. The weather went from clear blue sky to a heaving deluge within 20mins. The clouds fell off the highlands and swirled around the valley making for an interesting trek back to Abaca (pronounced 'Ambatha'), finishing up at the Vereni Falls which can be viewed from above on a Cave Creek style lookout. Definatly heading back for another visit soon.
Yesterday saw us trekking up a river inland looking for some, what turned out to be elusive, waterfalls. The walk was spectacular and the water refreshing to swim through as the jungle heat sapped every drop of moisture from each pore. The wildlife was plentiful with fish, frogs, prawns, worms, centipedes, spiders, bees, snails, mosquitos, goats and the odd native fishing from its banks. Ending up in the middle of nowhere, we come across an Indian lady with two young children, who invite us in to her home to rest with some juice. Working off the land growing what crops they can to sell at the market, their water dribbles from a well up the hill, light comes from the battery of their weary ute and everything else is from the thick jungle around them. A very humbling experience that makes you realise life is about what you have and not what you want to have. You make the best of what you've got and don't expect anything more, you have to earn it for yourself.
It's wonderful to be back in the tropics. The warmth, the humidity, the relaxed pace. Even in NZ on a brief visit, the body gets filled with the fast atmosphere. The need to be here and there and most places in between at the same time. Fiji is like eating a orange choc chip ice-cream, sitting under a Pohutakawa tree and looking over a white sandy coastal vista in that period stuck between Xmas and the New Year. Beautiful!
Home for easter and what a breath of fresh air to catch up with friends and family, all be it a bit short and apologies to those I missed. With the best of intentions, 4 days just ain't enough. Some time was spent up north with the folks and a night spent at Te Puru on the Coromandel. The bright sunny days leading into the shortening cooler dusk, and the mornings dawning with the crisp crunch under foot. The briskness of the air was relieving all be it a wee bit of a challenge to deal with due to my lack of planning on warm woolies! Thanks for the good times and can't wait to return home soon. Vinaka.
Homeward bound, well for six days anywho. Happy Easter ya'll.
Before I depart, with the extensive wads of tropical depressions coming the way of Fiji of late, why not have another one. However, this bad boy, cyclone cliff, has menaced itself into the realms of tropical cyclone hood. Luckily it seems to be drifting down the east side of the group, with reports of 60 knot winds and heavy rain. Prey it stays away and the poor souls lashed by so much so far this year come through unscathed.
Shizen, a good few weeks have past since i scribbled my thoughts down. The weeks have turned to months and it all seems to be going by without any time passing. It has become a strange sensation to find the weekends backing up and the days rolling by almost unnoticed. Is this the Fiji influence of Fiji time, where things are so relaxed and laid back that time itself melds into nothing? I'm not sure, but I'm finding it very refreshing and soothing. Work has been quite hectic the last couple of weeks, with the incessant deluges, interspersed with clean blue skies. Juggling things in a manner that finds a path through the copious amounts of mud and water sodden earth. Thankfully, a long weekend has come along to enable the recharging of batteries and muscles, and 5 days away from jumping on the silver bird home to catch up with friends and family over the Easter break. Yay. Otherwise, not much else to report, apart from a mild brain ache from a rather large night on the 'town' (Ohana and Ed's bar) last night where the old quiet beer at home turns into drunken disorderly in the Nadi back blocks. Loads of fun, laughs and merriment. Those of you in NZ, see you soon. The rest of you's fullas, take care of yourselves. Vinaka vakalevu....
Firstly, New Zealand trounce England in the Cricket World Cup by 6 wickets, it's St Patrick,s day and v32.0 of Zeon has been passed by a new improved v33.0 that has been unwrapped and unleashed on the world. There haven't been much in the way of updates or upgrades, just the knowledge of another year of experience under the belt! A quote from a lovely card I recieved said, 'There's something women look for in a man your age...a PULSE!' Ahh classic!!! It's a bright sunny day, something from the norm of late, so will relish it by going to the local markets for some fresh goodies. Enjoy the Irish craziness wherever you may be with some damn fine craic.
The Nausri Highlands, on the road towards Bukuya Village, looking back over Nadi Bay, Denerau, airport, Namaka and Lautoka Fuel tanks to the right. Finally the rain has cleared.
Not sure where I've been or if this is something new, but not really taking much notice of soap packets generally, I was amazed to find that this soap can make you whiter. I'm no scientist, but living somewhere like Fiji, the demand for such technological ingredients in soap seems a little pointless. All I want to do is fit in a little more with a bit of a tan and I find my soap is quietly doing the opposite! What the.....?
Holy guacamole. It's March.....and a wee while since I threw up an update on my blog. It's been almost 2 weeks since my last confession. So what's been happening? The last week saw a little bit of a reality check and realisation kicked in, just how much I miss stuff at home. In all honesty, there ain't much to do here without spending wads of cash. To be honest, when the weekend does come around, you feel like doing little more than being as vegetative as possible and wearing away those weekday bumps and bruises. Last weekend though, I trekked inland via the Nausori Highlands. Now foolish me, I took my camera and the day was picture perfect for some great images, but I forgot to fuel up the beasties batteries. Soo high in the hills, overlooking Nadi Bay and the distant islands, I attempted to turn on the aforementioned device, and it plainly starred back at me and said, what?!?! Never mind. It's a short drive and I'll return soon to share with you all the delights of the islands innards!
