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Paw Paw - Log Day 260: Something Incredible



Before arriving in Savusavu, Elaine had read that a "must do" activity was to take a local bus to Labasa on the northern side of Vanua Levu for the sole purpose of seeing the scenery along the way.

Well, this was definitely a roadtrip about the journey and not the destination. Labasa is a dry, dusty, hot, noisy town, bustling with activity and a world away from the tourist trap. By the time we found refuge for a morning tea in the Grand Eastern Hotel we were convinced that we had somehow been transported to India.

We were definitely not disappointed by the journey though. We have never encountered so many changing and diverse landscapes as we made our way along the windy mountainous road. The vegetation was not as lush as we thought it might be or very tropical, but rather an amalgamation of something that reminded us of so many countries which we have lived in or visited.

There were sections that reminded us of the White Mountains in Arizona and the Plateau of Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas with all the pine trees. Then there was a section that reminded us of Ireland with its green rolling hills. Then a reminder of Kwa-Zulu Natal in South Africa with the endless fields of sugar cane. The only difference being the interspersed fields of pineapples. Then there was the dry bush grass as we headed further north that was so much like the Bushveld, coupled with some very precarious bridges that reminded us of Costa Rica. Throw in a variety of lilac, yellow, orange, red and white wild flowers, coconut groves, cycads, ferns, cystal blue ocean that one can see from the mountain tops, soil the colour of bright orange, little villages off the beaten track, a glimpse into local life and you have something incredible.

Something well worth the effort of getting up at dawn to catch the early morning bus for the 5 hour round-trip!


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