Day 8, Fiji to E-ville

 

Day 8 to Day 7.5: THB, DB and LB have the run of LikuLiku until 4pm. Together we take the 9am snorkel with an Ausssie and two Italians from Milan. Return to the resort, pack up our suitcases and DB and THB take anoteher short snorkel in front of the resort. 

Lunch includes chcolate domes for THB and DB, arranged yesterday by LB. As good as the first ones. 

DB goes for a massage, much enjoyed. LB goes for another long snorkel out front, much  enjoyed. THB sits by the pool listening to book 2 of the Ibis trilogy, River  and Smoke. New narrator, takes a few chapters to get used to his performance, then it settles down and THB is back in 1838 in and around Singapore on his way to Canton, not enjoying it as much as Sea Of Poppes.

At 4pm we head out to meet the catamaran shuttle to Nadi. The stop is literally about a half mile off shore and at this  spot a number of riders are ferried out from a number of close-by resorts. The catamaran shuttle then makes a number of stops, once or twice at docks, the rest mostly out in the ocean.

At a little after 6pm we are greeted at the Nadi boat terminal, a jumping strip mall of shops and restaurants. A Rosie's Holiday person takes us to the airport, a 25-30 minute drive. DB had arranged a private boat ride out to the Likuliku resort and that shuttle had been 2-3 minute ride from the airport. Amazing, we thought the ride bsck to the airport was a lot longer, and it was. 

Unlike at SFO, we speed through the Nadi Fiji Airways check-in, customs, immigration and are in the lounge in no time. Snack at the lounge, repack our stuff so the items needed on the plane are handy.

Finally, home and the weather if also perfect: mid-60s and breezy

another great chocolate dessert

champagne on last night 

another resort near Likuliku

and another resort nearby

more than a few times a day a helicopter dropped off and picked up resorters

K from NZ snorkeled with us and then got up close and personal with an iguana

a "bus" stop in the middle of the ocean?

yep! and the jitneys arrive from various island sites to unload and load 

one last sunset on way to Nadi airport

and one last sunrise as we near Bay Area

Observations:

• Likuliku was a great choice: casual, friendly and attentive staff, and access to excellent snorkeling (shout-outs to AM for guidancce on selecting Fiji and AB/SB for loans of snorkels and masks)
• Well-timed non-stop flights to and from Fiji made the travel relatively painless, as did flying in biz class
• Just the right options at the resort to make sure THB, DB and LB had plenty of space to find togetheness and privacy
• THB stopped taking his propanolol and it seemed to keep his "fever" down in the heat. THB also drank a lot more water. THB did not take naps, except if he closed his eyes while listening to his audio book.
• All three of us agreed that this was a great week of celebrating LB's 40th!

Fiji Days 6 and 7

 

Two nights in a row: a night sky full of stars and unknown constellations

Day 6

Weather: Same-same, always hot in direct sun

What happened today:

• Have breakfast, DB goes for the French toast and THB sticks with Grape Nuts
• Snorkeling at Castaway's Island; 2nd time for THB and LB, first for DB, and just the three of us.  Snorkel is long and full of surprises. 
• Kayaking just after snorkeling: we take it easy in front of the resort 
• Have lunch: pizzas and brewskies by the pool
• Have dinner

Pics of the day: LB gets THB camera to work  underwater, pics are not the same as seeing the real thing in person through a mask

At the end of a long snorkel, there is another resort...looks lovely and many people pursuing diffecnt water activities

Kayaked up close ro the stilt cabins: large and big windows

big catch of the day

torch lighting at bar

Lunch: Fiji Gold and Bitters and shared pizzas 

 Day 7

Weather: Same-same

What happened today:

• Breakfast,
• Went on excursion snorkeling to Castaway's Wall with a couple from NZ. After 10 minutes or so THB calls out the guide: we aren't seeing a thing. Back in boat and off to Castaway's Island. Also not very good. Back to Likuliku andd snorkel in ftont: EXCELLENT, better than Bonaire, moves into 2nd place all-time, only Raja Ampat better
• Have lunch: another terrufuc chocolate dessert (not the Dome)
• Snorkel in front at 5pm, very nice, spot non-invasive pair of lionfish
• Have champagne (gift of resort on arrival, we use it as going awaay toast) at the bar at end of jetty
• Dinner, to our surprise, starts at 7pm. It's a buffet, and THB isn't wild about any of it. LB arranged a special serving of Chocolate Dome - it doesn't make it to pool of buffet. 
• Get another good night's sleep

Pics of the day: Only a couple and they don't make it into the blog, some message about the i-phone needed to re-linked to computer...FAILED! 

