Norway and the Hurtigruten

5 October to 16 October 2023

We spent the next couple of day getting over to Oslo in Norway. Once there we hopped on the train from Oslo to Bergen, but stopped at Myrdal to do the fabulous Flamsbana railway trip to Flam. It was an uncharacteristically dreadful rainy day, but that seemed to add mystery and atmosphere to the Oslo leg, which had fabulous scenery that went from green fields and mountains to snow covered houses. The Flam journey had a lot of tunnels initially but did open up to fabulous multiple waterfall views including the Kosfossen Waterfall. The train stops for this one and let’s everybody get off and take pictures for 5 minutes. We did, but not for long as the rain was gushing down.

Still gushing by the time we got to Flam we found ourselves in a quandary. We were going to walk, but it was a good 20 min walk to our overnight accommodation and not near any food options. We decided to eat in town first and then because the rain had settled down we walked to our accommodation.

We were only in Flam for the one night and then had to catch the train to Myrdal and then to Bergen. Before that we had enough time to try to get to the gushing waterfall we could see from our room. The trek was quite steep and we got a good way but had to turn around because we were running out of time for our 10am checkout. After grabbing our bags we did hike back a bit and then headed on back to the town to catch the train.

We got there early and got good seats on the right hand side. The good weather completely changed the train trip with fabulous, expansive landscapes and many waterfalls. Likewise the trip to Bergen had fantastic scenery.  

Busy day today as we tried to beat the weather and fit in as much as we could. After going to the tourist office and getting some maps and advice, we went down to Bryggen Wharf, a historic harbour district. This had lovely colourful old buildings with a few of them leaning with funny angles on the doors. Not sure why. We then continued on down to the Bergenhus Fortress with buildings built from the 13th century and surrounded by lovely gardens.

We then headed to the Funicular, called the Floibanen here, but I had trouble finding it on google and could only find Fjellveien Stasjon which was described as a mountain cable car so I thought that was it. I started to get suspicious when it was all uphill. The walk did take us through some awesome old buildings and character filled streets and a perplexing couple of missing cat signs, so that was good. When we got there we found that we were at one of the stations already a third up. While having trouble purchasing a ticket we decided to walk it. It was a bit tricky as streets were going in many directions so we got help from a couple that were hiking to the Ulriken, an over 13 km hike away from the top of the Funicular! They took us to the top and then continued on their hike. We had a good look around, had a coffee and some food and then took the Funicular down.

We then used the info from the tourist info to catch a train to get to the cable car that goes up to the Ulriken Mountain peak. This time I found it correctly and we took the cable car as our legs were already sore from our other walk. Had a great walk around the many lookout spots on top with great views of the city and surrounding areas. Took the cable car down and went back to the city, were we took a walk around the lake before dinner.

We had one more day in Bergen and since the next day was still fine (despite threats to the contrary), we decided to tackle a hike recommended by Adrians friend Hendrick. 

It was a one way hike up a steep slope in the bush. Lots of very steep steps and stones. It is a bit of a challenge hill and the male record is around 7 mins and Women’s around 9. It took us 49 mins. This was called the Stoltzekleiven, or Stoltzven for short. At the top we needed to find another way down. I had found a site on the internet that gave directions for an alternate route down which we followed. This ended in a final leg that could only barely be called a track, stumbling through loose rocks and mud, but it did have the advantage of following the river down through the forest. We were presented with water burbling over rocks, super green foliage and moss all the way down. Well worth it. At the bottom it was still another 40 minutes home. Tomorrow we hop on the Hurtigruten ship for our cruise up along the coast of Norway all the way to Finland.

First full day on the ship was mostly a leisurely day getting used to life on the ship. The morning was a briefing on excursions coming up. We sat up on deck 7 for a good portion of the day, running out the back in the outside cold periodically to take pictures, as we meandered around the fabulous scenery of the fjords. We stopped at the end of one fjord for trips to a town but as it was so wet we decided to stay on board.

At 6pm the ship parked at Alesund to let people get off for a few hours to have a look. We got off then. Alesund was mostly burned to the ground by a fire in 1904 and rebuilt. As such it has a lot of Art Nouveau buildings as was the style of the era. We headed to the main areas for the best examples of these buildings. We had periods of nice weather and periods of rain.

