Bart Bear's Blog

On the few afternoons when the rain was not falling, we did a couple of road trips along the western side of Viti Levu, the main island of Fiji. If you do this, don't expect superhighways. The roads are narrow, sometimes very rough and potholed, and they wind along the shore and across fairly high mountain passes. There is never a dull moment with lots of interesting views, buildings and people. Here are just a few. From many places you can glimpse islands out beyond the fringing reef. This one is Beqa (pronounced mbenga). It has great snorkelling and diving spots, but is too expensive for the Oldies to take me there. Along the road you often come to roadside stalls where the locals are selling their garden produce. This one had bundles of something I had not seen before. It is Taro, one of the staple diets of islanders, but not of small bears. There are cows tied by the roadside with no sign of who they belong to, and horses just wandering around loose. It turns out that they all belong to local villages, not to any particular person, and if you need milk or a ride you just use the nearest critter. We passed this happy "cowboy" on the road north of the Warwick. He was on his way to harvest some bananas. Someday I may get back to Fiji and see more of the big islands; we saw lots of the smaller ones during our Fiji cruises and you can see lots of images of them in my older posts.

Labels: Fiji

Despite the absolutely lousy weather during the two tropical lows and Cyclone Xena, we did enjoy most of our holiday at the Warwick Fiji. The lagoon was beautiful in the two brief periods of sunshine. Dad even managed an hour of snorkelling; he says that the cyclones had mangled the coral, but the fish were magnificent. During the rainy days, Mum and I spent time in the lounge colouring a batch of stamped cards that Mum took with her, just in case. The restaurants (Yay! spelled it right) were great, far better than the buffets. As usual, we added some colour and class to dinner on a couple of nights. And sunsets from the terrace were among the best I have ever seen. In good weather the Warwick would be great.

Labels: Fiji

We found this cute little trolley parked under the stairs at the Warwick. The labels on it claim that it is a fire engine. With the weather being all rainy and windy, it didn't have to be used during our stay. But if it had been needed there was a crew ready for it - The Fabulous Fiji Firebears (actually 2 bears and a small cow, but Milkshake is an honorary bear). Scruffy and I are just big enough to turn on the fire extinguishers by jumping on the handles and Milky's job is to yell directions at the 2 husky Fijians who pull the trolley and aim the hoses. We practiced a lot and would have been right there if and ready for action if fire had threatened.

Labels: Fiji

Apologies for the 10-day silence. I have been very busy looking after a very sick Mum. Anyhow, here's some photos of a happy Mum meeting some of the critters at Kula Nature Park in Fiji. This small zoo was close enough to the Warwick that we could get to it even though the major roads were flooded in several places. The aim of the park is to preserve Fiji's endangered animals and birds. The most spectacular things I saw there were the green iguanas. Mum made friends with a Banded Iguana called Kevin. He was quite happy to have visitors handle him, provided they washed their hands first. There are also Crested Iguanas at Kula, but they are too nervous for visitors to nurse, and they can run and climb really fast so they are kept in special enclosures. The aim is to breed and release these rare reptiles. Mum also played with a small Boa Constrictor. She is not scared of snakes, but I kept well out of the way; I didn't like the way it was looking at me. The large parrots are also now rare in the wild. The red guy is a Crimson Shining Parrot and all he was interested in was chewing a small log to bits. The Masked Shining Parrot in the next cage was much more suspicious and kept us under close observation the whole time. You can see lots of rare species at Kula Eco Park, so put it on your Fiji bucket list.

Labels: animals, birds, Fiji

The Oldies planned to spend lots of time snorkeling in the lagoon at the Warwick. Well, 2 tropical lows and a cyclone made that impossible. These photos show why. The first 3 show the large debris that came over the reef into the lagoon. The photos only show the bits that were big enough to be caught on the lagoon bottom. There were other bits that were drifting on the surface with the current. Logs, from small firewood chunks up to whole trees were being dumped into the lagoon almost continually for 5 days. The heavy rain caused major flooding along the rivers, trees were uprooted, and all sorts of debris from the river banks and low-lying areas was washed loose. The flooded rivers carried all this out to sea, the current bought it along the outside of the reef and the big waves caused by the weather tossed it over the reef into the lagoon. Tides were exceptionally high due to a combination of Full Moon and storm surges. The lagoon had to be closed; moving logs and swimmers are not a safe mix. After the cyclone passed, staff were hard at work from small boats clearing out the lagoon and picking up the muck that was littering the beach. Maybe next trip the Oldies can snorkel.

