Taveuni

I was so excited to finally be making my way to Taveuni, but my enthusiasm was quickly turned to dread as I prepared to leave.  The nosy people at the hostel (Bamboo) kept asking me where I was going and I kept telling them Taveuni, to which they continuously responded, "The boat doesn't leave on Tuesdays, you have to wait until Friday", and of course they were simultaneously trying to sell me other tours to keep me occupied until said Friday.  I told them that the boat definitely left on Tuesdays, which was overheard by a crazy Chinese girl, let's call her Wei.  She decided to hijack my journey and come with me, but first we had to wait ten minutes while the people at Bamboo called to verify that the boat did in fact leave on Tuesday.  Wei then told me I must wait another twenty minutes so she could call various places to cancel reservations, since she was initially planning on doing tours and going to Taveuni on Friday.

Once she was finally sorted, we met up with Fabian at his hostel and then cabbed it to the bus station.  We arrived at 10:58 and the bus was slated to leave at 11:00, but Wei decided she needed to go get food, so we had to load her bags on the bus and then track her down as the bus was getting ready to leave without her.  She then proceeded to complain because the food she had just purchased, wasn't allowed to be consumed on the bus.  Seriously, stab my face.  You have my permission.  

It was a 4.5 hour bus ride back to Suva, from which we had to catch a boat to Taveuni.  The bus station is in town, with the docks about a 15 minute walk away.  Fabian and I presumed to walk to the boat to drop our bags, but Wei decided she could not walk for 15 minutes and we had to get a Taxi.  Knowing better than to argue with a crazy person, we conceded and cabbed it to the boat.  We then proceeded to buy tickets from the office and started to take our bags up to the passenger deck, but Wei started yelling at us, telling us to leave our bags in the cargo area like she was doing.  We asked her why it mattered if we left our bags downstairs or took them with us, but she seemed to think we were complete morons.  After we dropped our bags, we decided to go into town to get an early dinner and some snacks for the 20 hour boat ride, but when Wei spotted us, she asked us to pay for her boat ticket because she didn't have money...The bus stop was literally across the street from three ATMs.  At this point we were just like, we're heading into town, just go into town and get cash from the ATM.  The craziest part of this scenario, she had been to Taveuni earlier in the year, so she should have known all of this in advance.  Fuck. My. Life.

The boat was delayed about 2.5 hours, which is standard for Fiji, and in the meantime had become filled by a group of 30 Chinese people.  They proceeded to chew audibly, talk even louder, and generally block the TV and be inherently rude.  As someone that is half Chinese, I started to think maybe I should be more thankful of my British DNA since it provided me the ability to have manners and common courtesy.  Then I realized my British DNA was why I was complaining and constantly perceiving the world to be a miserable place...  It's not easy being a mudblood.  When we finally took off, the crew hooked us up with a free upgrade to beds, saving us from sleeping on the couches.  After about 16 hours, we ended up on the second largest island in Fiji, in a town called Savu Savu.  We were allowed to hop off the boat while it was docked, so we went for a brief wander.  

Savu Savu

It gets lonely at sea....

Naturally we were delayed in leaving Savu Savu and arrived into Taveuni late, our 20 hour journey having grown into a 24 hour adventure.  The Chinese group departed the boat in Savu Savu, so the boat was pretty empty during the final leg.  When we docked in Taveuni, we sorted out sharing a cab to our hostel with a Fijian woman who wanted to be dropped along the way, but out of nowhere Wei appeared and decided she was riding with us as well.  She didn't come to our hostel, however, opting to be dropped off in town instead.  She didn't even offer to pay part of the cab fair, she just hopped out and grabbed her stuff.  At that point I was just glad to be free of her, so I didn't even care.  Thank God Tatiana Maslany is not Chinese.

As soon as we arrived to our hostel, we saw some familiar faces from Beach House, including our Finish friend Lotta, and were invited to join a snorkeling trip the following morning to Rainbow Reef.  It'd been way too long since I'd been on a proper snorkeling trip, so I was pretty pumped for the opportunity.  In typical "Fiji Time" fashion, we left two hours later than projected and were also facing a shortage of equipment, so one of the locals had to give me his fins and goggles.  I was surprised to find the waters were clear of plastic bottles and other forms of rubbish.  The water had amazing visibility and the corals were awesome, but the fish life was pretty average.  However, based on other people's impressions I think I've just been spoiled by my time in Australia and Indonesia.  

