louisefouche's latest Traveleor blog entries

South Africa - Johannesburg - Cape Town - Durban

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 03:15:00

Well, you will all know that I returned to the UK for less than a week following my round-the-world-trip. Well, I needed that time to recover from jetlag, boy was it bad! Between sleeping, and watching Prison Break series 2 (man, it's good!), Rob and I managed to pack our bags for South Africa. Yeah, I know I couldn't really afford to go on holiday, but I just wanted to extend my galavanting for just that little bit longer...and I was dying to see friends and family again. I was last in South Africa a year ago for 2 months during which time I was a bridesmaid at Kelly's wedding, Emma came out from the UK for a visit, and Melissa and I celebrated our 30th birthday. Unfortunately, I had not set up this website to share those fantastic times with you all, but here are a few snippets from this last trip (and some photos too).

Cape Town

We arrived in Cape Town on the weekend of the Argus which is one of the biggest cycle events in the world with 40 000 people competing, including Tour de France competitors, so you can imagine how the ciy was pumping. We spent 3 glorious days there with family, spending a fair bit of time driving along the coastline to see the different sights/areas. We spent a short time on Camp's Bay beach and stuck our toes in the water - I can tell you that the sea is very chilly over on that side. There was also a trip into Stellenbosch to sample a few wines on the wine route and watch a friend play soccer. Stellenbosch town itself is very pretty - no wonder students choose to study at Stellenbosch University! We had a big family BBQ (or braai as we like to call it) and spent some money at the casino. I'm no longer a fan of Blackjack considering the rest of the table resented me playing (I'm not a team player when it comes to Blackjack) so now I'm a fan of Stud Poker. Yes, it seems I have a gambling addiction since my trip to Vegas... we actually frequented 5 casinos while we were in South Africa.

A must for every visit to Cape Town is a trip up Table Mountain. Its a flat-topped mountain about 1700m high. Its well known for its shape because certain weather conditions cause the clouds to shift over the mountain and it looks as if a table is being covered with a table cloth. You take a cable car to the top, unless you're Jason Kirk and then you hike to the top (but I can tell you some sections look really daunting, or at least they did from the cable car :-) We spent 3 hours on the top of the mountain walking along the different tracks and enjoying the 360 degree view of Cape Town, also peering across to Cape Point where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. We forgot to put suncream on and Rob had some serious peeling action going on the top of his head for a few days after.

Durban

Durban is my home town so we spent about 8 days there with friends and family. In general the weather was kind to us because it can be very humid and some days you just drip with sweat, but we seem to have just missed that heat wave. Instead, while we were there, we had one major lightning storm, and 2 days later huge swells along the entire coastline. Apparently the alignment of the sun, moon and earth (lunar eclipse??) caused a huge pull on the ocean and we saw 8m high waves at the beach which came onto the walkways and caused destruction to seaside restaurants etc. It was amazing to watch and the crowds gathered in the droves but this did prevent us from sun-bathing because the beaches were closed for 2 days.

There were various outings with the family, Shannon's wedding and a game's night with friends. Kim kindly gave us 2 luxurious nights at Teremok Lodge (5 star) as well as tickets to the Barnyard Theatre (supper theatre) where we enjoyed pizza while singing along to Elvis - everybody loves a bit of Elvis! We spent an hour or so at Sibaya Casino, visited Suncoast Casino, spent a day at uShaka Marine World (Aquarium and water slides) and a morning watching African dancing at PheZulu. It was a very busy time with breakfast here with one friend, lunch there with another and dinner somewhere else with the next person. On holiday, all one tends to do is eat.

Johannesburg

Melissa (my sister) lives in Johannesburg so we spent a few nights there too. We went to watch a Pro 20 cricket match the first evening we were there and I must say it was fun. I knew nothing about the game before that and one of her friends kindly taught us the rules. It was also only about 3 hours long so I remained interested for the entire duration - maybe soon I can move onto a one day game (it'll be a while yet before I watch a test match). We also caught up with Amanda (an ex-work colleague) and we sat up until the wee hours drinking wine and catching up on old times.

