1MB Travels: Fiji: Adventure Flashpacking Day 4: Shark Diving, Arts Village, Kumaran Chetty's

"Do one thing that scares you, every day." - Eleanor Roosevelt

I didn't grow up dreaming of swimming with sharks.

I ended up doing it metaphorically, involuntarily, most of my professional career - and on this trip to Fiji, literally, semi-voluntarily.

Truthfully, my original intention with Fiji was to dive the world famous Rainbow Reef. Fiji is the soft coral capital of the world, and scuba diving there is definitely a bucket list adventure.  I'd dreamed of a utopic underwater world, fish of all sizes and creatures of all forms flitting around, technicolor coral formations in all directions - marine life at 500% vibrancy.

But Fiji also features probably the best shark diving in the world - a once in a lifetime experience on par with, and possibly overshadowing the Rainbow Reef.  With the safety rule of not diving 24 hours before flying, we could only choose one.  As I was traveling with daredevil @gourmetpigs, and *because* the thought of diving with sharks (and as extremely inexperienced divers, at that - we'd only completed the minimum dives required to get PADI certified) terrified me - we decided to go for the shark dive.  When else in our lives were we going to do this?  And, if we were going to take the risk: might as well do it at the best place possible.

After some research, we decided on Beqa Adventure Divers - run by marine biologists who were conservationists first and foremost, running tours to educate, inform and raise funds to keep protecting sharks and their beautiful habitats. While they were perfectly friendly to guests/customers, what we loved was that they did not seem to be tourist pleasers, who would never encourage any goofy, risky behavior, nor tolerate silly selfie-takers. 

Four dive masters accompanied our group of five amateurs, led by a guide who asked to be addressed as 'Papa'.  Papa was charismatic and very entertaining on the boat ride to our dive site - but make no mistake, he had been running this tour for 18 years, loves the sharks like his own children - he knows almost all of the regulars by name - and never had any incidents.  He laid out the rules we were to follow, not only to keep us safe from the sharks, but the sharks safe from us (after all, if anything were to happen, the damage from a fear driven public would cause irreparable harm to the entire shark population).  

Our destination that early morning was to Shark Reef Marine Reserve, an aquatic park with coral walls built for the study of the resident shark population.  We would travel as a group to each wall, amateurs to lie prone, heads down - while divemasters used tuna heads and other feed above us to attract the sharks.  The first stop was at a ledge 30 meters / 100 feet down, in "The Arena", where we spend just under 20 amazing minutes with 30 to 40 bull sharks swirling around us.



Then we move up to "The Shallows", at 16 meters / 55 feet - where smaller sharks from blacktips, whitetips, grey to lemon dart back and forth along the wall, sometimes at just arm's length from us. 

The thrill of the first dive was incredible: there is the expected adrenaline rush, but at the same time, an amazing stillness from being in the presence of the majestic creatures, designed by nature as the most efficient killers, but really simply following the basic instinct to survive - just like all other living beings.  We didn't see the blood-lust driven monsters from Jaws movies that everyone who thought we were insane were afraid that we would come across (ok we didn't encounter that exact species, great whites, either, but you get the point).  They're not swimming around looking for humans to tear limb from limb - most shark attacks happen because sharks can't see very well, and sometimes mistake humans for fish.

If you're wondering what was protecting us from sharks who can't distinguish us from lunch - it was basically our divemasters, holding blunt metal rods (shaped like those triangle-handled screwdrivers you get with IKEA furniture sometimes) that they use to gently nudge curious sharks away whenever they get a little too close. 

When we surfaced, we were very pleasantly surprised to hear that there was a second round!  This time, the divemasters HAND FED a line of bull sharks, right in front of us!  The sharks seemed to know the drill though, and were very comfortable with all the feeders and having us bunch of tourists around watching while they grabbed lunch from the divemasters, in protective metal mesh suits.

All in all, an incredible bucket list experience - one that we will always look back on proudly to have done!!!

After an adventure-filled morning, we headed back to the resort for a little R&R.

Since we arrived fairly late night the first night, it was great to get a chance to see and appreciate the resort property with its traditionally-styled bures (even at the oceanfront bar).