Labels: Fiji

Of our 8 days in Fiji, 7 of them had bad weather. The only good weather was the afternoon we arrived and the following morning, and the morning we left. On day 2 it started to rain and over the next 3 days we had 2 tropical lows dump about 20 inches of rain on the island. Much flooding, roads blocked and we were marooned in the Warwick. But it looked like worse was to follow. The top left image is a cloud map of what was following the lows; The 2 main islands of Fiji are outlined centre right. The map shows the last of the lows passing over the big island. We were staying about where the tip of the smaller blob is. The systems were moving from west to east (left to right). You can see a huge cloud mass following. That developed into a Category 3 cyclone, named Zena, heading straight for us. For those not sure what a cyclone is, it is the same thing that is called a hurricane or a typhoon, depending on the country you are in. Fortunately, the cyclone slightly changed track and the worst of it passed just south of us during the night of April 6. The second photo shows the track of the cyclone. The bottom photos show the storm clouds building up in the afternoon and the last one was just before dark. Much rain and the palm trees are all bent backwards to what you see in my other photos. We were told to stay inside, the doors were locked, windows taped, restaurants closed (Hey! I spelt resserterornt right that time), and we waited for the storm. Well, the wind peaked at about 200 kph, coconuts were blowing off the trees like canon balls, and it rained and rained. No bad damage to the Warwick and the next two days were a bit better. My first cyclone and I don't want ever to be any closer to the central path.

Labels: Fiji

Fijian Resorts have lots of interesting things for small bears to explore. I managed to escape from the eagle-eyed Oldies one morning and found some fun things to do in the gardens. You can see me in the photos if you look carefully. Just outside the reception driveway is this tiny waterfall. I had a real battle with my conscience - to swim in the pool at the bottom, or not to. Remembering what Mum would say if I came back soaked, I just sat in the spray for a while and dried off in the Sun before going back to the room. Some of the trees had vines growing right up the trunks. I found one that looked just like the pictures in the story of Jack and the Beanstalk, so I tried climbing up to see if that giant really did exist. I still don't know, because one of the big Fijian gardeners hauled me down; actually he could have been a small giant. The gardeners turn every tree stump into strange sculptures. I had a look inside one that looked like a warrior, and he was hollow. Actually, palm tree trunks have soft insides that are easy to scoop hollow and were used as water pipes and gutters in the olden days. The tiny umbrellas? Well, after a strenuous session of exploring, small bears like a cool, refreshing cocktail. The best cocktails have tiny umbrellas in them for some strange reason. You can see that I did a lot of exploring.

Labels: climbing, Fiji

We spent 8 days in Fiji this time. We were going to stay on one of the Mamanuca Islands, but Cyclone Winston flattened the resort and blew it away, so we stayed at this place instead. It is the Warwick Fiji, on the Coral Coast of Viti Levu, the main island of the Fiji group. The Warwick is one of the "grand old ladies" of Fijian resorts and has been reconditioned many times. It is still a great place to stay. These pictures were taken on our first day there. You can see that it has a large, clear lagoon, sheltered by a reef that runs right along the western and southern coasts of the island. The Oldies intended to spend lots of time snorkeling in this lagoon, but the weather decided otherwise. It was fine this day, but then a chain of tropical lows and yet another cyclone hit Fiji, rain pelted down and the lagoon became dangerous for swimmers. So we spent lots of time in the dry areas of the lounges, particularly the Sunset Lounge deck. I will put up a few photos that will show you how it got its name. A bit disappointing, but still a reasonably good time.

Labels: Fiji

Flying with Virgin on long-haul flights is usually fun. It is a 4-hour flight to Fiji and the Oldies splurged and booked us into business class. I managed to get a quick look into the flight deck before we left. Passengers are not allowed in there, but small bears can sometimes take a peek from the cabin door. The flight crew were well into their pre-flight checks, but I couldn't stop and listen because of all the passengers coming on board. The cabin crew were magnificent. I made a new friend, the cabin crew boss lady, Kara. She is a very nice lady and loads of fun. Notice how she and Dad are photo-bombing what should have been a serious photo of Mum. I am now her number one boyfriend! The photo of a Boeing 737 like the one we flew in was taken on arrival at Nadi International Airport. The first thing you notice when you arrive here is the heat (around 30º C), next the humidity (always nearly 100%), then the superb sound of Fijians singing their welcome song. Unfortunately, this was the best weather of our whole trip - more about that later.