We spent a few hours at Cub World just outside the city where we got to 'play' with 3 month old lion cubs. you are able to walk into the cage with the cubs and touch them and have photos taken and they are so cute. However, once they reach 6 months old they become very strong and would only be allowed to be handled by their trainers. We also fed the giraffes and giggled the whole time we were doing this because they have very long tongues and a lot of saliva in their mouths so it's a very sticky and messy experience. Oh, and they can be very greedy! We also drove 2.5 hours to Pilansberg National Park where we spent 2 nights in an executive tent chilling and getting away from the city. We spent time in the swimming pool, playing games and event ook a trip to Sun City Casino. However, the highlight would have to be driving around the park and checking out the animals... that's why you go to South Africa of course. Unfortunately, the area has been suffering from drought and so about 40% of the park was actually burnt suffering from recent fires. It was sad to see but the park guide (on the night drive) told us that this is also very natural in the wild and that this is important to the ecosystem. Anyway, of the 'big 5', we saw lions, elephants and rhinos but we did not get to see any cheetahs or buffalo. We got to see most of the animals close up including the above as well as babboons, hyenas, wildebeest, zebra, giraffes, mongeese, hippos, various buck and some birds. On the night drive we did have a once in a lifetime opportunity to watch (visibility was poor in the dark) 2 lionnesses stalk some wildebeest and zebras. They pounced on a baby zebra which founght with all its might, but in the end, it just could not win. We also came across a smaller cat called a Serval which the park guide had only spotted 3 times in 3 years so we were rather lucky.

Anyway, our time in South Africa was far too short, but I had to get back to the UK to job-hunt and Rob is extremely busy at work. So, it's back to reality unfortunately, but it's got to be done. It's time my galavanting ended and I started earning money. So this is it for my blog, I hope you've all enjoyed it. Just think, instead of reading about my escapades, hopefully we can all be sharing moments together soon as I hope to catch up with a lot of you over the next few months.

USA - Las Vegas

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 08:28:49

I caught the greyhound bus from LA to Las Vegas and it took about 7 hours. Most of the journey was through the desert, so it was just miles and miles of dry land that we passed. The sun set just before we reached Las Vegas and the colours of the sky were beautiful over the desert land. I was pleased that it was dark when we arrived because all the lights were on and I could see Vegas as it was meant to be - bright lights, big city! I made my way to my hotel on the strip and spent my first evening in the confines of my room. I was in heaven. For the first time in 9 months I was in a proper hotel room by myself, with a king size bed, a bath and a TV - what more did I want? The casino was just downstairs but that could wait until the morning as could everything else. I must say by this time, I was failry exhausted and I slept well in Vegas (one night I even slept for 12 hours)! I think this was because most nights in a hostel you don't have a solid night's sleep because there is always someone coming and going. Here, I had a room to myself with really dark curtains, nothing was going to disturb me!

Unfortunately, it was freezing cold in Las Vegas - it was about 10 degrees celcius and very windy. The wind having come down from Chicago etc where the storms had been. It was just a bit too cold for my liking considering I had only one jumper but with just 3 more days to go, I was just going to have to grin adn bear it.

The casino I was in had free table lessons in the mornings and I learnt how to play Blackjack, Craps adn Roulette. I am a big Blackjack fan and actually won some money playing it. I also managed to play for quite a few hours on just a small amount of money so I am looking forward to hitting the casinos in South Africa and giving Blackjack a go there too. I played the slots but only briefly as I have found a new love in Blackjack :-) Yes, I know, I sound like I could become addicted to the game but after my next holiday there won't really be much time to play.....It's also because the hotel I was at was the only one to offer $3 minimum on Blackjack - all the other hotels were more expensive and it was nice to be able to start betting low being a beginner and all.

