Returning from out trip to Nanuya Lai Lai, I was still feeling rather ill from the very first night in Nadi Bay Hotel, I really thought I had caught something serious.  To top it off, I had forgotten to replensish my body with any suncream after snorkelling in the lagoon earlier on.  My legs were very burnt and I just felt like going home.

Earlier this moring, we were given options to either go to the full day lagoon trip or do a half day and a half day doing a village visit.  Due to me feeling unwell, i decided to stay behind and not attend the village visit so chilled out and read my Lonely Planet book in one of the many hammocks dotted around the lodge.

Later on that evening, I felt a lot better after my lazy afternoon.  We had an amazing Fijian curry as it was Friday night.  More Bula dances were to follow, Fiji Gold was drank and another early night for everyone.

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We arrived at our destination 'Nacula Island' roughly mid afternoon, where we had lunch and checked into Nabua Lodge.  The 6 bed dorm was like no other I have ever seen, a typical Fijian style Bure.  After checking in, we decided to so some sunbathing and lazing about for the rest of the day plus met the other backpackers in our dorm, they were all girls from England.

Later that night, I witnessed the basic shower facilities I was warned about, it doesn't help when you only have a limited amount of cold water, spiders to look out for and rely on electricity provided by a small generator. 

We were told that everyday, there would be a dinner bell at certain times of the day and if you never showed up, you missed out on food.  Fair enough I guess, it wasn't the Ritz and we where out in the middle of nowhere!  The dinner was very interesting, Fiji style vegetables.  Of course, I would try anything but there were lots of fussy girs that wouldn't try things and would rely on eggs.  After dinner and a quick welcome from the chief, we tried Bula dancing.  This was like doing the macarenna, I got very bored of this quickly as if was so repetative.  We finished off the night with crab racing, this was a first for many of us, very fun too.  I never had any loose change to put on the crab I wanted and typical, someone else picked it and got the winnings.

We were all told earlier too, that after 10pm the generator goes off so we all had to be in bed very early.  To be honest it was a good thing because they breakfast was at 8am.

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This Resort is located in the Yasawa Group of Islands. We arrived by boat to a warm and friendly welcome as our boat got to the lagoon we were greeted with smiles and a cold drink. We stayed in a hut {called a "Bure'} right on the beach ...where we only had to walk a few steps to slip into the crystal-clear blue-green waters of what felt like our own private beach. Granted, you had to walk to the toliets, but for us it was just part of the adventure. Realllly enjoyed the views and hospitality of this gorgeous, somewhat primative little hideway!

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Woke up really early to catch the bus to get on the boat, still very tired. The boat was actually really nice, it was a catermaran with a nice but of air con inside. I was suprised at just how beautiful the islands were and it was great to see them. It was a 5 hour ferry ride to Nacula which was as far north as you could go and I went to Nabua Lodge.

It was very basic here, run by the Local Fijians and there were only 8 toursits on the island. Outside toilet, outisde shower which was a carefully plumbed garden hose and I stayed in a small little hut with two germans and a dutch guy. I quickly discovered how good hammocks in Fiji are and read my book in it for a bit and caught a cheeky nap aswell. Over a dinner of soup followed by fish I met Rory and Anna who turned out to be the people who woke me up the night before but they were very nice people so I let them off.

For evening entertainment we were taught the "Bula Dance" which i went on to do at almost every other island I visited. I am not really sure how Fijian this dance actually is as the accompanying music is a bit up beat and it is very similar to the macarena. After most of us did the standard travelling thing and played cards.

With this island being very remote, electricity came from a generator, so there was only electricity from 6pm until 10pm. This made getting in to bed in the pitch black quite tricky.\

Got my tan game going the next morning and then booked my next place to stay over the CB radio as there are no phones on the islands, and hopped back on the boat.

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3rd July

Sat around all morning, got on a ferry to Oarsmans bay at 11am, Oarsman have a time change for daylight saving, strange, 1 hour ahead than the rest of Fiji.  Cloudy so couple of drinks with Canadian guy called Neil, donner was okay sit down 3 course meal. Met Sarah and Aaron from Oz, sat up drinking with Neil, not really in the mood so not a late one.  Beach is Beautiful and sea is crystal clear, load sof hammocks, dorm has 13 beds, nothing special and not too bad...oh was quizz night our table won a sunset cruise for tomorow night...

4th July

Think I am getting into the swing of doing nothing.......Breakfast, Hammock with book till lunch, then hammock with book till 6, Sunset cruise, cloudy to start but ended up with a fab sunset, then dinner followed by entertainment of Limbo Dancing and Stick dancing, everyone joined in so really quiet fun, no alcohol then, was left limbo dancing with just kids, did better than I thought I would!

5th July

Swam, sunbathed, read book, lunch, sunbathed and read book, shower, dinner and tonights entertainment was crab racing. This involves having a hermit (crazy) crab with your number, a big circle drawn in sand, all crabs put in middle, first so many to reach edge to to 1/4 final, same again for the semi final, then final, didnt win, but great fun.

6th July

Another strenuous day of sunbathing & reading, interuted only by lunch! Tonights entertainment was International Night, each country was to get up and do some sort of entertainment.

Australia - Dodgy song, USA - even though 3 americans, only 1 got up, anyway did some dodgy dancing, NZ - Crap did nothing, Scotland - Sandy had everyone up singing Old Lang Syne and the querky english family saved the day for the UK - 3 brothers did a whole sketch on sharing toothbrushes, really funny but very foul and one of them being a bit of a comedian, did a whole sketch on immitating peoples laughs....you probably had to be there but very funny.

7th July

Last full day at Oarsman Bay, got to do something other than lying on my backside and reading, so swam after breakfast, then sunbathed and finished book (well sunbathed when sun was out, it kept clouding over today) then for the first time I went snorkling which was pretty cool, loads of fish but no big ones...in the evening it was Lovo night, all traditional Fijian food and the staff entertained us with local song and dance, all good fun, then got involved i Kava for the 1st time, tastes like muddy water, tongue went a bit numb and got a bit light headed but was washing it down with Rum, so not sure what was having which effect, late night for the islands anyway...12.30!!!

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