Mon 30 Sep 2024: Fiji to Sydney - Day 10

 Mon 30 Sep Fiji to Syd

7:30am wake up

Pack stuff

8:11 take photos from balcony 

9:00 am on the beach with Ally. Light showers

10:00am Ally joins KC and KY for jog on beach

11:00am Sun is out. swim in pool whilst JC and SC have relaxation massage

Have pizza bites, casava cake with coconut milk 

Shower and final pack

12:30pm eat chicken pie for lunch

Pack car with luggage 2 bags and small one in boot. 1 large in back of passenger seat.

Say goodbyes. Ally wants us to stay

1:30pm Leave FJ Palms

Stop at Maui Bay jetty

Fill up FJ$58 - KY paid

5:00pm Avis rental car return 1hr late fee FJ$52

Baggage check in and boarding passes issued

Through immigration and then security check. Liquids need to be in zip lock bag

KY buys Vegetarian pizza FJ $30 and wedges FJ $10:50 to share. 

6:00pm boarding 

Pre check for boarding- bagcheck again. Lucky we remembered from last time. Bottles empty 

6:30pm onboard

6:40pm public announcement 

Flight is 4hr13 min

7:00pm on runway watching Blue Beetle- cont from flight to Fiji

8:00pm meal: chicken pasta with carrots and broccoli. Potato salad. Apple juice. water.

Watch Hunger Games : the ballad of the songstress 

EST 9:30pm land in Sydney 

9:51pm at gate. 

Gate is just after duty free so not a long walk. E-Passport gate is nice and quick.

10:30pm collect luggage and go through declare gate but because the already questioned us after immigration and stamped it green we can just exit.

See KY off - she is catching Uber

Then walk to Public car park pickup area.

11:00pm wait for Nathan to pickup 

12:00 home 

Sun 29 Sep 2024: Ally's 4th Birthday, Fiji - Day 9

 Sun 29 Sep - Fiji

8:00am wake up

9:00am

10:00am walk on beach with Ally. She goes jogging with KC and KY.

11:00am

12:30pm Swimming in the pool

2:00pm Lunch - chicken pie

3:30pm Ally looks for KC and KY who are lounging at The Pearl

4:00pm kite flying at the beach front. The kite is from Janet YeePor

4:30pm Drive to True Mart to buy snacks for us to take back and eggs/water for others.

Eat vegemite sandwich which Ally didn’t eat

6:30pm Happy hour

7:18pm Birthday dinner at the bar

Annie’s Love $15 cocktail 

Creamy garlic butter prawns $35

Everyone orders their own dish

Ally gets given cake from another girl who is also celebrating their bday

9:00pm back at Unit 1 for cake and more presents 

11:30 back at unit 6

12:00 Facial masks 15 mins

12:30 sleep

Sat 28 Sep 2024: Fiji Palms, Fiji - Day 8

 Sat 28 Sep - Fiji Palms

7:30 wake up

8:00 pack stuff up to move to Unit 6

9:00 Kim and Kaylene help move stuff 

9:30 in Unit 6

10:00 walk on beach 

They have pizza for breakfast 

11:00 Ally is eager to go to the beach 

Had to wait for Soph 

Beach time

Pool time

Spa time

Breakfast: boiled egg, pineapple, slice of pizza

Lunch: pasta

Jigsaw 

Babysit Ally, while they go shopping 

Flower picking with Ally

Painting with Ally

5:30 At the bar for Happy Hour

Given snacks. JT preps for dinner - cleaning crabs

6:30 (Hermit) Crab racing at The Pearl

7:30 cooking crabs

Ally is tired and goes to sleep 

8:30 dinner in Unit 1. Yummy 🦀 

10:00 make cheesecake whilst others decorate unit 1 for Ally’s 4th birthday 

11:30-1:00am finished the puzzle 

1:15am bed

I

Fri 27 Sep 2024: Nadi and Chans Arrive, Fiji - Day 7

Fri 27 Sep - Nadi

7:30am - wake up 

Put dishes away

Iron clothes 

8:20am Morning walk on beach

9:30am finish off Ally’s bday card and wrap presents 

10:00am breakfast - vita wheat with Vegemite

11:00am clean up room, move stuff into JTs room

11:45am drive to Nadi 

Stop along the way to take photos of Coral Coast

Stop at Maui Bay Jetty

Buy mud crabs on the way $100 for 6 and $150 for 5 bigger ones.

