I expected paradise. Which I found, I’m not saying Fiji isn’t paradise, I’m just saying that is not the majority of what Fiji is. Tropical islands are always advertised as these incredible getaways with fancy resorts including a minimum of 5 swimming pools, spas around every corner, and endless white sand beaches that look out onto crystal clear ocean water, and you think damn, I want to be right there. I want to be right there with a book sipping a pina cola, or perhaps the milk out of coconut. And yes, places like this totally do exist. They existed for me, they most likely can exist for you as well, but what was shocking is how much they do not REALLY exist in Fiji.

Driving across the main island of Fiji, I saw more and learned more about the land than I did staying at any hostel, lodge, or resort. I learned that Fiji is indeed, very much a 3rd world country. I learned that the majority of Fijians live in thin gap filled shacks in small villages bordering the side of the road. I learned that electricity can not be taken for granted and that hot water is luxurious. I learned that selling your goods on the side of the street is most likely not the most profitable way to make a living, though sometimes it is the only way to make something therefore it is worth a shot to have a table anyways. I learned that animals and cats are privileged when they have a home. I learned that you don’t need a cab to travel across cities, you just need to stand on the side of the street and be friendly to the first van that passes by. But most importantly I learned the importance of a smile, and the word “bula” meaning hello and good health because that was what was on the faces of all the locals I met and the word all of them happily greeted us with.

I’m mentioning all of this because I want you to take this into consideration with the rest of my post. As I talk about this incredible vacation I had, I want you to consider that although I saw Fiji, and I experienced what Fiji has to offer, I’m not sure I can claim that I experienced Fiji in itself, as I feel that that takes on a whole new meaning. But here it is, an overview of Spring Break 2015!

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The first four nights we stayed at the Beachhouse with a large group. This is a very popular hostel for young travelers, filled with 20 somethings looking for lots of sun, relaxation, and activities. Picture getting dropped off on the side of a street that has nothing on it except a dirt road leaning off to the right and a sign that says “the beachhouse.” Now follow that dirt road down a bit and picture small tatched huts on your left and larger single floor boxes of buildings on your right. Keep walking, up onto a deck, a ping pong table on your left followed by a larger building with a pool table and a bar. Straight ahead is an outdoor covered kitchen next to a small blue pool which takes you to the edge of the deck, dropping off into a grassy patch right before a hammock lined white sand beach that stretches in both directions. This was our home for the next four days.

There were 22 of us in all. We probably accounted for half of the people staying at the hostel, and we made it known that we were there, overtaking the volleyball court in our team tournament, drinking by the bonfire late into the evening, lying by the water in our endless row of book-readers, music listeners, and free-from-accessories tanners. I snorkeled out in the reefs that could only easily be reached during high tide, wandered to the far ends of the beach to walk across rocks and watch tiny crabs scatter at my feet, and took a group hike to a nearby waterfall where I jumped from one of the high rocks into the pool of water below. I very much enjoyed those first couple days in Fiji.

But here’s where I’m going to skip a little bit, because this was about the point of the trip where things got a bit interesting for me, but really not too interesting for you as a reader. I don’t necessarily think you want to hear about the days I spent puking with diarhea. Especially the day trip to a smaller nearby island we went on where I puked on the beach . . So I will save you the details and skip to the next location in my travels, about 2 hours away from the beachhouse and all its poor hygiene conditions.

We spent one night in Suva, up on the mountains at a little eco-lodge next to Colo-I-Suva, the rain forest just outside of Fiji’s capital. At this point I was in better health, being careful about what I put into my stomach and trying to get some good rest. Unfortunately Martin was not so lucky . . waking up the next morning with similar symptoms to the stomach condition I had had and needing to lie down instead of going to the forest. So that left just me to explore the pools, birdlife, and trees that Colo-I-Suva is known for. Setting off with a camera and a lot of water, I forced myself down a long windy dirt road that I was terrified would never actually lead to a park. It was about halfway down this road that I realized that I was probably being a little too ambitious. I was starting to feel a bit faint as I’d barely eaten the past couple days and although my stomach wasn’t in pain, I was not exactly in tip-top shape. This is the part where I probably should have turned around, but I wasn’t going to be this close and not see the rainforest. I wanted to see all the beauty I had seen in pictures on the web when I had looked up the forest and therefore continued anyways (sorry to my mom and dad who are probably worriedly reading this post!). Despite having to take about 4 stops at various picnic tables along the way to drink more water, I made it to the park, through the trails, past the famous lower pool with its rope swing (although I did not make used to it) and back up and down the windy trail back to the lodge. I ended the trek absolutely exhausted, weak, a tiny bit nauseous, but with no regrets. We then took a 5 hour cab ride in our ill states to Nadi, to catch a Flyer boat the next morning which would take us to the Yasawas, small islands on the eat coast of Fiji that are known for their gorgeous mountains, exquisite reefs, and tropical island feel. I think I’ll save the islands for another post as these definitely deserve a space of their own on my blog, therefore to finish up I’ll jump ahead 3 days to talk a bit about our last full day in Nadi before heading home to Auckland!

Our last day in Fiji was amazing, and not just because we were both healthy, but because it was just a relaxing, fun, and beautiful day. In the morning we went to one of Fiji’s most visited attractions, Garden of the Sleeping Giant. A gorgeous garden previously owned by American actor Raymond Burr where you walk through pathways surrounded by a wide array of flowers, ponds, vines, and rocks, looping back to the main building where you sit in lawn chairs enjoying a complimentary fruity tropical drink. We then walked around Nadi and it’s markets, of which the craft market was by far a disappointment, with few items that felt distinctly fiji, but the food market was quite an experience with row after row of fresh fruits and vegetables all available for purchase at very low prices. Back at the hostel, we met up with a couple other friends taking the same flight back with me the next morning and relaxed before taking a free shuttle to the Hard Rock cafe for dinner.

The dinner shuttle was perhaps the funniest thing I experienced on the island. What this was, was a free shuttle that picked you up from a sign outside the hostel and brought you about 15 minutes to the port where the boats are which is a really nice wealthy part of Fiji with nice restaurants and boutique stores, and then back to the hostel at the end of the night. A slightly sketchy white van comes at 6pm sharp, a man hands you Hard Rock Cafe flyers, you get in the van, he blasts music louder than even I think I have ever played in music before in a car, he drops you off and at the port and leads you to the hard rock cafe for you to eat dinner. After dinner, you meet back at the van, he checks your receipt to make sure you actually ate at the Hard Rock Cafe (or else he won’t drive you back) and then you get back in the sketchy van and he cranks up the music as you drive home. It was quite the ending to our Fiji experience, and certainly a night I won’t forget.

Fiji wasn’t all I expected, but then again meeting expectations is a tad bit boring, so I’m very much okay with the fact that things didn’t always go perfectly. I saw some amazing sites, gained some pretty incredible experiences, and got the Spring Break I’ve been looking for thus far in my college career, even if it technically is September which is not typically considered Spring . . . However: as eager as I was to get to Fiji, I was just as eager to get back to Auckland, take a nice warm shower, eat some real food, and get a proper nights sleep.