Nadi to Sydney - Saturday 28 Oct 2023

Saturday 28 October 2023

7:00am Wake up. Had a restless night, waking up every hour. It's a nice day. Sunny, no wind - go figure.

Breakfast: Weetbix, muesli, nutrigrain, chia, milk.

Waiting for MC. Eat 2 boiled eggs. Also have another choc attack.

8:10am Checkout. Stop at Office for LC to pay the account.

8:30am Drive to Nadi.

Stop at the Maui Jetty for a quick photo.

Fill up at Mobil station just before entrance to airport. FJ$98.28 at $3.05/ltr.

11:20am Drop MC, LC and KC with bags at terminal. JT comes with me to Avis drop off. Worker has gone to get lunch - had to wait a few mins, before he got back. He does a once over of the car, checks the petrol. Does paperwork, gives me a copy and all good.

Walk back to International terminal - take photo of "I heart Fiji" outside.

Busting, so go to toilet.  Fiji kids are playing with the auto water, soap dispenser, air.

Sit and wait for checkin to open. Eat a head of lettuce. 

11:30am KC self-checkin and gets luggage tags. Line up for baggage drop off. 

12:00pm Go through customs - bag screening security

12:20pm Get SMS - flight is delayed 1hr. At departure lounge. Eat sweet potato and chickadees chips. Watch 2D1N using JT's hotspot.

Checkout the shops in airport. Nike, Rip Curl, Assorted jewellery, Tappoo City Duty Free. Food court - Hungry Jacks, Pizza.

3:25pm Board plane.

3:53pm still sorting out passenger requires on board - kids/babies.

4:00pm Finally up in the air. Watch Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

5:30pm Dinner: Roast chicken breast, mashed potatoes, beans and carrots. Cheese and crackers. Coke and small bottle water.

Watch Elemental

8:14pm Start descent into Sydney. ETA is 7:45pm.

Self check-in at customs and immigration. Wait for luggage. Go through declare gates - waved through.

JT and LC catch the bus and train home. They arrive back at 9:35pm.

8:30pm Waiting at pickup area with KC and MC - it's cooler than expected. 

8:45pm NC picks us up.

9:20pm Home. Make 3 min noodles with wong bok.

9:35pm LC and JT home.

Eat noodles.

10:30pm Shower, sleep.

Note:  my feet are sore, itchy - a rash developed in Fiji as a result of allergic reaction to thongs. 

It looks like a bad burn.  I had been applying antiseptic hand gel and hirodoid. I apply cold pack in bed before sleeping. It's Tuesday 31/10/2023 and the rash is still there.

Suva - Friday 27 Oct 2023

 Friday 27 October 2023

7:00am Wake up. Cloudy, windy day. Sleep in.

Check email and clean up mailbox.

9:00am Get up. Still cloudy and windy. Fix up clothes.

9:30am Breakfast: Weetbix, muesli, nutrigrain, chia, milk.

10:10am. Walk on beach with KC.

11:30am Lunch: Tuna pasta with choy and 1/4 chicken pie.

1:00pm Drive to Suva. Head to point but road is closed - detour, but can't get to seaside. Double back and stop on seaside before State House. Stop closer to gates of State House. LC and I get out and walk down to take photos. MC keeps asking about Sun Yat Sen school. So we drive there, it is up on the hill. Arrive just before home time, so manage to get a park. MC goes down to enquire about his friend, Eva.  Waiting, LC takes photos. See cars coming in, picking up and leaving. He gets back. Eva is teaching, so will not be available until later tonight.  Has given MC her phone number.

Drive back down to the Pacific Grand Hotel. Park and go down to have a look inside and around. Very swish, but seems empty.  JT checks out the menu via QR code - cup of tea $7.

Drive back to Fiji Palms. 

4:30pm Back at Fiji Palms. I eat a chilli chicken pie. Have a choc attack after. Still trying to clear out the food.

5:30pm walk down to the bar for Happy hour. KC orders a watermelon daiquiri $15 and I get Annie's Love again $15. Snack food is fried balls with fennel. LC FaceTimes with Soph and Ally.

8:00pm KC and I order a meal from the bar/restaurant. KC orders the Kokoda with garlic toast $18 and I order the Garlic prawns with rice and coleslaw $35.  We share the food. The others go back to unit and have the rest of the pasta.

9:00pm back to unit. Shower, wash hair. Pack stuff. Tally up FJ$185 for drinks and meal. Pay LC FJ$190.