I took the bus up and down the strip venturing into the different hotels and looking around the casinos. They all differ so much in appearance as each is set up under a different theme. They all offer buffets for breakfast, lunch and dinner and these can be good value, but if you get sick of stuffing your face that way they all offer restaurants and deli's too. The Mirage, which is one of the fancier hotels, has a volcano show each night. There is a huge volcano outside the hotel, surrounded by a waterfall, which erupts and shoots fire. The Bellagio which was made famous from 'Oceans 11' puts on a fountain show every 15 minutes to music and it is absolutely beautiful to watch. Inside the Venetian hotel the roof is painted as the sky so it is nice and light inside and you can take a trip on a gondola along a 'river'. Inside the Circus Circus you can watch a free acrobatics show every hour. Also, at each hotel you can go watch famous shows but unfortunately I did not do this as I had limited time (and I had left the bookings until too late). Downtown in Freemont Street there is a llight show on the ceiling of the promenade each night. While I was waiting for this to come on, there was a live performance being filmed - the US artist similar to David Blaine.

Vegas was a fantastic city in which to end my travels, I just wish I had been there with someone else as it would have been fun to share the experience. I definitely recommend it as a destination but if you're going for a week (I was only there for 3 days) tkae a lot of money and catch lots of shows, try the different buffets at the different casinos and if you want to learn the table games, chat to your hotel about it as they can be more fun than the slots.

I had a 10 hour journey to the UK from Las Vegas.... and I couldn't beleive it had all come to an end.... but I was also pleased to say I had done it!

USA - Los Angeles

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 07:50:39

Getting through the airport in Los Angeles took awhile to say the least. The quesues were really long and processing of the passports was slow. Each passport controller looked like they had just stepped out of the military....gulp - but I got through okay. I caught the shuttle bus to my hostel in Hollywood. It took about an hour to get there from the airport but it gave me a chance to stare out the window and try and get a feel for the States. The housing kept changing from wealthy to poor but one thing which was consistent was the number of drive-thrus we passed. The houses either had no walls or low walls surrounding their property. I couldn't tell you whether the cars were 'bigger and better' but there were a lot of mini vans and 4x4s, not to mention a couple of limos. The weather when I arrived in LA was about 15 degrees celcius so it was a bit cooler than where I had come from. I ended up having to wear my jumper each day until the end of my holiday while in the States.

Hollywood is a small area in LA, and just as we reached our hostel, I could see the Hollywood sign on the hills. Later, on a tour I took, I learnt that the Hollywood sign had been placed on the hills by realtors who were trying to sell the land in the area (back in the 1920s). The sign originally read "Hollywoodland" but a landslide washed away the LAND part of the sign and that is how the name came about. Since then, people have petitioned to keep the sign and when they paint it, each letter takes 36 gallons of paint!

When I checked into the hostel I discovered that I was just going to miss the Oscars/Academy Awards as I had not booked for a third night. Although I am not a big fan of glitz and glam, I was a bit upset not to have a booking as it would be fun just to say "I was there". Anyway, to cut a long story short, I eventually secured a bed for the Sunday night and was in Hollywood, about 1km away from the Academy Awards ceremony, just off Hollywood Boulevard. Hollywood Boulevard is the street on which the Walk of Fame can be found. This is the street with all the stars and famous peoples' names written in them can be found. At first when I walked along here, I barely recognised any names; it was only when I reached the more commercial part of the street that I recognised more names. Did you know that in order to get your name on the Walk of Fame you have to put forward a petition to a panel of 7 judges and if they approve your application, you pay $17000 to get your name on the pavement. This was set up by the council years ago to make money! Ridiculous really and I thought people earned the right to be there. Your name can appear on the pavement under one of 5 categories e.g. TV or movie, and the only person to have his name under all 5 categories is gene Autry (sorry but I don't know who that is).

