Budapest Part I

So.... I think I'm finally starting to catch up with the blog - we're now up to August! This is part one of my trip to Hungary, where I stayed in Budapest. I was in Budapest to attend a conference, but of course, had a few days either side of the conference, to explore. My accommodation was in the city centre which meant it was very easy to explore most of the interesting sights on foot. The first night I was in Budapest I walked down to the Danube and took a few pictures of the bridges in the area, the first being (in English) the Liberty or Freedom Bridge, which looked beautiful lit up. The second was an at-distance shot of the Chain Bridge and Buda Castle, which I then took a close-up image of . There was also a very grand looking hotel which I liked, so thought I should have a photo of that too. Just a shame I wasn't staying there!

The next morning I walked back down to the waterfront and took some daylight images of the Gellert Hill Cave, which now functions as a church. In the past it was used as a chapel and monastery, and also as a field hospital for the Nazis during World War II. All the walls are carved out of natural rock, and it certainly was quite a sight to behold.

I also took some more general images of the waterfront, and after climbing to the entrance of the Gellert Hill Cave (close to the large cross is in the picture), I took a couple more images of the Liberty Bridge and Chain Bridge. I also got some great shots up the Danube, and the weather was beautiful.

I remember this exploration day in particular because I went for a wander to find a nice cool drink and managed to stumble across a (very) small vintage car museum. Now a car museum is nothing new, but when it's located in what looks like an abandoned shopping arcade in the middle of nowhere, it is all a little strange! There were cars and motorbikes on display, but only a few of each as the 'shopping arcade' was quite small. I chose to put the pictures of my favourite vehicles on the blog, but there were a few others to see. I definitely would not have found it (there was no advertising whatsoever!) had I not been on the prowl for a drink, but I'm glad I did, as it was quite interesting.

Budapest part II to follow.....

Fiji Part III

I think the last Fiji-based post should be dedicated to another one of our fantastic day trips. For this trip we had a 4x4 and driver to take us round some of the sights close to Nadi. We started off early in the morning from the hotel and drove inland towards one of the main sights in Fiji known as 'The Sleeping Giant'. The Sleeping Giant is a length of undulating terrain that appears to look like a man with a large belly, lying down, sleeping with his mouth open (see photo below). It is one of the most famous landmarks around Nadi, and all the locals are familiar with it. You can actually travel to the giant itself to look around, and I think there are gardens at the top, but mum and I chose a different set of activities, so maybe The Sleeping Giant is a journey for the next Fiji visit.

On our journey along the road we stopped outside one of the Hindu schools. Fiji has a very large Indian population (around 40%) that were brought to Fiji by the British to work on Fiji's sugar cane plantations. Many of the Indian workers decided to settle in Fiji, and their culture and religion can be seen all around Nadi. Although we didn't really notice it, there is apparently quite a bit of tension between the indigenous population and Indo-Fijians.There have been a few military coups to displace the predominantly Indian government, with the indegenous population feeling like the Indo-Fijians have too much power. Consequently, many Fijians don't like to talk about politics for fear of punishment. The tension was not apparent to us though, and there was no sign of trouble throughout our stay.

Once off the main road, we moved away from Nadi and took a small dirt track into the hills. From this position we got another good view of The Sleeping Giant, and got to take in some amazing scenery.

As we drove down into a valley and crossed the Sabeto River, we came across one of the locals on his horse. It was an extremely hot day, and I think the horse was glad of the drink. We then continued up the other side of the hill and arrived at a small village called Navilawa.

Navilawa, as expected, was extremely basic. Most of the villagers lived in huts made out of corrugated iron, but they had running water and flushing toilets, so it wasn't quite as basic as I had expected. The first thing we had to do on entering the village was visit the chief of the village and take part in a traditional sevusevu (kava) ceremony. Kava is made using the ground up (or pounded) roots of the kava plant. The powder is then combined with a little bit of water, poured into a small bowl, and then passed around for people to drink. The ceremony itself involves the visitor presenting either the kava root (or ready ground root) to the village chief, he then makes the kava, and  once you have drunk the kava with the chief, you are officially welcomed into the village. I quite liked kava, it was a bit gritty, but had a peppery taste. Mum on the other hand, said it was like drinking mud! I must say though, I'm not surprised the chief welcomes you into the village once you've had some kava; it apparently has sedative and anaesthetic properties. I'm sure he'd let pretty much anyone in after consuming something like that!

Our chief was lovely, extremely happy and friendly. He even had a picture of The Queen on his wall! After drinking kava with him and our driver, he produced some delicious banana pancakes - possibly the best I have ever tasted. They were hot and fresh and full of flavour. I think maybe I should have asked for the recipe!

