Bula from Fiji the Emerald Isle of the Southern Pacific

Flying into Nadi airport was a breath of fresh air, as the hills, fields and rain forests were a vibrant and lush shade of green against a backdrop of vibrant blue and puffy white clouds. But along with the lushness, come high temperatures and even higher humidity. The temperature in the taxi registered a stifling 34 Celsius and the only saving factor was the a/c in the hotel room which was a welcome relief.  I’m sure we would not have been able to sleep due to the heat, humidity and lack of breezes, despite being by the sea. Another concern was that of Cyclone Lucy which had been forming to the north east of Australia on track towards New Zealand with the potential of sweeping over the Fiji Islands. Nevertheless the three night stopover on Denarau Island, prior to our sail around the Fiji Islands was a welcome respite from the numerous days of travel on the road. Indeed, this is a very pretty place and the people are so gentle, quiet spoken, friendly and always walking around with an infectious smile.

Despite Lucy’s threat, she made for a real adventure as the captain of our small cruise ship had to alter course and completely change the itinerary for our seven night island explorer journey aboard the MV Reef Endeavour, to keep ahead and out of harm’s way of the cyclone. Not that it mattered to us at all, as we were up for a new adventure and not knowing where we would be the following day, while trying to escape the clutch of Lucy's grasp, kept our fellow 94 passengers in suspense throughout our mystery cruise. The snorkeling has been fantastic, as has been the weather and traveling to some off the beaten track locations, has led to some memorable encounters. Such was a visit to a local tribal village where many traditional ways of life are still a part of everyday living and the visit to a local primary school with a special show put on by the children, with only a 20 hour advance notice of a visit from outside visitors. See the video Children Dance and Song  Another special discovery was a visit to an island operated by the Fiji government and their Ministry of Fisheries where a program to help with the reproduction of turtles and a subsequent program for the reintroduction of giant clams into the regional waters has been established. It was equally interesting to visit this island as it had been established by the government in the early 1900’s, to be a leper community of outcasts from Fiji and outlying regions. 
I thought I was ready to come home until we really started to explore some of the deserted islands and the snorkeling they had to offer. Absolutely wonderful! It was just like we were living the promotional brochures in 3D. See my video Sandy Quay Yesterday was especially interesting as we visited the island where Tom Hanks and Mr Wilson starred in the movie Castaway. A visit to where one of the episodes of Survivor was recorded was also on today's itinerary. Visits to a local community, a church service as well as a couple of schools was a real treat as we found the children both welcoming and eager to interact with adults. On our final day, a visit to the Garden of the Sleeping Giant, made famous by actor Raymond Burr of Perry Mason and Ironside fame. He was fascinated by orchids and gardens and donated this jewel to the Fiji government on his death. 
We have been incredibly lucky to discover this region and all it has to offer. Granted they have many problems as well, with a fragmented political system and multinational corporations exploiting the locals with low wages and poor working conditions but they persevere with a smile and a friendly Bula anytime you come in contact with them.
This will conclude our latest adventure as we start our journey home tonight. We hope you have enjoyed sharing it with us. Denaka :)

Great Barrier Reef and then some

It has been a long drive, but our final destination in Australia is within our grasp. We couldn't believe that we had actually arrived at this natural Wonder of the World, the Great Barrier Reef, at it's most southern extremity near Arlie Beach. This tourist Mecca and jump off point to the Reef begins with a day trip to the world famous, 9 km Whitehaven Beach. See the attached video at Whitehaven Beach Voted one of the top 10 beaches in the world, the white silica sand stretches as far as the eye can see and except for the day trippers such as ourselves, no one else is around, not even any beach vendors, restaurants or bars. This National Park has bragging rights of showing off the simplicity of nature at her finest. The only negative, being that it is not advisable to go swimming unless wearing a protective stinger suit to guard against the invisible stinger jellyfish, which are present all along this coast due to the warm waters. An annoyance for sure, but a reality that has to be understood, in order to take in everything these waters have to offer.

