Just like when we saved up by living low and taking an expensive trip to snorkel with Whale Sharks, Lindsay and I have been eating Ramen noodles for lunch to be able to afford another expensive excursion here in Fiji. We read about Rivers Fiji, an adventure paddling company that operates out of Pacific Harbor adjoining a fancy resort called The Pearl. We stayed next across the road at Oceanus Club, which is very nice, simple and clean.
We heard from a Harry of Think Pacific, a teen volunteer group operator, that the Upper Navua River tour is well worth the cost, and we now agree after doing it. We did get a local discount for earning a local wage on our work permits of 20%, which was nice.
We met at The Pearl at 6:45 in the morning. Somehow, we are still so punctual after two and a half months in Fiji that we were the first to arrive. Other tourists sauntered in before seven, and a couple of Americans at 7:20. Of course they had the most questions and a silly unusual request for extra dry bags for their hotel towels. Lindsay and I spotted two Aussie girls that looked up to the adventure and we thought we'd like to paddle with them. Lindsay asked them if we could go together on the same raft of four, and they had the same idea for us. So we introduced ourselves and finally got on board a shuttle bus at 7:45. Not so fast, one of the guides asked us to get off the bus and get onto another because we were not staying at The Pearl. Lindsay pleaded that we wanted to go with our friends, Kelly and Brooke. After some Fijian conversation and about a minute of chin rubbing, they allowed us to get back on board with our Melbourne friends. Good thing, or we might have been stuck with a young family all day.
The shuttle bus was just like one of those used by hotels to pick up guests from the airport. They must have had some modifications done to them, because they used them like Hummers when we “turned off the paved road”. We climbed and descended foothills on a stoney mud path for half an hour to our starting point.
We had tea and banana cake, then hiked with our PFDs and paddles for fifteen through the bush to an entrance of a stream that made a nice and easy start to our trip. After a safety briefing in Fijian English, one of the Asian women slipped and fell on their bums on the muddy bank. Being held up by a local guide and whimpering to the raft, she then slipped off while climbing in and fell back first into the water. Our gang chuckled for a bit and was first aboard and right off down the river. Why do these people sign up for this stuff? It said in the brochure it was a level 3 or 4 rafting experience (out of 6 I'm told). Anyway we were off.
Just like the pictures, the cavernous river was breathtaking. The raft was first rate and the guide, Joe, had mutated triceps bulging from the back of his arms from pushing the paddles for days on end. He kept excellent control of the raft and his “crew”, mostly saying, “Forward Paddle”. We mocked him lovingly....
Lunch was brilliant. Where did they find smoked ham in Fiji? They had aged cheese to go with it, for a wonderful sandwich that was reminiscent of the US! After lunch we stopped at a waterfall that was easy to climb up and get a “massage”. I didn't understand why water pounding on my head was supposed to be relaxing! Maybe I missed the point...
Waterfalls all around, Joe liked telling us “Forward Paddle”, which was obediently did, until we caught on that he had us paddling straight into the waterfalls for a good cold soaking. Not a bad idea, really.
Sometimes we just jumped out and floated in the cool water. Sometimes we would spin around while going down the rocks and rapids!
Lindsay's helmet / baseball cap combo! Reverse paddle Lindsay!
WHAT?
We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly and even helped break down the rafts at the end of the trip. The bus ride back to Pacific Harbor was surprisingly just as long as the morning. I guess the best rafting is way up in the interior and we have to drive up there to experience it. We are so glad we did!
