Discovering Octopus Island

otcopus-island

That moment when I hit the ‘confirm’ button to purchase my flight to Fiji excited me more than anything else. I was finally getting to go to one of the most faraway places in the world. A place I had dreamed of going forever. I thought of the quote from the movie The Truman Show, when Jim Carrey said about going to Fiji:

You can’t get any further away before you start coming back.

If you haven’t seen The Truman Show, it’s a satirical film which chronicles the life of a man who is initially unaware that he has been living, from the moment he was born, in a constructed reality television show, broadcast twenty-four hours a day to billions of people all over the world. He becomes suspicious of his perceived reality and embarks on a quest to discover the truth about his life. I am always reminded of this movie, not just when I think of my trip to Fiji, but just traveling and life in general. Sometimes we get so caught up in what we are supposed to be doing and all the social norms around us, that we are literally unaware we are living an unauthentic life.

Anyway, a little pop culture reference there (I am obsessed with pop culture!), and now back to my story. . .

I booked my flight into Nadi, which is where the majority of people fly into and is a means for travelers deciding to go island hopping. I only had a 5-day weekend away from where I was working in Sydney to island hop, so I decided that I would fly into Nadi, stay the night and then leave in the morning on a boat to Octopus Island, which was one of the first islands on the Yasawas Island chain. The night I got there, I made sure to arrange an early morning drop off to the boats that take people to the islands. There are smaller boats and there is also something called The Yasawas Flyer. The Flyer is a much larger ferry that takes people from one end of the Yasawas to the other. This ferry goes daily but has very specific drop off and pick up times. Some of the islands have protected coral reefs that the ferry is not allowed to go near, so the smaller boats from each island will make their way to the ferry to pick up guests who are staying on their island.

Octopus Island, where I was staying, had a very large reef in front of it, so we took a smaller boat to get there. As we left Nadi, we were surrounded by ocean as far as the eye could see. I almost felt as if the sea was going to swallow me whole, as the ocean mist and wind whipped through my hair. It was the most intoxicating and sublime feeling. Not too long after we left Nadi, we could make out other uninhabited and deserted islands. It was still so surreal to be quite literally on the edge of the earth.

As we got closer to the island, I was able to see the shadow of the boat in the water and all the coral and sea life that I would get to explore over my days there. I checked in, was greeted with a delicious, tropical drink and made my way to my 4-person, bungalow-style hostel. What I loved about this island, was that it catered to everyone. There were couples and families staying there in private bungalows or rooms as well as younger, more budget-conscious travelers that were able to take advantage of the different dorm options.

I quickly made friends with others who were staying on the island as well as those who were in my dorm room. My days there consisted of sleeping in, swimming and snorkeling for what felt like minutes but was actually hours amongst the coral reef and schools of tropical fish, laying in a hammock and catching up on reading, listening to stories from new friends from all corners of the world, going on an excursion to a nearby deserted island and visiting the local village’s church and interacting with the indigenous people.  The most liberating thing of all was being able to turn and keep my cell phone and computer off. No technology. Just the simplicity of taking in what was around me.

Each evening, my new friends and I would all sit on the powdery white sand and wait for the sun to set. I began to feel that this is what people used to do thousands of years ago; feeling one with the earth, sun and moon. We celebrated each evening’s sunset with an applause. It’s amazing how the most simple things in life hold so much meaning and value to us all. When it got dark, my new friends and I would pull the lounge chair cushions off, put them on the sand, lay down and look at the stars and constellations. Each night we would see multiple shooting stars and it looked as though I could reach out and grab the big dipper. I was far away from any city lights, buildings or pollution. I was on the edge of the earth.

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  • Hannah March 7, 2014, 1:52 pm

    Yeay, your first ever blog post!!! It has been so much fun working with you on this Aditi, and I’m so happy I was able to help bring The Yatra Project to life. I’m excited to watch your site grow and develop 🙂
    Hannah recently posted…Free printout | Thank you cardsMy Profile

    • Aditi March 8, 2014, 12:28 pm

      Yay! It has been an incredible ride going through the process of creating my dream blog and website. Thanks so much for being such a huge part of this new chapter in my life! 😀

  • Irene March 18, 2014, 9:40 am

    Yaay!! It’s finally here! I’m so proud of you – the website looks great! This is the perfect spot for you to share your beautiful and inspiring stories about your life and to get us all excited to travel to so many more places! I want to go to Fiji right now!

    • Aditi March 18, 2014, 3:54 pm

      Ahhh thanks so much girl! I absolutely LOVE the design! If I were a website, this would be me! I want to be in Fiji now too! Let’s go! haha! Thanks so much for your support, it means so much to me! I miss you!

  • Federica Gerber March 18, 2014, 6:26 pm

    Lovely blog, lovely photos! How well I remember that Fiji trip and all those sunsets 🙂

    • Aditi March 18, 2014, 7:40 pm

      Thanks so much Kika! I know! Ahhh! I remember you letting me look through your camera to see the flash of green as the top of the sun hit the horizon line! Most magical sunsets in the entire world! Miss you and Fiji! We need a reunion there soon! 😉

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