The best of Octopus

    Octopus management has changed several times since we were there in 2006. The present couple have been there only seven months but they seem to be doing an outstanding job. There has always been a real connection between the resort and the nearby village of Naluwaki whose chief gave permission for the creation of the resort in the first place. Most of the people who work at the resort are from the village and some of them have been there since the first ground-breaking. Their kids are growing up and finding their own jobs at Octopus.
    This year we found an increased emphasis on incorporating the Fijian culture on an every-day basis and on special occasions. Friday afternoon was special as the school-aged children from the village come home for the weekend (they board during the week as four villages on Waya Island share one school). This happens in reverse on Sundays when the families show up at the resort after the church service and the kids are treated to snacks and play before they climb aboard the boats to take them back for another week of studies.
    You can see that it’s hard on both parents and children but they do put an emphasis on education. It gets even worse at the high school level because they have to go to one of the large mainland islands and only get home on school breaks.
    Friday night was dedicated to Fijian culture. The evening started with a presentation of Fijian dancing and singing–a couple of dances from the men, a couple from the women and a couple with both male and female dancers. This was not a professional dance presentation but a celebration of joy from the villagers. They really seem to enjoy life. The dancing ended with the Fijians enlisting the resort guests to join them in a round of ‘Bula’ dancing. (Bula seems to be the Fijian word for ‘hello’ and many other expressions - something like the Hawaiian ‘Aloha’.)
    The entertainment was followed by a dinner that featured Fijian dishes. Not sure what some of the dishes were but there was plenty of edible food even for someone as picky as me. It was a special evening. Of course, not everything was focused on Fiji. On Thursday night we were treated to a fireworks display, presumably in honor of the US guests.
    We did get a chance to catch up with two of our favorite people from the earlier visit. Mariomi has moved into a supervisory role but she was there when we checked in on Wednesday and we had a chance to talk to her the first two days. She was off on the weekend so we didn’t get to say good-bye. Tai Voli had been the leader when we had visited the village for the church service in 2006. He wasn’t around the first few days but he was front and center as he lead the dance parade on Friday night.
    We couldn’t do the church service this year as it coincides with check-out time but he showed up in the afternoon and insisted on carrying my bag to the boat which took us out to the Yasawa Flyer. It was a little disappointing that there was no farewell singing group. The resort has a tradition of welcoming arriving guests and serenading departing groups with a small ensemble on the beach. I think it doesn’t work on Sundays as the villagers focus on church and their departing children. Still, I missed it. I had my camcorder all set to take the movie.

2006 Redux

    What’s that comment about ‘you can’t go home again’. We got up early Wednesday morning for our pick-up and the ride to Denaru Marina. We took the Yasawa Flyer up to Waya Island where we’re staying at Octopus Resort for the next few days. We spent a week here in 2006 and really loved it. The second time around some of the magic is gone. This was especially noticeable on the boat ride where a succession of stops at isolated, beautiful, tropical islands elicited hardly a second look.
    Octopus itself has undergone some changes in the intervening years - some good, some less welcomed. The back-packer tents are gone and, though they do still have some dorms, the back-packer vibe is severely reduced. They have built some new bures and bungalows mainly designed to cater to an upscale clientele. As well, they have made a conscious effort to attract more of the family holiday trade from Australia and New Zealand. Since it was school break time in Australia, there were lots of families (and lots of young kids). You don’t seem to get as much socializing (understandable) in those circumstances.
    The beach is still gorgeous, even if a bit hard to walk as you keep sinking in the golden sand - a nice problem to have. The snorkeling is still very good with lots of fish and coral and even a sea snake. We did try the manta ray snorkel trip on Saturday morning but the seas have been running heavy for the past two days with extreme high and low tides. As a result, the visibility in the channel was very poor. As well, our timing was off - no mantas while we were in the water (at least none that we could see).
    We were back aboard the boat and getting ready to leave when the first manta showed up. Doreen got so excited, she rushed into her gear and jumped into the water without her camera. When that problem was solved, she found her mask constantly filling up with water. Finally giving into frustration, she climbed back on board and discovered she’d tried to put her mask on over her sunglasses! At least her camera got a picture of the manta as the guide took it and dove down to get close enough. Not our most memorable snorkel.

