Nananu-i-Ra is a small island of 3.5 square kilometers of Vitu Levu (Fiji's mainland) that feels like another place far from Fiji as there are a number of holiday homes and guesthouses, none of which are occupied by Fijians. During our 4 night stay there we felt as if we were exiled. There are no facilities and as a result of no native culture, a real lack of anything 'real'. We were very skeptical about this island when we read about it in the guide books and had nearly decided to pass it up when we realized that location wise it would break up our journey along the Northern coast quite nicely. From Lautoka it was a 4 hour bus ride on the Kings road through plantations and countryside dotted with small villages and the occasional traditional bure. The bus made some stops along the way at markets which broke up the journey and gave Niels a few more photo ops.
At Raki Raki, we hopped off the bus and were immediately swarmed by taxi drivers saying, "Where you going?" and they were relentless. After fighting them off, we stocked up on supplies and since they are so persistent, when we were ready to grab a taxi, a driver was right next to us. We piled in the taxi along with a fellow seasoned, British traveler. What should have been a short taxi ride was a drawn out, circling affair. As we slowly came to a boil in the taxi, the driver drove around the small town center stopping every few yards, shutting off the engine, getting out of the car, to engage in a chat. After this happened several times, we figured out that the driver was attempting to corral some Japanese tourists that he was hoping to also get some business from. The British guy traveling with us provided some much needed comic relief as the ride failed to progress. We finally took off toward Ellington Wharf where we took a small boat to Nananu-i-Ra.
Arriving at our accommodation, we settled in and took in the surroundings. Reading our posts, you may have noticed that we do not mention specific names of the places we stay, and that is intentional, but this time the experience was so appalling that we feel we have to mention it by name. Staying at Safari Lodge has been the worst value for our money that we have ever had in all of our travels, anywhere. We have never had rude, inconsiderate, ill-mannered hosts, but we did there. Somehow we, the paying guests, were made to feel as if we were intruding on them! That being said, the island was nice, but not as nice as it is written up to be. We did enjoy some good snorkeling, but this was only possible at high tide and it involved swerving for numerous jelly fish and loads of sea lice. Also, we did some light hiking and kayaking to pass the time and met a lovely British couple who provided great conversation and travel tales and helped us pass the time in exile.