Once we had been officially welcomed, we were given the freedom to wander around the village as we pleased. Our driver wanted to take us on a walk out to a special cave that the villagers use to shelter from cyclones. It was really just a huge boulder that they could hide under if needed, but it has obviously kept them protected from many cyclones, or they wouldn't keep using it! On our way to the cave we saw lots of pineapple and chilli plants, tangerine trees, and palm trees loaded with coconuts. I got to try one of the chillies, and nearly burnt my mouth off! I was then quickly handed a fresh tangerine to counteract the heat. The tangerine was lovely, very sweet, and much tastier than the supermarket ones.

Once back from our walk, we wandered around the village and took some pictures. As you can see from the photos, the scenery was incredible. We sat on top of a large mound in the middle of the village, and were given some more tangerines and a drink. It was lovely just to sit and take in the surroundings.

After relaxing and sunning ourselves at the top of the mound, we visited the local school. As you can see, it was quite a small class, but of varying ages. We were told that they are very grateful for any paper or pencils that are given to them, as they don't have a lot of money to buy them. Some of the children were holding small blackboards and writing using chalk to save what little paper they had. Mum and I wished we had some pens or paper to give them, but unfortunately we didn't bring any with us. The children seemed happy though, and there were lots of things on the wall that they had drawn or made, which brightened the place up.

Following our school visit we departed the village and made our way back up the dirt track towards Nadi. The driver did still have one surprise for us - a dip in the Sabeto River. He took us to a deep pool with a small waterfall at the end, and let us cool off with a swim. It was just what was needed after our trek to the cave and I had fun climbing up onto the rocks and 'bombing' back in to the water.

After our swim, we were driven back to the hotel. It was still a lovely warm sunny day, so we decided to grab the sunbeds by the plunge pool and continue working on our tans. There was of course, plenty of time for another dip or two before the sun disappeared.

I would certainly recommend a visit to Fiji for anyone that wants to see some of the Pacific Islands. The scenery was incredible, and the locals were very welcoming and friendly. I really enjoyed my time in Fiji, and would love to visit again and see some more of the island.

Fiji Part II

As part of our Fiji experience, we decided to leave the main island for the day and travel out to Plantation Island (part of the Malolo Lailai Islands) by boat. We were driven by minibus from the resort to Denarau Marina, where we got our first look at our transport for the day. The boat was a lovely little white catamaran with blue sails. It was well equipped, with beanbags and large cushions for everyone to sit on, and we were served drinks by the crew. We set off quite early in the morning, and motored towards a large reef where we were due to stop and snorkel.

After an hour or so on the water, we arrived at the reef. We then put on our snorkelling gear and got in. Again, the water was similar to taking a warm bath! The crew also got in, armed with a loaf of bread, and guided us towards the reef. Once we got close they took out some slices of bread, and the fish descended upon us. If you held the bread in your hand, you could actually get them to eat it directly from your hand. I took lots of pictures of the fish, so have selected a few of the best ones for the blog. The highlight of the snorkelling though was finding a purple starfish. We had seen quite a few in the sea when we visited the Cook Islands, but weren't sure whether they'd be harmed if we picked them up. The crew however assured us that it would be ok, and we had a couple of photos with the starfish.

 

Once our allotted snorkelling time was up, we carried on to Plantation Island. The island itself is very small, but still manages to claim an airport, 9-hole golf course and 3 resorts to accommodate tourists. Once we had docked at the wharf, we taken up the beach for a BBQ-buffet lunch. The food was delicious, plenty of fresh fish and other grilled meats, pasta salad, fresh fruit, and a very yummy potato salad which I had several helpings of!

While we were eating, we were entertained by a small 'band' which consisted of 3 men (one of which was our part of our crew). One had a guitar, one had a wooden box to use as a drum, and the third had what looked like a bow, which was used like a double bass. They were very good, and definitely kept us entertained throughout lunch.

After stuffing ourselves full of food, we decided to do a bit of exploring. We walked along a small dirt track that ran parallel to the beach and had a look at some of the accommodation. Most of the buildings were small holiday cabins, one of which had a hammock outside. I took full advantage and had a few minutes recovery after dragging my belly all the way from the dining area.

Once fully rested, we wandered down to the beach front and went for a swim. The beach was lovely and sandy, and again, the water was nice and warm. I did a bit more snorkelling, but mum and I mainly just lay in the water enjoying the warmth.

The boat journey back was a lot of fun, as the wind had picked up so there was quite a bit of water sloshing up over the sides. We also decided to sail back rather than motor as the wind was going in the right direction. To keep us entertained, the crew took some palm leaves and used their knives and craft skills to create various items. I got a bracelet, another girl got given a ring, and one of the crew even made a small rowing boat complete with moving oars. It was very clever! Unfortunately we couldn't take our jewelry back to New Zealand as customs would never allow them through, but the bracelets did take pride of place in the bedroom for the next few days. 

Stay tuned for Fiji part III....