In case I have not told you already, LA, and more specifically Hollywood, are only about the movies - famous people and famous places. Here are a few other facts I learnt while on a tour of LA...On Hollywood Boulevard, you can also find the Chinese State Theatre with famous names/handprints written in the cement outside. This was a theatre which used to only show Chinese movies and I believe it is owned by someone famous (but I can't remember who). We also drove passed the Hollywood Bowl which is an outdoor auditorium with near perfect acoustics seating 18000 people, and a landmark for operas and shows by bands such as the Rolling Stones. Downtown LA refers to the CBD and many buildings in the area are actually empty but the reason they are still there is that they are still used in many movie scenes. As we drove through the CBD, we actually saw a car scene being filmed. We drove past the courthouse in downtown LA which is actually one of the most filmed buildings in the world. We drove through Chinatown; LA has the third largest Chinese population in the States. Also, a quarter of the LA population is Hispanic. We drove past Union Station which is one of the oldest train stations in the States and still retains a very grandeure style about it. We took a quick drive through Beverly Hills and were told that only 10% of the people that lived there were actually famous, the rest are just ordinary wealthy people. We drove past the hotel where Pretty Woman was filmed and the shop on Rodeo Drive where she was snubbed when she tried to buy some clothes. In Beverly Hills you can get valet parking at the post office and pawnshops are called 'collateral lenders'.

It was only one stop on the underground to Universal City, home of Universal Studios. I spent a glorious day there. For those of you who don't know, Universal Studios is all about the movies. I started my tour of Universal Studios catching the shuttle that does a tour of the stages and sets/studios. We drove through the set of Desperate Housewives (yes, I was on Wisteria Lane), a set for King Kong, World of War, Jaws, Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift etc.... It is amazing how many closed sets they have all in the same location. Back in the theme park, Fear Factor Live was closed to the public as they were actually busy filming the series there. I had all day at the park and went on all the rides and caught all the shows. It was good fun! I also had my photo taken with a few furry animals which is a must-do for me at every theme park!On my way out, I wandered around the Universal walkway which comrpises shops, restaurants and cafes.

The Oscars actually started in the 1920s with the first ever event held at the Roosevelt Hotel but it was not a success because no one showed up! This year they held the 79th event and it was hosted by Ellen Degeneres.You won't believe it (and neither do I really) but I queued up for an hour to have my photo taken with an actual Oscar award. I was surprised by how heay the little guy was. On the day of the Oscars I stood with several others to try and get a picture of the stars. The only difference was that some of them had been there since 7am and I was only prepared to stand there for about 30 minutes. They saw some famous people and I did not - but I did get to see lots of limosines pull up outside the event - does that count? In fact, I actually expected to see more fans standing on the side of the road but I think this is just an illusion created by the TV. When we watched the Oscars in the hostel that night (with free bubbly), I realised that all the people screaming and shouting around the famous people are not simply people off the street but VIPs (I know this from how the 'set' was laid out). Again, this reality gleemed some of the glamour off the event.

There was also a free comedy night at the hostel with 6 comedians in attendance. They started off really lame but by the end of the evening the comedians were somewhat amusing. The hostel was pretty good with putting on free activities and they also had free pancakes for breakfast...the only catch was that you had to make them yourselves....

Although I saw no famous faces, it was fun knowing it was all happening around the corner from me and with that I was happy to move onto Las Vegas. Before I end this blog, I must tell you the funniest thing I heard an American ask a cop on the streets of Hollywood.

American: "Do you think the Oscars are one of the biggest events in the world?"

Cop: "If you are talking about entertainment then yes"

American: "Would you say it as as big a world event as the superbowl?"

I didn't hang around for anymore of this conversation as I didn't want to hear anymore stupidity but this is when I realised why Americans got stuck with the stigma of being dumb because they seriously do think that things like the superbowl are the bee-all and end-all off the world, when in fact they are the only ones who care about American football!

Raratonga

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 06:43:08

Raratonga is a Pacific island and one of the islands in the group of islands called the Cook Islands. It is only 32km in circumference so it is easy to get around as the bus travels in either a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction. The sea is separated from the island by a lagoon which surrounds the entire island. The water in the lagoon is shallow, calm and crystal clear (when the weather is nice) and so idyllic.

