It's Fiji time.

We’re traveling already for more than 8 months. On one hand it feels like I experienced so many things and saw so many places but on the other hand I have so many more to see and discover. The more you travel the more you realize how small can a world be and how easy is to come from point A to point B. All it takes is a bit of money on your bank account and a few clicks and you can head off. So if you really want to travel the world, you can do it.

I met a lot of people who are traveling in a similar way as we do and I know there are many more to come along the way. Still, the majority of them didn’t work full-time before. They decided to go traveling after high school or studies. Most of them applied for work and holiday visa in Australia or New Zealand, meaning they work and travel (some of them mostly work). Our way of traveling until now still is a bit different from others, especially because of the fact that we didn’t work for money since we started the journey. And since we chose quite expensive countries to travel to, we always needed to find a way of lowering our daily costs.

Working for food and accommodation in Samoa was a beautiful experience. The people in the resort accepted us as a part of the family and we really enjoyed it. After 6 weeks it was hard to say goodbye but again, it was time to move toward new adventure, new country. Practically we went from one paradise to another. First week in Fiji was laid back. We visited Yasawa Islands, the touristy but definitely worth seeing destination. The islands are famous for great snorkeling spots, swimming with sharks and manta rays. We did all that and man, it was amazing! We saw a lot of Nemos and colorful corals, snorkeled with these elegant and huge Mantas and sharks. They were quite friendly swimming around us and waiting for their lunch. Luckily, we had fishes so they weren’t interested in eating us.

Now we are settled for the 4 weeks of August in the Paradise Taveuni Resort. Again, we are helping and getting accommodation and food in return. Taveuni island is the third biggest island (out of 333 islands) in Fiji. They call it ‘Garden Island’. It is famous for beautiful flora and fauna, waterfalls and especially amazing diving. People from all over the world come here to dive the Rainbow Reef and The White Wall which are a must do if you are a diving enthusiast.

Domestic flight in Fiji - a unique experience

We decided to fly from the mainland to Taveuni. You know why? Because the twice a week ferry/boat ride would take us 16 hours if the weather is good. We didn’t want to risk so we paid more and save some time. The maximum allowance of the checked-in luggage was 15kg. We both together exceeded it for 3kg. I was ready for the lady to say, you’ll need to pay. Well, she did say that. But I didn’t expect her saying “You need to pay for each exceeded kilo $4.75 FJD (1,9 €)." We smiled and said of course, no problem. This is something other airline companies could learn from. For the first time in my life I saw an analogue scale for the luggage weighing. Very old school. :) What made me smile even more was the moment when the lady asked us to step on the scale with our carry-on luggage to make sure we don’t weight too much?!? :) I gave her a strange look and she apologized, saying “Oh, we just need to make sure we don’t exceed the max weight capacity on the plane.” I wonder what happens with ‘big’ people. Do they need to pay extra per kilo as well? :) In the end, I was actually happy she weighted us together with the carry-on bag. Mine must have had around 7kg. The maximum allowance was 3, by the way. The flight ticket we got had all the information written by hand. They don’t even write your surname on it. Why bother? And the baggage claim tag looked like a ticket you get when you park your car on the gravel area behind the circus or the farm fair. And have a look at the ‘airport’ in Taveuni. Easy and simple as it gets. :) All in all, it was a very funny experience.

The Airport

The Flight Ticket

Old School Baggage Scale

You should not rely on the Fijians and their Fiji time

After a few times believing them in what they said and it wasn’t true, I always take their words with caution. I’m not saying they are bad people or that they want to harm you. Not at all. Sometimes is just hard to understand other cultures and their way of thinking, especially when it comes to a situation that affects you personally. We met a Fijian guy who was working in the same resort as we did in Samoa. He moved back to Fiji a few days before we arrived and offered us to spend one night at his place in Suva. For us it was just a quick stop for one night as we had a flight to Taveuni early in the morning. We arrived to the bus station in Suva, called him and waited. He said he will pick us up in 15 minutes. Almost one hour passed and he still didn’t show up. He didn’t even answer the phone so it was obvious he won’t come. We needed to find a place to sleep for the night. The only affordable option was a cheap and crappy hotel in a room with no windows. Another lesson learned.

August is going to be more work oriented but not September! September will be full on with reunions. First of all we will move to another continent where we'll stay for another while. I am so looking forward to first spend some time in Bali with our friends from Berlin. After that fly to Kuala Lumpur for a week to hug and kiss six days long my dearest Polonci. And for the cherry on the top spend 2 weeks with my parents, cruising around rice fields and sipping freshly made smoothies.