Feeling like real Celebrity with ultra luxury life style @ Bulaland... Part 3.

We are about to land at Nadi International airport after almost 25 hours of flying and stopovers. As being the destination of high end honeymooners and expensive resorts my expectations from this country was very high.
The moment I came out of the aircraft and it was around 5 Am on the local clock I was very excited to get the best welcome of my life at any airport.... here we are out of the aircraft .. just few steps and we were at the immigration desk , just before 2 steps of immigration we saw 2 gentlemens playing guitar ans singing some local welcome songs... my excitement started going high. at the immigration it just took 5 mins and we were done with all formalities. there was a staircase taking us down to collect our baggage. There was just a conveyer belt for all airlines and all baggage was dumped on the same belt .. wow now my excitement started converting in some hidden fear.. fear of is this real fiji or we are yet to go to real Fiji... The Fiji i dreamed off, The Fiji I was expecting... but I kept my nerves intact and was waiting for miracle to happen... Just in front of the conveyer belt there was a small duty free and from there walk of some more steps we were at the customers and in another minute we were done with all formalities and by crossing the wooden wall we were out of the airport it was like from an aircraft to the main exit door pf Airport it took 10 minutes and by all mean i am saying 10 minutes we were standing next to the welcome party and our host Tourism Fiji Representative was with us... Wow isn't it was super quick? Either we have got some VVIP treatment or there is some problem... I started wondering .. I mean we are normal human being,.. how is it possible that our immigration, baggage , customs everything got over in so less time... where in all other part of the world it takes minimum an 1 hour for normal humans like me..
We were welcomed by the Tourism Fiji and our local Destination Managing Partner representatives. It was very humble, Polite and refreshing welcome we have got... I was so touched by looking at smiling face at such odd hours and yes with hospitality at its best.  
We were taken to the private lounge and from we were taken to the private check in counter before we board our charter flight .. Wow isn't it sounds like some celebrity was travelling.. .but the reality was it was me.. a common man .. was travelling and believe me it was a feeling of a life time.. We were taken to a domestic terminal and without any waiting streight out to the aircraft which was waiting only for 7 of us ... I mean what better start you can expect for your tour ..
Our captain Tom was waiting for us in aircraft and he welcomed us on board in his New Zealand accent with Fijian tradition. Within few minutes of boarding the aircraft we were on on runway and started flying to our next stop.. Savusavu.. a small town on the second biggest island of the Fiji called Vanau Levu.
We were flying over the clouds, mountains, Islands and yes Pacific ocean... when we landed in fiji it was all dark but by this time it was bright sunny day time and we were able to see the beautiful ocean with tiny islands through out our journey from Nadi to Savusavu. We landed in most dramatic way with best possible view of landing ever possible.
Just minutes after the landing we were in our mini van for our onward journey to our most awaited resort stay. Namale.. . The journey from savusavu airstip to reosrt was very small 15 minutes drive passing thru some small villages where we encounter the real Fijian village life for the first time.
We finally arrived at the most luxurious and most awaited destination of our tour. To reach here we travelled almost 1 and half day and changed 3 flights so you can feel the expectations we were having should be on cloud 9. more then 500 acres of land with only 21 private bures and 150 plus staff to cater all your needs in real meaning All inclusive resort.. ladies and gentlemen here we present the synonym of Ultra Luxury Life style resort " Namale" . Will continue my experience at namale in next part.

7 hours of stopover became the reason of successful trip...

After a brief introduction we all were ready to face the most difficult part of stopover "killing the time" and when you have 7 hours with 11 unknown travellers around you with merely any option left then to start some conversation with your fellow travellers. With this option we can kill some time and get to know each other too.

So, after some time we all settled down at the food court with some food for ourselves and sit next to some familiar or I should say little known fellow travellers. Now, the conversation we started was with topics which were far away from our daily life, like Demonetization effects on our economy, USA presidential election and results, bollywood movies and life of hindi film stars, etc. I think that played a very critical part to break the ice between all 12 of us and it made us more comfortable with each other. 

