The first thing to do after breakfast is go and have a chat with Joe the resort manager about Ali’s guitar. Simon is worried as we don’t want to get Malley into any trouble and he makes it clear to Joe that we aren’t blaming Malley for what was definitely an accident. He says he wants to have a talk with Malley and we leave it that they will perhaps send it to the mainland and try and get it repaired. Everything here works on “Fiji time” and Simon is going to speak with him again tomorrow and try and sort something out.

We spend the day lazing by the pool and watching various people arriving. We thought it would be very quiet here today as lots of couples have left but a big group of Japanese people arrive and it’s soon fairly lively. Carol, Shane, Conor, Megan and Niamh pack up all their gear and we help them carry their stuff to the pier. At 4pm its time for them to go and we stand by the boat saying goodbye. We’ve had a lovely time with them and will miss them loads. We promise to go and see them in Portsmouth before Christmas once we get home.

Once they’ve left we have our showers and meet Merry and Kevin for a drink before dinner. It’s very quiet without the McCabes and we eat quietly with the kids. The Japanese group soon liven things up though and we sit laughing so much at them dancing around whilst Ali, Malley and Ziggy play the guitars. Very funny and exactly what we need to brighten us up after the upset of last night. I talk to one of the Japanese ladies about Japan and she tells me we should definitely visit there as it’s so beautiful.

We round the night off playing a game of guess the capital city by listening to the national anthems with two French girls and a drunken Australian couple and Simon wins us a cocktail voucher. Maisie is completely exhausted and I take her off to bed. Guess the Malolo Slide will have to wait until tomorrow.

Today started really well, we had our breakfast and after an hour or so sat chatting by the pool joined one of the entertainment fella’s Malley for an aqua aerobics session in the pool. The 4 guys here Malley, Ziggy, Sunny and Mel have been working really hard to make sure everyone has a good holiday and the 5 kids adore them. After a fairly placid kind of workout involving a bit of stretching and running around the pool we have a game of water polo.

Not a good idea for me as it turns out when I get elbowed hard in the mouth and end up with a split lip ouch! Still it recovers with a bit of ice application and Carol and I have a lovely afternoon sat watching the kids all playing around the pool. They have been joined by Appi one of the children who lives here and the gang of six seem to be having loads of fun. Simon and Shane take the sea kayaks across to the nearby Plantation Island telling us they’re off to check the talent out across the way.

We all meet for dinner in the bar early and have a few cocktails. The Malolo Slide is the scrummiest thing and Carol and I share that and a Fruit Daquari. We order dinner and are sat chatting with Merry and Kevin the lovely Irish couple that have been here a few days longer than us when we suddenly hear a huge bang. It turns out that Malley one of the entertainment guys has dropped Alister’s guitar and we’re completely distraught to see the head has almost completely broken off. Oh my god what a complete nightmare.

We now face a sticky situation, it was a complete accident and we don’t blame Malley at all. On the other hand it will cost us around 500 pounds to replace it. We talk it over with Shane and Carol and in the end ask Malley to talk to Joe the resort manager tomorrow and we’ll see what we can sort out. When we check our insurance policy we realise we will probably only be able to claim around 100 quid for it. What a bummer, Ali’s gutted, Malley looks distraught and its upset us all. I feel bad as Shane, Carol and the kids are leaving tomorrow and we wanted to make their last night special but it has cast a shadow over the evening for us.

11pm-off to bed now feeling tired and sad.

When we made our way to breakfast this morning we were so pleased to see pancakes and maple syrup on offer-Yum! We settle by the pool and sit watching the kids all playing around. Maisie, Conor and Megan have a largish collection of Hermit Crabs and seem to be spending a lot of time lavishing attention on them. It’s good to see them splashing around in the pool and Maisie practises her front crawl.

Ali and Simon take the sea kayaks out into the bay and do a bit of snorkelling. I wondered whether they would be disappointed having dived at The Great Barrier Reef but they said it was good and they saw loads of different types of fish and some coral. The weather today is a bit overcast but still really hot and it makes us laugh to see the staff wrapped up in their warm clothes, It very humid also and I seem to have caught the sun a lot when I strip off for a shower later on in the afternoon

Early in the afternoon Shane, Carol and their kids go off to the village for a couple of hours and Maisie and I lie together chatting away, it’s very peaceful and we have a lovely restful afternoon.

We meet in the bar and have a few drinks before dinner and then watch Ali and the guys playing their guitars for about an hour. There is a big group of American students here who have been working as volunteers. Not bad, they have been doing some conservation work in New Zealand (2 weeks) then an outward bound bit in Australia and then an optional week in Fiji. (All accredited towards their course- what a great degree that is!) Anyway they love Ali’s guitar playing and he has a dedicated bunch of groupies there.

Around 9.30 the show starts- this is a mixture of singing, dancing and comedy and we have a great time. The 4 entertainment fellas work really hard to ensure everyone enjoys themselves and the night ends with a bonfire on the beach. As we head off to bed I look back and see wild flames being blown across the beach and up the palm trees!

We were all awake fairly early this morning, my broken tooth is aching a lot and the pain only seems to be controlled with at least 3 Fiji Golds (Beer) 2 paracetamol and 2 Ibuprofen a day. Good diet eh?!

Ali has been up since about 4.30 and by 8am we’re all ready for breakfast, there is more choice today and I have some fruit and cereal whilst Simon wolfs down a pile of bacon etc!

We spend the day quietly by the pool. Carol and I have a lot in common and chatter away like old friends. Shane and Simon decide to take one of the Hobi Cat’s out for a couple of hours sailing and we watch them trying to catch the wind making their way back and forward across the bay. When they come back one of the guys Mel asks them if they will answer a few questions about the resort which of course they’re glad to do. It was all a big scam! and took them a few minutes to realise when they came back that Ziggy had actually been under the table all the time merrily painting their toenails pink!

We have dinner together and a few beers. It’s really great here as there are only around 30 guests we are getting to know everyone and there is a very happy and friendly atmosphere. We have been thinking about taking a trip to see one of the local villages but need a few more days rest before we attempt anything as energetic as walking to the end of the pier and into the boat.

We didn’t wake up until 9.30 today and almost missed breakfast. Still after wolfing down a few slices of toast we’re ready for the main aim of the day which is to do as least as possible.

Another family arrived yesterday afternoon, after us and we sit chatting to them by the pool. Shane is a Navy doctor and his wife Carol was an ITU nurse until she had their 3 children, Connor, Megan and Neve. They tell us they have been living in New Zealand for a year before returning to Portsmouth and that they lived in Plymouth fairly recently where Shane worked at Derriford. We have a lovely day with them and despite the age difference- their children are younger than Ali and Maisie they all get on well.

We spend the afternoon lying on the beach, chatting about raising children and frying in the sun before showering and getting ready for dinner. We have a choice of meals, I choose fish and when it arrives I’m surprised how good it is, we have definitely chosen a real winner with this place.

The slight downside is the return of mosquitoes and sandflies, we’re all bitten all over despite using loads of repellent, coils and knockdown spray and in the end I go to bed fairly early feeling a bit frazzled and thankfully avoiding the balloon dance competition arranged by Sonny and Ziggy!

We had to set our alarm as we are being collected by the taxi at 9am. We have our breakfast and load up our gear which has increased dramatically with the addition of 6 days worth of snacks and drinks and a few beers. The journey to the pier takes about 15 minutes and gives us an opportunity to have a bit of a look around. It’s very beautiful with loads of tropical coconut palms and colourful flowers everywhere. The women we pass wear bright floral dresses in reds and yellows and flowers behind their ears!

We get some money from the ATM (No ATM on the island) and wait for the ferry to arrive. At 1030 we board a catamaran for the 50 minute trip to Mololo Island. We stop once and then a second time at Musket Cove where everyone else apart from us is staying. We’re met by Stanley in a longtail and pile all our gear in before setting off. When we arrive at Walu Beach Resort I’m surprised and thrilled to find it’s absolutely stunning here. How fantastic! With a gorgeous long white sandy beach and about 20 beachfront “bures”, we couldn’t have wished for a better place.

