Fiji 2017 (Part 3)
The system they have here is pretty good and they've got the logistics down pat. My bags were tagged for my next resort, like an airline tag, and then we were got into the smaller boat that would take us out to meet the passenger ferry. Another at sea transfer and it was kind of cool. The sun was shining so I went up to the top deck to sit outside and take in the fresh air and see the various islands and resorts go by. It was two hours to my next resort with plenty of stops to pick up people and to let them off at the various island resorts we passed. So very cool.
We got to the Blue Lagoon Resort and I think they lied. I think the lagoon is more the beautiful turquoise color that is so inviting. Another transfer to a smaller boat and check in to the resort. My beach front villa is nicer than the Octopus, but it still has the outdoor shower as well as the toilet that's technically outside, though there's a roof over it. A hammock is just in front of m villa and there's a palapa with a couple of lounge chairs on the beach for me. So very nice. I quickly grab lunch and then head off on a snorkel trip. We take a small boat to two different snorkeling areas including the Blue Lagoon Beach which is a private beach owned by the Blue Lagoon Cruise line. So sort of like their Labadee. The water was not as clear as the Octopus reef, but I think it's because we're mored exposed to the ocean, not protected. But with all of the nutrients being churned up, the fish are everywhere. Definitely a good snorkelling trip. Back to the resort in time for happy hour (which is just from 4-5! And they only have one cocktail special. Boo!). But it was good to just chill. I got a pretty good spot to watch sunset and it was just okay. Or so I thought. Just after the sun went below the horizon, the whole sky lit up and it was just amazing! Bright oranges and red. Just amazing! After dinner, I crashed early. There's not much to do at night and that's a good thing.
The weather the next day is just ish. Mainly cloudy, but warm. My agenda?
0600-0700: Beach Walk.
0700-0745: Morning Swim
0745-0815: Shower, clean up.
0815-0900: Breakfast.
0900-1000: Read in hammock.
1000-1200: Snorkel trip. Again, amazing.
1200-1230: Shower, clean up.
1230-1315: Lunch. Which was delish.
1315-1445: Read in hammock.
1445-1545: Massage!
1545-1600: Hang at bar waiting for happy hour!
1600-1700: Read while sampling the local rum cocktails.
1700-1800: Read in hammock (I've forgotten how much I love just relaxing in a hammock!)
1800-1830: Sunset cocktail and pics. Again, with the clouds I didn't think the sunset would be much, but it popped out from under the clouds and just lit up the sky with soft purples and pinks. I ran down to grab a pic and of course it started to sprinkle. Oh well.
830-1930: Dinner.
1930-2100: Read in villa while the rain pounds against the tin roof over head. It cools down a little bit which helps.
2100: Bed time!
So a rough day.
My last day at the resort, I had signed up for the cave trip. So you take a boat (across very rough seas since the weather was not great) over to one of the most farthest out islands. While most of the islands are volcanic in nature, this one island had some limestone caves that you can swim in. Kind of like a ceynote in Mexico. We climbed up and then down into the cave and it was really cool. And the water was clear, but not that salty since I'm not sure the ocean ever gets into the caves. The first cave is open to the sky and you can see the limestone cliffs overhead and you look into the cloudy sky above. So cool! After swimming a bit, the guide help us go underwater to the second cave. Which is pretty freaking dark and without a flashlight would be super scary. But it's still pretty cool. When it's time to leave, I dive under the guide, going deep under a different part of the cave wall, and back up into the main cave. From the second cave, you can see the light of the main cave and the submerged cave walls pretty clearly, so I knew exactly where I needed to go. I'm not sure the guide was happy with me. But oh well. We also went into a third cave, but it was much smaller so only three of us when in. Some of the folks on the trip were a bit clausterphobic I think. And again, I swam out my shelf by going deep. :-)
After the cave trip, it was back to clean up and then check out. The ferry was supposed to pick us up at 1PM, but since the seas were so rough, I knew it was going to be late. And it was. Almost an hour late. The small boat transfer back to the ferry was fun. And the seas were definitely rough on the way back. Which slowed things down. And the overcast skies had start to spit rain. So not a great way to end my trip to the Yasawa Islands, but still. A great time. DIdn't get back to the Raddison until late, only to discover that my reservation had been cancelled. Lovely. But they got me a room, I got some dinner, and then re-packed since I had an early flight to Sydney the next day.