After breakfast the next morning we stopped at Trondheim. We got off to see the architecture and specifically the Nidaros Cathedral which was started in 1070 and built over the remains of St Olaf, who converted Norway to Christianity. During our 2 hour walk we saw it from virtually all sides, close up and from across the river, quite impressive.

First up after lunch we went to a talk on Viking history and learnt way more than we wanted. Lol, the speaker was very enthusiastic on Viking history. We spent the rest of the afternoon up front on deck 7 watching the scenery pass by.

The next morning we crossed the Arctic Circle at 7:49am at 66 degrees 33‘ . The Antarctic Circle Monument was a sphere and a load of people were outside to watch us cross it. I think it was about 3 degrees. Later on in the morning they had Arctic circle baptisms were, if you were so inclined, could get ice blocks and freezing water poured down your back in exchange for a sweet spirit drink. I was not so inclined but Elizabeth was eager to go through with it. Luckily she had exercised late and was still in exercise gear about to have a shower. So her timing was perfect. I held her jackets and gloves and beanie and she got to get 'baptised and then go to our room and have a warm shower.

I watched the scenery for awhile and then we went for a dip in the Jacuzzi before lunch. Because everybody else had gone to Bodo both were free. The Jacuzzi‘s are outside at the back and you can watch the scenery while relaxing. After, we went to lunch and there was only about 3 couples in the lunchroom so we had free rein of the buffet. The rest of the day was watching the scenery.

That night we got the call out for Northern Lights. Going outside the Northern Lights developed into shimmering green streaks across a whole swathe of sky, changing position and effects. Could not capture it well on the phone but it was cool to watch. Eventually I started freezing and went downstairs to get fully clothed up and then came back and watched some more.

Next stop Tromso, the capital of the North. Leaving the ship we continued on to the bridge, past the church and up to the cable car. The cable car being $60 ea we decided against it, especially since we have done it before and would have only had about 20 mins at the top. So not worth it. We decided a nice walk and look around was enough since we had been here before.

We continued up the coast of Norway, finally getting to the northernmost city in the world, Honningsvag. This title is contested though because Hammerfeat disputes that it is a city. There are also more northerly towns such as in Svalbard but their places do not have enough population to be classed a city by Norway standards. This is a little town and we had a wander through it. We went back to the boat for lunch.

After lunch we decided to go in the Jacuzzi again. We stayed in there for about 40 mins as the boat backed out, spun around and then took off for the next location. As the boat went into the open sea it hit bigger winds and we started really bouncing off the waves. 

Adding to the above, dinner was a roller coaster. The waves are giving us the clothes washer effect going up and down and side by side. Things were falling over everywhere at dinner. A liquor trolley next to us fell over, luckily most of the bottles did not break. Trays of glasses at the back fell over, books fell off the shelves behind me. People were struggling to walk, some being sick some getting wheelchaired out by more stable members of the crew. Crashes were being heard in the kitchen, but as they say, the show must go on, and we got all of our dinner before they closed the kitchen and sent everybody to their cabins as safety could no longer be assured. It was an interesting night.

Oslo To Flam Train Trip

Flam

Flam to Bergen Train Trip

Bergen

Stoltzven Hike

Alesund and Cruising

Trondheim

Arctic Circle

Tromso

Honningsvag

Greenland a cold wonderland

 29 September to 3 October 2023

We travelled from Iceland to Nuuk in Greenland. Arriving in the airport we found no security, no ATMs and no information. As we could not find any other options we had to catch a taxi. In fact our Passports had never been checked. We then walked into town to find the tourist office. The tourist office was actually a tourism company but he was helpful and put us on the track for a good boat company. By nights end we had ourselves booked on a boat trip with hike.

 We got up early to walk to our boat trip in full winter weather gear. This was to the old colonial port where they sail from during the peak season. This was the last day. As is often the pattern for us the day was perfect. Blue sky, four degrees and relatively still. Could not ask for better for a small boat trip through the fjords and a hike across to glaciers and ice in Greenland. It was a compact yellow boat with a closed in area with seating for everybody. Slightly heated and coffee and tea available, it was a comfortable location for watching the passing mountains and the floating icebergs. Getting out to take pictures with the wind and the boat moving through it quickly froze the body and you did not stay out long.

