June 29 – July 1 – Voli Voli Bay and Beach Resort

We left Makongai, shot over to the top of Viti Levu and into Voli Voli
by early afternoon. The day was beautiful and the trip was so
pleasant we were once again enchanted with the beauty of Fiji's
beaches and coastline. Voli Voli Beach Resort stands right on the
point, high atop the bluff, and boasts an incredibly magnificent
panorama. "Just In Time" and "IQ" had also made the trip. Just after
we set the anchor the boys all went to shore for a "re-con" and to
make reservations for dinner. They returned some time later very
cheerful and full of information about the resort. We got dressed for
dinner and arrived on shore in time to share the sunset with resort
guests, and yes (!!!), we saw the Green Flash. It was quite
impressive this time.

The resort beach is very tranquil, facing a crystal clear bay that is
protected on the windward side by mangroves. A short walk up the hill
took us to the heartbeat of the resort. Here we found the restaurant/
bar/pool/activities center. And the best part is: they love and
welcome yachties. A Kiwi family owns and runs the place. It is a
multi-tiered resort and dive center that offers accommodations from
backpacker-level to upscale bungalows, and because the place is fairly
new and is still in the early stages, they are about mid-way to
completing the swim-up pool bar and sports bar. It did not take us
long to get comfy in our new surroundings. We enjoyed a very good
dinner and then spent time getting to know the owners who had stopped
by for a chat. Frank arranged to drop off our leaking dive tank the
next morning, for servicing on our way back out to the boat.

We invited Jock, Leanne, Bill and Val over for brunch the next day,
and then after spending a good bit of our morning eating, drinking
coffee and visiting we went to the resort to spend the rest of the day
at the pool. Yes, this is what we retired for – to laze around the
pool with good friends, although we don't actually get to do as much
of that as most people think. We stayed around to watch another
sunset with the guests and were treated to another brilliant Green
Flash. Wow!!!!! Frank went to the dive center to pick up our tank,
which they were able to repair for us, and when he asked what we owe
for the work they refused to take any payment. They were just happy
to help us out. What wonderful PR! They know we will either be back
or will send others to this wonderful place. I kept thinking how much
I would love to bring Jennifer and Trace here. Maybe someday.

Next morning we grabbed a cab into the little village of Raki Raki,
which was about a 30-minute ride inland. Our driver excitedly
informed us that this is the last day the village will be a village
because tomorrow it will become an official town. There would be
parades and celebrations all through the new town to mark this
historic and monumental event. We noticed a flurry of activity all
around as we neared the main street. Raki Raki is shockingly larger
than SavuSavu. It had the familiar dusty, dry and tired look of many
other villages yet the fresh market was incredibly large and
overflowing with a good variety of fruits, vegetables and spices. We
walked around a bit, browsed the shops and then settled on a place for
lunch. It was the only restaurant that appeared to be the least
likely candidate for the spread of some kind of God-knows-what
disease. It was an Indian restaurant. We have learned to be wary of
ordering beef, pork or lamb because what we often get is gristle and
fat. We also have learned that ordering fish at a place that is not
near the water may be risky as well, so I settled on chicken curry.
When ordering this dish it is often prudent to order boneless chicken.
So I did. The waiter looked at me oddly, so I asked him, "does your
chicken curry have bones?" He answered, "Oh, yes! We like the bones!
They are nice to eat – very crunchy!" Now I understood why unless the
menu states "boneless chicken" you will no doubt get your chicken
hacked up bones and all in the dish. Live and learn.

So we ended our day back at the resort for a final short visit, then
back to the boat for an early (boneless) dinner. We bid farewell to
our friends and promised to meet up again down the way. Frank and I
were heading to Lautoka while the others were sailing up into the
Yasawas. We hit the sack early because we had a long day of sailing
ahead of us meaning anchor up at 6 AM.