Bula from Fiji

    Talk about a travel day. We rolled out of bed on Sunday morning at 4 am and headed to the Toronto airport to begin our trip to the South Pacific. We landed at the airport in Nadi at 2 pm on Monday afternoon (that’s 6 am on Tuesday, July 2 in Fiji). That’s what time zones and the International Date Line will do to you.
    The first leg of the trip we flew Air Canada from Toronto to Las Vegas. Not a bad trip - 3150 km in 4 hours 20 minutes - except that Air Canada was so busy patting themselves on the back for being voted ‘best international carrier in North America’ they forgot to feed their passengers. I know the airlines are cutting back but no breakfast on a 4 ½ hour flight leaving at 7 am is a bit much. At least we got some orange juice.
    The United flight from Las Vegas to Los Angeles was noteworthy only for the pilot’s announcement that the seat belt sign would be turned off for the five minutes between reaching altitude and beginning our descent. A 45 minute flight - blink and you miss it. Unfortunately, things began to bog down in Los Angeles. We knew going in that there would be a long delay because there is only the one late night flight to Fiji. We had discussed renting a car for the day but ultimately decided there wasn’t enough time to go anywhere meaningful.
    Doreen had gotten mixed reviews on Fiji Airlines (recently re-named from Air Pacific), particularly with respect to their reliability and the quality of their food. Initial impressions took a negative trend when we couldn’t even find their counter - seems they don’t have a full-time presence at LAX. They finally opened up at 6 o’clock and we were able to get rid of our big bags. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a check-out line that moved so slowly. I don’t know if it was the airline personnel or the customers - it seemed to be a combination of both - but the whole thing dragged on and on.
    The flight was scheduled to leave at 11:30 and boarding was to commence at 10:30. Fat chance. We kept getting the ‘thank you for your patience’ routine as boarding was continually pushed back by 10 minute intervals. Something about a security problem with the plane at one time, a maintenance issue at another time. Of course, the crew didn’t show up until almost 11:15 and I doubt we could have left without them.
    At any rate, we finally got off the ground only an hour late and things started to look up. We were flying in a 747 and, though the seats were narrow and we seemed to have a very large crowd in the waiting area, we had an empty seat between us so we were quite comfortable. As soon as we were settled into the flight, they served a meal (doesn’t everybody eat at 1:30 am) and it was quite good. Can’t say the same for the egg/cheese biscuit we got for breakfast but maybe it was the hour. The legroom was comfortable and I managed to get a few hours of sleep.
    A long wait for our luggage was offset by a quick transit through customs and immigration. We decided to stretch our legs by walking down the road and across the highway where we’re staying at Raffles Hotel for the night before we catch the Yasawa Flyer tomorrow morning. We’ll be in and out of here four times over the next few weeks as we bounce between Waya Island, the Solomons and Mana Island.

Here we go again!

    Re-reading that previous post from Amed, I realize how depressed we were feeling as we wound down our last trip. We were just going through the motions in Bali and counting the days until we got home. We didn’t really appreciate our subsequent time in Singapore or our return to Hong Kong. Both cities had some special moments (Jurong Bird Park and the ‘Big Buddha’ in particular) but also a lot of ‘blah’ (our fault, not the cities).
    Since then we’ve had short trips to British Columbia, Newfoundland and Cuba to catch up with friends and family and several visits to Atlanta to spend time with the grandkids (and son, and daughter-in-law). Now, we feel rejuvenated and we’re gearing up for another snorkel live-aboard with the crew from California.
    We almost passed on this excursion to the Solomon Islands as the initial announcement came during our darkest time in Bali. We were lucky that we recovered our wanderlust while there were still openings available. We have ten days aboard the ‘Bilikiki’ touring and snorkeling through the Solomon Islands. I have a new camera (Canon PowerShot SX240) and waterproof casing and a new waterproof camcorder (DXG Sportster) which should get a good workout. I’ll try to post a few pictures along the way.
    We’ll stop in Fiji on the way to and from the Solomons. On the way out, we’re spending a few days at Octopus Resort on Waya Island - we enjoyed our time there back in 2006. On the way back, we’ll have a few days on Mana Island (only a day trip there in 2006). We really enjoyed the snorkeling in both places at that time. It will be interesting to see how we feel this year after our experiences in Palau and Raja Ampat and coming on the heels of the Solomons.
    I’m not sure how much blogging I’ll be able to do. Hopefully, Fiji won’t be a problem but I’m pretty sure there won’t be any Wi-fi on the boat while we’re wandering around in the Solomon Sea. We have an over-night at a hotel in Honiara but I have no idea how the Internet connections are on Guadalcanal. We’ll see.
    We’ve already committed ourselves for 2014. We’ll be joining Wendy (our California travel guru) on another snorkel live-aboard in Indonesia. This one starts out from Bali and sails through the Komodo National Park area of the ‘Coral Triangle’. It will also feature a land excursion to see Komodo dragons in their natural habitat. Should be a great way to celebrate our 48th wedding anniversary.
    Time to get packing!