Fiji Palms, The Pearl, Navua - Thursday 26 Oct 2023

 Thursday 26 October 2023

7:00am wake up. Sleep in. Overcast, windy.

8:30am Up and dressed

Breakfast: weetbix, muesli, nutrigrain, chia, milk.

Writing up diary.

Sun myself out the back waiting for others to get up.

Walk on the beach with KC.

11:30am Have Vita Wheats with ham, tomato, cheese, lettuce. 1 boiled egg.

1:00pm  LC and I walk across the road to see what shops are there. MC, KC and JT are missing, can't see them anywhere.  They have gone into the Office. There are 3 competing little convenience stores and 1 bakery. Checkout The Establishment - it's open, but can't see menu - need to go all the way inside, which we don't.

Walk to The Pearl next door via the garden side gate.  Kim, who is waiting for the bus, tells us not to enter via main entrance, but to go via the side gate. Only go into older part of building, not new part.  Restaurant/bar is still same. Shop is still the same - only some clothing, bilums.  Check out the pool. 

Bump into Sharon, George, Kim and Justin who have come via the beach. Stand around talking a bit.

Back to unit via the beach. Eat a Choc Attack ice block at the pool with KC.

Drive into Navua. JT buys 12 enamel bowls at FJ$1.85 each for Bindy and 2 for us. 

KC and I go to bakery to buy 5 chilli chicken pies FJ$4.95 each as they don't have any other pies. FJ$25.25.

Stop at True Mart to buy sweet potato chips and choc attacks 3 for $2.

Fill up petrol at Mobil station FJ$50 worth which is like 3 bars, as we were down to 2 bars. So now we are 3/4 full.

KC and I eat our pies on the bench overlooking the beach/ocean. Very windy. Pies are tasty, not really spicy, just enough.

LC wants to withdraw cash to pay our account, so we drive back to True Mart, so she can withdraw from the ATM.

4:30pm Go down to the bar with KC and LC. 

5:30pm Happy Hour - Try a Wild Bull $18 and KC has a Watermelon Margarita $15. Snack for tonight is a warm chickpea snack.  Sharon's group has some too, but they aren't eating it, so they offer it to us. It starts to rain.

6:30pm Rain has eased, so we head back to the unit.

7:00pm Dinner: Rice with pumpkin bully beef, okra and snake beans, choy. Trying to clean out the fridge.

7:30pm Hotspot JT's wifi. FB catchup at the unit.

8:30pm Back to Unit 2.

Shower, bed, watch YouTube

Fiji Palms and Locale - Wednesday 25 Oct 2023

 Wednesday 25 October 2023

8:00am wake up. Glimpses of sun, but very windy and overcast again.

Walk down to bar to check St George balance. - Avis has already taken money.

8:45am Breakfast cereal. Finish puzzle.

9:30am - 11:30am Walk beach to The Uprising.

11:45am Lunch - toasted sandwich with ham/chicken slice, cheese, tomato, lettuce. Slice toast with canned mackerel and onions.

Do laundry.

Go to bar to check FB.

1:00pm drive down to Pacific Harbour Cultural Centre.  Still renovating.

Accosted by a coconut seller. FJ$2 for small or $3 for large. He cuts a small one to try, then continues to cut 2 big ones. I tell him to stop, 3 enough - give him $6. OK, but not sweet - maybe better chilled. Put the coconuts in the car and take a look at shops.

Same, but a lot are closed due to renovations. Grocery shop is open. Take photos.

Drive to True Mart to by milk and water.

3:00pm Back to Fiji Palms.

3:30-4:30pm laze by the pool. swim. shower.

5:30pm down at the bar for Happy Hour. Try a Mojito $15 - was ok. Strawberry daiquiri for KC $15 and lemon lime bitters for LC $8.  Kaylene is very sun kissed. 

6:30pm back to unit.

LC cooks

Dinner - 3 min noodles with choysim, okra, cucumber and sweet potato.

8:00pm back to unit, shower, and bed.

Suva - Tuesday 24 Oct 2023

 Tuesday 24 October 2023

7:00am wake up. Cloudy again. Sleep in.

8:00am Out of bed. 

Have breakfast - cereal - do puzzle. Have 1/2 chicken pie.

10:45am Drive to Suva.

11:52am Park in MHCC car park $2.50/hr. Man at entrance writes down time and licence plates on card, which we display in car.