Labels: aircraft, Fiji

OK, before the purists among you jump and clammer loudly that these are SHIPS, not boats, I admit that is the proper term, but "ships" doesn't alliterate with "Bart's". I absolutely love cruising and these are the ships that I have cruised on so far. "Dro Ki Cakau" was a happy ship. I did three cruises around various parts of Fiji on her. The photo shows her moored among the northern Yasawa islands. She was damaged beyond repair during a cyclone in 2010, and replaced by "Reef Endeavour". I cruised some of the Great Barrier Reef on "Reef Endeavour" in 2005, while she was based in Cairns. The picture shows her at Cooktown. What can I say about "Queen Mary 2"? She is the ultimate cruise liner, a superb mix of classic Cunard luxury and modern technology. I only had 5 days on her in 2011 and hope that we can afford a longer trip sometime in the future. The photo shows her arriving in Fremantle harbour. "Voyager of the Seas" is my favourite ship, so far. Dad was lecturer on her on a New Zealand trip in 2012. Although not as "posh" as the QM2, "Voyager" is a well-run and happy ship with lots of activities, live music of various types, and interesting places to eat. The good news is that we are taking Mum on another "Voyager" cruise for her birthday and Christmas this year. "Celebrity Millenium" was a bit of a let-down because the ship was kept too cold and lots of the passengers got really sick. The ship was OK, but didn't have the excitement of the others. However, the cruise from Hawaii to Sydney via French Polynesia took us to many places the Oldies wanted to see. There is a blank space in the mosaic for my next ship. This will be "Radiance of the Seas", which Dad will be lecturing on in April during a cruise to New Caledonia. I am looking forward to returning to Noumea and investigating a new ship. Love cruising.
You can see many images from these cruises on my blog, just search the ship name in the search window at top left of the page.

Labels: boats, Cairns, Captain Cook, cruising, Fiji, New Zealand, Noumea, Tahiti

The islands of the South Pacific are home to some of the strangest sculptures in the world. They are like a mix of human and monster. Lots of the earliest statues, both stone and wood, were destroyed by missionaries. I like them a lot (the statues that is) and always get photos of any we find. Here are four of the ones that we saw on last year's cruise. The white guy is a new one, made from concrete. I found him at a shop door in Port Denarau, Fiji. He seems to be a mix between the Polynesian Tiki style and the Melanesian style. The red one and the grey two-headed one are in parks near the docks in Papeete, Tahiti. They are carved from local rock and are very old. The red one is the oldest of these four, and is female, The double-header is definitely male. Note the islander asleep in the background. Papeete has lots of people "busy doing nothing" in the public areas and I didn't like the feel of the town much. The fourth statue is made from wood. Actually, there are a pair of these, one mail and one female, guarding the doorway of a shop in the main street of Vaitape, Bora Bora. Most Polynesian sculptures are wooden, but they don't last as long as the stone ones do. Of course, lots of small statues are still being carved for the tourist trade, but I am not allowed to bring any wooden stuff home because of the Australian Customs laws. Maybe that's just as well because I would be competing for space with Mum's Egyptian statues.

Labels: boats, cruising, Fiji, South Pacific, Tahiti

Wow, it's hard to believe that I have been writing this blog for 4 whole years! I didn't think that anybody would be all that interested in the doings of a small Aussie bear and his Oldies, but at last count people from 15 different countries were reading my ramblings. Over the four years I have shown you some of my favourite places, like Fiji, Norfolk Island, Hamilton Island, the Great Barrier Reef and lots of places on mainland Australia from the beaches to the central desert. I hope my travels by car, boat, plane and train have been fun to read about, and I hope the Oldies keep us travelling. And of course I haven't been able to resist bragging a bit about the craftwork and models that I help the Oldies with. Thanks for reading my blog; I really do enjoy your emails and occasional comments.

Labels: aircraft, airshow, animals, astronomy, beach, Captain Cook, family, Fiji, fish, Hamilton Is, lighthouse, Norfolk Is, Queensland, Temora, train

Mid-winter mornings in Canberra, cold and foggy, always gets me remembering the warm and sunny places that I have been to. Fiji is probably my favourite because you get there in a big aeroplane and spend lots of the time on boats. Absolute favourite is cruising the islands with Captain Cook. Different places and people every day and fun most every night. Scruffy and I get to go to some of the parties and we always try to dress the part. Here we are, all ready to go to the Captain's Welcome dinner on our second cruise, draped in the special shell necklaces that are given to you when you board. Of course us bears can get ready quickly, but then we have to wait for the Oldies. I sometimes think that if there wasn't food involved we would have to wait forever for Dad.

Labels: Captain Cook, cruising, Fiji

This is where we came ashore for our first bus trip on Taveuni in Fiji. You can see my boat, Captain Cook's "Reef Escape" anchored offshore. Some of our fellow-passengers are coming across the beach from the landing boat to the bus. I am sitting in the bus window keeping out of the way while Mum videos things. I love these island beaches with big palm trees an flowering bushes. The local kids like the trees too. You can see where they have put a swing rope on one of these palms. Dad wouldn't let me try it because it swung out over the water and Mum won't let me take any chance of getting wet. I really enjoyed my trips to Fiji and maybe when the troubles there have settled down I will go back again someday.