When arrived at Kapisillit we left the boat to hike over the intervening terrain to see the icebergs and glaciers on the other side. The trek was through fairly dense marshlands and heavy going and took us up and down several ridges. The initial trek to the other side took about an hour and a half. We were given an hour to explore. The area was stunning, mountains but with a vast frozen lake studded with icebergs and in the distance the tongue of the glacier feeding it. I saw two icebergs crack open, one into three parts. Many pictures were taken. The trek back was a bit quicker but we needed to change our pickup spot as the boat could not find an appropriate place. On the trip back to port we passed a huge, bright white iceberg that the skipper did a lap around.

The next couple of days were spent wandering around and just outside the town. We followed the coast from the old colonial port and passed many colourful houses and statues, running out of road and scrambling over mounds and along a rough trail. We found some nice cafes to have coffee and cakes and and even gluten free pancakes at Cafe Esmerelda. Meandering around suburbs we observed there were not a lot of fences, not much organisation to the houses and the gardens were just allowed to grow wild. So ended our short lightning trip to Greenland.

The day trip to Kapisillit

Nuuk

Iceland a land of waterfalls

 20 September to 28 September 2023

After travelling for 17 hours to London on the Qantas Dreamliner and then a further plane to Iceland we arrived in Rejkavik ready to start our next long travel adventure. After storing away our bags we went out to explore the city straight away. Tagging on to a walking tour we ended up on the famous Rainbow Street and exploring the main church.

The next day was day one of our coach tour that will circumnavigate Iceland. We headed of to spend a day doing the standard Golden Circle with our first stop being the Thingvellir National Park. Here the North American and Eurasian continents are going apart two cm py and currently about two km apart. After walking along the split and visiting a nearby waterfall we continued on to see the Gullfoss Waterfall. Starting at the top we walked along to see the expanse of this wide loud huge cascading waterfall fighting against tremendous winds. Struggling to keep our footing and leaning into the gale, it was hard keeping the camera still. At one stage I had to give up as I felt like I was going to go flying nun airborne. We went down to see the bottom part and it was a bit more sheltered but still gale winds at parts. Awesome waterfall. We then went to the Gullfoss waterfall. Next was the Geysir geyser.

Onwards to the Frioheimar Farm where they do everything tomatoes, Icelandic horses and restaurant. They had 9 greenhouses where they grow different types of tomatoes that they sell through Iceland and turn into everything from tomato beer to soups and an iced tomato latte. We were treated to some cherry tomatoes, tomato soup and gluten free bread. Very yummy. The process was very refined in the greenhouses using bumble bees from Netherlands, hydroponically without soil, heated from geothermal springs and 19 hours of daylight with special lights. We were then treated to a show of the Icelandic horses that have 5 gaits as against the traditional 3 of other horses. The last one keeping the rider so stable she could hold a glass of beer. The trainer and rider were German.

The next day started with a brief stop at Urridafoss Falls, a lovely shallow cascading set of waterfalls. We then went to the Seljalandsfoss Waterfall. A lovely big, wide waterfall with a cavernous area that allows you to walk behind it. Of course we did. Some parts were slippery but mostly not difficult. It was really cool seeing the water tumble into the pool from behind. This was followed by a trip to the Skogafoss waterfall which came with expansive rainbows in front of it whenever the sun was out. We then walked up a staircase to see the waterfall from the top. 

After a brief stop at a Museum to see artifacts from Iceland's past we went to the black sand beach at Reynisfjara, with black volcanic sands, smooth pebbles, large column formations (like at the Giant‘s causeway), caves and rock formations popping out of the sea. That night we stayed in a chalet in Kirkubaejarklaustur and saw the northern lights dancing across the sky after dinner.

First stop the next day was at a place called Hamrafoss. Across the road on private property was a long truly majestic waterfall. The rest of the day was dull of glaciers. At Mt Hvannadalshnukur we stopped to see a tongue of the sprawling Oraefajokull Glacier. We followed that up with a stop in the Skaftafell region and took a walk up to the mouth of a glacier and the lake full of ice at the end. Awesome views of the glacier and floating ice.