The trip up the coast has included stops in Townsville, Mission Beach and Palm Cove. We are traveling in the off season but the weather is hot and humid and these tourist destinations seem rather deserted in the midday because of the heat and the humidity, and there are vacancies in abundance at some beautiful accommodations.

Port Douglas is the ultimate destination for those really looking to experience the Great Barrier Reef. Prior to leaving we had booked a day trip with the Quick Silver Group, who is the only tour operator with a license to operate a floating deck right at the Reef itself. The ride was a 40 km, one and a half hour roller coaster ride on a very larger catamaran out to the reef and platform. One can try to describe the experience but it is just one of those things that have to be experienced firsthand to get a real sense as to what it is all about. We did two snorkel outings and took a ride in a semi submersible. I have included a few pictures but they really are not at all representative as to what was experienced. A great lunch was also included but we passed on the wine as I probably would have lost my lunch on the return trip due to the swells and rolling of the boat. One poor woman, who apparently suffered from vertigo, had to be flown back by helicopter from the platform.

The following day we were up early once again and off to experience The Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation. It's notoriety stems from the fact that it is the only range of rainforest that runs directly down to the reef from the mountains. It was another full day, with stops at a wildlife refuge and a riverboat ride up the Daintree River, in search of crocodiles and other reptiles such as the python. We found both, but kept our distance, and I was conscientious to keep my hands in the boat and was constantly looking over my shoulder for any sign of predators in search of an evening meal. This certainly is a beautiful and interesting part of the world as attested to by the renowned naturalist Sir David Attenborough, who was quoted as saying that if he had to choose, this region would be his favorite of all.

Fraser Island to the Outback

Fraser Island is situated to the far southern extremities of the Great Barrier Reef. In order to gain access to this World Heritage site, you must take an approximate 45 minute ferry ride. This island is the largest sand island in the world. Our accommodations were overlooking an inland lagoon with views of the sea, and seeing the sunset with yet another bottle of wine, was the order of the day. Once again I have been overwhelmed by the different and much varied bird species. We did take a guided bird walk with one of the rangers, but quite frankly we discovered more on our own, as our guide admittedly said, she was not very knowledgeable on the subject of birds and didn’t know what “ornithology” was. On the contrary, the walk along the beach with yet another park ranger was fascinating and his extensive knowledge and enthusiasm was both refreshing and energizing. Our self guided walk up to lookout point and along another secluded beach was intriguing; despite having to be on the constant look for snakes and dingoes. We didn’t see any dingoes but we were constantly reminded by signs to keep our small children close at hand and if approached not to back down, stand your full length, stare them down and not run, but to be prepared to fight for your life.
We have been starting to second guess ourselves on the decision to drive the east coast because of the vast distances and frankly the scenery has been somewhat disappointing due to the fact that the main roads don’t follow the coastline and if we were to take the secondary routes, it would take forever to reach our next destination. Had we changed our method of transport though, we would never have realized the vastness of this country, as we have only sipped a thimble full out of the wine bottle. We would also have never seen the outback and had the wonderful opportunity of being hosted by a 5^th generation female cattle rancher on a 5500 acre farm with over 1200 beef. Our stay in our own little cabin paradise, on a creek (small river really) with thousands of birds and kangaroos to boot, was restful and relaxing with the warm breezes blowing through the doors and windows at night. I was intrigued by the windmills and irrigation systems and our trip into town and the local pub for dinner, with the local gentry in attendance, was very interesting to say the least. The steaks and beer were pretty good too as was the wine. We had some good insight into life on the farm in Australia, with our hostess Niki taking us on a farm tour the following morning. She had left her three month old daughter with one of the woman farm hands, as her husband Ryan, who also works as a environmental consultant, had to leave at three in the morning and wouldn’t be returning till late the following evening. As at home on the farm, in order to survive, everyone has to diversify and adjust, hence their entry into tourism, Ryan working as a consultant two to three days a week and the adoption of government sponsored land management programs.