Taveuni is what I expected Fiji to be like, desolate and beautiful

Practicing my cowabunga pose for the new TMNT movie! So nostalgiac!!!

A few days later Fabian and I visited the Tavoro waterfalls in Bouma National Heritage Park with a French dude named Tomas.  Surprisingly, the trip started ahead of schedule!  We bypassed the first and second waterfalls, to go to the third one first, which is more secluded and boasts a little area where you can jump off the waterfall into the pool below.  We weren't allowed to swim in the second waterfall, but once we got down to the first, we were allowed to go into a little cavernous area behind the waterfall and jump in for a final swim.  Upon leaving, we found out someone from a different group had left their camera at the third waterfall, which was an hour hike uphill, so she had to climb all the way back up to get it... Brutal.  

The following evening, the guys at the hostel randomly decided to have a bonfire, so we all headed to the beach for a late night fire and some drinks.  They made us leave at 1 AM, so we headed back to the hostel for a final shot and then turned in for the evening.  Quite a few people left the next morning, including Fabian, but I decided to stay for a few extra days to chill out and catch up on my reading.  I'm not ashamed to say I became engrossed in J.K. Rowling's newest novel, The Silkworm, and devoured it in two days.

The day you were born, you were born free.  That is your privilege.

Give you heart and soul to me, and life will always be La Vie En Rose (Cristin Milioti)

Somewhere along the way people have probably told you that you can't do something or made you feel like you weren't good enough... Fuck em, become who you want to become

Back down the bullies to the back of the bus, cus it's time for them to be scared of us!!!

I took the boat back to Suva with a couple of Swiss guys, Alexander and Gabor, as well as a pair of Germans...I'm always with Germans.  Going back was way faster, taking a mere 18 hours.  I decided to immediately head back to Nadi, since it is by far the cheapest place to stay in Fiji, while the others stayed in Suva for the evening.  I was relatively sure I was going to be murdered by my mini-bus crew, because the three of them took off towards Nadi with me as their sole passenger.  Luckily after thirty minutes, they finally started picking up some locals, so I felt a little safer.  When we passed by the Beach House, we randomly picked up a Welsh guy I had met in Suva named Gareth, who was catching a ride to the closest bottle shop to pick up some beer.  It's truly amazing how often people's paths cross.

When I finally got to Nadi, I decided to switch up my hostel and stayed at the Wailoaloa Beach Resort, which for $8/night included breakfast and free wifi.  It was pretty much the greatest financial decision I made whilst in Fiji.  Fabian ended up joining me there since he was flying out of Nadi a few days after me.  Our days pretty much revolved around eating, since neither of us had money left to pay for tours and I wanted to avoid taking out money because of ATM fees. 

Everything that you can't control, sometimes you gotta just let go. Lay back and you will hold, and you will survive

Well that's my year spent exile, second guessed and dressed up in tatters.  My both feet didn't take this path, and I'm still looking for a life that matters...

It's called a bathroom, but I'm not seeing a whole lot of room...

Now this bird has flown, like I've always known it would.  Maybe someday soon, you'll be flying too....

Overall I wasn't that impressed with Fiji.  I think the women are really nice and genuine, but the dudes are extremely fake.  It's so annoying to constantly have people come up to you pretending to be friendly, only to explain why you have to do a $300 tour thirty seconds later.  That's not to say there aren't genuinely nice people, they're just not as prevalent as the swindlers.  Fiji had it's moments, but overall I found it to be overpriced and very average in terms of scenery.

The next leg of my journey would also be my last before going home - Hawaii.  One final diversion during my year abroad.  Ten more days to procrastinate before making adult-level decisions about my future, but that's a story for another blog...

Random GoPros

I reckon I've spent 20-30% of the past year on boats, buses, plains, and other forms of transportation

The water is so clear, the reef thriving.  Amazing, the ocean is simply amazing...

When I first started travelling I took a million pictures...Now I just enjoy the moment and snap a few

Probably the most enthusiastic tour guide I've ever had the pleasure of meeting

Mini-Cliff Jumping at Waterfall 3

Crossing rocks at Waterfall 2

Swimming in Waterfall 1

Taking up an entire row so no one can invade my personal bubble 

Look how adorable these cats are, how can you not love animals?

My dorm room was backed against the Nadi Airport... Every 15 mins I heard the sound barrier breaking

I got a haircut!!!  Isn't I pretty????