We then went to the Jokulsarion glacier lagoon. This lagoon is only 19 years old and created due to the receding glacier. Every year it gets bigger as ice melt accelerates due to climate change and the mixing of salt water and fresh water as it opens into the ocean. We hopped onto an Amphibian vehicle that drove straight into the lagoon and proceeded to wind its way through the prolific amount of icebergs floating there. After it drove back out we had lunch and wandered down to the ocean. We then made several stops to view amazing scenery and a bright orange lighthouse on our way to free ice cream. 

Next was a driving day with ever changing extreme scenery. Firstly the landscape was deep colourful mountains with lots of green and deep red scars and lots of orange as Autumn colours came through. This gradually changed to a rugged look and a white Christmas look as there was a lot of snow overnight. Snow capped mountains and white right up to the roads.

Our first main stop was the Dettifoss waterfall, the most powerful and loudest in Europe. It was a bit of a trek from the parking lot but it was a powerful waterfall. Similar to Victoria Falls, it was loud, lots of mist and wide. Not far from that is the Selfoss waterfall which was more Iguazu like and shaped like a horseshoe.

Afterwards we stopped at the Asbyrgi canyon. Looking a little like a borg cube but inside was a lovely forest and a lake with autumn colours. We went for a nice hike enjoying the varying colours.

We went on from there to the bay of Husain, home of Lars in the Eurovision, the Story of Fire Saga movie. On the schedule was a whale watching tour. It was a cold, wet day and getting worse so the tour was brought forward from the afternoon to the morning. It was a traditional looking fishing boat. They gave us full overalls to put on over our clothes to try to keep us warm. We went out into the bay, waves were high and the boat was rocking sideways making it difficult to walk and you had to have a hand on something at all times. We went upstairs and right out into the mouth of the bay, surrounded by other boats, we saw a Humpback whale. The whale would bob under several times and then do the traditional dive deep with its tail up and disappear for 10 minutes or so before coming up again. We would then peer everywhere to see where it would pop up and then the boat would chase to the area. At the last cycle we saw the whale quite close to the boat and it was really good and then we headed back in.

We then had a busy afternoon. We went to Hverir, a geothermal spot with smoke coming out of the ground, bubbling and blue pools with temps of 100 degrees Celsius on top going down a km to 200 deg Celsius. We went to Kafka, a barren active volcano caldera with a brilliant blue pool inside. Called hell, but actually freezing cold. The Dimmuborgir lava field with weird rock formations that were pushed up from underground lava rivers surrounded by lush foliage with stark autumn colours. Finally Skutustagigar, a series of craters formed by lava flows exploding when hitting cold water and now farmland filled with really woolly sheep.

From there we moved on to the Godafoss waterfall. Classed as the most beautiful waterfall in Iceland. Also called the waterfall of the gods due to a folk story where the gods are thrown into the waterfall. It was a really impressive horseshoe shaped waterfall. Next we went to the botanical gardens in Akureyri. Really lovely gardens with many plants we have never seen before and a huge array of colours due to the Autumn change. 

Lastly we stopped at Siglufjordur and the Herring Museum. Apparently at the turn of the 1900’s this place became big in herring fishing, turning the town into a busy hub that became Iceland’s biggest industry making 40% of its export income. They got carried away and fished the herring into extinction in this area at around the 1960’s. The herring have never returned to this area although they still have an industry on the south coast. 

Another day, another waterfall. Koluglijufur was a brilliant waterfall in a canyon with tributaries feeding into it all the way down the canyon. Next was Barbados’s waterfall, which was a series of waterfalls through a narrow passage of volcanic rock and some cooled lava flows. We then went to one of the biggest geothermal stations with boiling hot springs on show. Finally we went to the black church, Budakirkja Church. In a nice location with a cemetery and mountains behind.

Final day of the tour started with Arnastapi Cliff and Gatklettur arch stone formation. Fantastic cliff views on the ocean and massive stone arch over the ocean. Their was also a statue made of stones of a mythical half man/ half troll creature that is the protector of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. We moved on to the Londrangar View Point of more cliffs on the ocean.