Boxing Fiji style. Last night saw Fiji boxing Association hold it's Nadi boxing fight night. Originally, there were supposed to be 12 bouts. Fiji being Fiji, saw half the boxes fail to show, so the night was reduced to 5 bouts! The most interesting were the first two, seeing local Indians only 55kg's and 18 - 23 years of age do battle, lasting less than half of the first round of three. The main event was fought between local legend Zulfikar Joy 'Jet' Ali (Fiji Indian) and Paula Tuilau (Fijian) over 12 rounds. Ali's defensive stance didn't wain as Tuilau tried to force the glove through, Ali waiting for his moment to use his extreme speed and accuracy for the defeating blow. Using the Prince Naseem method of taunting, it wasn't enough to stop the bout lasting the full 12 rounds, Ali knocking down Tuilau on two occasions, the decisions went to the score cards, with a unanimous decision to the victor Ali. The fighting style was pretty tedious and tiresome but effective. The short bursts of action got the large crowd on their feet, and the atmosphere surged from near silence to pandemonium. The experience was interesting, with the typical organisation that you'd expect. Well worth the look.
Number 5, the number of weeks, is dead and buried. It's been a week of trials and tribulations. As much as I'm enjoying my own space, it hit me this week, how good it is to have someone else rambling around the house with you. Especially when all poo hits the fan (well that's what it feels like at the time) and there is no one to vent too, apart from the neighbours in the form of loud music. Chris Lowe from The Pet Shop Boys is spinning my wheels at the moment, but I digress! The aforementioned poo in the fan was in the form of a plant, a Masi Palm to be more specific. Without going into a great deal of detail, this beasty gave me a good deal of trouble. Digging from deep in the jungle and all that entails to placing it 'nicely' in the ground in it's new home. It decided to fall over through unforeseen circumstances, getting him upright with the appropriate machinery and stabilized with a number of strops, he decides to commit suicide by beheading himself of his growth tip in the gentle wind. So 95% chance of having to do it all again!!! On the positive, I now know a few new tricks about transplantation.
Anyway, enough about work, sadly, that is all that has encapsulated my life in the past week. The weekend will be spent sunning myself and resting my weary head. Might head to the beach tomorrow. Still haven't been for a swim in the sea since I got here. Shame on me! The pic above is the property I'm currently working on. The orange dots indicate the bodies of the local boys siestaring in the early afternoon warmth. Will continue with pic updates of the site as we progress. Sorry about all the work related speal, but had to dislodge it out of my head somehow!!!
It's been a busy week. Going from brown water everywhere, to a mass of sludge, to dry as a bone. The clean up has been swift and all but the numerous pot holes in the road have been repaired and little would lead you to believe the deluge existed. Now the mud throwing has started as to who is to blame for the flood and who is responsible to stop it happening again. Who can control the rain. But life is back to normal. Went to Vomo Island, which is a small resort island about 10km's off the coast of Lautoka. It had the feeling of Thailand a little with the rocky isle just to the north, the tropical heat and the beautiful blue waters. Whilst unawares, the mainland coped a thunderstorm or too upsetting the return journey which was to have been via helicopter, missing a prime opportunity to have a gander at the islands from the air. Maybe next time. So the weekend has come to an end, an eventful one at that. Hopefully the rain stays away for the next few days as we're busy throwing coconuts in the ground. I'll leave it at that, time to refresh with a cold shower. Ciao. Go the Black Caps 2-0 against the Australians!!!
The rain has been falling consistently the past couple of days, then heavy falls all last night, finally brings Nadi to a stand still as the Nadi River breaches it's banks and spills into the streets. Buses, 4wd and trucks pass onwards but all else are forced to turn. With the rain still falling gently, the river is continuing its encroaching ways. It has brought the villages to life with the kids frolicking in the growing pools, shop keepers trying to keep the water from their businesses, pigs on the loose from their pens and frogs swimming through the surge looking for a sanctuary. The upside, the temperature is cool and refreshing.
P.S. After walking through the main street of Nadi, I stepped into a drain up to my chest with camera and phone in pocket, safe to say they both had a reasonably good swim! The phone recovered first and the camera is still in intensive care waiting a diagnosis. So on a seperate jaunt, this time in the ute, I had to use the trusty phone for my images. These two of the main street of Nadi with 3 ft of water throughout. This is the only access through the town with all other routes under 5 to 6 ft of precipitous liquid! The rain has eased and the waters are receding, although, the forecast for this evening looks grim!!!
The deluge has arrived, the 'wet' season has fallen. Solid rain now makes up most of the last few days, creating problems. Some small, some large. This is the second deep tropical depression to hit the Fiji Islands in the last week. The first hitting Nabasa on Vanua Levu just before it turned cyclonic and this one giving the north and west of Viti Levu a decent serve. The humidity, obviously, has shot through the roof and the temperature is still giving it a thorough nudge in the upward direction. Work is busy, all be it a little interrupted, but things are positive more so than when I arrived and the general feeling about the place is good and looking forward. The three week mark has stridden up and swiped me from behind. Time is passing quickly and yet it seems a lot has been achieved at the same time. The weekend holds work, a lot of work, interspersed with a few games of squash at the local sports club. Have met a couple of guys who have given me a good run for my money. It's nice to play some new people with different styles of play. Anyway, rambling man must away into the rainy abyss. Hope all out there, where ever you lay your hat are well. Peace...
The highlight of my time in Fiji so far, planting my first Coconut Palm!!! Well almost anyway. ;o) Then the heavens opened and it hasn't stopped since. Thunder, lightening and frogs leaping through the puddles. Luckily, the Rugby 7's are live on the only free channel, Fiji One! BULA!!!
The first of the month sees the first rain since I've been here. I walked to the shops for some kai, looking into the highlands in the distance, the peaks smothered in dense grey clouds foretold the expected deluge. The breeze turned into the gloom and with a sudden chill in the air, the humidity rose and the precipitation dislodged itself from the heavens. Outside is now cool and refreshing, and the morning will be crisp and clean. Welcome February.