Book Review:

Sea of Poppies, Amitave Ghosh (novel, audio, book 1 of the three part Ibis Trilogy, brilliantly narrated by Phil Gigante, at 1.2x, pub'd in 2008, reco'd by BH)): This saga starts in 1838 while India is in the throes of the British trading company's effort to maximize profits. The main characters (and there are maybe 7 or 8 of them, are brought together on the Ibis as they and others are being transported to Mauritius to work on plantations or man the ship. Highly Recommeded, THB dares you to put it down (or harder yet, stop listeniing) and if you do't double-dares you to not go on to Book 2

Days 4 and 5, Likuliku Resort

Sandy and Peyton (niece of dogsitter) beating the heat at dogsitter's house

 

Day 4

Weather: Same-same exceot a little hotter

What happened:

• Have breakfast, Grape Nuts (brought from home) and fruit for THB. DB returns to pancakes
• Snorkel around Honeymoon Island, another awesome outing. More varieties of coral and 20-30 varieties of fish on top of Castaways Island. A longer and harder snorkel than yesterday and thus we don't have energy for another excurison or even snorkeling out front.
• Lunch has one great dish: Chocolate Dome with ice cream on the side. Outstanding!! (at dinner we request an encore for lunch tomorrow)
• Pre-dinner drinks in upstairs bar
• Dinner
• beddie-bye

Pics for Day 4

LB snorkeling in front of resort before breakfast

last few hundred yards are a real slog in shallow water

lst

somehow THB filled bottom of pic with beige / grey...how?

Couple from St Louis and guide climb to top of the island

Greeting when we return to resort

Fiji Vonu not as good as Bitters

Day 5

Weather: Same-same and a bit hotter

What happened:

• Have breakfast, Grape Nuts for THB and smoked salmon for DB. We got to breakfast a 7am, leave at 7:35 and nobody had come into the dining area by the time we left. There are 90+ staying here, not another early riser!
• THB, DB, and LB  and an Aussie from Melbourne go on morning snorkel to Pinacle, around 20-25 minutes from resort on a very fastr boat. Drift along a reef among tens of thousands of small fish (maybe more; DJT rounded up to a million). New to us: a black sting ray, school of trumpetfish, a boxfish and a smattering of the fish we've already seen before. Much of the coral (the reason given for this site) appearsbland and washed out.
• Have lunch, which includes another Chocolate Dome (see pics)
• A short afternoon snorkel, leaves at 3 though we were told to be there and ready at 2:15, this time at Mushroom reef. Depth of coral and fish made it a bit more challenging to spot things, THB spots a shark, good thing DB didn't know what it was.
• Exhaustion setting in, LB doesn't make it to dinner and THB and DB debayed...in meantime it was past 5 and we lost chance to have pizza at the pool.
• Dinner: small tin of caviar and blini, semi-fried seafood platter with very messy batter. Had to be eaten with hands. Finber bowl and the usual chilled hand towels help immensely with the cleanup. Another chocolate dessert: excellent though only in second place behind the Dome.
• It is a clear night and THB sits outside watching the stars. The mosquitoes watched THB up close and personal. 
• beddie-bye

Pics for Day 5

THB, DB, and LB are the only threesome at resort and staff has figured it out: we know which table is ours. Staff has also figured out LB is vegetarian and her dishes now come as such without asking.

High Tide

Low tide

the resort is constantly shuffliing boats around

resort around corner, bad lighting for this pic and boat is going 40knots/mile

Chocolate Dome

Tanker unloading fuel for resorts

Trunks of Likuliku: THB was embarrassed by last post's dearth of pics. Not sure this counts as a substitue, it was the best THB could do on short notice.