Next up was the Djupalonssandurr or the Black Lava Pearl Beach. It was like a lava wonderland and had parts of a shipwreck scattered around the black sand and pebble beach with many rocky outcrops. Then came Kirkjufellsfoss, another fabulous waterfall with panoramic views. Finally we had the Selvallafoss or Sheep’s Head Waterfall. This was a brilliant waterfall which you could get behind if you want and then you could swing around for panoramic views of lava fields.

The tour was now over but we had one more day left. We decided we should visit a thermal bath as we had not done that yet. We settled on Sky Lagoon as it was affordable and available and we could get to it by public bus. After working out the public bus system and routes we set forth. The bus driver got us to follow an employee of the baths that was also on the bus, which made getting there easy. An Iraqi that had decided Iceland was a much better place to live.

The baths themselves were superb. Initially a bit complicated as to how everything worked we got into a very natural feeling, large, open bath area surrounded on 3 sides by volcanic rock with lots of nooks and crannies, filled with thermal spring water. The 4th side ended at an infinity ledge and overlooked the ocean. After resting in there for a bit we went into A caved area for the 7 step ritual. This started with a cold plunge, then a sauna, which was a wood panelled room with one wall all glass, so clean Elizabeth thought it was open air. After that it was a cool rain shower. Next was little dishes with salt and almond and sesame oils that you rubbed all over yourself and then went into a steam room that was almost so Smokey you could not see. Finally a cleansing shower before going into the pool for as long as you like. It was sunny by then and a mist coming up from the pool gave it an eerie feeling. A lovely experience unlike we had ever had before. No pictures as no camera allowed.

It was a very long and busy last day finished off by a night time walk around Reykjavik.

Reykjavik

Thingvellir National Park

Gullfoss Waterfall

Frioheimar Farm

Urridafoss & Seljalandsfoss Waterfall

Skogafoss Waterfall

Reynisfjara

Hamrafoss

Oraefajokull Glacier

Jokulsarion Glacier and more

Dettifoss Waterfall

Selfoss Waterfall & Asbyrgi Canyon

Bay of Husain

Hverir

Dimmuborgir & Skutustagigar

Godafoss Waterfall

Botanical Gardens in Akureyri

Siglufjordur and the Herring Museum

Koluglijufur Waterfall

Barbados’s Waterfall and Geothermal

Budakirkja Church

Arnastapi Cliff and Gatklettur Arch

Londrangar View Point

Selvallafoss or Sheep’s Head Waterfall and back to Rejkavik 

Northern lights seen outside our chalet in Kirkubaejarklaustur

Fiji Adventures

 27 May to 14 June 2023

Our final stop before going home was Fiji. We landed here without a plan and so after some investigations we spent a day at Denarau Port arranging some island hopping. We investigated the big time operators first to get ideas and prices and then found the local operators area. We arranged a plan here that was less than half of the main operators so if you are willing to take a chance there are some good deals to be had. A bit more risky though. All in all though as you will see below our instincts were good on this occasion.

As we had a couple of days before the island hopping we spent the next day at the Sleeping Giant Botanical Garden. No buses go there so we took a taxi. Lovely natural jungle garden. Not very big so it was quick to get around except it did have a trek up to a lookout which had wonderful views. We then walked the dirt road back to the main road and down to a Sunny Pizza that had great gluten free pizzas. A bus got us back to our hotel.

Next on the agenda was our big hike of Mt Batilamu. We were picked up by transport at 7 and taken to the village at Abaca. We were introduced to Steve, a local of the village, who was to be our guide. This was a gruelling trek through the jungle, over several streams, up steep and muddy slopes and along narrow ledges with sheer drops to the side with Steve slashing growth left and right with his machete. Steve was perfect as a guide, lending a helping hand when necessary, providing interesting commentary during the trek, moving at our pace and fashioning, using his machete, several hiking sticks for both of us and guiding us on how to use them. I doubt I would have made it without his help, probably stumbling over an edge somewhere. We made it to the top on a surprisingly small narrow ledge to tremendous wide open views to the ocean and beyond with a perfect view of the giant mango tree below.