We ordered our requisite island drinks ('tropical juice' - a blend I think of watermelon, pineapple, and ? - seemed to popular here too)

And after all the excitement, we realized we were starving - and inhaled this lovely kokoda (traditional Fijian ceviche made with mahi mahi and coconut cream) presented in a coconut shell bowl, the best version of it we'd had in Fiji so far - with super fresh fish that was just the right supple texture and infused with flavor.

We also had mahi mahi prepared another way: as fish and chips, also tasty with a fresh fried golden crispy exterior and juicy, flaky fish beneath. 

The only bit of trouble we had in paradise was with mosquitos - they were everywhere, and made quick lunch of us wherever we went.  Time to break out my secondary supply of mosquito repellent - I was trying to stay 'natural' as much as possible, and had brought "Florida Water" from Hong Kong's "Two Girls" brand.  It smelled great, and was supposed to repel bugs.  But like all the other repellent I brought, this didn't work very well.  In Fiji, if mosquitos are a problem for you (I'm allergic and bites swell up sometimes to knuckle size), I would advise on giving in to tropical-strength / max strength DEET repellent. They smell like death and are bad for the environment and for the person inhaling the fumes - but they will work to keep those bloodsuckers from making a meal of you.

Photo credit: artsvillage.fiji.com

We'd heard that Arts Village was a great place to visit, and that it was 'just across the street' from Uprising Resort, and decided to walk off our lunch there.  

Found out this was a bad idea for 3 reasons:

• Across the street turns out to be 15 minutes
• In the Fijian heat, every minute feels like half an hour
• During wet season, downpours can happen at any minute without warning

We totally got scorched in the heat of the first part of the walk, then drenched in the rain running for cover (which was still a distance away).

Photo credit: artsvillage.fiji.com

Oh yeah, and there was a fourth reason: while we had planned fairly meticulously the rest of the itinerary to ensure we maximized every minute of the bucket list trip, I had somehow missed looking up showtimes for the the Arts Village fire walking and meke dance.  Maybe in the back of my mind I thought it was something that would occur a few times throughout the day, or perhaps once in the evening (allowing us plenty of time to get there after our shark dive).  

Apparently there was only 1 show time, at 2:30 - and we had missed it.  

Also, 'Fiji time' meant that all the little shops close by 3:30pm / 4pm. While to be honest we were not impressed by the number and quality of shops we did manage to see, we also don't know what it might have been like if we had arrived early enough for most stores (and possibly table vendors) to be open.  I had been looking forward to getting some unique souvenirs, especially handcrafted items like the Fijian weave bracelets / bags - but the shops we saw mostly carried standard issue postcards, magnets, generic shell jewelry and bath products.  There was also a small market, where we were hoping to find local snacks and other food treasures - but that one also catered to tourists and carried mainly processed items from Australia.

So learn from our mistakes and if you go: 
1) Take a taxi
2) Plan even your visit to the local arts village to give yourself time to fully enjoy it.

Venturing on to check out local fare at Kumaran Chetty's down the street, we had a lovely meal of lamb curry 

...and Mahi Mahi curry.  A little more expensive than we had expected, at $35 Fiji total (~$17 USD) including drinks, but we were glad to have been able to check out a local spot.

All in all, an amazing Day 4!


(You can see my recaps for Day 1 here , Day 2 here and Day 3 here)


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Fiji

Uprising Beach Resort

Queens Rd, Pacific Harbour, Fiji

Ph:+679 345 2200

Website: uprisingbeachresort.com

Beqa Adventure Divers
Lagoon Resort, Pacific Harbour, Fiji
Ph: +679 345 0911
Email: contactus@fijisharkdive.com
Website: fijisharkdive.com

Arts Village
Pacific Harbour, Fiji
Ph: +679 345 0065
Website: artsvillage.com.fj
Program:
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday
10:45am – 11:45pm – Boat Tour
12pm – 1pm – Temple Tour
1:15pm – 2:15pm – Lovo Lunch
2:30pm – 3:30pm – Fire walking & Meke Show

Kumaran Chetty's
Lot 9 Pacific Highway, Pacific Harbour, (Opposite Pacific Timber), 3450096 Navua, Central, Fiji
Ph: +679 9962062
facebook.com/pages/Kumaran-Restaurant

Day 4 costs breakdown:

• Car service from hotel to Beqa Adventure Divers and back: $0 (FREE, provided with dive - just have hotel call to arrange in advance).  Tip optional (we tipped $8 Fiji total roundtrip)
• Shark dive:  $375 Fiji per person (~$187 USD pp) PADI certification required, Open Water Diver at minimum
• Lunch at Uprising Resort: $27.50 Fiji per person (~$13.75 USD)
• Dinner at Kumaran Chetty's: $17 Fiji per person (~$9 USD pp tip included) 
• Taxis: $10 Fiji (~$5 USD)
• Uprising Beach Resort 2nd night (@gourmetpigs caught a promo code that knocked $100 off this night's booking.  And free upgrade to beachfront bure continued!): $31 USD total tax included) prepaid via Orbitz
• Total: ~$229.75 USD per person

(See my recaps for Day 1 here , Day 2 here , Day 3 here, and Day 5 here)
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1MB Travels: Fiji: Adventure Flashpacking Day 3: Limestone Caves, Fijian at Tata's, Pacific Harbour

Island time - it can flow so slowly and ebb so quickly at the same time.  Before we knew it, the last day at Blue Lagoon Resort was upon us.  

With the hard stop of boat pickup at 1:00pm (the trade off for remote serenity: there is only ONE boat per day back to the main island), we had just enough time for breakfast and one more activity - a limestone cave excursion!

The breakfast buffet at Blue Lagoon is excellent - and something to look forward to.  They take care to change it up just a little each day so you don't get bored.  

We discovered a hot tray we'd missed the day before: it catered to international tastes, but all tasted super fresh and delicious, especially the lamb sausage!

What I was most excited about however, were the local items: gulagula was my favorite: a Fijian traditional donut with bits of banana and sultanas in a hot steaming football shaped fried airy pillow of deliciousness.

There were also Babakaus, another kind of Fijian donut made simply with flour, yeast, sugar and water.

All fueled up, we headed down to the activities desk where we piled into a speedboat towards Sawa-i-Lau, the famed limestone cave where they filmed a scene in The Blue Lagoon movie from the 80's starring Brooke Shields (I think this scene - sorry, a bit graphic)!

It was small, but breathtaking - from the beach, you take stone steps up to the narrow entrance, then descend into water and swim through to a skylit opening with soaring limestone walls.

We had been a bit apprehensive about the part where we had to swim underwater, beneath a solid stone roof, in order to access the inner rooms. 

But luckily, it was only for a few moments - no more than a 45 second swim - and our guide brought a floating device that guests who were not strong swimmers could hold onto, and be towed with, once we got into the inner rooms.

The darkened inner chambers had a sense of mystery and danger to them, heightened by the tour guide's mentions of water eels in its murky depths.  We broke the tension by shouting "Bula!" loudly throughout the rooms.

Once we were done with the tour, we were free to roam through a few tables of vendors selling trinkets and shell jewelry on the beach.  I loved that they recognize you came in your swimsuit and didn't bring any cash, so though the setup looks makeshift, they actually are very organized in recording your resort room number, and then providing a billing slip so that we can pay the boatman when we got back to the resort.

It was nice to have a bit of time before the boat ride back, to answer the call of the clear, warm water beckoning us in.

Back at the resort, it was a bit of a whirlwind - checkout had to happen quickly, and our bags were rushed to the front desk for labeling and for porters to take them to the beach, where we were to await a speedboat to whisk us back to the bright yellow Yasawa Flyer we arrived on just a few short days ago.

(My only regret is that we didn't have time to do the village visit as it was to be that afternoon, after the boat departure time.  If I am lucky enough to make it back to Fiji again, will need to plan for a longer stay, definitely to include a full Friday at the resort!)

It was a wistful goodbye, toasted with one last pina colada at the beach bar and serenaded by a bittersweet ukelele'd island song.  

The practiced resort staff of course had already planned for our food needs: they had tandoori chicken wraps or sandwiches ready for purchase, to be handed to us on the way to the boat!

For the comfort and safety of guests, the resort loads people into one boat and luggage into another.

Both shoot out to the Yasawa Flyer, and again with practiced efficiency, passengers are shepherded onto the Flyer on one side, while porters transfer luggage onto the boat from another.  The whole process took no more than 5 minutes.  Then we were off for a 4.5 hour ride.