Labels: boats, Captain Cook, cruising, Fiji

One of the fun things on a Captain Cook Fiji cruise is the way that we get from the ship to the shore when we are going for a side trip to somewhere interesting. These two little boats take us. The bigger one is a glass-bottomed "see-through" boat that also takes us out over the reefs so we can see corals and fish. The little one takes snorkellers as well. Here they are lining up to come onto the lift at the stern of "Reef Escape". The lift is a fun thing as it lifts the boats right up out of the water so that we can get onto them without having to jump or get wet, then it lowers them back down into the water. I like to sit on the railings at the back and watch this happen. Mum doesn't like me doing it because she thinks I will fall in. It was a calm day when this photo was taken, but sometimes it gets rough enough to make for a really exciting ride. The only excitement this day was that the boats had been painted the day before and some of us stuck to almost-dry paint. Some of the Oldies got really cranky about that but I thought it was funny.

Labels: boats, Captain Cook, cruising, Fiji

Pearls are pretty things. Mum likes them a lot. It takes a lot of effort on the part of the people who farm them, and I guess a bit of effort from the oyster as well. Actually, Mum and the pearl farmers do pretty well from the process but the poor old oyster gets a rough deal. Here we are at the harvesting shed of Fiji Pearls farm in Savusavu bay. A series of oysters have been opened on the table to show how the colours of the shells can be different. You get different coloured pearls by using little bits of the shell as the "seed" when you start a pearl growing inside an oyster. The seed is inserted inside the gonads of the oyster; I don't quite understand that or why Dad winces every time it is mentioned. You can see a clean pearl on the green bag, and one waiting to be taken out of the oyster on the right. Scruff and I were fascinated by the way that the guy opening the oysters never sliced his fingers. And yes, it stinks inside the harvesting shed.

Labels: Captain Cook, cruising, Fiji

You don't ride in Fiji buses if you worry about the weather. There are no windows, so while the bus is moving the breeze can keep the passengers cool. Provided it is not raining that is. Mind you, the rain that gets around the roll-down canvas screens keeps you cool too, and wet as well. Anyhow, it was not raining the day we set off to the 180th longitude line on Taveuni. Dad took these pictures of Mum, Scruffy and I as we were loading from the little boats onto the bus. Mum and I like the front seat if we can get it because that way you can see out the side and ahead as well. Mind you, on some of the roads we travelled on I wasn't game to look ahead. This bus had no coconuts in the storage bins like the one I showed you earlier, because we were going back onto "Reef Escape" for lunch. The driver wouldn't let me have a go, but the scenery was terrific.

Labels: Captain Cook, cruising, Fiji

If you ask most people they will tell you that cows are Mum's favourite animals. Well, she sure does like cows, but they are not the favourite. These little guys are. This is a gecko, actually a Fijian gecko but you get similar ones almost anywhere you go in the tropics. He lives in the crack in the walls in this old Fijian hotel. Geckoes are lizards with very special feet that allow them to climb walls and run across ceilings. The feet are covered in millions of microscopic hairs that cling to almost everything; teflon is the only stuff known that geckoes can't climb on. Every night the little guys come out and stalk insects for food, so people in the tropics usually are glad to have a family of geckoes running around the walls and ceilings keeping the flies and mozzies in check and chirping away talking to each other. Every time we are on holidays Mum checks for geckoes and is really happy when she sees them. The geckoes might not be so happy to see her though, because she scares them with the camera flash trying to get their picture.

Labels: animals, Fiji

This has to be one of the best spots for small bears. A thick bamboo pole above the reach of crabs, a beautiful island and crystal-clear water, and in the background our very own boat just waiting for us to come back on board and head for somewhere else just as interesting. The island is Manava Cay, the boat is "Reef Escape" and the Oldies are in the water. I could spend a long time doing this, just cruising around from island to island, soaking up the scenery and watching the antics of the people who share the boat with us. I just have to convince the Oldies to go somewhere special on their holidays and to take Scruffy and I along with them. Now where do I talk them into going next year??

Labels: Captain Cook, crabs, cruising, Fiji

There are some songs that warble on about little grass shacks on islands. Usually they go on about how great it would be to be there with the person of their dreams. Well, here's a real little grass shack on a beautiful tiny island. I was there but the only people there with me were Scruffy, the Oldies and a boatload of "Reef Escape" passengers. No sign at all of my dreambear. The island is Manava Cay and the shack is where the Fijians who own the island stay when they come across from the mainland on fishing trips. Scruff and I spent some time on this great bamboo rail. I think it was there to dry fishing nets on but it made a great spot for small bears to see everything that was happening on the island (not much actually). It was also safe from crabs. Manava Cay looks very pretty but Dad found out that it has hidden dangers when he walked across the grass in bare feet. The grass is full of big, sharp bindieyes (that's a very tough type of prickle for those of you who don't speak Australian). The hut is actually fairly impressive. It is kept clean inside and lets the air through but not the rain and it stays together even in the big storms like the one we had the day before. I really do love islands, despite those pesky crabs.

Labels: Captain Cook, crabs, cruising, Fiji