Island Adventures

A visit by a blue-backed cockroach has my heart racing, so I decided to take advantage of being unnecessarily awake and make a post.

For my second weekend in Fiji I went with a Coworker (Aussie 1, there are lots and lots of Aussies here, so numbers will be needed), her friends, and CoIntern to a tiny little island called Caqalai (but pronounced theng-go-la).  It was fabulous.

This is the view when you arrive (by 1 hour boat ride from Nausori).  You can walk around Caqalai in an easy ten minutes, and the only buildings on the island are the resort, run by the Methodist Church of Fiji.  And by resort I mean main building, dive shack, canteen, two toilets, several bures (little shacks that are private sleeping quarters) and one large dorm.


The whole thing is powered by a generator, so the point is not so much luxury as relaxation.  And diving and snorkeling if you want to take advantage of the crystal clear water.

 The housing was pretty fun, not that we stayed in it much.  Lounging in the sand or going for little swims in the perfectly warm water were my preferred activities.  It was the perfect contrast to the congestion of Suva.  The weather wasn't super sunny, but that was hardly a problem.  In fact, it poured rain for much of Sunday, but that was just an excuse to relax and read.  I also learned a card game, which required some sort of complicated strategy I've now forgotten.

Not a bad view to wake up to, huh?  There are several islands nearby, some inhabited, some not.  In the latter category is Snake Island, named for the ridiculous number of snakes usually seen sunning on the rocks there.  You could swim around Snake Island in ten minutes at high tide, it's super tiny, and at low tide you can walk to it from Caqalai.  I did not go to snake island, which I'm sure it not a surprise.

The inside of the dorm housing....  my first mosquito net, which is somewhat surprising given the amount of traveling I do, and the warm places I prefer.

Mozzies, as the Fijians/Southern Hemispherians call them, were not to much of a problem, certainly less of a problem than in Suva.  Coral was more of a menace, and several folks cut themselves with injudicious kicks while snorkeling. 

Goodbye Caqalai, for now!  (The odds of me going back are high, given that bus to the boat, boat ride round trip, and room and board cost about $60 US).

Happy 4th of July everyone!