Stop at a TrueMart Mobil station to fill up as we have 3 bars left. $75

Go into TrueMart to use restroom. Take a look at the items. Not as big as the one close to us.

3:49pm Get into Nadi at park in carpark close to markets. Turns out there are 2 carparks. But both charge the same rates $0.58/hr

JT is on the hunt for more shallots/green onion $2 each and ginger $3/plate. Also buy snake beans $4?

Need to kill time. Go into Hot bread kitchen and buy 4 chicken pies $5.15 and cheese & onion loaf.

They have just landed so still need to kill time. Go to the Main Street and into Jacks discount store.

Then into Harrisons.

4:49pm Back to car, we sit and wait. So  we finally work out apple car play.

When LC msgs JT that they have picked up car rental we head to airport.

Park in carpark $2.50/hr

They are loading the car. We take 2 bags. 

As we head out, I lead.

Getting out of Nadi is a nightmare. Traffic is bad, so we go back streets to avoid traffic. 

6:00pm Finally get out of Nadi.

Just out of Sigatoka, Justin and Soph swap drivers.

9:00pm at resort

Dinner at bar is 5 large pizzas

There is live entertainment- 2 lounge singers. Ally dancers as the guy sings.

Zachy has started walking tiny steps. 

10pm puzzle time

12midnight in bed

Thu 26 Sep 2024: Suva City Tour, Fiji - Day 6

Thu 26 Sep : Suva tour

After breakfast/brunch : fried egg, 2 slices bread, lettuce, cucumber. Papaya and pineapple 

Drove into Suva. 

Stopped at the State House - photo of the guard

Drive to Suva Point

Then to My Suva gardens 

2:00pm Then to Grand Pacific Hotel

Had lunch: chilli garlic mussels with garlic bread and salad with coke

After late lunch, drive to market. Park in municipal carpark.

Walk to markets. JT buys carrots, choy, pineapple, watermelon 

Put stuff back in car

JT needs to withdraw money

Then we go to MH supermarket to buy cream cheese, cream, snacks

5:00pm leave Suva. 

6:30pm back at resort

Dinner: 3 min noodles with onions garlic ginger lemon grass pippees, beans and choy 

9:00pm At the bar to update FB

10pm puzzling

11:30pm bedtime 

Wed 25 Sep 2024: River Tubing, Fiji - Day 5

Wed 25 Sep 2024 - Fiji

FJ$190 Navua river tubing - MT, KY and KC.
Meet at bar at 9:30am
Mini van from River Tubing in Navua picks us up. I ride shotgun 
30 min drive to upper Navua.
Get to headquarters and need to sign a waiver. Then fitted for life jacket. KC and KY grab a wet bag to put the stuff we want to bring with us. Patrick is our tube/boat guide and Amin is the captain driving the long boat. We are paired with a family of 5, 8 in total. Apparently 76 people are doing the tour today. Patrick gives us our tubes which we bring down to the water’s edge. Then he takes them off us and loads them into the boat. KC, MT and KY are in the back seats. As we head up river, the guide points out interesting sites. Stalks that look like corn are white asparagus. Vines growing everywhere is morning glory. The journey in the longboat is 22kms. Past a village, this is the end of the road. To go further up, they need boats. 
The river is winding and he points out strips of clothing tied to trees, these are tide markers. Where flooding has occurred. Atm, the water level is low. Past waterfalls and the jungle takes over. Get to a shallow rapid area so we need to get out and walk along a pathway to meet up with the boat then continue on. Stop at an area where lunch will be served. Patrick leaves us there to help prepare lunch.
We finally arrive at the Sarabata  village. Ben a tour leader tells us about the village. Rosie tells us the woman’s role in the village. Woman need to do housework, mat weaving. Tells us what material they use: pandanas leaves. Cutaway the prickly bits then wash and dry before they make the mats
Tour of village gardens- breadfruit tree, taro and cassava 
Next back on to the longboats and they take us to the beach for the waterfall. Take the path to the waterfall. Water is icy cold. Go in but too cold for me. Some of the guides climb high and jump into the water. 10mins and then back to longboats and they take us to the lunch stop.
Buffet lunch- casava, slice bread, salad, 1/2 sausage, chicken drumstick, banana and watermelon 
Then tubing time. Patrick our guide asks whether we want to go solo or as a group. We go as a group. But some break off as we drift down river. Patrick does most of the padding.
Couple of rapids but not too bad.
There’s a bit where we need to get off and get back on again.
After a certain point we stop tubing and hop back into the longboats which take us back to the start.
4:00pm change into clothes. KY Pay for photos. 
Back into the van to take us back to Ultiqa. Riding shotgun again. 
5pm back at resort
7:00pm dinner- pho vermicelli noodles with beans and choy. Pineapple and papaya.
10:00pm puzzling

