Fiji

Fiji was not on our original itinerary but when we determined our flight from San Francisco to Hobart, Tasmania was so near, we thought we must see Fiji!

I have an office in paradise today. To my left is an open-air tropical bar with soft music and to my right is the beach outlined by swaying palms and trees.  Giant-leafed variegated vines growing in the rich soil wind their way toward the sun at the tree tops. Although the air is warm and laden with humidity, a gentle breeze floats by. Later tonight, this lovely patio office of mine will be filled with tables of guests enjoying dinner of fresh grilled fish like ahi and wahoo accompanied by music performed by island musicians.

Among the 300+ islands that make up the country, our home here is on Viti Levu, one of Fiji’s larger islands.  We are in a very nice resort, the First Landing. Legend has it that the very first Fijians coming from the east made their first landing right here on this very spot.  First Landing is not the Ritz but it is very nice with individual well-appointed tropical cabins or duplex accommodations in a dreamy beachfront setting. We have good AC; bad WIFI & cell connection. However, the resort grounds and our view of the ocean are idyllic! So very pretty.

Fiji’s real attraction is its people.  Fijians are said to be among the friendliest and most welcoming in the world. This is because their culture is built around friendship and close relationships. We initially thought our lovely reception was because we are so charming!  But no, everyone is treated in a genuinely kind and warm manner.   The first word you’ll hear is here “Bula!!!”  This word means hello, it means welcome! It means virtually any very pleasant greeting. Everyone greets one another with “Bula!” Even from a distance, people wave and shout, “Bula!” The other word heard most often spoken here is “Vinaka,” thank you!

It’s impossible to overemphasize how lovely, engaging, and warm the people are!  But so is the weather. More accurately, the weather is not warm, it is hot and it is very humid.   We have not felt this kind of heat and humidity since our very hottest days in Panama. Still, the people and the sights and sounds inside the resort make this place a paradise.

Several languages are spoken here: Fijian, modified Hindi, and English. People from India make up a large population in Fiji.  Indian peasants were brought here in the late 1800s by the English as indentured servants to work in the cane fields. Then, when higher caste wealthy Indians realized the opportunity for profit in Fiji, they immigrated as well and established businesses. When we asked what groups of people were here before the English and South Asian indentured servants, the answer was cannibals.

In just three short days we met some of the most interesting people in all our travels. We made friends with the office staff.  Stan broke the ice when he introduced himself as Barack Obama at check-in.   They told us how to find a shop nearby for room supplies and how to get to Lautoka to experience the must-see market in full swing that day. They told us to take a taxi to town and take another back to the hotel or just grab the bus. “The bus,” they said, “is easy to find and stops at the resort entrance or another stop not too far away.”  We shared our taxi to town with Saloti, one of the front desk clerks just getting off work. We rode along the very rural Queens Road past make-shift stands of produce, chickens & ducks in cages, and fish hung on stringers being sold on the roadside.  Cows and goats snatched tall green grass along the shoulders. We passed a giant sugar cane processing plant now dormant until next season.

On Saturdays, the people from nearby villages come to town to market their eggplants, plantains, peppers, sweet potatoes, and on and on and on. The big market is ancient and the surrounding streets are pit-filled and dusty. Surrounding stores could use a fresh coat of paint.   Just-picked produce was laid out on tables and cloths on the floor. It seemed thousands of people milled about in the almost airless market shopping and visiting. People greeted us with “Bula!!!”  They wanted to know where we are from, how long we will be in Fiji, and most importantly, when might we be returning. We chatted it up and amazingly felt safe but yet a little wary. Since we could not buy anything we made a rather fast trip up and down aisles through the crowded market. The day was getting late and we weren’t sure how to catch the bus home. When we found the bus pick-up spot, probably ten big buses pulled in and out of the run-down parking lot. We read each one’s signs looking for ours. Strangers came up to us and genuinely asked where we were going and told us where to stand and wait and which bus to catch. They gave us good info but then we met Andrew. Andrew is one of the hotel’s musicians. He said. “Come with me.” Our bus finally arrived and we rode with him to the “nearby” stop, hailed a taxi together, and arrived safely at our resort. Andrew became our friend. We listened to his singing and guitar music every night at dinner and visited with him when we could. On most evenings his trio plays classic country and requests; on Sunday nights, they play island gospel music.

Another interesting person was Sunny, an Aussie who lives in Fiji but in a house a couple of hours away. This highly intelligent young man with a remarkable gift of gab is a consultant to the Australian and Fijian governments in areas of animal husbandry. He kept us entertained for hours with his stories about his life, the Australian and Fijian cultures, and his USA experiences. Sunny, too is now our friend.

Finally, while enjoying the last of the sun yesterday afternoon, a man and his son came along playing amazing 70’s music from artists like Lionel Richie and Eton John on a digital boom-box fit for a dance club.  We chatted for a few minutes and listened to great music for a bit. When he learned we are heading to Tasmania and then on to New Zealand a few weeks later, he said, “Change your plans! The sea is full of cyclones! My house in Auckland was just washed away by flooding. That’s why my family is here. We have no home right now. The storm is heading south.”  We thought . . . well, that’s a bit disconcerting

He insisted we see the First Landing villa where his family is staying. It is special in that it is where Prince Charles lodged with Camilla on their visit to Fiji in 2005.  He and Camilla were married one month later.  

A little disturbed about the weather we headed toward a good WIFI spot and spent time online checking the weather. Yes, this is cyclone season for the South Pacific but forecasts indicate we are very safe for now. We may be traipsing about in rain a lot in the next few weeks but that’s the norm for this time of year. We will just have to see.

This has been such a short stay. Our time here certainly has not been long enough to give the place a fair shake — after all, there are over 300 Fijian islands and we are only in one tiny spot on one of the largest islands. Our resort and probably all tropical resorts in Fiji, are wonderful, beautiful, and restorative and make guests feel like Prince Charles and Camilla.  Outside the resort, however, it is not so hot.   Temper this with our very limited 3-day perspective, but sadly, Fiji will not make my top ten based on this trip.  But fond memories of meeting sweet Fijians at the airport, in hired cars, on the bus, at the market and at First Landing will always make this place special for us.