Map of Fiji showing the location in Oceania (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
We’d been anxious to begin our first attempt at international house sitting in Fiji, but we never expected our first full day would be spent defending the property from a bush fire.
We really couldn’t believe our luck when we landed our first gig house sitting in Fiji, of all places! What a marvelous way to kick off our plan to spend two years traveling the world! We had bonded right away with the homeowners in conversations conducted over the internet. They’d walked us around the property via Skype and it looked spectacular. Plus, we couldn’t wait to meet “the girls” – Dobermans Benny and Bella – who would be in our care.
Arriving in Nadi, Fiji, we spent a pleasant couple of days at a Wailoaloa Beach hotel owned by our homeowner’s aunty, a real character. This was just the transition we needed to rest up after the whirlwind of last-minute preparations and emotional goodbyes on Kauai. When the homeowners arrived to pick us up for the trip to Sigatoka, we were ready for the hour-long drive along the southwest coast of the main island, Viti Levu.
Nausori Highlands on Viti Levu, Fiji (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Viti Levu has been experiencing drought conditions for months. At the Nadi hotel, we were surprised to see clumps of ash in the swimming pool and smoldering fires in the hills. It’s common practice to burn sugar cane fields to prepare them for planting, but dry bush sometimes spontaneously combusts or is helped along by trash burning, carelessly-tossed cigarette butts, or airborne embers, too. As we drove down the Queen’s Highway (which circles the rim of Viti Levu), we observed other fires burning in the distant highlands, and evidence of previous bush fires closer to the road. Deforestation, beginning with sandalwood harvesting by the British in the 19th century, and continuing today by various commercial mahogany interests, continues to create serious consequences in Fiji.
Korotogo Reef and Beach, Coral Coast of Viti Levu (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The home we are house sitting in Fiji is a hilltop compound in Korotogo, a residential suburb located east of larger Sigatoka town. The two communities are located adjacent to Fiji’s first national park – Sigatoka Sand Dunes – along the famed 50 mile long Coral Coast. This is the birthplace of Fiji tourism, with a large reef protecting sandy beaches from the pounding surf beyond, and a unique eco-system providing habitat for marine life, birds and reptiles. Our biggest neighbor is the world-renowned 5-Star Outrigger on the Lagoon Resort, with over 40 acres along the beach and up into the hills adjacent to our homeowners’ property.
View from the house toward lagoon
Our homeowners left for their other place in Australia after a quick day getting us acclimated – we needed to learn about the dogs’ feeding and habits, how to operate the appliances (oh, Bosch dishwasher, how I love you!), the water collection system (large tanks and pumps) and the emergency power supply – and we began to settle in. We’d originally planned to take the bus into Sigatoka (you can catch a variety of conveyances just standing by the side of the road with a quick downward hand signal) town for shopping, but felt a bit lazy. The beautiful views of the ocean were captivating, and one of the dogs was a bit mopey after their departure. Turns out it was a good thing we stuck around.
Very quickly, it seemed, a fire started up below the ridge line at the rear of the property. Since a fire had come dangerously close to the front driveway earlier in the week, we went on alert. At first, we only saw a couple of individuals in golf carts monitoring the blaze. Later we learned they were staff from the Outrigger, whose perimeter buildings all have thatched roofs. One little cinder could cause a huge disaster over there. I decided to catch the events on video while Pete hosed down a perimeter break.
When things began to flare up a little more ominously, we decided it was time to call the Fire Brigade. It was clear by their behavior that they were old hands at this. I was happy there was access for the truck up the steep slope.
We decided this was a case of wanting the fire to come close, in order to protect against future burning, but not too close.
This fire wanted to have its way with the dried vegetation. Pretty soon, the manager of the Outrigger strode over to introduce himself. He’d been on our “must meet” list, but we didn’t anticipate the introduction to go quite this way!
Pete decided to water down the hillside perimeter of the property, as well, after the fire up top was contained and the light began to fade.
Wetting down the hillside
The next day, we made our way into Sigatoka for shopping as planned, only to arrive back in Korotogo and see flames behind several houses down the street. Nothing was going on when we got to the house, but later in the afternoon, things took a turn for the worse.
Bella, one of the Dobermans, sounded the alarm. Good girl! When I got behind the house, I could see flames close to the fence, and there was no time for photography, thankfully. Just picture in your mind: me in only a sarong and Pete in his board shorts frantically keeping things at bay. We could barely breathe in the smoke, and ash threatened the rest of the property. Never have I been so grateful for metal roofs, but I was extremely concerned about the heat affecting the huge water tanks at the back of the property.
Damnable things!
So, there we were with mis-matched hose couplings and surging water pressure adding to the fun! Can I just say how much I hate these hose couplings? I am not strong enough to snap them together under ideal conditions, and we had two different kinds contributing to regular fails. All I could think of was our first time house sitting in Fiji would have us literally going down in flames. This was not a comforting thought.