Tue 24 Sep 2024: Fiji Palms, Fiji - Day 4

Tues 24 Sep 2024 - Fiji

7:20am sleep in - writing up diary

8:00am walk on beach. Pick up pippees 

10:00am dip in pool. It’s refreshing 

11:00am make breakfast 

11:30am eat breakfast outside as KC and KY are wet. Have vita wheat with vegemite. Boiled egg, cheese and onion slice, lettuce, cucumber, papaya and pineapple 

2:00pm After lunch - go to bar to check FB

KC and KY lounge by the beach garden.

I join them and watch KDrama - The Frog.

Have choc attack

Back to bar. JT finds me there but has conversations with Andy and Phillip from NZ

My phone battery is dying so head back to unit. 

Get waylaid by Marie from NZ talk about food, who cooks etc

4:00pm Look for others, not at beach so must be in unit

In unit 6 for puzzle. KC and KY napping.

5:00pm JT goes to prep dinner 

6:00pm I head back to unit 7 to help cook.

7:00pm dinner - vegetarian fried rice, okra, beans, lettuce. Coconut juice. Coconut. Pineapple.

Shower

9:00pm puzzling in unit 6

10:00pm brush teeth and in bed.

10:30pm in bed.

Mon 23 Sep 2024: Navua and Lovo Night, Fiji - Day 3

Mon 23 Sep 2024 - Fiji

6:00 am sunrise - cloud cover was pretty but blocked the sun. Going to be a very nice sunny day . Meet Manu from California

8:00 am short walk on the beach- picked up sand dollars

9:00 am KC and KY walk on beach 

10:00 am brunch - boiled egg, lettuce, pickled carrots and cucumber sandwich. 

11:00am down at bar to catch up on social media 

Meet Andy from NZ

12:30pm drive to Navua

Buy 2 coconuts from road stall $2 each

In Navua - look in dollar store - JT buys a kite

Walk to markets. JT buys snake beans, papaya, okra. 

Go into shopping centre. No cream cheese. JT buys frozen chook $19 and KY buys banana chips

At bakery - I buy chicken pie $5:25 to try - not bad - very creamy with chicken potato and corn.

Walk to Jacks- just look. Then cross to Hot bread kitchen- buy cheese onion loaf $8:20 & 2 chicken pies $5:15 each - gave $20:50.

Stop at fruit stall outside FP - JT buys pineapples 3 for $5

3:00pm back at resort

Eat late lunch on Unit 6 balcony- chicken pies, pickled cucumbers, lettuce, left over sweet potato and casava, chips with coke.

Do 2000 pieces Japanese jigsaw 

4:00pm. KC and KY down at beach 

While JT and I wait for maintenance man to come reset TV.

5:00pm join them on beach. JT tries out her kite. Works well.

KC and KY go for swim in ocean

6:00pm sunset

Go back to shower and get ready for lovo

7:00pm Lovo Dinner - lettuce, cucumber tomato salad, potato salad with greens, coleslaw. Baked fish, chicken, pork, greens with bully beef, kokoda, pumpkin onion soup. Papaya and pineapple for dessert.

8:00 pm entertainment by Fiji Palms singer, singers and dancers 

10:00pm back to unit 6 for puzzling 

11:45pm sleep 

Sun 22 Sep 2024 - Lunch at The Establishment, Fiji - Day 2

 Sun 22 Sep 2024 - Fiji

6:10 sunrise 

Walk on beach with others 

11:00 Orientation 

After orientation, go back to units to change then we head to The Establishment for seafood buffet. 