Walk to fish market - buy 1 bug fish for $20 and Suva Central markets - buy more veggies, choong, pineapple.

12:52pm walk back to put food in the car. Walk some more

Head back to centre food court - buy Singapore food - Fried rice, salt and pepper chicken and chips, beef with choysim (includes rice) sweet and sour chicken (includes rice). LC pays. Because we took too long to decide what to get, we actually go past the 2hr limit and end up having to pay $7.50 on exit.

1:57pm Because we have food - we head back to Fiji Palms. No sight seeing today.

3:19pm back at Fiji Palms - have late lunch.

4:30pm work on jigsaw.

4:30pm update diary at bar. Download photos. 

Back to unit - jigsaw puzzle.

8:30pm Dinner - Steamed ginger, shallot fish with watercress, beans, sweet potato and carrots. Choc attack ice block.

10:30pm back to unit. Shower and bed - watch Youtube.

Navua, Lovo dinner - Monday 23 Oct 2023

 Monday 23 October 2023

7:30am - wakeup. Cloudy and wet, so sleep in.

9:00am Breakfast - cereal.

Start The Beatles puzzle.

9:30am Go to Unit 1.

Have baked beans on toast.

Change of plans - instead of going into to Suva, let's go to Navua. As we are having lovo dinner tonight, no need to go into Suva for markets. Instead lets drive to Navua and check out what has changed.

11:00am Drive to Navua. Park opposite the markets and walk to the markets and down the street to shops.

On way back, stop in bakery and buy 5 x chicken pies, loaf of bread, cheese and onion loaf, 4 x cream bun $36.30. Give $50 note.

12:30-12:40pm Walk around back of bus depot check out "restaurants" at back. Then go into Shop n Save supermarket. LC looking to buy more snacks.

Stop at Grace Garden for lunch. Order small pizza, grilled BBQ Wings and Prawn fried rice. JT pays.

3:00pm back at Fiji Palms. Lovo prep - they are putting the food into the pit.  The bure and pit has moved up to before the new unit blocks. Tubuna and friends put the food in and cover with dirt.

LC is making palm frond crowns. Work on puzzle, use wifi at bar.

6:00pm Watch then take the food out of the lovo.

6:30pm at the bar - Order Sunrise Glow $8, LC has a Mickey Mouse $8 and KC has the Pina Colada $15.

Take photos with staff - Buna and Alvin.

7:00pm Lovo dinner. Singer entertains us during dinner.

Coleslaw, cucumber/lettuce salad, Kokoda, taro leaves with bully beef/onion, steamed fish in coconut milk, chicken, pork. Fruit - pineapple, pawpaw, watermelon and casava cake.

9:00pm talking with Sharon about Fiji Palms and gossip.

10:00pm Shower and bed. Watch Youtube - 2D1N.

8:00pm Entertainment - local singers and dancers

Fiji Palms and Locale - Sunday 22 Oct 2023

 Sunday 22 October 2023

7:00am wake up

8:30am Beach walk with KC and LC.

10:00am Breakfast is 2 boiled eggs with vita wheat.

11:00am Fiji Palms orientation by Kim. Spring rolls and banana cake served. PowerPoint presentation - tours, what to do, what not to do. Meet the other owners/people staying at Fiji Palms.  George and Sharon are also long time owners - 20 years. They are here with George's niece Karan and her husband, Justin.

Kim advises renting from Go Green rentals next time. Supposedly cheaper.

1:00pm drive to True Mart/ Grace supermarket which is down the road, before Navua. It is huge with lots of Asian wares. Korean owned. Buy snack foods, milk, cheese, butter, garlic, biscuits, pumpkin, onion, bully beef, ice blocks. Have a look at the restaurant, but because we have bought ice block, they won't last, so we head back to resort.  There is an ATM and Mobil petrol station as well.

2:00pm drive back to resort. Have snack foods. Chips, Dalo chips, sweet potato chips, cheese slices with breakfast biscuits - like hard biscuits.

3:00pm walk on the beach with JT and KC. MC and LC go to the bard area for free wifi and TV.

4:00pm MT and KC laze by the pool. JT goes to bar area.

5:00pm JT and I prep dinner before going to the bar to use wifi.

6:00pm KC and I order Happy hour cocktails, although it's not half price. Palms Sunrise - vodka, mango liquor, fruit juice, grenadine $15 for KC and Annie's Love - pineapple juice, Malibu and ice cream $15 for MT - like a Pina colada - but better. Given complimentary snack - fried samosas with tomato sauce.