We arrived at 11pm to be greated by a banjo player standing on a thatched platform in the corner of the airport. We were picked up and taken to our hostel by these 2 cute old ladies in sarongs with flowers in their hair. It was only the next day that we discovered that our hostel was very well located, right on the beach, with the most amazing view. There were a few small islands in front of us just off the lagoon.... it looked like paradise. I must say my first day there was just glorious. The weather was beautiful and the sun shining on the island made all the colours around me appear magnificently vibrant. The sky was amazing shades of blue. Before relaxing on the beach, I had washing to do so took the bus into town and browsed the markets while my laundry was being done. I must say for an island, I was disappointed by the variety of fruit on sale at the market. I discovered that black pearls are a favourite tourist commodity for purchase on the island. The rest of my day was spent on the beach enjoying the sunshine and good weather and 'playing' with the fish in the lagoon.I say playing, because as I rested my hands in the sand, a small fish came up and nibbled on my fingernails - he didn't seem afaraid of me at all. Nearby was a tiny butterfly fish trying to hide behind a small rock which was just ever so sweet; not to forget the Picasso Triggerfish swimming just past my feet! In the evening I took a walk along the beach and was amazed by the number of hermit crabs scurrying along the sand. At first you think your eyes are playing tricks on you as shells move across the sand, but then you realise it is crabs and they are very interesting to watch.

The next 4 days it rained and rained and rained....(after all it was the rainy season). There was not too much to do except read, sleep and relax.... which was good for me as it forced me to relax but when there are not many places to go to you can also feel a little trapped. I followed one of the tracks inland but found it rather boring as it was just more like a jungle and not a path/track. There is a track which you can follow over the middle of the island but you need a guide to take you across. It takes 4 hours and there are many paths branching off the track and it is not sign-posted. I enjoyed cocktails with Tanya (a girl from Stray in NZ) at one of the fancier hotels along the beach and we went out 'clubbing' one night with the locals. All the bars on the island close at midnight so you can't go too wild! We got hit on by some locals who were really annoying and somewhat drunk and we literally danced our way around the dancefloor to avoid them.... they just didn't understand the words "personal space". We had a good night aside from this :-)

Tanya had booked herself in to do a refresher diving course so I went along with her to speak to the instructors about my ear. I practiced equalising in the pool and everything seemed okay so i agreed to dive with the the next day - it was also a good distraction from just sitting around the hostel. It turned out to be the best thing I did all week! I had no problems with my ears (the trick is to equalise your ears literally every second for the first few meters) and the water was a deep blue but with a visibility of about 25m. The Pacific comprises mainly of hard coral, and the water was warm. The fish were amazing! I got to pet Tommy a big blue triggerfish known to the dive school for about 18 years. They cut open sea urchins for him to eat and in turn Tommy lets us pet him. I also got to touch the underside of a sea cucumber, and the suckers on the underside stick to your hand when you pull away from it. I touched ghost coral, which is coral which changes from brown to white when you touch it. I saw some amazing porcupine puffer fish at the cleaning station i.e. where cleaner fish gather to clean these fish (their tongues etc). I did 2 dives and I loved it all! I think in terms of diving, this was my favourite location and I wish I could have done more diving there.

The last day on the island, was beautiful again and I spent it on the beach. I had an evening flight to LA leaving at 10pm. We had to get off in Tahiti to drop off some passengers (I had cut this stop out of my trip) before we continued to LA. In both raratonga and Tahiti we had security checks because we were going onto the States; this was ratehr tedious but I can understand it's necessary.

So... the last port of call... the USA was just around the corner.

Fiji Islands

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 03:44:44

Manon and I met at Auckland airport and flew to Fiji. We had not seen each other for a few weeks and so we had a lot to catch up on so chatted the whole way there (a good thing as the entertainment system was not working)! When we landed in Fiji, we were all greeted by a group of islanders singing and playing the ukelele. In Fiji, Bula means welcome/hello and we were to hear this everywhere during our stay there as the Fijians are very friendly people. When we arrived, it was about 5pm but we noticed then already how humid it was...you've just got to love that sticky heat...NOT! It's the kind of heat which attracts mosquitoes and they were relentless!

