Category: 2026 S. Pacific / Asia

Thursday, January 15 – Apia

I’ll lead off with a correction: In my last entry, I stated that the big island we were flying over is called Samoa. Wrong! The big island is called Savai’l. Sorry about that. (I was politely corrected while speaking to one of the locals.)

Breakfast is included in my hotel room rate, and is served in the adjacent restaurant.

I was impressed. There was a wide variety of choices and it was very good. I’m ready to get after it!

Let’s explore Apia! I’ve scoped out some places I’d like to see, but otherwise I’ll just do some roaming around.

The fire station is located just down the road from my hotel. It looks like the vehicles are second hand from Japan, as I noticed the truck on the right has Japanese writing and the Japanese flag affixed to the exterior (you can see the Japanese flag on the front of the truck).

The Immaculate Conception Cathedral, located next door to my hotel. The original cathedral dates to 1857; however, it was damaged in a 2009 earthquake. This restored version opened in 2014.

Located outside the Samoa Cultural Village. The village is a recommended place to visit in Apia. Unfortunately, it is closed during my visit (low season causality…).

This pedestrian walkway runs along the seawall of Apia Harbor and Apia Bay. It’s wonderful!

Made a stop at the Apia Fish Market. And yes, I asked if I could take their picture. (The Samoans are very nice!)

This is the Apia Bus Terminal. Cool looking buses, right? I’m hoping to take one of these on Saturday when I cross the island to my next accommodation. If you’re interested in more information about taking the bus on the island, click here. (Those of you who have followed along on my trips know I like experiencing these local type of things…)

This is located across the street from the seawall. I just thought it looked nice. I think it’s a B&B.

This is the German Flag Memorial (Deutsches Flaggendenkmal). It commemorates the raising of the German flag in 1900, marking Germany’s colonial rule (1899-1914). It also honors German soldiers who perished in a 1889 cyclone.

This is the Malietoa Tomb of Tanumafili I and Malietoa Laupepa, two former rulers of Samoa.

Samoa Ministry of Justice and Courts Administration Court House (that’s a mouthful!)

Near the Court House I stopped by a little popup canteen to get something cold to drink. The woman running it happened to be from Houston. Small world! Well, she was born in Samoa, grew up in American Samoa, and then moved to the States. She moved back here to help out with some family matters. And after living in Houston, she was complaining about the heat here. Really? I had to call her out on that one!

This British and American Memorial commemorates those who died during the Siege of Apia in 1899. It recognizes British and American sailors who fought alongside Malietoa Tanumafili I during the Second Samoan Civil War.

This monument commemorates Samoa’s independence from New Zealand on January 1, 1962.

The Apia Clock Tower honors Samoan soldiers that died during World War One.

Have I mentioned it’s hot here? (Not as hot as Houston though!) I will say there is a nice breeze walking along the seawall, but after 3 hours of roaming, I was ready to get back to the hotel for a rest during the peak heat of the day.

I was planning on going back out for a late afternoon walk, but a storm came through with heavy rain and high winds. Oh well…

Tuesday, January 13 – Nadi

Not much to report today; did some trip planning and worked on a Journal Entry. I need to remind myself: This is a marathon, not a sprint…

Fiji Facts for Travelers

• Vehicles operate on the left side of the road (like in the UK)
• English is widely used and serves as a common language in government, business, and education
• Electrical outlets are the same as Australia
• I’ve been told the tap water is drinkable, but haven’t tried (risked) it

Wednesday, January 14 – transit from Fiji to Samoa

I’m off to Samoa today, with a noon departure on Fiji Airways.

My hotel offers an airport shuttle that leaves every hour on the half hour. And the cost is only around 4 USD. Excellent! I’ve booked the 9:30am departure (it’s about a 20 minute drive to the airport).

The flight was via a 737 MAX 8, and I’d say it was about 2/3 full. I had a window seat, with an empty middle next to me for the 2 hour trip. The cost of the round trip ticket that takes me back to Fiji was 465 USD. (Unfortunately these island hopping flights are kind of pricey. But, I’m so close; have to do it!)

Here are a few pictures from the flight…

This is the island of Samoa. I’m traveling to the island of Upolu, which is Samoa’s second-largest and most populous island.

A pretty smooth flight. And we were even served a tasty chicken sandwich on this short island hop. My opinion of Fiji Airways is changing, for the better!

