DAY 5, FIJI
Bowls on Barefoot Manta. Back down towards the mainland and stopping for a night at Barefoot Manta, the Swedish bartenders are also joining. After visiting 5 islands I’m running low on superlatives as every island is so special and it wasn’t a case of same thing different island when arriving at Barefoot manta!
THIS GIRL THOUGHT SHE HAS WON AND WOULDN’T STOP DOING CARTWHEELS….
Coming from island to island you bump into people you’ve seen on the way, most you forget who they are and where you met but it’s always a friendly face. Met a girl who lives about 2 streets away from me in Belfast which is just bizarre as Fiji must be the furthest country from home! Socially the best hostel so far, Barefoot Manta certainly focuses more on inclusion and fun, as games during the day were plentiful.
WHERE IS BAREFOOT MANTA?
GET YOUR OWN COCNUTS
In once instance we had to meet at the front beach where we will be playing some coconut games, and were told to “bring your own coconuts.” After considerable trouble getting a coconut we got to the beach just as the game was ending and could see a girl, who has clearly won, expressing herself by doing cartwheels!
WE’VE BEEN HAD!
We soon realised they were joking about having to get your own coconut and after seeing the mess of us they could tell we had genuinely spent the last few hours climbing trees they allowed us to enter the game. It’s a simple game of bowls but with the obvious differences of using rotting coconuts and a small hole instead of a white ball.
I didn’t feel too confident going last as everyone elses coconuts would remain in the way and the girl’s was right in the way of the target. The girl was obviously a winner in her eyes as she was still cartwheeling and cheering much to everyones elses dismay,
NO MORE CARTWHEELS
Anyway I John Snowed it – bent the knee, took a back swing and released. I had nothing to lose but my record of party games in the Southern Hemisphere (the one in Thailand didn’t work out too well).
My coconut, shaped more like a deformed rugby ball ploughed between the others and straight into the coconut of the girl who was still doing fucking cartwheels by the way, knocking it for 6 and nestling mine straight into the hole. she quickly quietened down as everyone else seemed much happier at this outcome.
There is also a game of Volleyball played every evening, were the friendly staff play against the guests. It does usually start off very relaxed but you can always turn up the heat if like me you are competitive – have you found that out yet?
ACCOMMODATION
The accommodation here is in a pretty special location, right on the edge of the beach, making viewing sunrise even more effortless than it was on the other islands! The great thing about most of these islands is that they are so small that it is easy to see both the sunrise and sunset from almost the same position.
NEXT UP
Back to the mainland before my flight to Vietnam but first Scott and I give some much needed love advice to young Felix. Click to read.
SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
26/229
This post is part of The New Zealand and Fiji Series, click to explore.
To watch the video of my trip, head to my highlights on my Instagram.
