Tuesday 18th September 2001, Tubakula Fiji
Arrived at Nadi (Fiji) at about 7am. As per the guidebook, we caught the Pacific Express (“As sure as the sunrise”) bus to Tubakula. The bus was a delight – a British Leyland model circa 1960. We bumped and jolted for about an hour and a half, past sugar plantations, hindu temples, and rural villages. Every now and again we would get a tantalising view of the sea and a white sandy beach.
Our A-framed bungalow was a pleasant surprise. It had all the essentials, and was only a stone’s throw from the beach. We stocked the fridge with food for breakfast, and slept until 3pm … zzzzzzz
Tubakula has a cheerful communal dining room with an adjoining TV lounge. Each evening at 7pm, following the news, there was a video film (always a ‘B movie’, and never worth watching). Tonight we shared our table with Alasdair and Chloe Jackson, who’s dream honeymoon was being more than slightly eclipsed by a large quantity of classroom work (and prep) for their PADI Open Water certificate.