Pretty much my only option for getting from the airport to the town of Apia (where I’m staying) was by taxi (ugh!). I might have been able to save some money by booking a shuttle in advance, but I dropped the ball on that. Hopefully I can do better when I return to the airport on the 20th.

The taxi drivers were lined up and waiting as I exited the arrivals hall. The cost of the trip started at 80 Samoan Talas, and I eventually talked the driver down to 70 (about 25 USD). I’m a shrewd negotiator! It was a 45 minute trip, so I guess the price isn’t terrible.

Sidenote: Normally I use ATMs to acquire local currency, but I still had a bunch of Fijian dollars, so I exchanged some of those for Samoan Tala at the airport.

I’m spending 3 nights at the Tauese Seaview Hotel, which is located behind this restaurant of the same name (what a coincidence!).

I didn’t get out much after I arrived at the hotel late this afternoon, but I did scope out this nice walking path across the street.

Travel Note: I’ve always pronounced this country’s name as Sa-MO-a. However, the locals say SAM-o-a.

Finally, Samoa is one hour ahead of Fiji. I am now 19 hours ahead of Madison.

Friday, January 9 – Nadi, Fiji

No significant plans for today as I still attempt to get acclimated. I think I’ll do one of my favorite things when arriving in a new place: roam.

I have to say that Nadi is not all that picturesque, at least in terms of the areas I could visit within walking distance of my hotel. The cloudy day may have influenced this analysis however. (Note to self: I’ll be using Nadi as a base while I bounce back and forth between the nearby islands; better come up with some day trips or rethink where I’ll be calling home)

Speaking of the cloudy day, I’m an idiot! I say that because, due to the sky conditions, I figured I didn’t need sunscreen or a hat. Wrong! I didn’t receive a flaming hot burn, but enough to be uncomfortable. Ugh! Nice start to the trip…

I ended up doing 20k steps today, which I felt pretty good about. And while we’re on the subject of steps, I can pretty much guarantee that there will be no average daily step count record this year. Due to a few different reasons – with the main one being I’m feeling like a wimp at the moment! (Plus, my average was messed with right off the bat when January 7th was stolen from me!)

I only have a couple pictures worth sharing from the walk…

The typical high temperatures are in the mid 80s here, with a fairly high humidity. So I took advantage of the hotel pool after the walk!

Travel Note: This is considered the low season in the region, with generally cloudy days and brief rain showers in the afternoons. Basically I consider this a good thing for me. There are less tourists, and therefore the costs are lower (love that!). The downside for me is that the photos may not be as impressive. (Keep your expectations in check! – assuming they were high to begin with!)

Saturday, January 10 through Monday, January 12 – Wayasewa Island

Today I’m heading to Wayasewa Island for a two night stay at a rustic accommodation run by the local villagers. To get there, I’ll be catching a ferry out of Port Denarau in Nadi.

The ferry was scheduled to depart at 8:45am, and the 20 minute ride to the port was arranged by my hotel. The driver, Hamzah, was a nice guy and only charged me 25 FJD (11 USD).

I booked the ferry in advance, and even splurged for entrance into the Captain’s Lounge (don’t worry, it wasn’t much more money). This provided more comfortable seating, with A/C and free snacks & drinks (including beer and wine). The scheduled duration of the trip to Wayasewa Island is about 2 hours. The round trip ferry ticket cost 225 USD.

This is a map of the stops made by the various ferries in the South Sea Cruises fleet. My destination was one of the nearby islands to the west of Nadi.

This is the Yasawa Flyer III, the ferry I’ll be taking to Wayasewa Island. The upper level glass enclosure is the bridge, and just behind that is the Captain’s Lounge, where I’ll be sitting. And this is a relatively new ferry, having just been entered into service in August. Nice!

This is the Captain’s lounge. Pretty nice, right? And there were only 6 of us booked during my portion of the trip. I ended up sitting at the far window. The women across from me is Katja, a medical student from Bern, Switzerland. She’s spending a couple weeks in Fiji and then joining friends for a 4 week trip in New Zealand. We talked for most of the trip, which was fun.

(And I felt it was a little early for wine, so went with tea instead. And some carrot cake! Katja did have a beer after her coffee, but she had further to go than me!)

