Fiji, My Mana Island Experience

19,840 km

Bula! A few weeks ago I spent 7 days in the sunny paradise of Fiji this journal entry will be one of three blog posts that I will publish. Enjoy this first post about my 5 day experience on Mana Island; Where the weather and the scenery was magnificent, and the people were so beautiful and kind! 



Upon arriving in Fiji I was met at the airport by a Couchsurfing host, Victoria who brought me back to her home. It was not long before myself and two Italians I met there were off to the small Mana Island with some help from Victoria. 



I arrived on Mana Island by speed boat for a 5 day stay, and was immediately greeted by the pretty faces of some local children playing in the surf and the hostel staff of Ratu Kini Backpacker singing a Bula song and putting native flowers in my hair. The hostel itself was quite inexpensive, the staff are such amazing people and the food is so good. They also have lots of activities to do including some really great diving courses for beginners all the way up to advanced.





Some of my fellow backpackers and I took a 4 hour walk around the island and found that it is surrounded by beaches on all sides and picturesque rock outcroppings. After our walk it was incredibly easy to pass time just relaxing in the sun and swimming in the warm water. 

While on the island I have snorkelled twice on both sides and observed some really cool coral and lots of different colourful fish. Yesterday and today I hiked around to the various hills to take in some of the great views of the island and other surrounding islands(one was the island featured in the movie 'Castaway'). As well we I did some small hikes around the island to get the best perspective of the Island from above, and I think I took some of my best pictures up on the hills.

The backpacker hostel that I stayed at is also immersed in the local village so I have spent a few hours wandering about the village, talking to locals, checking out the school and the church, observing some really cool local crops and agriculture, and even drinking a local native narcotic called 'Kava'. For more on the local life in Mana Island see my next post; Mana Island, A Local Perspective.

While here I have been able to enjoy a few Kava ceremonies. The Kava drink itself is a past time that is practiced by a lot of Fijians, and when drank it numbs the mouth and jaw as well as calms the rest of your body, all while not really affecting your thought patterns. The drug characteristics are achieved by grinding up the root of the Kava plant and putting the powder into a cloth bag. The bag is then submerged and soaked in water until the water darkens when it is then served to each person in a small cup. 

Tomorrow I must leave the beautiful island and its people but it is a place that will live long in my memory. 

W