Wailoaloa Beach, South Sea Island, Sri Siva Subramaniya Temple, Garden of the Sleeping Giant
Unable to get by in New Caledonia, I quickly got on a plane and landed in Fiji. In order to get from the airport to the accommodations I had to take a taxi, as I was told that all the buses and shuttles need to be booked in advance. After checking I came across two unfortunate discoveries: There was no kitchen available, and the internet connection was terrible. The first issue meant that I was not able to cook, and so I was forced to eat out, which wasn’t particularly cheap. The lack of proper internet meant that I struggled with planning pretty much anything. Once more, it was not a good start.
The more I stayed in the accommodation, the worse I felt. In order to try to cheer myself up, I walked over to Wailoaloa Beach, which was pretty much at my doorstep. For a few minutes I just walked along the shoreline in silence, without any improvement to my mood, and I was wondering if it would change at all. I love the beach, there is something about the water that helps me relax, especially when the weather is great and the sun is out. And yet, I felt bad.
I kept walking, and I was joined by a nice man for a brief conversation. I wasn’t much in the mood for conversation, but I didn’t want to be rude either. We chatted for a few minutes, and eventually the man decided he found his relaxation spot, while suggesting to me that I should go further along the shoreline, toward a better spot for swimming. Without much of a plan, and as I still felt down, I just kept walking.
After a few minutes I arrived at a spot that I was happy with, turned around, and instantly felt different. The view behind me was beautiful, and I couldn’t help but smile. It was beautiful, relaxing, and sunny. The beach itself wasn’t that great, with the water not being clear blue, but it was still a beach, and I could sit there, get a bit of a tan, and swim.
As I sat there, my mood was improving gradually, and I knew it was a good decision to go out to the beach. I’m not sure how long I just sat there on the beach, but eventually I was greeted by another man and had another conversation.
Then this man, too, departed and went on his way, while I finally got in the water for the first time. It was quite warm, which was a pleasant surprise, and I was there for quite a bit, until the tide started to rise and I made my way back to where I was going to sleep.
I had planned to go and explore a little bit around Nadi, there were no buses on Sunday, and so my only option to go out and do something was with a tour. And as I didn’t realize it until it was a bit too late, the only option I had was for a half day trip to South Sea Island.
After taking a bus to the port, I had to go through a painfully slow check in process before making it to the ship. It turned out that there were different groups on the ship, heading toward different destinations. After a safety brief we were on our way, and nothing special happened until the boat came to a halt.
My group, which was going to South Sea Island, moved into a smaller boat which took us all the way to our destination. There, we had a little introduction, and were able to eat lunch. After that we were free to explore the small island and the activities it had to offer.
Obviously, being on an island, swimming was one of the activities. In addition to that, there were kayaks, paddle boards, and snorkels available. There was also the option to go scuba diving or get a massage, although that was at an additional cost. And finally, there were two excursions offered- one in a boat with a glass bottom, and one snorkeling excursion.
After lunch, I started my day by walking around South Sea Island. It was small and didn’t take more than a few minutes to go all the way around it. I did it twice, taking my time and looking all around me, enjoying the somewhat secluded area, before I sat down at a random spot and relaxed for a little bit under the sun. When I got a bit too hot, I simply got into the water. The water was cool, refreshing, and provided a nice break from the heat. It was blue and clear, which instantly made it better than Wailoaloa Beach.
I wasn’t in the water for very long before I headed out and tried to dry myself a little. It was time to get on the first excursion, on the glass bottom boat. There was a limited amount of space on the boat, so we were divided into groups and took turns getting on the boat.
I found myself in the second group, where I had a nice conversation with one of the other guys on the boat. After a short ride, we were all invited to go down the stairs to the bottom of the boat.
Through the glass windows we could see some coral reefs and fish swimming around. It was nice and felt quite unique, although I remembered a similar experience I had in Greece. The boat started moving, and the underwater view changed gradually. There were a few moments that we could only see the water, but for the most part there was a lot to see all around us. There was one worrying moment, when the boat brushed against a rock, but nothing seemed to be damaged and we quickly moved on from that. After our underwater tour was over, we got back to shore, just in time for the snorkeling excursion.
I went to get a snorkel and a mask before heading to another boat. There I was rejoined by the guy I met on the boat along with another friend he had on the island. Once again, we embarked on a short ride before we got to the snorkeling area.
Without wasting too much time, we got into the water. With the mask around my eyes and the snorkel held securely in my mouth, I swam around along with everyone else, getting a top view of the fish and the corals. There was something special about it. When I put my head in the water, the sound gets muffled and something inside me just feels different. In a way, it feels quite therapeutic.
For the rest of my time on the island, I sat down with the people I met and had a nice chat until it was time to get back on the boat to Nadi. Despite spending only half a day at South Sea Island and not a full day, I was still glad I did. It was a beautiful and relaxing experience which I definitely needed.
The following day, after checking into a different accommodation, I got on the bus to the center of the city. It took a bit longer than I expected, but when the bus got to the final stop, I took a quick look at the map and walked over to Sri Siva Subramaniya Temple.
After paying the entrance fee, I put on a sarong, took off my flip flops, and was free to walk around the temple.
The place looked nice and colorful, although it was smaller than I thought it would be. I made my way on the path outside at first, going around the temple before going in. There were a few people praying there, but other than that the place was quiet. I quickly walked around and saw all that I could see before I was back at the entrance, just in time to see a car getting blessed, which was quite interesting for me.
Then I made my way back to the bus stop, and after asking around, it turned out there was no bus going directly to the Garden of the Sleeping Giant. Instead, I took the bus to Lautoka, which dropped me off at a stop about two kilometers away from the garden. It was inconvenient, but I didn’t want to spend money on a taxi, so I just started walking.
As I made my way along the path, a taxi came from behind me. When the driver slowed down and told me to get it, I declined his offer, thinking he’ll probably charge me quite a bit. But then the passenger he had in the back insisted that I’ll join her. I thought that at the worst case we could split the bill, hoping it won’t be much. They took me most of the way to the garden, all the way to the woman’s home, and when I offered to pay she said there is no need. In addition to that, she invited me to visit her after I’m done with the garden. I thanked both her and the driver before I resumed my walk. A little while later I was picked by another driver, who took me all the way to the entrance of the garden.
I thanked him as well and went inside. I received a brief introduction to the place (which I didn’t pay a lot of attention to), and was sent on my way along a very clear path. It was a comfortable walk in a pretty garden with some colorful flowers. It was not exciting and mindblowing in any way, but it was quiet and relaxed, which was something I needed. I walked around without any rush, looking around at the flowers.
The paved road was replaced with a wooden bridge, and then with a dirt road. The garden was replaced with a forest, and I found myself embarking on an unexpected hike. It was not difficult, and being in the shade of the forest meant it was cooler than the garden, but walking around in flip flops was not ideal. I made my way in the forest until I was back under the sun, going up the hill until I came across a rest stop with a nice view of the surrounding area. But the path kept going, and I was not tired, so I followed it until I got to the top, where the view was even better and I could sit in a little pagoda, looking all around me.
I stayed there for a while, then made my way all the way back down to the starting point, where I was given a glass of cold and refreshing juice. With that done, I made my way back to the bus stop (this time without getting a ride) and back into town. The start of my adventure in Fiji was not easy, but things started to get better.