12:30pm Lots of people and food quickly runs out. Need to be in line at the right moment. By the time we get there most of the seafood has disappeared. Manage to get some crab and prawns but no lobster left. Lucky for us, Kim lines up again and gets lobsters and prawns 

Dessert is also included.

3:00pm Walk back to resort and drive to TrueMart to buy staples, water, milk, snack food, choc attacks.

4:15pm Back to resort. 

5:00 pm Happy Hour - KC and KY laze by pool, jump in spa and pool.

I check out specials for tonight, take photos of the girls then down to the beach.

6:00 pm help J T with dinner 

Vegie soup, casava snd sweet potato, beans, choy, laver and rice. Pineapple 

After dinner head down to bar for wifi. 

Batteries on both phones are low.

8:30pm Head back to unit for shower 

9:00pm in Unit 6 doing jigsaw puzzle 

10:30pm brush teeth and in bed writing up diary 

Sat 21 Sep 2024: Sydney to Fiji - Day 1

Sat 21 Sep 2024 - Syd to Fiji

Sydney to Nadi

2:30 leave home

Arrive at airport 3:00

Kim has already checked in luggage 

Skip checkin queues straight to bag drop. Bags checked in 20,19 and 14

4:15 self check in

4:26 through security- everything in bag, jackets off

4:50 at gate lounge 63 - Zone G for boarding 

5:20 boarded.

Eat my hash brown and sausage egg mc muffin c/- KC hot chocolate 

Seated in 17 A B and C

7:00am breakfast- scramble eggs hash brown tomatoes. Choc chip muffin fruit. Water. Couldn’t finish it, so KC ate the rest.

Glucose test 8.5

11:00am arrive Fiji

Line up for immigration- moved quickly.

Baggage claim -KY bag came out quick- had to wait for ours.

Bag check- had to open KC and JT bags. 

Withdrew cash from Atm outside arrivals. 

JT and KC tried out Sim cards

12:00 pm pick up Avis hire car. Toyota Raize - just managed to fit our 2 big bags and JT small bag in boot. KY bag in front of KC in back seat. Lucky we are short people.

Drive back road to Nadi markets- park in lot $0.55 for less than an hr. Drove straight in and as we were walking to the markets JT noticed cars leaving car park were paying at a booth. Apparently I had just driven in, following the car in front. 

Had to walk back to booth at entrance to get parking ticket. $0.58 per 60 mins otherwise if no ticket they will charge you for full day parking.

JT buys veggies for week.

Tomatoes 🍅$2

Cucumber 🥒 at 2 separate stalls $6

Eggplant 🍆 at 2 separate stalls $6

Lettuce 🥬 2 for $5

Pineapple 🍍 3 for $5

Garlic 🧄 $2

Ginger $2

Bok choy 🥬 3 for $5

Choy sum 1 bunch for $3

Carrots 🥕 $3

Sweet potato 🍠 $5

Casava $10

Coriander 🌿 $1

Tray of eggs 🥚 $16

3pm drive to FJ Palms 

5:00pm check in to FJ Palms Unit 6 and 7. Separate units. JT and MT in unit 7 downstairs- 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, kitchen

KC and KY in unit 6 upstairs. 2 bedrooms 2 bathrooms kitchen 

Check out units, unpack veggies, unpack suitcases. KY astounded at amount of kitchen stuff we packed.

I cut up 1 pinapple to refrigerate for after dinner. 

6:44pm dinner at Fiji Palms

Drinks: Palms Sunrise- MT $15

Mickey Mouse - KC $8

Fruit cocktail- JT $8

Virgin Pina Colada - KY $8

Kokoda $18

Ginger Pork with rice and veggies $30

Garlic butter prawns with rice and salad $35

Fish curry of the day with rice $30

7:09 eating dinner 

8:00 check out puzzles/- there are some new ones. 2000 piece for unit 6 and 500XL wasjig for unit 7.

8:13pm back at unit

Ate 2 pieces of pineapple 

Showered 

Writting up diary waiting to do glucose test 

Zach's 1st Birthday, Ally's 4th Birthday, Justin's 35th Birthday

 Due to illnesses and such, Soph finally arranged a combined birthday for Zach, Ally and Justin at Hammondville.  Jungle party theme.