We spent the first night on the mainland in Nadi at a rather nice hostel right on the beach with a swimming pool outside. As we drove there, I noticed that there was a lot of land on the island (few basic houses) and the grass was very green and lush. There does seem to be a lot of construction going on. As with other countries, it seems that the locals live very basically and that they build really nice resports for the tourists. As we arrived at the hostel, it started to rain and was to continue for the next 3 days. At the hostel, I bumped into Nicole, a Brummie who I had met on my Stray travels in NZ, so we spent the night chatting with her and sipping on cocktails.

We then moved on to the islands for 6 nights, spreading this over 3 islands. Just of Nadi are 2 groups of islands, namely the Yasawas (furtherest away) and the Mamanucas (closest to the mainland). We were to start our trip in the Yasawas and work our way back to the mainland through the Mamanucas, using the ferry to get there. It was a large ferry, but as it was raining the sea was very choppy and I must say I felt somewhat nuseaus although I don't tend to suffer from seasickness. Our first island stop was the island of Nanuya Lailai which was a 4 hour journey from the mainland. This was to be the most basic of the islands we were to visit, but apparently it is not the most basic of the islands there. All the islands are set up in the same way in that accomodation and meals are provided as a package, just their overall rating differs. Meals are eaten as a 'family' at 8am, 12 noon and 7pm.

Nanuya Lailai Island

Nanuya Lailai is and island found in the Blue Lagoon region. This is the area in which the movie Blue Lagoon was filmed many years ago.

This was our most basic island, and our enjoyment of which was somewhat hindered by the almost constant rain. We transferred to the island via fishing boat, and as we arrived we were welcomed again with singing and ukeleles. Manon and I stayed in a bure while we were there. This was a little hut just big enough to fit a double bed. As it was humid in Fiji, the hut was not a pleasant place to be so we only spent time there when we went to sleep. Even then, our sleep got disturbed by the local cats who snuck in through the thatching and jumped on the bed.... nothing a good kick wouldn't resolve. During the day, as it was raining, we had to spend our time in the dining room reading or playing cards. This can feel a little like being trapped as we had nowhere else to go. The meals on this island were as basic as the facilities. Most of us found it really difficult to eat at the set times especially as there was only a 4 hour gap between breakfast and lunch and then 7 hours before dinner! There was a lot of rice, pasta and sweet bread served at these meals with some meat and vegetables, but I had expected more fruit and fish. Although the islanders showed us how to pick and break open coconuts, we never really got to eat it as I think it is more valuable to them to export... I was a bit bummed about this.

We did get introduced to kava on this island and the next. It is a Fijian 'home-brewed' alcoholic beverage made from a corn powder mixed with water. The locals drink this and I would say it is similar to what the African locals drink in South Africa, except that it is very runny/thin.

I did manage to swim in the sea while I was there, it was very calm and shallow. As I was floating about 2 of the local children came to swim with me, all kitted out with their lifejackets. Their names were Betty and Winston, which I found to be rather un-island-like names. They decided to cling to me and make me pull them around the sea...thankfully this only lasted a few minutes before they had to go inside again. We also found time to walk around to the otherside of the island (which took 30 minutes) where the 5 star resort was and we had a drink there.

I'm sure we would have enjoyed the island more if it had not rained....we were hoping for a bit more as we moved onto Naviti Island which was a much larger island about an hour closer to the mainland.

Naviti Island

Although Naviti Island is a much larger island, about 80% of it is still just vegetation. We were transferred to the island by fishing boat and welcomed again with singing and ukeleles. The resort we stayed at was more developed than at the previous island and the bure that we stayed in had a fan and a double bed with 2 bunk beds, and it was ensuite. The sea around the island was not condusive to swimming but the resort had a pool so we spent many hours bathing around the pool and swimming. The meals were pretty much the same but we also got afternoon tea. We were given tuna steaks one night but they were tough and overcooked. I must say that I have noticed throughout my travels that if you are on an island and served fish, that it is often overcooked. I know I always stayed at cheap places but I would have expected islanders (even at CHEAP places) to be able to cook fish...maybe they like it tough and overcooked? We also had sheppard's pie one night - who wants to go on holiday to eat something you could have everyday in your own country? (Besides which I don't like mince :-) In the evenings the locals entertained us with some 'Bula' dancing, donning their grass skirts. They even tried to show us their dance moves. The weather improved greatly on Naviti which I also think made a huge difference to our state of mind.

