After a fabulous week in Fiji with great friends, Jill and Errol, we finally touched down in Brisbane last night - 10 hours later that we were supposed to but it all added to the excitement.
What an absolute beautiful week we had - meeting people from all over the world as well as the warm and wonderfully friendly Fijians who went out of their way to make everyone welcome and happy. We also embraced "Fiji time" which is well emphasised everywhere.
A lovely flight on Air Pacific from Brisbane to Nadi was followed on Saturday evening by a quick dip in the hotel (Mercure Nadi) pool and a spot of dinner, swimsuit and sarong clad. We asked if it was okay to dine dressed as we were and were told "Fiji time - dress as you like, do as you like". By the end of our holiday we were as unselfconscious wandering around in our swimsuits and sarongs or shorts and singlets as were the taut and trim young things. Nobody cared, nobody laughed (at us anyway). Everyone was out to enjoy their holidays as much as we were.
On Sunday our first visit was to Nadi Town - unfortunately only touristy type stores were open but we did see the beautifully pastel coloured Hindu temple at one end of the main street and enjoyed a lovely lunch (well actually entree and desert) at the elegant Saffron Restaurant on a side street. The theme of our trip, as with a journey to Singapore some years ago with the same friends, was eating. So we have many pics of us eating lunches and dinners throughout the week (won't bore you with too many of those though). No, we didn't just eat and drink. We did do and see many other things in between.
We took a bus trip to Suva on Monday. This was a four hour trip there and back with about 2 and half hours actually in Suva. I must say that the best part of this day was the actual bus journeys. We had a wonderful Fijian guide who was informative and interesting and very entertaining. He sang and played his guitar on the return journey. He talked about how poor Fijians were and how little they earned and we could see by the paucity of the villages we passed - compared to the resorts we picked up from. However, poor does not equal dirty, and nowhere in our whole week did we see an overabundance of dirty conditions. In fact, in all the villages, washing was waving on the clotheslines and one thing that struck us was all the napkins out to dry. Something we don't see in our society now. We were also awed by all the school children heading to and from school in their school uniforms - and many of the schools wore white uniforms (both boys and girls). Imagine the job their mothers have to send them off to school daily in clean white uniforms. And they were clean. Even young people at one university we passed were in uniform.
Education is one of the most important things in Fiji - educate the children so they can earn good money and help the country's economy.
Tuesday was spent relaxing around the pool. WH (wonderful husband and I) went for an early morning walk in one direction from the hotel. Nearing peak traffic time when buses and cars carrying workers and school children were hustling along the dry, dusty roads.
We had a wonderful Indian dinner at the Sitar Restaurant a few blocks down from the hotel. Well patronised and with live music for entertainment.
One of our most memorable days was the Robinson Crusoe Island cruise on Wednesday. We took the day/night combo which meant were out all day from early in the morning until after 11pm at night, but what a fabulous day. A journey down the river and out to open water to our island home for the day. Greeted by a welcoming party - warriors and singers - were then able to do whatever we wanted to for the whole day. Swimming, snorkelling, fishing, scuba diving, massages, drinks, lunch provided, walk around the island at low tied (about a 20 minute walk), crab racing, volleyball, coconut education or just lying around doing nothing. Jill and Errol took the fishing opportunity and Jill brought back a beautiful Trevally - apparently getting scarce in Australia. I had a wonderful back massage. At night another boatload came in for the evening's entertainment starting with a kava ceremony, a "loau" (not sure if that is spelt correctly but like a NZ hangi or Aussie 'barbie') where the food is cooked over hot rocks, fire walking, fire dancing and other dancing.
What a wonderful evening. We were mesmerised by the virile young dancers - they were brilliant and we loved watching them. I don't think any of us wanted that evening to end. The boat trip back up river was a little scarey with no lights on the front of the boat. One of the young staff stood up the front with a torch showing the 'captain' at the back where the river banks were. But we arrived back to shore safely and all very happy after a gorgeous day.
A visit to Vuda lookout, Garden of the Sleeping Giant and a village was our Thursday afternoon outing. A lovely afternoon spent with a group of Americans who had just flown in that morning.
Friday was our cultural experience. A breathtaking day with so many memories. This was a personalised tour - just the four of us plus another couple in a separate vehicle - in a modern four wheel drive northwards from Nadi through Latoka to the Ba Markets. What an amazing array of fruit and vegetables and fish. People (mostly women) come in by bus or other vehicles from many outlying villages with their produce and set it out for townspeople to purchase. We then went to one of the few traditional villages in the country. A beautiful setting offering a warm welcome and lunch. No television, ipods or computers here. We wandered through the village and school, took part in a kava ceremony (our second) and enjoyed traditional food at lunch.
Then came Saturday, our last day in Fiji, and what an awesome day. The 'Whales Tale' cruise from Port Denarau to Snorkel Island - all food and drink provided. Meeting people of all ages from all over the world, looking out towards the Mamanuca Islands group, catching fish, lunch on our island 'home' for a few hours, sitting in the sea, looking at the coral through the glass bottomed boat, another kava ceremony, entertainment by the crew - so many memories for such a fabulous day. It was our sixth wedding anniversary and we were honoured, along with another couple celebrating their second anniversary, with a cake, a song and cheers. What a way to spend a very special day. A few wines along we reluctantly docked at the end of the day.
Our home coming day started very early. Plane was due to leave at 8.30, we had a wakeup call at 4.30 but were already up and about, and pickup at 5.30. But unfortunately things didn't quite go to plan. Jill had tripped and cracked her head on the balcony railings outside their room and gashed the back of her head quite nastily so we made a detour en route to the airport at a 24hour medical centre where she emerged with a few stitches. On arrival at the airport we were greeted with the news that flights to Sydney and Brisbane had been downsized necessitating the 'bumping off' of about 200 passengers, us included. We were sent to the Novotel Hotel for the rest of the day, overnight and given meal vouchers for all meals that day and breakfast the next. As we hadn't had breakfast we did this on our arrival at Novotel then waited around for about two hours for a room to be free. Finally we reached our room, changed, made a cuppa then lay down. Just drifting off when the rude noise of the telephone informing us we had been booked on a flight at 4pm and would be picked up at 1pm. It now being about 11.30, time for a mad scramble to re-change, re-pack and toddle down to the restaurant for lunch. Then three hours at the airport before our flight left. Jill was rested and ready to fly by then and an uneventful but pretty packed flight saw us arriving into a very chilly Brisbane night. 10pm before we got home - happy, thankful but full of wonderful memories.
I even had time in Fiji to buy some fabric - one of my little vices when we travel. I still have fabric from Scotland and Denmark from our trip in 2009 that I haven't yet found a use for, although I did use some of the Scottish fabric in a quilt for my sister last year. Fabrics that I purchase on holiday has to be used for special projects - for our home or for loved ones.
I will post some of our holiday photos on a separate page soon. Hope you enjoy this short account of our Fijian sojourn and the photos.
We and our friends are thinking of ways in which we can help the Fijian people - with dignity, friendship and love. Many strive to work hard to earn enough money to educate their children so they can have a better lifestyle and in turn can help their communities. How do we do this?
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