Week 11
Dec 21-26

I have finally had it with the shopping and cooking and picking up and never going anywhere.  First of all, Alan comes with me to go shopping from now on and we take a taxi back.  Second, I get one day a week off, no cooking and no thinking about cooking, no cleaning or picking up or dishwashing, no chores.  I want coffee made before I get up and he can figure out “what’s for dinner”  And if we can’t get a car for a week to drive around the island, let’s at least get one for a day and go to the orchid garden.

And so, we do get a car.  First stop is the Orchid garden, just a few miles south of Vuda, on the way to Nadi set back up against the hills.  It is a lovely place that was owned by Raymond Burr.  Several hundred acres of landscaped gardens dripping with orchids of all kinds and a lily pond complete with frogs.  We spend several hours happily wandering, climb up and down hills, taking pictures (posted on Facebook) and generally relaxing.  A guided tour is included in the price of admission and we are soon up to our ears in botanical names.  When we are finally hot, tired and overloaded with beauty, we make our way back to the large airy reception bure and stretch out on their comfortable lounge chairs for a frosty drink and a short nap 

Next stop is the mud baths.  They are supposed to be just up the road, although no one here seems to be too sure about that.  Since there is only one road here and we know we did not pass it on the way in, we figure that if we keep going we will come to it.  And indeed, after driving through beautiful green hills for 15-20 minutes we spot a parking lot and a cluster of buildings.  This must be it

A path leads from the parking lot to a gate and just inside is the admission booth.   The local village owns and runs the place.  Apparently there are 2 separate places, one for the tour buses and one for everyone else.  Luckily we have ended up at the one for everyone else and there is almost no one here.  There is a large family of Russians and a young Australian couple.  Once we have dealt with the admission charges and declined all of the add on services, we are escorted along a path which winds among the pools.  There is one with hot water, one with not-so-hot water , one with cool water and one for going into first to be sure all the mud is off.  At the far end of the path is a large open room with benches all around and a couple of semi enclosed changing rooms.  I packed our oldest swimsuits on the theory that we may never get the mud out.  Once we are changed we are led across the grass to steps which go down into a large pool of mud, black slimy gooey mud.  Gingerly, hanging on tight to the railing, we make our way down the steps into the mud.  One step, two steps, three, four and then there is just the bottom and I have to let go and move away so that the next person can come down.  It is warm and squish between my toes.  There are weeds growing on the bottom.and rocks and sticks  This is definitely an “organic” experience, not a deluxe spa.  The procedure is to cover yourself from head to toe with the mud and then come out and bake in the sun until it is dry.  While the water in the pool is muddy, the actual mud is on the bottom and I need to reach down and scoop up handfuls of it to cover myself.  Alan and I take turns making sure no spot is missed.  He had announced earlier that he was not interested joining me but somehow, there he was,covered from head to toe in black mud. 

During the drying period we wandered around the grounds.  The villagers had set up booths selling  the usual local handicrafts and we picked up some carved wooden figures for presents.  When the mud had turned from black to light grey and was starting to crack we headed back to the pool to rinse.  Then we lounged our way through each of the other pools, real pools of cement and tile.  When we were all clean and mellow we joined the villagers for a feast of baked fish, cassava and greens and glasses of juice and then headed back home to the marina.

The villager ladies tell me they indulge in a mud bath once a week.  I imagine it is a very different atmosphere when the area is closed to tourists and the it is only the locals, soaking and scrubbing and having a party