As the morning sun strokes my face, gently waking me, I feel slightly sad - for today is my final day in magical Fiji. Of course, the first thing to do is spend the morning on the beach, relax a bit, and then decide what I’ll do with this final day in paradise.
As I lie back on the soft sand of Wailoaloa Beach, I watch a group of surfers running to the waves. Surfing is extremely popular among people of all ages in Fiji, and is probably the island’s second-most popular sport, after the ubiquitous rugby. It has a long provenance on the islands, with European explorers describing Fijians riding the waves on wooden boards in the 18th Century. This ancestor sport of modern surfing was known as Vakavodo Ua and was practised by both men and women. During the British occupation, it was suppressed, along with many other indigenous practices, but today surfing, its modern-day equivalent, is undergoing a huge resurgence, especially after the discovery of the world-famous Cloudbreak wave on Tavarua.
I watch the surfers jump and glide over the waves, sipping a drink of passion fruit pulp mixed with ice-cold soda water. It’s nice to think that, whilst they come from all corners of the earth, they are, in a way, continuing an indigenous practice with hundreds of years of history behind it.
I get up lazily and head to the shallows for a short swim. I float, still thinking about what I should do with my last day until my fingers begin to prune. Then, I let the waves carry me to the shore, before slowly making my way to the showers to change and get dressed.
I make my way to a beachside bar. I sit in a hammock, admire the view of the bay, and I mull over my options. Before I know it, I’ve dozed off in the dappled shade. I stretch and decide to go for a stroll, perhaps that will help me make my mind up.
I walk through the lush palm groves that line the beach. I feel the soft sand beneath my toes. I watch a family of colourful lorikeet birds nest and squabble in the branches. I wave at a couple of kids on a moped, laden down with fishing gear. I admire the flowers of the vines which snake along the sandy ground, the butterflies flitting, the fishing boats bobbing on the waves. I’m still unsure how to use this final day in Fiji.
Soon, I start to get hungry. Perhaps something to eat will help me decide. So, I head back into town to find something. I stop at a roadside restaurant selling kokoda, a dish similar to Peruvian ceviche, where locally caught fish is marinated in lime juice, the acid in the lime cooking the fish. It’s vibrant and zingy, perfumed with tropical flavours of lime and coconut. I pair it with some soft baked taro and, of course, a fruit smoothie - this time, pineapple.
I sit and eat slowly, and I still can’t decide what to do. I look over the horizon, and I see that it’s almost sunset. I suppose I’ve run out of time. I sit here and watch the sky darken, the colours slowly change, and I laugh to myself. I never did decide what to do with my day, but it was perfect.
When this challenge was released it was listed as 50 miles, but was really 160 miles. With my timeline to complete it before another Team challenge, I chose to add a "tailwind" to move me faster = the 80 miles.
- 80 miles of indoor cycling, steps, rowing
- 8 postcards received
- 5 local spots viewed
- 2 local interests about Fiji's mythology
- 5 trees planted
I loved learning about Fiji and Bali's mythological origins!
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