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Stubbies

Had been trying to get hold of Andrew everyday since I arrived - he finally called back this morning whilst I was having breakfast. Said he'd come and pick me up from Matei airstrip when I arrived on Taveuni. Also said I'd be staying with him for a couple of days as the was no power at my place. Was a bit annoyed at this as the solar power was supposed to be included in the price, but said I'd sort it out with him when I arrived rather than having a long winded dicussion on the phone.

The flight to Taveuni takes about an hour and a half and can be quite spectacular depending on the weather. You'd pay the same (or more) for a scenic flight around the islands. Made sure I got the local rate - about seventy quid one way. Just about everything here has a local rate, and another more expensive rate just for the tourists, so it saves about 20 per flight if you get local. Today was an average day but got some good views of the highlands and reefs. Got a bit bumpy at one point - 10 minutes of Alton Towers thrown in for free !! We set off late but arrived on time by going straight to Taveuni rather than stopping at Savusavu first. Was a bit disappointed as the landing at Savusavu is pretty entertaining - a grassy strip cut through the coconut plantation right on the coast. Can be a bit hair raising (not that I've got any) in windy weather.

Andrew was waiting so we did the hello's and set off for Taveuni Estates which is about half hour drive down the west coast of the island. The weather here had been rain, rain and more rain for the last couple of weeks but the sun was out now. Stopped of for some essential supplies - crate of Fiji Bitter stubbies and a carton of B&H - then pressed on to the estate where we parked up by the dive centre (see photos) and cracked open some beers. Caught up on the local gossip for an hour or so then jumped back in the car for a quick trip up to the house. Andrew had got the maid and the gardener round the day before so the place was nice and tidy and the garden was looking good. With the rain and the humidity both need to be done every 7-10 days else you find yourself living in a mouldy house in the middle of a jungle. Since this was my first step through the door as owner we decided a couple of drinks would be in order whilst we sat on the veranda and chatted about what needed to be done over the next few days. First priorities were power, basic food and cleaning supplies, then bedding and cooking pots, pans etc. Decided to leave it at that and start a proper plan in the morning.

After two more stubbies we headed to Andrews place which is just five minutes drive down the road. He owns a 120 year old colonial house on the estate called the The Palms. It was featured in the Channel 4 program "A Place in The Sun" last year when they had a couple looking to buy somewhere in Fiji (it was up for sale at the time). It's also listed in Lonely Planet where Andrew is described as "the affable owner". The couple in the program eventually decided on a plot of land on the estate and have their home built fromm scratch.

I dumped my stuff and we set off to visit a guy called Steve who also has a place on the estate. He's from the US and spends January though March on Taveuni. His house is the same design as mine but with some extra decking just below the veranda. Has a wonderful view across the Somosomo Strait which runs between Taveuni and  Vanua Levu. After another stubby and a chat we decided to go to the club house for a beer. On the way out I slipped on the steps and went arse over tit landing on the bottom step on my back and elbow - this probably should have hurt but after seven stubbies it wasn't too bad so just brushed myself down and got in the car.

Had a couple more in the club house and met some of the local residents, then headed back to Andrews for steak and chips and more beer, then whiled away the evening with TV, chatting, Benson and Hedges and more beer before retiring to bed about 10pm.

Was woken up about 1am by a crack of thunder and spent the next hour watching and listening to a spectacular thunderstorm with lightning strikes every fifteen seconds. The thunder comes booming down the mountain or across the Strait and sounds about 5 times louder than anything back home - was actually quite scary !! At 2am it rumbled off into the distant and slept the rest of the night undisturbed.

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