I think all these conversations made us develop some strong opinions about each other and with the help of that opinion we were able to start judging the basic nature, likes and dislikes of all the individuals.
Now, after spending more then 4 hours we were very much comfortable with each other where we started sharing food from each others plates and even the food packets which some of the group members have brought from their home. I think these were some very encouraging signs for the success of the tour.
Even after almost 6 hours when we were about to go toward the aircraft for our onward journey to Nadi, Fiji we were almost together with each other then scattered in small groups of likeminded people. To test this bonding we got a reason too where one of the group member lost his mobile phone at the airport and all of us started looking for the same without even knowing the place where he has lost it and moreover we even started giving lots of ideas to find the same with the help of technology and other means available at the airport. I am sure by this time we were very well jelled and prepared for a great tour of Fiji as a group of unknown friends. 

Now, If I take some time reveres and think what if we wouldn't have got this 7 hours layover time at the singapore airport and a straight connecting flight to Nadi, Fiji? 

Surely we wouldn't have known each other so well and that must have made us little more in our comfort zone on arrival at the airport of Nadi, Fiji. With the same comfort zone we would have started our journey along with some hope to get to know each other during the tour and I am 100% sure under any circumstances we wouldn't have got so much of time on tour where we would have spent so many hours with each other without any work. so by the time we would have started understanding each other the tour would have come to an end. 

So, I think these 7 hours spent at the Singapore Airport came out as main reason for successful trip to Fiji but this was just a main reason so wait until I unfold the other reasons and most important sweet shock of our life when we landed at Nadi airport of Fiji as the most sweetest and lovable people welcomed us at the Bulaland. 

First Leg of traveling to Honeymoon destination with Unknowns

On 21st Nov 2016 I received a call from Tourism Fiji to join a team of 10 other Unknown Agents across India on a Familiarization Tour to Fiji from 6th Dec to 14 Dec 2016. I was not so much sure on an idea as being introvert I decided to give it a thought of joining a group of 12 unknown agents but a traveler inside me prompted me to join the group as it is planned for soft coral capital of the world " Fiji".
Fiji has always attracted me to visit ever since I have learned about it when I was in Switzerland Studying Tourism Management. I had a classmate who was originally from Nadi, Fiji and he has so many things to share about the place which always have prompted me to read about it more and more. Now, when I am in Travel trade sells honeymoon destinations I have come across a couple who wanted to visit Fiji on their honeymoon and during my research for them I have come across some crazy and passionate Fiji lovers and they taught me how to sell Fiji but in process of selling Fiji I started falling in love with it more and more. So, When I got a call I said yes to it but As always my fate came in between as required number of seats were already filled and they kept me on hold till either someone withdraw or they add more seats. I think Fiji was destined so I passed the second hurdle also with bit of ease as one of my passionate Fiji lover friend helped me to get a seat in the group and the waiting time started from that day till It was 6 Dec. Though the time was not much but it really took great efforts from my side to kill it.
And on the day 6th Dec I was so excited that I reached the airport little early then other 2 members from my group who were with me from my city to join on the tour. One of them was little know to me as we knew each other since few years but other person was again little unknow as we only started to chat on whats app few days back and I found him equally passionate to visit Fiji like me. I think our love to Fiji made us gelled super quick but our happiness didn't lasted for long as we discovered that they have divided us in two different groups and he is in group 1 and I was in Group 2 with 5 totally unknown and 1 little known member.
We departed in Singapore airlines flight from Ahmedabad to Singapore on our first leg of long journey to Fiji. After almost 6 hours we reached Changi International airport of Singapore. The place where all unknown travelers of a same group were going to meet for the first time and as they all were coming from different parts of India in different flights at different time we 3 decided to wait for everyone near the food court on terminal 1 from where our onward flight was scheduled to depart.
As we had almost 7 hours layover time in singapore we decided to take some freshen up and change before we meet everyone.
On the clock 9 am Singapore local time and we come across the first batch from North of India. Later in an hours time rest of the group members from all India joined us with a lot of enthusiasm and anxiety to know each other and explore Fiji as destination.
Finally we all started our conversation after a brief formal introduction and at the end these 7 hours spent on Singapore airport stand out as the main reason for success of our tip of Fiji.