There is no dock on Wayasewa Island to disembark from the ferry. So, upon arrival, we were met by a small open boat (12′ long), with an outboard motor operated by hand at the stern. I was the only passenger, and the ride took about 10 minutes. I would have liked to take a picture of the boat, and the island, but it was a quick passenger exchange from the ferry, and I was pretty much holding on with both hands during the ride.

My stay was at the Waya Lailai Eco Haven, which is located in a clearing on the edge of the island. Upon arrival, I was met on the beach by a group of 5 staff members who serenaded me with a Fijian greeting in song. Very nice!

I think I mentioned that this is a rustic place. That means:

• No Air Conditioning
• No Hot Water
• Power shut off during various times throughout the day (it is provided by a generator). Although, power was available all night; which was critical so that the fan next to my bed could run!
• Very weak Wifi when the power was on (I didn’t even bother trying to use it. Being disconnected for 3 days was kind of nice!)

Don’t worry though, we did have indoor plumbing!

I will say that despite the lack of A/C, I slept great throughout my stay. Perhaps the after effects of jet lag may have been a factor. And the white noise of the fan next to my bed probably helped too.

Instead of providing a blow-by-blow of my visit, I think I’ll just go with a kind of semi-chronological photo essay to describe the stay…

Yes, I did use the mosquito netting. There were holes in the window screens! (and I only ended up with one bite during my stay!)

All meals were included with the cost of the room. Meal times were:

• Breakfast: 8am
• Lunch: noon
• Tea: 3pm
• Dinner: 7pm

The banging of drums announced the meal was ready.

Sidenote: One of the things I was told when I arrived at the resort was to not leave my shoes outside at night. Apparently dogs from the nearby village will come over and take them!

The beach isn’t very long; a round trip walk from the compound and back took about 40 minutes (at a slow pace!)

The resort offered a few planned excursions (for a fee), like snorkeling, scuba, hiking and a visit to a nearby village. I pretty much just stuck around the compound though, happy to relax, do some reading, eat, and socialize with the other guests.

While I’m on the subject, I’d say my two favorite parts of the island visit were meeting the other guests and conversing with them over some great meals. While I was there, I met people from:

• Minnesota
• Arizona
• Denmark
• Austria
• Australia
• Germany
• France
• United Kingdom
• Slovenia (family of 6 that stayed on the island for 25 days! Left the day before me)

A mother & daughter from Germany arrived the morning of my last day. When talking with them I discovered that they had just been to Samoa (my next stop). Very lucky; they gave me some good suggestions!

No activities were planned for Sunday; however, we were invited to attend church at the neighboring village. I definitely wanted to check that out, even if it did necessitate me wearing jeans and a polo shirt (the only long pants and collared shirt I brought with me on the trip).

It took about 10 minutes to walk to the church. Five of us from the resort attended.

This picture was taken after the service. The church was full during. We arrived around 10:15am, to the sounds of the choir singing prior to the start at 10:30. Women sat on the left, men on the right.

Most of the sermon was spoken in Fijian (iTaukei), but that’s okay; it was still very enjoyable. And the choir was amazing. The service concluded at 11:30, and by then I was sweating like crazy!

The shade covering the hammocks is provided by the Vutu Tree (also called fish poison tree or sea poison tree). Its nut can be seen in the center of the picture.

The nut produces this beautiful flower.

The ferry was scheduled to arrive near the island around 4pm, so I was ready to head out right after the afternoon tea. But before I left, the staff once again sang me a song, this time wishing me a fond farewell. Very sweet!

I really enjoyed my time on the island. It felt like an authentic Fijian experience. I will say though, for me, two nights was probably the right duration. (I’m not a big “roughing it” guy!). The cost of the bungalow and meals was 110 USD per night.

I’m back in the Captain’s Lounge for the ferry ride back to Nadi. And after my rustic experience, I had to go for a glass of wine (or two!).

I was the only passenger in the Lounge for the entire journey back to Nadia. I I felt a little guilty about that too, because the ferry was packed and the passengers seated outside had to deal with some rain showers along the way.

Well, I guess I didn’t feel THAT guilty…

The ferry company offers free shuttle transfers to passengers staying at the major hotels in Nadi. I was able to take advantage because I booked two nights at the Ramada Suites on Wailoaloa Beach (I referenced the beach in my Friday entry above).