Finally after what seemed eons, but was really probably only about a couple of hours, things died down. We’d run the hose through the fence to wet down the Outrigger’s property line of trees, some of which were badly singed. If those had burned, I might be telling a different story today. Still, it was a restless night spent wondering if the smoke we smelled was residual or from a fresh burn, and if the sounds we were hearing was merely the wind in the trees and not the crackling of flames nearby.
Paradise isn’t perfect, we were fond of saying in Kauai. Mother Nature’s force should never be taken for granted. In our first few days of house sitting in Fiji, we were baptized by fire!
Smoky Sunset
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Wow, what an introduction to a different type of tropical adventures, hopefully things have calmed down a bit since then. great story and beginning to your adventures!
Bula, Noel! Yep, it’s a bit different here than the rainforest climate on Kauai’s North Shore, but absolutely gorgeous. No more issues, thankfully. 🙂
That’s quite an introduction to Fiji life, how long is the house sit? Are you planning to stay in Fiji at the end of the sit, or will you move on? Enjoy and stay safe!
Bula, Patti! We’ll be house sitting until mid-November, and move on to Australia on December 1 (just ahead of the Fiji 90-day tourist visa expiry). We’re hoping to visit outlying islands in the two weeks following our sit.
Wow, sure goes against the typical image of a lush, wet tropical jungle. Quite the experience. At least you got a great sunset out of it.
Bula, Veronica! Yes, very different. We’re about half way between the ultimate dry side and the wetter side of the island. In that respect Viti Levu is quite similar to Kauai, which has contrasting weather depending on where you are, as well. Beautiful part of the world here.
Oh my goodness!! I can promise all house sits aren’t this much of an adrenaline rush 🙂 I hope you’re enjoying Fiji – it was our first international sit as well where we spent 4 months in Savusavu. The people are so wonderful! If you’re interested while you’re there, the local Rotary Clubs love having a few extra hands for community projects. It introduces you to so many amazing people 🙂 Have a wonderful time and hopefully the rains will come soon!
Bula, Lisa! We’re really enjoying getting to know Fijians. The community is fascinating and diverse. And we’re so happy we could protect the property and help out the neighbors. We visited the Outrigger for cocktails, and the staff was aware of our efforts; the coconut grapevine travels fast! 🙂
Baptized by fire…what a description for your first house-sitting experience! Good thing you’re so cool, calm and collected and were able to respond quickly and deal with the problem. Enjoy the rest of your stay—it looks beautiful!
Bula, Michele! I’m the kind who stays cool while stuff is going down, and then freaks when it’s safe to do so! The second fire was the more disconcerting of the two. Today I wandered next door and was shocked to see how much of the hillside had burned. Neighbors below must’ve been really scared. It is very beautiful here, and we’ll be posting more about all there is to enjoy here, rest assured!
What a way to begin your stay! The owners were very fortunate to have such good house sitters. I hope from here on there’s no more of this type of excitement. Looking forward to learning more about Fiji!
Bula, Shelley! Yes, quite the introduction! We’re happy that things have settled into a calmer routine these past few days, and we’ll be sharing more in future posts.
After just reading on Irene Levine’s site about house sitting, i was thinking hmmm…. maybe i should look into this more throughly. Well funny thing you should point out the huge responsibility of taking care of someone else’s property. You weren’t kidding, trial by fire. It can only go up from this first experience and it looks like a lovely spot. I look forward to hearing more about your stay here. Good luck Betsy!
Bula, Alison! Yes, it’s something that may not occur when you’re first contemplating this sort of lifestyle. It is a big responsibility which should be taken seriously, and your capabilities (single or partnered) should be a good match with the sit. I doubt I would have been able to handle the fire situation on my own. And we don’t view this opening experience as negative at all, just an aspect of life here.
Before we started housesitting we hadn’t really thought about the tremendous feeling of responsibility of being entrusted with someone else’s property and pets. Sure, as homeowners we knew how to take care of our stuff but there’s a huge difference in caring for someone else’s treasures and pets. So glad this had a happy ending and hope the rest of your housesit is quiet and relaxing!
Bula, Anita! You’re right. It’s a different feeling when you’ve been entrusted to this extent. You don’t want anything to go awry on your watch! With this particular property, it really would be too much for a lone person to handle, I think. Makes me appreciate my husband’s calm and capable nature even more! 🙂
Wow! Talk about a rough indoctrination into a new land! Glad everything turned out ok! Sure hope you go to enjoy the rest of your time there.
Bula, Michelle! Yes, it was quite intense there for a bit! We love it here with “the girls” and are grateful to have been awarded this gig. 🙂
Well, that’s one way to start off your Fiji trip! Hope all is well now! and that it continues to be.
