I'm here in Australia on a short term working visa, which means I have to leave every 3 months. I've gone back to the US twice (in June and August) and my next 90 days is coming up in November. I had the opportunity to go home again, but I would just be turning around in another 4 weeks to make the same trip for Christmas, then again when the project finishes in February. So instead, I've been plotting to make a trip to an island somewhere near Australia.
My visa requires that I leave the country for 24 hours, so I could do something in as short as a weekend. I looked into Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia and New Zealand, but then I thought, 'Why not Fiji?' It's fairly close, it's cheap and I'll have a good time. I was a little worried that the client would have a problem with paying for me to fly on a long weekend away, but I could always request that they send me home and double the flight cost (not that I would). I spoke with my company's travel coordinator and team lead back in the US and they were all about me getting a few days away.
I did a bit of research online and learned a lot about Fiji. I had always thought it was just this remote little island, but it is in fact a group of 200+ islands. The main island hosts the two largest cities of Suva and Nadi and the rest you can mostly reach by boat. I found a cluster of islands called the Mamanucas that looked promising. There were a bunch of islands to choose from that ranged in prices and I finally settled on one called Beachcomber. From the pictures I saw, it looked like you could fit it inside my high school's track.
After I booked 4 days at the resort I posted on Facebook that I was ready for some R&R on Beachcomber Island. My friend Dan quickly informed me that this is the party island of Fiji, so I probably won't be doing much resting. Ah, well, I guess it's destiny. We'll see what happens, I'm definitely looking forward to it in about 3 weeks.
the pictures look amazzinggggg! def a party island though haha. have fun with the "schoolies" and table top dancers! (look at me, leaving a comment!)
ReplyDeleteHey Jay- long time no see! I found your blog today and decided to comment. I hope things are great in Australia!
ReplyDeleteI read this book, Getting Stoned with Savages: A trip through the islands of Fiji and Vanuatu by J. Maarten Troost about a year ago. He's a hilarious travel writer about his adventures living abroad. While this wasn't my favorite book of his (see The Sex Lives of Cannibals), I thought it was an exceptionally good read. He's hilarious if you are looking for a laugh. Maybe after you go you will be able to appreciate all of his writing. I thoroughly recommend it!