Just a Man in Japan

Sitting on the hot seat was new territory for me, it's simply not in my nature.  To be honest, I could hardly believe I'd allowed myself to be put in such a situation.  As I stared at the elaborate control panel in front of me, I let out a sigh, noting that everything was labeled in Japanese.  I knew that I needed to take action or risk causing a big stink with the folks upstairs, so I took a deep breath, knowing full well that it would only take the single push of a button to flush everything I'd just produced down the drain.  As the beads of sweat rolled down my forehead, I reached out my hand and selected the button in the lower right hand corner of the screen. And then it hit me.

My buttocks was instantly flooded with a stream of cold water, as the electric powered toilet I was sitting on showed no mercy in utilizing it's built in bum-gun.  Thats right folks, this is Japants-off, Dance-off Part One: Sean vs. The Japanese Toilet.   After pressing a few more buttons on the control panel in front of me, I realized I could not only control the angle of spray, but also the force with which it surged.  After receiving the unorthodox "shower", I was delighted to find the toilet was also equipped with a blow drier for said derriere, which works similar to a hand drier, except the air blows in a decidedly upward motion.  There were a lot of buttons and combinations to be utilized on that control panel, and like a 5 year old, I tested out every one of them.  And with the maturity of a 5 year old, I put all the settings on high to torture the next unsuspecting user.  Bwahahahahaha (Evil genius smiley).

When you see a toilet plugged in, you know your life is about to be forever changed.  I've never been more nervous and excited at the same time

Apologies to my siblings for the image of me pooping now filling their minds.  To everyone else, we both know you've thought about it before, and now you know it's just as spectacular of an experience as you expected.  After exiting the bathroom, I decided to explore the town I was in, Hiroshima.  Hiroshima, as most of you know, was the first of two cities that the United States unleashed an atomic bomb upon.  You would probably never guess it was bombed if you were simply wandering around as it's a bustling and seemingly thriving city, but you can see some of the damage if you head into the historical Peace Park area.  

The museum is quite impressive and costs a mere $.50 to enter, which is a pretty amazing bargain.  There are tons of displays and dioramas showing the city before and after the blast, chunks of metal bridges that were left gnarled and deformed, and replicas of the bomb itself.  I've never been a big fan of war related stuff, I've just never found it interesting.  Also, the thought of killing someone else just because they were born in a different country, possibly to a different set of ideological or religious views is a pretty terrible prospect to me.  The way I look at it, if I was in their shoes and born in their country, I would probably believe what they believe, so what makes my view better than theirs?  To me people be people, so as long as they're not mercilessly causing harm to others (like people from Belgium and Canada often do), let them be.  

The picture within the picture shows the A-Bomb Dome before it was destroyed

This building is dedicated to the victims of the blast

"They say the soldier is a necessity in light of all the failures of man"

The Japanese Rail Pass I purchased randomly provides a free ferry service from Hiroshima to the island of Miyajima.  A ticket would normally only be $1.80, but I figured I might as well hit up the one free ferry my pass covered and headed there for a day trip.  The island itself is pretty tiny, but that doesn't stop it from being properly developed for tourism.  In addition to having several restaurants and shops, the island also houses a really cool shrine complex that sits on the water.

Kick in the door, we're on the floor, went on a woman prowl woo hoo.  Sucking and kissing the night away when I'm taking back that woohoo.  Baby you know that I can hold my own when I'm feeling woohoo.  Baby you know that I could just sail away...

This ceremony was quickly pulled together to crown me as king of the island

After leaving Hiroshima, I made my way to the Southwestern tip of Japan to a city called Kagoshima.  I mainly wanted to go there because I had read online that it sits accross the water from an extremely active volcano that erupts three times a day on average, which is all kinds of awesome.  Once I was settled, I walked around for a bit and probably covered about 8 or 9 kilometers before I arrived at the pier, so I decided to reward myself the banana I'd been carrying around in my bag.  

So here I am, sitting on a bench and staring out at the ocean, when out of nowhere I see part of the banana peel go flying past me and feel something being ripped out of my hand.  Fearing that I'd just been savaged by some kind of wildabeast, I turned to find my nemesis, but was surprised to see that a falcon was now flying away with my banana in tow.  This particular bird was apparently a member of the upper echelon of falcon society, as he swiftly decided he was too good for my banana and promptly threw it into the ocean.  Then he turned around and flew above me, ca-cawing in jest.  What a bastard!

To make up for the banana swindling I'd just received, the Universe allowed me to catch the end of a dolphin show.  Part of me wishes that the animals could just be left free, but part of me also thinks that watching dolphins jump up and do flips is awesome.  But alas, with my potassium levels at an all time low, I made the long trudge back to my hostel, because the following day I was set to take on the volcano!

