Very late this evening I'm off to Nauru but I still have some unfinished business here in Fiji. Yesterday I went to the Sigatoka Dunes but I didn't think they were worth it. It was very hot yesterday and I got lost, having to bush-bash my way out. Luisa's housemates invited me to go to Malolo Island with them for a day trip; they're able to go at a heavy discount through their work. This morning it sounded like it wasn't possible for me to go but they advised me to go with them to Denerau in case there is space on the boat.
Denerau Island isn't really an island and is nothing like the rest of Fiji. Homes with swimming pools and well manicured lawns appear as if came straight from Florida and the golf course would easily rival one you'd find in Palm Springs or South Carolina. Our catamaran, called Sabre, would be what would whisk all of us daytrippers across the sea. We were immediately given a choice of alcoholic and nonalcoholic fruit drinks, and I chose the latter. On board is a diverse mixture of travellers from around the world and we all mingled as the guides played the ukelele. Whilst most other people were drinking beer and wine, I was content with a virgin pina colada: fun without the buzz.
As we approached the "sand bar" as its called, it was time for some snorkelling. Why haven't I invested in a GoPro? I saw an abundance of colourful coral but was disappointed that I only saw one of my favourite sea creature: the blue starfish. I've seen plenty of them, however, in the Great Barrier Reef and South Sea Island. Whilst we snorkelled our delicious lunch was being cooked up.
Freshly grilled chicken and pork to go with salad, chips, and other edibles would be our island feast. It all came out amazing as I ate before getting into the sea again. Upon finishing my second snorkelling session, I flew Juliett (my drone) for the first time in Fiji. One of the guides had some knowledge of drones and helped me pick an area on the boat to take off from as well as allowed me to get an unlocking code sent to his number. Since there is an airstrip on Malolo Island I had to get a code to fly in the area. Photos of Juliett didn't turn out great but dessert and sweet treats sure did! A number of people travelled today for birthdays, anniversaries, honeymoons, and so forth, so the guides sang and played the ukelele for them before giving them their own dessert.
Today marked my third Fijian island visited as a day trip as I went to South Sea Island in '07 and Beachcomber Island in '09. Luisa is one of the very few people, either on CouchSurfing or not, to host me in three different decades as she hosted me in '09 on my way back to the US, in '18 on my way to and from Wallis, and now in '24. I may make it four decades as it's very possible I'll do another trip to Fiji in 2030 or later. Whilst I must've put on enough sunscreen for 10 people I still got sunburnt pretty bad today. The boat didn't have any wetsuits on hand, so I didn't have that option.
Sea soaked and sunburnt, I decided I was going to the airport right after getting back from Malolo Island. There's really nothing to do in Nadi in the evening except go to a kava bar and my flight is at the most inconvenient time of 1 AM. Even more annoying is that you can't check in online with Nauru Airlines so I had to hang out at the airport for several hours. I did chat with a bloke who has been to Nauru several times for work and he advised me of a few things to do. From the Isles of Fiji to the Isle of Phosphate I go...