Afterwards, back down, after a 5 hour round trip, his wife made us lunch in their home, basically a shack. The lunch had rice, cucumber, cassava root, a spinach and onion salad, a tarot stew, mango and pikelet and noodle dishes. We ate as much as we could and they kept trying to get us to eat more. They would not eat with us (probably custom), 

After that grueling hike it was time to start our island hopping adventure. The boat you catch is like a bus that stops at the various islands letting off people that are going to that island and picking up people going to the mainland or another island. Quite ingenious really. First Island, Wayalailai at Wayalailai Ecohaven Resort. A mid level facility. They only had 7 guests, including us, so we got upgraded to our own bathroom instead of a shared one. As is typical it included all meals and soon after we arrived we chatted with an met the other guests over lunch. In the afternoon we explored around the island and did some swimming. We were serenaded at dinner by 3 guys on guitars that then had us singing a funny song that had us pretending to be animals. That was followed by an activity with palm leaves and drinking kava.

The next morning we decided to climb to the highest summit on the island. Even though a guide was recommended nobody wanted a guide, So, in the tradition of it being better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission, we all went on our own anyway. It was a bit more challenging than we expected, but we got to the peak (one rock lower actually but it looked too dangerous), with the last half hour scrambling over rocks. We kept catching up to young men from the village taking 20 L jugs of gasoline up to the Vodafone tower. So plenty of people knew we were out and could sound the alarm if we did not return. Also I used the Alltrails app to track my journey. The afternoon was spent snorkeling and walking the beach to a large rock coming out of the ocean.

In the morning we awoke to a beautiful day so we took the Kayak out to try to find the reef. e were surprised to not only find the reef but also for it to be so clear and viewable from the Kayak. Just by looking down we could see coral and fish of orange, and turquoise and pinks, and blues and black and white striped in an endless kaleidoscope of shapes, colours and sizes. The coral came in massive flat to branch tree like structures. Whenever we would float in too close to shore and shallow water we would paddle back out and drift again, trying to leave the sea as calm as possible. In the afternoon we went the other way but as the tide had come in did not see as much so went swimming. With a bigger crowd we were treated to traditional dancing and singing after dinner. We shared a broken coconut with some new friends before turning in for our last night on the island.

The next day it was time to move on to the next island. We got up to watch the sunrise. Very cloudy with small openings that allowed the sun to shine across and produce bright orange highlights on a spread of clouds. While waiting for the boat they sung us their farewell song in traditional Fiji. After hugs and handshakes we made our way to the small boat to take us to the Catamaran to go to Nacula. After settling in we watched a cooking demonstration of marinaded raw fish and vegetables, spices, vinegar and coconut milk (called coconda). It tasted really nice, a bit like ceviche. We went kayaking and swimming in the afternoon and found ourselves surrounded by black and white striped fish. Finally after dinner we were treated to a bonfire on the beach.

We woke up to a very wet, very windy miserable day. The day we had booked to go to the Sawa-I-Lau Limestone Caves. These caves were used in the movie Blue Lagoon and known locally as the resting place for the Fijian god Uluitini. The whole trip in a small boat took half an hour, but felt much longer as we were buffeted by strong winds and soaked through our rain jackets by piercing rain. Finally we arrived at the island and disembarked, shedding ourselves of our sodden jackets. We went up some stairs and then down some stairs to reach the first cave. I had my phone in a ‘waterproof’ jacket from the Philippines, but within minutes of going in the water the jacket was fall of water and my phone was swimming in it. I quickly handed it to one of the guides who emptied it and put it somewhere safe. 

The first cave was fabulous, high sides to an open ceiling where you could see greenery and sky shining its light back down on us and illuminating the ragged rocky sides of the cave. Then came the exciting part, swimming underground to get to the next cave. The guides would be at both sides, with the far one having a torch, giving you a light to swim towards. He pushes your head under and you swim towards the light, as you get to the other side the other guide would steer your head away from rocks and lets you surface in clear water. Quite an experience. The cave is pitch black. Once everyone is through they take us around the cave with torches and show us the different formations and alcoves and discuss the cave. Really nice. Once back into the main cave we swam around and one of the guides found some eels. We looked under the water following the beam of his torch as he highlighted several eels for us to view. The trip back was not as wet, but quite long as they stopped for one of the crew to get fresh clothes from the village. 

