My Travel Diary: Auckland, Hawaii, Fiji, Singapore to Mombasa, Kenya in Two Weeks
Day one of the state of emergency declaration by Prime Minister Jacinda Adern comes with unprecedented side effects. Boredom to some extent and that has to be put to good use. New Zealand is basically locked down. Unless one is provisioning an essential service, then self isolation is the only option out to flatten the COVID-19 infections curve in the country. This has provided me the chance to write about a trip I made at the beginning of this year.I had actually been thinking of documenting it, but just didn’t have the time. I predominantly write about Data Science but a little bit on travel won’t hurt.
I had about 8 days to have a feel of Hawaii, Fiji and finally head to Kenya, my motherland. I was actually in Hawaii for the 53rd HICSS conference in Maui, Kahului. I spent almost a week at the conference thus had sometime to move around the place. One take away from Maui was that the word Aloha which means almost anything. Maui was great, except for the bus transport system that reminds me of my days China when it comes to passengers struggling to negotiate with incoming ones to get change as drivers won’t give it to you. For a tourist, please get a day’s pass. Its much cheaper in the long run. The situation is the same in Honolulu.
Honolulu
I flew to Honolulu for my connecting flight back. I had a few hours there opting to visit the Pearl Harbor and Waikiki beach. Those were my only go to places in Honolulu and I achieved visiting each one of them. The boat tour at Pearl Harbor was lovely despite the sad state that transpired so many years ago when so many people lost their lives. Below is a photo of Japan’s secret weapon, the torpedo that tore through America warships at the time.
USS Arizona still sits at the bed of the ocean and a small museum sort of built on top of it. Names of so many soldiers are engraved on the walls and the survivors who pass away also have their names added to the list and are actually buried at sea with their comrades. Admiral Yamamoto must have been a brutal yet sharp chap. I hope to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki in future to have a feel of the repercussions of this aggression as it didn't end well. A few more photos of the place and Waikiki are below.
Fiji
The second leg of my return journey to Auckland took a detour to Nadi,Fiji. A few of my Fijian friends were already there and we thought it was great to visit them. The trip was to take me from Nadi, Rakiraki, Suva and back to Nadi, a complete tour of the Vitilevu Island in two days. All was smooth aboard Fiji airways from Honolulu to Nadi, a journey of about 7 hours. This was the only airport I’ve been to that has a singing group welcome you. I see that for VIPs in Kenya though. The most emotional bit of this arrival, as weird as it sounds was the large “Welcome Home” print on Fiji Airways hanger at Nadi Airport. I don’t know why, but I really felt like I was going home for sure.
Immigration
This was one bit of a hassle for me to say the least and may be I was partly to blame. I’m Kenyan thus a visa is not mandatory for me in Fiji. This sounds simple until one has to justify the reason why he/she needs to be in the country. I was to be there for just two days, purely to visit my friends in Rakiraki and Suva. A two day stay in such a far off place probably raised eyebrows. Unfortunately, I didn't have their Fijian numbers. Only New Zealand(NZ) ones and neither did I know their addresses and address system in Fiji, something the immigration officer needed. I ended up showing the officer my tickets,my NZ visas etc but she still wasn't satisfied. All in all, I ended up being given permission to stay in the country for the two days as per my ticket which was actually enough. My luggage was checked and cross-checked till I mentioned Honolulu as the port of exit before Nadi. That’s when everything was handed back to me in record time. That left a bitter taste in my mouth, but again probably I may have just overthought. The situation may be the same for some, more so for Kenyans who may visit Fiji without a very good touristic plan.
Rakiraki
I had heard so much about the Denarau Island in Nadi. That was the first site I wanted to visit since it was not very far from the airport. Opulence and fine living characterizes the place. I’m lucky to have gotten a taxi driver who took me around and explained in detail what happened there. I had to part with about $30 for this maiden ride. It is a fine place for the people who want to enjoy some quiet time on the island. I’m sure it comes at a cost.
I left for Nadi town in readiness for the journey to Rakiraki. Luckily a friend was to pick me up in his truck. One more thing, please visit Jacks of Fiji to get something authentically Fijian. I managed to visit the two branches in Nadi and Suva. You can even get Kava supplements there.
Rakiraki is quite laid back, more like rural New Zealand from the onset. Breathtaking scenery to say the least. Weather was great at the time, though a bit humid compared to Auckland or Mombasa Kenya. I would liken the weather to summer time in Xiamen, China. I spent a great night in Rakiraki, hosted at my friends place. I had to stop by Udre Udre’s grave in Rakiraki on my way to Suva. Its said that he was the biggest human cannibal ever.
He ate about 99 humans in his lifetime. Wikipedia says 1000 humans before his death. I wish its just a myth but may be is the truth.
Journey to Suva
The journey to Suva was quite eye opening. I had the golden chance of noting the general lifestyle in the countryside as well as in the cities in Fiji. Countryside was a bit relaxed but quite developed for a small country like Fiji. I can talk about this for days, especially in comparison to Kenya, my motherland. Fiji is way ahead. Suva, just like most capitals in the world was busy and lovely for my liking. This is one of the side effects of spending many years in Nairobi, an equally busy place. I had the chance to move around the city for about three hours before boarding the bus back to Nadi Airport on my way back to Auckland.
Nadi
Just like the journey to Rakiraki, nothing was very different except for the occasional sighting of young boys playing touch rugby in the rain. This left no doubt as to why Fiji is one of the greatest nations in the world of sevens rugby. The bus was on time and to be sincere, that was one of the most comfortable five hour bus ride I’ve had in a very long time. I reached Nadi, Airport at about 10PM and had to spend the night there to catch the next flight to Auckland early in the morning. It was a very long night but I made it through.
Auckland to Singapore
The journey to Auckland and eventually Singapore a day later was a disappointment but and a blessing at the same time. Plane delay in Auckland, meant that I had a one day “paid for” holiday in Singapore. Lovely city, but quite hot at the time. Singapore, sure enough reminds me of China. It may just be a replica of a few cities in China.
Mombasa Kenya
I always make a point of traveling to a different town in Kenya when home for holidays. I’ve been to Mombasa before but not via the Standard Gauge Railway line.Booking for this ticket is online and one needs an MPESA line to make payments and receive ticket details if I’m not wrong. I was surprised that the paper tickets as shown below are a replica of the China Railways tickets.
We may have just “shared technology” to this extent. I spent a week in Diani, moving around the place, to Mombasa town and nearby Islands. I had the chance to visit the Kisite - Mpunguti Marine National Park, a coral and marine life park. To be sincere, my fear of the journey back to mainland overshadowed the joy of the coral reef views. May be I’m just too Kenyan. All in all, my partner enjoyed it to my relief. If one is into scuba diving and the sort of sports then this is a must visit place in Kenya. Be prepared to part with approximately USD 100 for non-Kenyans and about USD 30 or so for Kenyans. Its worth it, and a positive contribution to the marine conservation efforts in the area.
January 2020 was a busy month for me and I’m glad to share my travel diary with the world. COVID-19 has put a halt to these travels at the moment but I bet you wont be disappointed following my travel path if opportunity arises. I managed to get back to Auckland, New Zealand before its borders closed and I’m safe contributing to the world economy. If I was Fijian, I would be happy working in Suva and retiring in Rakiraki. For a New Zealander, I would make numerous trips to other places in the world other than Hawaii. Its a replica of New Zealand. I doubt you’ll miss a thing. For a Kenyan, travel the world. None of these places are like Kenya. You’ll have positive vibe all around. All in all I’m quite optimistic of retiring in the sleepy town of Webuye in Kenya. That’s just home.