As you've seen in our recaps so far, getting around the islands is not an easy feat - besides the long boat trips, ground transportation also takes a lot of time, and there are not a lot of ready options.  The bus from the marina on the northwest side of Viti Levu island to Pacific Harbour on the southeastern side would have taken around 4 hours and required us to fast-track to the bus station to catch the last bus out within a half hour of the boat docking, and taxis are not only scarce, we'd read in Lonely Planet that they can be sketchy with many unlicensed drivers who may not be up front with fare charges.  

So, we contacted Koro Makawa for car service - the driver would be waiting for us when we docked around 5:45pm, and he'd take us to Pacific Harbour for $160 Fiji (~$80 USD) total (cars at this rate can accommodate 1-3 passengers).  It was well worth it, not to have to deal with hauling all that luggage to a bus station and spending more precious time on a long ride, after already spending 4.5 hours on the Yasawa Flyer.

Our driver kindly made a stop for us to grab dinner too - at a local restaurant called Tata's: an open air, sort of glorified shack of a place less than a half hour from the marina. 

The short and focused menu consisted almost entirely of curries (many Fijians are of Indian descent, so there is heavy culinary influence there).  

We tried the lamb with rice and daal.  And realized that outside of the opulence of high end resorts, meat may be an expensive / luxury good in this island nation: at local restaurants there is a huge disparity versus what we would consider a size 'small' by American standards.  Though, it only cost $7 Fiji (~$3.50 USD) for the dish.  The lamb was tasty but not particularly mind blowing.

Thinking seafood is the thing to get, we ordered the crab curry in large size ($35 Fiji ~$19.50 USD) but again found the portion much smaller than expected.  There were probably 2 claws and 2 legs total.  The curry sauce was flavorful and definitely caused us to lick our fingers clean, but we wanted more meat in the crabs themselves.  

Glad we got to get a little bit of local flavor though before heading out to Pacific Harbour - we would arrive in the evening in time to catch some sleep before our big Beqa shark dive!!!

___________________________________________________________________

Fiji

Blue Lagoon Beach Resort
Nacula Island, Yasawas

reservations@ftn.net.nz

Ph: +64 3 442 9998
Website: beachresort.com.fj

Yasawa Flyer
Website: awesomefiji.com

Koro Makawa Rentals & Tours (car service)
Ph: 3450567
Email: kmrentals@hotmail.com
facebook.com/koromakawarentalsandtours

Uprising Beach Resort

Queens Rd, Pacific Harbour, Fiji

Ph:+679 345 2200

Website: uprisingbeachresort.com

Day 3 costs breakdown:

• Sawai-i-Lau excursion:  $59 Fiji per person (~$29.50 USD pp, 20% tax included)
• Pina Colada: $21 Fiji (~$10.50 USD pp)
• Lunch to go: tandoori chicken wrap $10 Fiji per person (~$5 USD pp) 
• Yasawa Flyer boat ticket: $170 Fiji per person (~$85 USD pp)
• Car service (Denarau Marina pickup to Uprising Pacific Harbour): $160 Fiji for 1-3 passengers +$10 tip (~$85 USD total)
• Tata's dinner: $58 Fiji (~$29 USD)
• Uprising Resort (free upgrade to beachfront bure!): $73 USD prepaid one night via Orbitz (tax included)
• Total: ~$223 USD per person

(See my recaps for Day 1 here , Day 2 here , Day 4 here, and Day 5 here)
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1MB Travels: Fiji: Adventure Flashpacking: Day 2: Blue Lagoon Coral Dive, Lovo and Meke Dance

With Fiji being 20 hours ahead of LA, jetlag really wasn't an issue. We woke up ready for adventure on our second day, to a gorgeous view and cooling ocean breeze...

...it's no wonder Fijians are said to be the happiest people on earth - they get to wake up to this.

Stopping by the activities desk, you can sign up for one of three dives per day, and the resort provides all of the equipment you need.  We could choose from 9am, 11am or 1pm. Based on the divemaster's descriptions, we went for the 11am - for more balance of coral and fish - even though that meant missing the Fijian bracelet weaving class (I know, rough life).

But first things first: breakfast on the beach!

That the only tweeting came from actual birds; the soft rustling of palm branches swaying in the ocean breeze, to the rhythm of island time: this was the very definition of serenity, and paradise. 

Buffet tables set up by the pool (yep, there is one, for those who for whatever reason don't want to take the few steps into the crystal clear ocean) offered food to please every international traveler. There were the basics: eggs, fruit, toast, juice, and hot stations where you can get omelets or crepes made to order.