The afternoon was dry, but still windy. After afternoon tea we went to take the hike to the summit. Fantastic views were had from several locations seeing across and looking down to the other islands. I did not make it to the very top as it got too steep so did not see the back of the island, but Elizabeth was able to make it. We made one wrong turn on the way down but quickly retraced and found the right track, making it down just before dark and catching the last of the fabulous sunset. As the sunset disappeared over the horizon we noticed a group sitting cross legged just right of us. We wandered over and found them doing a Kava ceremony. We joined in just on time to get one drink each. This was followed by a song and dance demonstration of traditional Fiji culture and then we were roped in to do the last couple of dances with them. The phone? It never worked again. I lost ALL of my Fiji photos up to that point so you will notice below a much smaller spattering of photos. Luckily I had backed up everything before then. 

Our final day we took the opportunity after breakfast to snorkel before needing to pack up and checkout. This gave us about an hour of glorious snorkeling the reef just in front of the hotel. Time was perfect with low tide being around 12, so still deep enough to float over the reef but close enough, and getting closer, to see the fish and coral super close up. The fish were plentiful with a wide variety of sizes and colours and we even saw a deep blue starfish. This is the best snorkeling for fish that we have had, so a really enjoyable morning. Then lunch and catch the catamaran to return to the mainland.

Once back on the mainland we booked a trip to the Sabeto Hot Spring and Mud Pool with massage. Once there and settled in we were taken by one of the owners to where numerous buckets of mud were sitting on the ground and directed to cover ourselves. We proceeded to cover ourselves in mud with our own hands and then let wander about until the mud dried. Once dry we were taken to an initial pool of mud for a dip to rinse off. Not very successful as it was nearly as muddy as us, and then taken to a second pool that was nearly as muddy for a second rinse. Then there was a third pool that was nearly clear for a penultimate rinse before moving to a fourth pool that was the hottest and cleanest to soak in. After awhile we were directed to dry off and sent to a room with the massage therapists for our one hour Fijian massage. She was really good and thorough. After that we decided on doing the whole mud process again 

On the move again we caught a bus to the Crows Nest Resort on the Coral Coast. In the morning we caught local buses to the Sand Dunes National Park. I left my hiking stick on the second bus. At the were many tracks to choose from. The ranger suggested the longest one, a 2 hour trek. I found a trusty long stick and we set off. The track was not all sand dunes, in fact it was mostly through lush bush, forests and constantly changing ecosystems and scenery. Quite good actually. The sand dunes then presented particular challenges and views of their own. We had one misstep. The guy said you turn off the beach and head in at the end of the row of tepees. We could only see one tepee so turned then but it was early and finished at a dead end. We went back to the beach and walked along where we did find more. With our eyesight and the fact they were inland a bit we could not see them initially. We caught the bus back to town. We asked the bus drivers if there was a lost and found and explained our situation with the hiking stick. A nice lady pressured the bus guys to call the bus driver who drove us to the dunes. He did indeed still have my stick and was apparently at a gas station. He came back and gave me my stick. 

Next we hopped onto the big Pacific bus and made our way to Suva, just for a day trip. Also we had high hopes for a gluten free cafe I heard of from the gluten free Fiji Facebook page. 3 hour bus trip saw us arrive about 11:30. We started walking, looking for colonial buildings. We only found a couple of vaguely colonial buildings including the old Parliament House, but some other more modern architecture was good and we did find really nice and very old gardens in Albert Park. Some really big old trees with huge trunks and wide spreading branches. We had a good wander around. From there we went to the Rhubarb Cafe. This is a mainly gluten free cafe. We shared a vegetarian lasagne and an apple crumble and lemon cheesecake. We bought a rhubarb slice and a passion fruit and lemon slice to take home for the next day as well. We then took the long way back to the bus station passing the colonial memorial hospital and some very greenery covered buildings. 

Our final day in Fiji, and of our trip, was spent relaxing around the resort, swimming in the pool and wandering down the beach.

Nacula

Sabeto Hot Spring and Mud Pool

Sand Dunes National Park

Suva

Crows Nest Resort on the Coral Coast