As we pull up we are serenaded by 2 guitarists, a traditional “bula” welcoming song. So cool, we’re given welcome drinks and shown to our bure. Its great accommodation, right on the beach with 2 bedrooms, a lounge area and a thatched roof, its very cute and we feel really lucky to be here. Without a doubt this is one of Simon’s best finds. For 200 Fijian dollars a day we are getting 3 meals and accommodation. We worked out that this is costing around 15 pounds each. An absolute bargain for 6 days in a place which really is nothing short of paradise.

We spend the afternoon lying on the beach and baking in the warm sun; I try the hammocks and nearly fall out. There is only one other guest lying anywhere near us and other than that its almost completely deserted – complete heaven!! We sit watching the lovely sunset together, it’s very romantic and have a few beers. We make our way back up to the reception/restaurant area for dinner and pile our plates high with the BBQ and salad on offer. We have bananas rolled in coconut for pudding – the kids loved it. We sit listening to the guitarists playing and talk to a lovely couple from Ireland. They have been visiting their daughter who is half way through her RTW trip and we have a good chat.

At 9pm the fella announce it is time for the International Hermit Crab race and having picked a crab each for a dollar( I chose No 4 – called Mitsubishi and representing Japan) we all crowd round the crab racing area. To my delight he wins and I get back 18 dollars for my crabby investment! Hurray!

We head off o bed around 1030 and go out like lights. We have had a fantastic day today and I’m completely looking forward to a lie in and then doing nothing all day tomorrow.

Bula!

I set the alarm early this morning and was up and showered by 8am ready to go and explore our surroundings in the daylight. This hostel is quite big and we are staying in the parrots building. Everyone else wakes up after I clatter around and we head for breakfast which is complimentary. It’s really lovely to be able to sit outside wearing my skirt, t-shirt and flip-flops and I think it’s perhaps a bit warmer than I expected. (It is winter here)

We dig out our suncream and mosquito repellent and after breakfast of toast, fruit and coffee settle ourselves by the pool. It�s a really friendly hostel and I sit chatting to a big group of girls (All English) after exchanging the usual “where are you going where have you been?” it seems that half are at the end of the trips and some near the start as they began in America. We of course are amongst the group at the end of our trip.

A few weeks ago we decided that for several reasons we were going to cut our trip short. This has been a really difficult decision and one that we thought a lot about. Coming to terms with the fact that we are going home soon has taken a lot of accepting and a few tears to say the least. On a more positive note, for us this is the start of a lifetime of travelling around the world and has only fired our enthusiasm even more for getting out there and doing it. Definitely not the end of The Bowmans Travels!

6pm – We’ve had a lovely day, sat by the pool, swimming and reading. I started Harry Potter today and have just been so lazy only stirring for half an hour or so at lunchtime to get a sandwich .Its boiling and our pale white bodies seemed to frazzle in the scorching sun. In no time at all Ali has burnt and has been banished to the room. Simon has been out for a few hours to sort out our onward travel to one of the surrounding islands. In the end he has decided on Malolo Island which isn’t too far from here and my only requests were a decent beach and cheap accommodation.

I’m a bit alarmed when he returns minus one sandal to hear he fell down a manhole whilst out. He has a big cut on his foot and leg. With all our other hassles of the past few days it is a bit upsetting. Anyway he said he was fine, not really hurt just a bit shaken up. Bless.

As its Saturday night the hostel have a show later and when we go down for dinner Ali plays his guitar with the resident players for an hour. What a star, he got him and Maisie free cheesecake from the owner for that. Then its time for the show and its fantastic, such good fun, entertaining and funny with loads of dancing, singing and fire eating. The group of about 10 islanders perform dances from Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti and Fiji and they look amazing with their grass skirts, long hair, tribal tattoos and flowery headdresses. It all gets a bit wild when one of the girls burns her belly! It looked so painful and she dropped her firey thing into the crowd but we had a great time and went to bed very happy and full of it.