We were excited to try the Fijian coconut filled 'pancakes' that were more like giant, sweet, chewy empanadas, and topoi (doughy chewy bread made with coconut cream).  And, raw coconut shards (though, I think I much prefer the tender meat from young coconuts).







While resting on a lounger after the ultra-strenuous morning, a random puppy came up out of nowhere and lay down next to me, quiet but for the sound of gentle breathing - and turned his head to watch and listen to waves washing ashore in such a way as if to say "do this with me". 

It lasted just a few minutes - but that turned out to be one of my favorite, most randomly magical moments, for this often over-thinking, over-planning OCDer while in Fiji.



Since we had a bit of a wait until our dive, and to ward off food coma, we took a hike up the beach.  When we pulled up to the island by speedboat on Day 1, I'd noticed a large tree that looked different from the others, and seemed to form a canopy over a recess in the rainforest-like greenery.  We decided to hike that way to explore - and Random Puppy came along, leading the way. 

Turns out the recessed tree was not the hidden gateway to some secret lost indigenous village, nor a cover for the TARDIS, but simply a place that naturally formed to provide shade to small animals.  But it was a lovely hike nonetheless, with frequent breaks to dip in the water for relief from scorching heat.  I wondered what life would be like, as a puppy in paradise, with fresh supplies of guests to adore him daily - and free run of the place.

Arriving back just in time for the dive meet up - we took a 10 minute boat ride out to the site. 

The original location was to be Tom's Thumb - but due to rough waters, we moved to the Cabbage Patch instead - where we saw giant coral formations in the shape of cabbage blossoms!

I got to give my new SeaLife MicroHD+ underwater camera a test drive, before the big shark dive later on in the week (wouldn't want to be fumbling with buttons while they swirled around us!) - excuse the quality of video - I was and am still learning how to use it!



To be honest, I had envisioned giant schools of fish in every direction - but I think that would be more over at the Rainbow Reef by Vanau Levu / Taveuni islands - which I hope to get a chance to visit next time.

We definitely burned off enough energy during the dive to justify wolfing down lunch!

There was Beef Curry with pampadam and naan.

And the Fijian interpretation of 'Thai chicken soup with rice noodles' and vegetables.  All very fresh and tasty.

I love that the hardest decision we have to make while at Blue Lagoon, is whether to hammock or snorkel.  Remembering the minibar at the last minute, we raided it for Fijian beer to enjoy on the loungers.

Despite 'Fiji time', days seem to pass by far too quickly. 

Before we knew it, it was time for Lovo and Meke night. 

The resort staff puts together an intimate feast of Fijian fare including roast pork and whole black snapper, kokoda (ceviche in coconut cream), ota & chickpea salad, taro and more served buffet style.


But first, a dance - Meke!  In keeping with the intimate, cozy family-run vibe of the resort, the meke dance presentation was not elaborate either, it wasn't polished and professional, but that's what was endearing about it: it was the staff of the resort and their families from the local village, just giving us a glimpse of their culture and celebratory song and dance.


And it was full audience participation too - they had everyone up on their feet and doing a sort of Conga line around the pool!


With the communal tables, set dining hours and engaging activities, you get to meet a lot of fellow travelers from all around the world.  We met some amazing people from Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Australia - from their twenties on up.

We closed out Day 2 with a fire dance, a bonfire on the beach, and that game where you stick a piece of paper to your forehead with a famous person written on it - and you can only use yes/no questions to try to glean from those around you, clues to figure out who you are. A fun game to play at the bar, on the beach, by the bonfire.

All I could think was:  please don't make me leave.


___________________________________________________________________

Fiji

Blue Lagoon Beach Resort
Nacula Island, Yasawas

reservations@ftn.net.nz

Ph: +64 3 442 9998
Website: beachresort.com.fj


Day 2 costs breakdown:

• 1-tank Dive:  $120 Fiji per person (~$60 USD, 20% tax already included)
• Beachfront Bure: $577 USD for two nights, total prepaid via Agoda (~$288.50 per night tax included)
• Mandatory meal plan: $99 Fiji per person (~$49.50 USD pp / day, 20% tax already included) 
• Beer (included with free in-room minibar): $0
• Total: ~$254 USD per person

(See my recaps for Day 1 here, Day 3 here, Day 4 here, and Day 5 here)
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