Vinaka Fiji!!

Bula folks!
I've been lucky enough to spend 14 days enjoying some fun in the sun - stepping off the plane to humid air was blissful even though sweating in jeans and trainers laden with bags didn't make for good look.
For those of you like me that thought Fiji was a destination for the rich and in love I have news for you, although its expensive they cater for the backpacker and solo traveler much to my benefit.
1st stop was a night in Nadi enjoying Dell boy style drinks with umbrellas (sorry, it had to be done), Nadi (and indeed the rest of the main land so I've been told) is worth skipping, especially if you're short on time so I was on the catamaran the next morning heading for the Islands - Fiji has 322, its an archipelago (impress all your friends with this word, its also the name of a fab resurant in London where you can eat bugs!!) so you're spoilt for choice (some are so small you can walk round them in ten minutes).
The Yasawa Islands are about 3 hours on the boat, and my chosen home was the Manta Ray Island Resort, so after 3 hours smiling smugly to myself for being in Fiji while everyone else was in the rain back home I had my 1st no shit Shurlock moment, in order to get you to the Island the catamaran stops and the resort boats (little tiny, tiny things with hairdryer type engines) rock up, tie on and you have to get on them with out dropping your belongings or indeed yourself into the drink, I don't know why I imagined the water around the Islands would be deep enough for a jetty type disembark, I've watched shipwrecked on T4 but there you go...
We made it and were greeted with the wonderful Bula (bula is a Fijian greeting) welcome from the staff with huge smiles all round, it was postcard Paradise, pictures don't do it justice, I was a very happy beach bunny.
The main reason I had chosen this Island is because I didn't want to be bored and after 3 months of doing nothing constructive I had decided to do my divers course.. I then made the mistake of checking things out on the Internet and finding all sorts of sea things that could kill me causing me to make an annoying twat of myself begging my diving instructor not to take me anywhere near sea snakes and making him explain many times that he knows what he's doing and yes they do know what to do if anyone gets bitten or stung. My instructor was Pete, who I have since renamed patient Pete. My 1st dive was off the beach and after a quick go though on equipment etc. we suited up and snorkeled out to deeper waters, after about 3 minutes I felt something touch my leg and freaked out talking all sorts of ramble the essence of which was, 'A fish touched me, I'm freaking out, I cant do this!', Pete was very nice in explaining that the fish didn't actually want to go anywhere near me, they have no interest in nibbling me either and it was probably the extra lenght on my weight belt that brushed against me and there was nothing to worry about and offered to hold my hand...I have no shame in admitting I held his hand..being a girl rocks!
I've not dived before so have nothing to compare it to but it was a great place to go, corral reefs and some of the most beautiful scenery you could imagine, lots of pretty fish :), I even manged to touch a sea cucumber, and effectivly (from a distance anyway) swam with Rays, Ells and a Shark. Despite my anxiety attacks about pretty much everything (again this guy by rights should have been to the point where he drowned me or at least hit me was a blunt object), nearly throwing up and aborting a boat dive (You can actually vomit with your reg. in, you just need to clear the chunks from the reg. and let the fish do the rest with whatever you left behind, feeding the fish the jack arse way I'm sure), and on one dive while swimming on the surface (thank fuck!) my O valve blew and my tank emptied in a few minutes, I passed my open water course and god help my next dive master/leader I am a certified diver!!
Island life is pretty easy, the dorm room although it slept 30 people was huge and clean and full of very nice people, decomposing toilets weren't that bad (although I was quick to ask what to do if you needed to throw up, you do not want to put your head over one of these, simple, just find a bush and go for it - every ones very relaxed about these things), showers where tepid but again its warm enough that you don't mind, 3 meals a day in the main bure which where fantastic and as there aren't that many people on the Island people where forced to talk me and I had many a good night in the bar and met some very cool kids.
After a great time I left to head to Beachcomber resort, I'd heard reports from others on this so wasn't expecting much, rocked up and checked in to bed number 98 in the dorm, depending on who you speak to there are between 80-150 beds in the one and only dorm. This Island is sold under the umbrella of 'Party Island' (I didn't know this before booking) although you can do many water sports (expensive things that involve diving, or being connected to a speed boat by rope with skis or a shoot and many other things), the snorkeling was nothing like where I'd been - I'd done Manta Ray spotting which involved lots of getting in and out of a boat in hope of getting anywhere near the Manta Ray which as soon as boat loads of people had entered the water not surprisingly decided to dart in the other direction, I caught a fleeting glimpse just once in this highly comical cartoon type event, anyway I digress, as this was sold a party island there where many British and Irish there who should have saved themselves the flight time and gone to Ibiza, getting up at noon, going straight to the bar and staying there till they passed out, by dinner time (7pm) they couldn't even string a sentence together and by morning there was the unmistakable smell of urine in the dorm, nice eh? After 2 nights I was heading back to Manta Ray, mainly due to the fact I'd had a great time there and met some cool kids but also because I was scarred to try another Island in case it was also rubbish and I wanted to leave with happy memories, stick with what you know you like. Its the staff I felt very bad for, their faces said, have to smile because its my job but I think you are a bunch of wankers and I don't want to be here.
So back to Manta Ray to verbally abuse anyone that let me leave to go to that Island the 1st time and enjoy a very chilled couple of days where I didn't do much, Kayaking, a village visit and some bar time but mainly sitting on my arse in a hammock!
Fiji brilliant, if you ever go, get yourself a bula pass (for Island hopping) don't book to much in advance for the accommodation (unless of course its high season), don't go to Beachcomber, remember bula for hello, vinaka for thank you and smile... you cant fail to when your there!
peace out people