Saw some hills in the distance and hiked to the top.  This is the view I got ;)

Free Dolphin Show!!! However, maybe it'd be better if we left out the last three letters of show....

That's a creepy lookin dolphin, no creature's face should be zoomed in to that magnitude...simply disturbing

I was planning to get to Sakurajima, the island with the volcano, at a reasonable time since it was over 6 kilometers to hike upon arrival to the viewing platform.  I also had a head start, as I knew how to get to the pier, since it was literally right next to the dolphins, so not only had I been there, but I'd literally walked the exact route I needed to take.  Booya!  However, it should be noted that I tend to fail at life quite frequently, and I somehow walked the wrong direction the next morning.  I'm still not 100% sure on how this happened as all I had to do was turn left a single time and walk straight.  That's it, no complex series of turns or even a requirement to turn at a particular street. Luckily I only wasted 20 minutes on this diversion, but my shame felt exponentially greater.

Eventually I found my way and made it to the island and began my ascent.  I was hoping there would be an awesome nature trail, but alas I was forced to hike up a road that held a steady stream of gas guzzling service vehicles blowing cancerous emissions directly into my lungs.  All the other tourists apparently took the bus, but I'm not made of money and I'm not some wimpy European, so I climbed. 'MERICA!!!!  I happened to come on a somewhat rainy/cloudy day, so the top of the volcano was covered in fog, but the view was still quite foreboding, which I deemed worthy of my efforts.  Upon climbing down, I found a free foot bath area near the pier, so I soaked my tender bunions in the water before heading back to Kagoshima.

Look at those clouds, amazing!

This volcano erupts over 1000 times per year, making it roughly 1/3 as explosive as my body

Congrats on hiking 20km today.  Your reward is soaking your feet in some tepid, unhygienic water that thousands of people have soaked their rotten feet in before you

My final stop on the island of Kyushu was Nagasaki, which immediately just makes me think of Austin Powers... Sake it to me baby, yeahh!  Nagasaki was the second city that was victim to an A-bomb attack, so there are plenty of museums and memorials there as well.  Like Hiroshima, they also have a massive Peace Park that's filled with statues.  Nagasaki is located on the coast, so it's a massive port city with plenty of action going on.  I ended up staying two nights because finding hostels in the next town I was planning to visit was impossible.  If you ever go to Japan, make sure you book accomodation in advance on the weekends!

I'll be returning to America on this ship under the guise of the Dread Pirate Roberts

The most massive Peace Statue of all times

70-80,000 people were killed in EACH of the Atomic bombings. Think about how crazy 9/11 was. Do you know how many casualties there were?  Around 3000, which is less than 4% of a single A-bomb attack.  It's almost unfathomable to think of.

This piece is titled "Constellation Earth". Each child represents a continent and they're all linked together to symbolize world peace

So colorful!

Since I had the extra day, I explored some additional areas, such as China Town, but the real highlight was taking a cable car up to Mount Inasa.  The main center of Nagasaki sits in a sort of basin, with hills climbing up each side, so at night when the buildings on the hillside become illuminated, it looks like the lights are floating into the sky.  The locals refer to it as the "$10 Million Dollar Night View" and it's ranked as one of the top 3 in Japan.  Luckily the $10 million view only cost me $6, after receiving a handy coupon from my hostel owner!  I will say it was pretty damn impressive, definitely a must see attraction if you are in Nagasaki.

The power lines in Asia are insane.  I don't think any old lines are ever replaced, they just keep adding on more

If I could stay here forever I would

If I roll over when this dream's over, I'll take this final sunset with me and wake up with the fondest memories

Nagasaki it to me baby, yeahhhh

It's called the 10 million dollar view for a reason :)

After completing my tour of Nagasaki, I needed to start looping my way back towards Central Japan before heading North, but that's a story for another blog.

Random GoPros

Hiroshima Peace Park Fountain

I love it, Japanese style hostel room

Depending on when you visit the shrine, you'll get a different view based on the rise and fall of the tide

Wanna spoon?

You never need a plan, just a good wander

2 days without showering, no deodorant, and 10 km of hiking behind me...Apologies to anyone who smelt me

My hair is legend!

Not a bad view to take in while soaking your feet

This dude is straight out of Tenacious D's Pick of Destiny

The Church of Martyrs

It kind of looks like a larger version of Scott Stapp from Creed