Day Trip to Paradise: Nananu-i-Ra/Rakiraki Day 3

We woke up at 8:00 and meandered down to the dining room an hour later for breakfast. The Fijian breakfast was FJ$15 (a little less than US$10) and included fresh fruit (mango and papaya from trees on the property), cereal and milk, toast and real butter (Mom!), a ham/cheese/tomato omelet, orange juice, and tea. Ridiculous/Awesome! We were completely stuffed, so we decided to spend the day lounging. Prasad arranged for us to take a boat to Nananu-I-Ra island, just off Viti Levu, for the day for FJ$30. Gretchen went out to get cash to pay the boat guy, and while she was gone, I hung out in the lobby and while I was sitting there, the Indian High Commissioner of Fiji pulled up in a slick black Mercedes flying the Indian flag. Wow! I hope I didn’t do anything to insult him, like sit there with my ovaries or anything. I bowed a little and kept quiet.

Right after the Indian High Commissioner of Fiji pulled up in his new black Benz, Hans* the ferry driver showed up in his ancient white van, which promptly died as soon as it pulled into the lot. Hans was an Australian, straight-nosed version of Owen Wilson, which was as awesome as you think. Prasad and some of the other guys at the hotel gave Hans a push while he started the van, and we followed him in our car to Ellington Wharf, which is a few kilometers from our hotel and, I am thrilled to relate, which is connected to the main road by a side road that is paved. Sweet merciful crap, a second paved road in Fiji. Miracles never cease!

We immediately hopped into hammocks that were idyllically suspended between coconut palm trees.

At the wharf, Hans put us in the “ferry,” by which I mean “metal bass-fishing boat,” and took us across the bay to Nananu-I-Ra island, which took about 25 minutes. We tied up the boat and tromped up a hill to the other side of the island, the home of the Safari Lodge, where Hans lives with his family, which includes his cute blonde wife and little blonde daughters. He told us to find some hammocks, try out the sea kayaks, just hang out, and let him know when we want to go back. We immediately hopped into hammocks that were idyllically suspended between coconut palm trees. The sound of the ocean was in our ears, and Mom, there really was a beautiful breeze blowing. It was as terrific as it sounds – perfect, if not for the mosquitoes. I took some time to go to the beach and work on my tan, and Gretchen explored the reef in the kayak.

Just to set the record straight, the white sand beach on Nananu-I-Ra is not like the ones in the Caribbean or Florida. The sand is big and coarse like it was on Volivoli, and the seafloor for the first 100 feet or so into the water was covered with aquatic plants. I am not wild about swimming in lakes, and this was decidedly lake-y. I didn’t swim, but the sun was so intense that I had to wade out to knee depth and cool off. There were pretty big fish swimming around my feet, and the sand was populated by crabs. It was Fiji.

After a few days in Fiji, we had caught on to their timetables. We had a 3:30 checkout time, so we told Hans at 2:00 that we needed to go back, thinking that this way we would be back to check out at 3:30, which in Fiji time means 4:30. Got it? Anyway, it worked like a charm and at 3:30 we were in the boat with Hans and two American guys on their way to Australia. We drove back to the hotel, showered, and packed our suitcases. We both noticed that we seem to have less stuff than when we packed in Sydney. This is truly a mystery, but we went with it and went to the lobby to check out. Prasad was there and closed out our account – and gave us fresh sliced mango to take with us! Road mango! We waved goodbye and got on the road. Not many people go to the north shore of Viti Levu, and I am not saying that getting there is half the fun, but once you get there, it is a great place.

Driving back to Nadi was a much more pleasant experience than driving to Rakiraki because it was nice and sunny, no rain. We were able to take in the sights, as they were. There were still lots of animals on the road, which made driving interesting for Gretchen. We also noticed that Fijians all wave to passing cars. It is actually rather sweet. The scenery is beautiful, but Fiji is much more rugged than I expected it to be. There are Hawaii-type green wrinkly mountains, but most places where the sea touches the land, it is a swamp or just plain dirt. Also, I am sorry to report that we got lost, AGAIN, trying to get to the airport from the gas station. In our defense, there were no signs for the airport except for the one telling us to turn right into the airport parking lot. Still, I decided that I had had quite enough of Fiji after getting lost yet again on an island with just one highway. This must be why everyone in Rakiraki was impressed that we’d rented a car and drove up there.

I’m sure you are thinking that something has to go wrong for us, because things have gone way too smoothly for a seven-city itinerary in three countries with the pace we’ve been keeping. Well, in Fiji we hit our first real snag. We realized that when we’d booked the flight from Fiji to LA, we’d failed to account for the extra day. Curse you, International Date Line! Worse still, there was no flight to LA for another 3 days. Sweet merciful crap! Well, like she does, The Amazing Gretchen swung into action and worked something out for us. What happened is simultaneously preposterous, awesome, and a little eerie. To explain, though, I will have to take you back in time to May, when we first started talking about this trip. My friends and family know that in May, I made a good decision and broke up with my boyfriend. I was talking to Gretchen a few days after the breakup and, trying to be positive like I generally do, I said that really, one of the only things I would legitimately miss about my ex was the traveling. I’d gotten to go to Hawaii twice on the cheap because he was going there for work, and I absolutely fell in love with it. I think many of you are as sick of hearing me talk about Hawaii as you are about hearing me talk about New York. In my defense, they are both great. Anyway, I mentioned in May that I would miss getting to go to Hawaii, and Gretchen got very serious and told me – nay, informed me – that she was not going to let that happen. She said, “Lora, you will be going back to Hawaii.” Fast forward to Nadi International Airport, where we learned that there is no flight to LA, but there is one to Honolulu, and we were on it! For no extra charge! And we would have enough time to visit Waikiki Beach for the day. The prophesy has come to pass! Gretchen said it, and yea, it was so. We grabbed a quick snack and hustled to the departure lounge to board our flight – for Hawaii! Aloha!

* The ferry driver’s name is a slight fabrication because the ferry driver is a low-talker and we could not for the life of us hear what he said his name was. I would like to hear a conversation between him and my boss…as long as I get one of those parabolic ear devices. Anyway, like I said, the ferry driver was adorable and blonde, and his family was equally adorable and blonde, so when I asked Gretchen what we should name him for the blog, she immediately said “Hans,” and I am going with it. Hans it is. If anyone out there knows his real name, let me know.