Bula, Tam! All is well now. Other fires in the distant hills, but thankfully not on our side of things as it is quite windy today.
Nothing beats a “relaxing start” into a vacation :p
It sounds like you missed out on that one tough – what a drama! Houses on a ridge are always way more in danger. Once a fire is racing uphill there’s not much stopping it anymore. It sounds like you have been very lucky – I really hope the rest of your time in Fiji will be the beautiful and relaxing stay you were hoping for…
Bula, Juergen! Yes, who wouldn’t be tempted to romance a vision from a gig like this to one degree or another? This post might be a reality check for some who’d view housesitting as sort of a vacation. While there are relaxing aspects to be sure, you’re definitely trading accommodation for responsibility. And you’re right, hilltop properties can quickly be isolated by fire depending on conditions. Now that two sides have had close burns, we’ve assessed future potential and feel a bit more comfortable with the natural and man-made breaks (concrete driveway, etc.) on the remainder of the hill. It is a spectacular setting.
Wow! That must have been so frightening but you seem to have handled it so well~
Guess you were born to housesit:-)
Bula, Irene! It really helped to have a calm and capable husband on the team. 🙂
Bush fires close to homes is the worst 🙁
And with other peoples’ homes and pets – pooh!
You did well to simply take all the precautions you could and keep calm.
Hope you’re now enjoying your first home-sitting stay 🙂
Bula Linda – Yep, I don’t even want to imagine anything more consequential than this situation could have been. So happy things turned out fine, and we love it here.
This is an unbelievable story! You would have never dreamed of something like this. It is so fortunate that you were there! Its sounds like a magical place and I hope you have no more emergencies!
Bula Suzanne – Thanks, yes, who could’ve expected? LOL We’re hoping this is the most drama we get from this experience, too. Things are calm now and we’ve settled into a nice routine.
Wow! I did my first home exchange last year and encountered a lot of things that didn’t work right and minor annoyances but nothing like this. What an interesting way to start a two year adventure! It really does bring home the significance of taking responsibility for someone else’s property and pets – I hope you housesit for me sometime. Want to come to Marco Island, Florida?
Bula Kay – Actually, we just might want to come to Marco Island. We don’t plan to be back on the U.S. mainland until late next year, though. I’ll be sure to keep in touch with you about that. You’re right, it wasn’t how we expected things to go, but things are fine now and we love being here with the girls.
Fire is frightening. I’m glad you survived without significant damage. What a start to your house sitting in Fiji. You certainly get a different perspective on a place when house sitting as opposed to spending a few nights in a hotel.
Bula Donna! You’re right, it’s a total change of perspective, and quite a nice one in my opinion. We feel less transient to be sure, and more a part of things as opposed to observing.
Oh no! That’s not a great welcome, but good job on getting everything sorted out. I can only imagine what a horrifying experience that would be.
Bula, Dana! Unexpected to be sure, but glad to be here and do our part. 🙂
I was really looking forward to your stories from Fiji but I never expected this one! I suspect you and your husband didn’t either. You both are brave and resilient through these difficult experiences. Hope your stay gets better from here on in.
Bula, Sue! You’re right, very unexpected, but our stay has been lovely since. 🙂
WoW! How wonderful to be enjoying Fiji on a long term basis. I’m drooling at the thought of such an experience, but very happy for you and your hubby! Enjoy 🙂
Bula, Michelle – Yes, we’re happy to be getting to know this part of Fiji in greater depth. It’s a beautiful country with lovely people.
Definitely not the adventure you had in mind when you signed up for housesitting abroad, Betsy, but an adventure nonetheless!
Bula Nancy – Yep, it’s one for the books! (Or the blog, in this case!) 🙂
Glad it turned out ok and that you are all safe and settled in. Enjoy the rest of your time there!
Bula Nat – We’re enjoying settling into our routine here with a little less excitement. 🙂
Yikes! I think your scary story might be good for house-sitting websites or magazines (do they have magazines anymore?) It’s a great advertisement for why you should have house-sitters when you leave your home — especially during the dry season — even in Paradise.
Bula Suzanne – Good point! I’ll check around! 🙂
WOW!!! And I thought blowing the fuses in my best friend’s house was a bad way to start my international travels! So glad you all made it out to tell the story. Looking forward to hearing more about your worldly adventures.
Bula Dr. J – LOL Fuse-blowing or the like was the sort of “things could go wrong” that I imagined, too. This was definitely a little more exciting. 🙂
Wow! What a first day. I’m hoping to housesit next summer, though I hope my first day has less adventure than yours. 😉
Thanks for participating in the September #MyGlobalLife Link-Up!
Bula Cate – Fortunately, everything has been routine since then! Good luck with your housesitting plans! 🙂