Chit chat with Toga (Tonga) barman. He has 7 kids, and his son is now in Canada - Victoria BC with an Asian wife. Another couple who were at the orientation, Rayan and ? also join in the conversation - he has served in the military and has been based all over the world. Met Rayan in Lebanon. They are currently living in Canberra.

7:30pm back to Unit 1 for dinner. Rice with bully beef pumpkin, onion and sliced cucumber.

8:00pm writing diary, back to Unit 2 for shower and bed - watching Youtube with JT wifi hotspot,

Sydney to Nadi - Saturday 21 October 2023

Saturday 21 October 2023

4am wakeup

5am Daz and Nathan drive us to the airport.

5:30am drop us off at International terminal

Qantas self-checkin and bag drop.

Go through customs - self check in and face scan.

Go through security.  Pulled aside - I forgot to remove my scissors from my carry bag. Confiscated - oh well.

6:00am KC buys Maccas - 2 big macs with fries and coke deal, I have some fries. KC and MC eat the burgers.

Walking to the gate, we pass Rip Curl shop. Look at their bum bags. - LC buys one and I decide to get one as well but diff design, same price - $32.70 after duty tax removed. 

7:20am at gate 55 waiting. The see Joanne's friend, but she's in a group going to Bali, they are waiting at gate 55, until an announcement is made and the gate is changed.

8:50am board plane, but departure time is delayed by 1 pax who hasn't boarded yet - they have to find their bag and take it off the plane.

Seated in 10A - KC, 10B - LC - 10C - MC, 11A - MT 11B - empty 11C -JT

ETA to Nadi is 2pm

9:10am still waiting on plane. Pax finally located on another plane.

10:00am Finally in the air

Meal served - scrambled egg with sausage, grilled slice of tomato and hash brown. Apply juice and small bottle of water.

Watch movie: Joy Ride and Past Lives.

Snack served - Raspberry blondie bar with apple juice.

1:28pm Descend into Nadi.

ETA 1:43pm (2:43 Fiji Time)

Line up to go through Customs and Immigration. They still stamp the passport.  I forgot to fill in some of the form, so the officer asks me when I am leaving? etc. Oops.

Collect luggage from carousel.

There is a Westpac currency exchange inside the airport. JT and LC changes money at 1AUD = 1.3FJD.  I give JT money to change.

Go through quarantine - bags are x-rayed and because we declare we have food, they inspect bags. Just baked beans, spaghetti and biscuits.

Finally clear and outside, JT withdraws money from ATM.  Kaylene and I go in search of Avis rental office. Walk out and around, back to where we were...signage needs to be better. JT gets SIM card

Lady at rental drives the car around, takes photos of all sides and will email me the pics. In meantime, MC is impatient and loads the car with our luggage. Lady shows me where tyre and equip to change is - under the passenger seat - would not have looked there. Knock wood we don't need it.

Drive out of airport and head to Nadi Markets, except, I miss turnoff and so we head to the other markets which we went to 5 years ago. Buy ginger, pineapple, choy.

4:00pm Drive to resort. Lots of roadwork along the way. Lots of potholes - or "lovo pits".

Along the way, we look out for sellers on the road. Finally spot lady selling craps on the other side of the road. Stop and make a u-turn. She has 2 bundles, one with 6 and the other with 7.  Both for $50.  They are small, mainly female but sat yuk. Definitely not waterlogged.

Harrowing drive in the dark - lots of crazy drivers speeding and overtaking slower cars.

7:30pm Arrive at Fiji Palms. LC, MC and JT go down to check in. Given Unit 1 and Unit 2, beach front units. MC. LC. KC in Unit 1 and JT and I in Unit 2.

Unpack. JT preps dinner. Take photos of the carbs. When I go to put them in the freezer, one of the nips me on 2 fingers - I scream - so painful. So thankful it let go and didn't clamp down. Need to give it a good wash and LC gives me cream and JT band aid. Just hope it doesn't get infected.

KC and I walk down to the bar. Have a game of snooker. Talk by a waitress at the bar (Dee) that there are problems with the water supple and tomorrow there will be no water as we are checking out the bar menu.

9:40pm Dinner is finally ready. Pasta, choy and crab.  Crabs are yummy, cooked with just ginger. Take our time eating them.

11:30pm Shower

12:20am writing up my diary and sleep