Fiji

I thought Fiji was an island.  It is not – it is the Republic of Fiji (population 800,000) – and is comprised of 333 islands and atolls.  The largest island, and the one with the majority of the population (600,000), is Viti Levu and is the hub of the entire archipelago. 

Fiji is a tropical paradise with beautiful beaches and lagoons fringed with coral reefs.  The islands are mainly volcanic, and the interior of the two biggest islands – Viti Levu and Vanua Levu – are rugged with rivers, rainforests, waterfalls and wildlife.  The east side of the island experiences heavy rain, so don’t book your vacation rental on this side.  The western side is much drier, and most of the resorts are on this side.  A sugar cane industry thrives on this side.  They also produce molasses here, but make rum on the other side of the island.  So much for the geography.  Let’s get to the good stuff.

We docked in Lautoka around 7am.  I was up early because I had trouble sleeping.  I was up and dressed before Michael – the first time on this trip!  We had plans to meet Fred and Jan to go ashore and see what there was to do.  There were just three ship excursions, none of which appealed to us.  I was not keen to get a mud bath – ewww.

Today Jennifer departs and we wanted to say our good-byes this morning in case we were delayed getting back to the ship before she left.  She was quite anxious to see her daughter.  We were on our way out of her suite, and when we opened the door, there was the teeny tiny ship’s doctor and four huge Fijian authorities; the Fijians were wearing white skirts with a huge zig-zag hem and they were quite scary looking.  They needed to go over the circumstances of Jack’s death and complete the final paperwork.  Thankfully, Jennifer will be reunited with her daughter in a few short hours.

There was a slight overcast, but it was warm and humid.  People from the Pacific Northwest do not do well in hot humid weather.  My hair, now that it is longer, just curls and frizzes up.  As we walked down the gangway, we were greeted by two Fijian warriors, who scrunched up their faces and made war-like movements and yelled:  BULA!  Not to be outdone, I joined them and yelled BULA, too.  BTW, Bula means hello.  We hopped on the shuttle to the nearby town of Lautoka, and mercifully it was AIR CONDITIONED!!  The public busses we saw had no A/C, just open windows.  I know, we are wusses. 

Bula Bula -- said native style

 

We got on the bus in Fiji, but somehow when we got off the bus, we were in India!  Almost every store in town was owned by an Indian or a Chinese.  I have never seen so many sari shops in just a few blocks. 

Sari Store

The natives would greet us with Bula; the Indians ignored us.  We made our way to the market.  There we found big, beautiful fruits and vegetables, spices, peppers, and stuff I have no idea what it is.  The vendors we saw were mostly natives (that what the Fijians call themselves), and almost everyone we passed greeted us with Bula.  They are very friendly people.

There were some kids playing and smiling at us.  If you regularly follow my blogs, I often include pictures of children I have come across.  These two boys were little hams, and I took several pictures of them.  They squealed with delight when I showed them their pictures.  I wish I was able to give them a copy.  Not to be outdone, some woman loved getting their pictures taken and had to show all of their friends the image.  This was the highlight of the day.  These people were so happy just to be noticed and to share this treat with their friends.  I came away with happy feelings of the native people.

Apparently, the natives and the Indians are not on such good terms.  The natives are laid back people and the Indians are a bit more industrious.  The natives will not sell land to the Indians, so there is a lot of racial trouble in paradise. 

After walking through the market and up and down a few streets, Michael said he was not feeling good, so we went back to the ship.  I think the heat finally got to him.  I drink a lot of water when we are out in these conditions and he doesn’t.  When you sweat a lot, you need to drink or else you can easily get dehydrated.  After a short nap and some A/C, he felt better.  A refreshing dip in the pool also helped.

At lunch, I received a very welcome acknowledgement from the captain about my role in helping Jennifer.  I said I would want someone to help my mother if the situation was reversed.  He hugged me and thanked me for being so caring.  Aw gee, you would have done the same thing, too.  This captain is one of the most caring, personable and accessible captains I have ever sailed with.  We are lucky to have him taking such good care of us. 

We really haven’t been physically challenged on our excursions yet.  I am avoiding the stairs because my left knee is not happy.  As long as I don’t do stairs, I am OK.  Other than the regular aches and pains, I am getting around OK. 

Tonight is Friday and that means Shabbat services.  After the service, we had a dinner for our “congregation.”  There were 20 of us that attended dinner.  Gefilte fish, matzo ball soup, brisket and dessert were served.  The Jewish delis on land have nothing to worry about.  The challah bread was excellent as was dessert.  The rest – well let’s say this was not one of our finer meals – but the effort the chefs went to was well appreciated.