I arrived at the hotel around 6:30pm and was ready for some A/C and a hot shower!

Notice the washer and dryer in the background? I decided to do a load of laundry before calling it a night…

Tuesday, January 6 through Thursday 8 – transit from Madison to Fiji

Hello everyone! Welcome back. I can’t believe a year has gone by already! Thank you for your continued interest in my travel journal.

This winter I’m starting out in the South Pacific. I’ll stay in this region for a few weeks, then head to Singapore to celebrate the Chinese New Year in mid-February. From there, the only booking I have so far is my return to the States in early May from Tokyo. I’ll likely go from Singapore to Thailand and Laos; eventually making my way to Japan. Watch this space…

So, as you can tell from this entry’s heading, my journey to Fiji took a while! I started by taking the bus from Madison to O’Hare on Tuesday morning (thanks for the drop off Chuck!). From there I had a 5pm flight to Dallas. My itinerary culminated in a flight from Dallas to Nadi, Fiji. That last leg departed at 10pm on Tuesday, January 6th, and arrived at 5:30am on Thursday, January 8th. Wait! What happened to Wednesday?? Well, the flight took 13 1/2 hours (ugh!), and we crossed the International Date Line on the way. (Nadi is 18 hours ahead of Madison)

I booked my itinerary using American Airlines miles – only 40k one-way (+$5.60!). The flight from Dallas to Nadi was on Fiji Airways. I did buck my usual cheapness self though and splurged on paying for a bulkhead seat on the 13+ hour marathon ($280). Well worth it. I actually slept a fair amount. We flew on a wide body A350, and it was full (although, I was in the window seat, and the middle was empty. Bonus!). Fiji Airways is nothing special. Our dinner meal was a slice of pizza and a cookie! Breakfast was a little more substantial though: we had a choice of three different mains. I chose the scrambled eggs with yogurt, fruit and a muffin. And the movie options were dismal (and edited), with no TV shows offered. Oh well, like I said, I slept a lot.

The trip was not without a glitch, but I saw it coming. For those of you who have followed along over the years, you may recall my hiccup when attempting to fly to Panama in 2023. Basically, I only had a one way ticket, and the airline needed proof that I was going to leave the country at some point before they let me travel.

Fast forward, and I have a one way ticket to Fiji. Mmmmm. I wasn’t able to check-in online for the flight (error message: travel documents need to be checked at the airport), so I knew what was coming. Fortunately I have all of my flights booked up through Singapore. I actually had a fun encounter with the ticket agent in Chicago. She asked me about all the places I was visiting and for how long. And she gave me further props when she saw the (rather small) size of my checked bag. Thank you!

Okay, so I arrive in Nadi at 5:30am, but check-in time at my hotel isn’t until 2pm (too cheap to just pay for the previous night!). Now what? (I did contact the hotel in advance, and they said I may be able to check-in early, based on room availability. Otherwise, I could hang out in their lounge, or take a swim in the pool)

I ended up staying at the airport for a while; taking advantage of their free WiFi to catch up on emails and the news.

As I researched the trip, I read about the Nadi bus system, and determined it would be an interesting way to get from the airport to my hotel (plus, there’s that cheap thing…). It turned out to be pretty simple: bus stop by the airport, took about 15 minutes, and cost around 60 cents. Nice! (plus, most of you are probably familiar with my disdain for taxi drivers the world over)

I arrived at the hotel around 9am, and they actually had a room available. With no charge for the early check-in. Very nice! Thank you!

Hibiscus Suites and Residences

After checking in I took advantage of the pool. It felt great after my long journey!

I saved this from my flight. Of course we would be given Fiji Water by Fiji Airways on the flight to Fiji!

Pretty banknotes! 1 USD = 2.24 FJD

I’m staying here for a couple nights. On Saturday I’ll travel to one of the nearby islands. The accommodation I’ve booked there is rather rustic, so I’m not sure how strong the internet connection will be (the same could be said for most of my South Pacific stay). Therefore, you may not see an update for a few days (unless I do a quick one tomorrow night).

After my swim earlier today I took a walk and picked up some groceries and then came back to the hotel for a nap. That might have been a mistake. I ended up sleeping for 5 hours! It’s about 10:30pm as I write this, and I may be up for a while!