Fiji > The hotel is closed

Auckland Airport immediately seems much more welcoming than Guangzhou. The shops are inviting, and there are plenty of comfortable seating areas between the stores. We don’t have much time here, though. From Amsterdam, our luggage was tagged all the way to Auckland. This means we need to collect our luggage from the belt, pass through customs, and then check in again for our final flight to Fiji. At customs, there is a long line. Fortunately, I have an e-passport and can join the significantly shorter line for the self-scan machines. The scanning goes smoothly, but the process ends with an error message. I still have to report to the assistance desk. It turns out I don’t yet have a visa. I receive a single three-month visa for New Zealand in my passport. At the baggage check, the main focus is on food items and whether our hiking boots are clean enough. I am allowed through. From the arrivals hall, we walk toward the departures area. Without realizing it, we head with our main luggage toward the baggage control. “Hey guys, did you check in?” we are asked. Uh, no? For this, we need to go to the lower floor. For our flight to Fiji, no luggage is included with the ticket. We have to pay a significant extra fee. We have no choice and pay it. When we pass through hand luggage control for the second time, everything is fine. We even have a little time for coffee and a sandwich. On the flight to Fiji, no meal is included—at least not for us. Apparently, we have a special seat-only ticket, which does not include a meal. Many other passengers have a “regular” ticket. Perhaps a regular ticket would have been cheaper for us, too, because now we had to pay for the luggage separately. We will never know. Air New Zealand surprises perhaps with this concept, but they also impress with their safety video. Instead of boring instructions, the entire video is presented in rap form, complete with dances. Suddenly, the instructions are fun to watch. Just before 12:30, this plane begins its descent to Nadi Airport on Fiji’s largest island, Viti Levu. It’s raining! It is the rainy season in Fiji. This can mean a heavy downpour followed by warm weather. It also feels oppressively warm. At customs, we are in for a surprise. The officer doubts whether the accommodation we provided actually exists. Even when we show the reservation, he says he knows the owner and that the hotel is closed. He calls the hotel, and the owner confirms the story. A few weeks ago, the owner had already informed the intermediary that the booking could not go through. The hotel is bankrupt. We have no choice but to look for another place to stay—something we are not eager to do after nearly forty hours of travel. The customs officer is mainly concerned that a valid address is on the customs declaration. “Should I write down Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort as the address?” he asks. Then he stamps the passport and the declaration. Apparently, it does not matter whether we stay there or not.

Fiji - The cabin in Fiji

In the arrivals hall, we report to the car rental company. We receive a brief explanation about traffic in Fiji. The speed limit outside towns is 80 km/h, and traffic fines and damages will be charged. Driving on the left is probably considered obvious—it doesn’t need to be mentioned, after all, the steering wheel is on the other side. We decide to bypass the town of Nadi and drive toward the Coral Coast. Through booking.com, we find an alternative hotel about twenty kilometers from where we were originally supposed to stay. We decide to go there. Fortunately, Yatule Resort still has cottages available. We are shown three different accommodations: sea view, pool view, and the suite. We choose the beach view. On the terrace, we order a beer. We really need it. It is also a good moment to celebrate Allert’s birthday—a celebration we had nearly forgotten due to traveling and the hotel problems. In the evening, we do not worry about anything. On the terrace, we order a meal with beer. A guitarist comes by specifically to play a Yatule welcome song. Judging by the faces of the other guests, this ritual is customary, and they have all experienced it as well. After dinner, we go to bed quickly.