One of the island activities included a trip to one of the lacal villages. Naviti is a massive island and we had a 20 minute boat trip to get to the village. We started the tour by sharing kava with the men and giving them a gift of money for letting us into their homes. We browsed the market for trinkets. The locals make money in 3 ways: off the crops from their land, from the fish that they catch, and most importantly by selling curios to the tourists. One of the local fruits is called a breadfruit and the taste adn texture of the fruit is similar to a sweet potato so this is used regularly in cooking. We then walked through the village to the school which goes from kindergarten to grade 8; from there they would go to a high school on a different part of the island. This specific school is not government-funded and relies on money from the parents and donations from the tourists. The children were gathered on the porch and they sang for us, recited poems and the boys performed a war dance for us. We had a quick tour of the classrooms and then we left again. Another activity on that island included feeding the fish (not sure this is a good thing but you find this in many places) but I must say it was amazing having them zip around your legs.

We were definitely enjoying the holiday by this stage and relaxing at every turn.

Bounty Island (Kadavu Lailai)

Bounty Island is only about 30 minutes away from the mainland so the journey took us about 2 1/2 hours to get there. This island is one in the Mamanuca group and I think in general this group of islands are the more upperclass islands, whereas the ones we had been to were budget islands. Bounty Island is another small island which you can walk aroun in about an hour. We were transferred to the island by a glass-bottomed fishing boat (from which we could see tons of jellyfish) and welcomed again with singing and ukeleles. The island was beautiful at first sight, with a pool and bar on the left and the dining area and bures on the right. The front garden of our bure was the sand, sea and hammocks. It was also an air-conditioned bure....we had definitely arrived in paradise. The meals were also of buffet style and they were simply heavenly. The cocktails were to die for and in the bar area there was also a pool table and a ping pong table. The island was so nice that I decided to stay for a 2 night instead of spending my last night on the mainland....islands like this one are the real reason people holiday in Fiji.

We discovered on arrival that Bounty Island is in fact the location of the filming of Celebrity Love Island - the one which featured Rebecca Loos, Fran Cosgrove and co. and we could see why - it was a gorgeous island in a magnificent setting. The house had stood where the bar area was with the pool in front. Now, the shell of the house has been moved around to another part of the island and according to one of the locals, they will be fixing it up to make a loveshack for honeymooners....best they hurry up as the shell has been sitting there for a year or two now!

Activities on the island included free non-motorised activities, and the snorkelling was fantastic! The area around the island is a marine reserve so even right on the water's edge were some amazing fish. Unfortunately the coral ahs been badly beached, but the locals are trying to do something about it and try to encourage tourists not to stand on or touch the coral. I saw needle fish, trumpets, triggers, butterfly fish and so on. I even saw a lion fish (black adn white stripes) which is a very dangerous fish, fanned out in all it's glory. It is a beautiful creature to watch as it glides through the water....it's just not adviseable to get too close to one. They are also rearing baby turtles on the island and have a mini sanctuary for them. They feed the turtles and release them when they are big enough to look after themselves. I had not thought about where these turtles had come from until they added some new babies into the sanctuary and I discovered that they had simply just been born in the sea and had walked up onto the beach. The locals had seen them and collected them all in a bucket. This system will ensure their survival and it was nice to see the locals caring about the environment around them.

The weather was still amazing when I left. I had a fantastic holiday in Fiji and it was nice to share it with Manon. I got back on the ferry bidding her farewell as she jetted off to Beachcomber island for 3 days before her flight back to Holland. She was going diving and I had given it a miss because I did not want to take any chances with my ear and I had run out of time.... I'm sure she enjoyed it as I believe the diving in Fiji is amazing and that the soft coral are a particular attraction in that area.

Several people I had met on the islands were on my flight with me to Raratonga and so we got a bit tipsy together on the plane. It was only a 3 hour flight to some more island living.....