After driving over 2,000kms in twelve days I felt so drained that I hadn’t opened the Lonely Planet book on Fiji. So when I saw brochures for Fiji in a travel agent’s window in Dunedin it took me for for as long as it takes eat a smoked salmon bagel and drink a long white, that’s a coffee, not the cocktail it sounds like, to choose the ” lazy threesome” package.

This backpacker outfit has resorts strung along the islands on the western side of Fiji, the boat goes up and down picking up and dropping off every day. There’s no choice in where you go. The first island, though just like the brochures, long white beach, palm trees, blue green sea and sun, was a bit of a disappointment as there were only four of us, and the resort ran no activities to speak of. Having said that, we went out snorkling and walked to the local village. The cyclone in December made a real mess of things, roofs blown away, the more older fragile houses destroyed, trees down and crops ruined, but no fatalities. So everywhere a lot of building is going on. The food reminded me of boarding school, though at least we had pudding there.

The resort I’m at now has many more people, mostly in the dorm, I’ve got my own little bure (little hut) and unexpectedly it’s en-suite!!! Well the shower’s in the back yard, but in this weather that’s fine. After a fantastic dinner, there was entertainment, enough to make your heart sink. First welcome songs and dances then we played games, a mad version of musical chairs and similar. After those and the staff went off and a crowd of us sat round playing various card games , all of which involved heavy drinking penalties. But I declared myself an impartial observer and went to bed sober, about three or four hours before the everyone else. There were some wan looking people at breakfast today.

It’s a tough life, there is an option of basket weaving and coconut husking this morning, why not? And then I’ll go snorkling again this afternoon………