...and pan to the right.
After 9 days of island hopping, 5 hours of rocky catamaran, and a fishing boat stuck journey in the middle of the ocean, nothing seemed more appealing to me than some time in the mountains. There is only one place to stay in the mountains near Nadi and that is Stoney Creek Mountain Lodge. The reviews online mentioned the welcoming hosts who also owned the property. It also mentioned the many cats and dogs. Getting there was pretty easy, just a bus from Nadi Town to the junction. Then a quick taxi ride up the hill. When I arrived, there was no power.
I was a little confused why the hosts hadn’t been expecting me. I put the pieces of the puzzle together: they couldn’t check the reservations because they had no power. I asked if it was ok that I was there and that I’d be cool with sitting and waiting and looking at the mountains. I had no schedule in Fiji. Shortly after I arrived, rains started getting pretty heavy. A French couple arrived and mentioned that they need to get to the airport the next morning. The hostess told them she’d fully refund them and that there’s no way to guarantee the roads would be open with the pending storm. She was right.
What ensued was two full days of nonstop rain and insane winds. Coconuts were flying off of the trees. Branches, doors and pieces of roof seemed to dislodge as the winds got stronger. Every now and then there would be a break. At night it was much worse. I spent most of the day sitting in the reclining chair staring at the mountains as the storm was taking it’s toll.
Stoney Creek is a concrete jungle. The owner is a concrete tradesmen and airline pilot. He engineered a massive roof structure over the main farmhouse with reinforced concrete and a truss framework. I could sit under the structure during Cyclone Josie and be pretty safe. It was incredible to be outside during the storm. The lack of electricity did not bother me until all of my batteries started running out of power. Towards the end of the storm period, they turned on the generator. I understand it is quite expensive to run it.
While I was sitting around and writing and thinking, cats and dogs would come up to me and sit on my lap. They let me pet them and they gave me love. I gave them love back. My hosts were loving too. The husband took me on a tour of his property, showed me his many works in progress and explained his extremely elaborate vision for a modern hotel compound. I told him I like it the way it is now. He has a hipster paradise at his fingertips. Just take a look at the abandoned/in progress “Around the World”-themed miniature golf course:
The river usually ends at the top part of the photo.
We drove down the hill after the storm to get a look at the damage. This was the real taste of Fiji life I was looking for. The flooding was real. He knew by the amount of flooding how long it would take the waters to recede: “by the afternoon”. Still, the locals looked concerned. Also, he knew that if these roads were flooded, Nadi Town was definitely flooded. It wasn’t long before we heard the news that tourists died in Nadi the previous day trying to get through the flood waters.
I loved my stay in the mountains. It made me think that may I prefer staying in the mountains to staying on the beach. Of course there are merits to both landscapes but the relaxation I felt in the mountains was much, much stronger than what I felt on the beach. My connection to the hosts felt strong too. I was driven back to the airport at no charge. We parted ways. I felt like I understood Fiji just a bit more. My next step would be to reunite with my friends from the Blue Lagoon debacle at the Coral Coast. My poor friends were stuck in the Yasawas during Cyclone Josie! I could not imagine what that was like.
Pictures from after the storm:
Pictures of the loving animals on the property:
