Did you know that Fiji has 333 islands, that are situated in an area of 19,995 square miles of Pacific Ocean? The largest island, Viti Levu, is where the main port of Suva is located. It is the capital of Fiji as well. And it happens to be our port of call for today.
Europeans and Chinese traders came here for sandalwood, hardwoods, marine life, and beche-de-mer. There goes that name again. Even Captain Bligh sailed here in search of supplies after his crew mutinied on the Bounty in 1789. The British ruled from 1874, and were responsible for bringing indentured laborers from India to work the sugar cane plantations. By 1970, Fiji gained their independence and declared themselves a republic.
The most recent census was in 2007, where the population was recorded as 837,271. English is the official language, and Christianity, Hindu, and Islam are the main religions. Suva is a modern city with trendy shopping malls, restaurants, entertainment and cultural activities. However, you can still find a huge farmers market and fresh flowers.
There was a big crew drill this morning that took over an hour we heard later. We left the ship in the middle of it hoping the elevators were still working. They were, and we were off by 10:30am. This port area is busy, and we were channeled out by going through a dark building as work was being done nearby. Outside the gate, we encountered the taxi fellows who always want to give you tours. Been there, done that, we just wanted to explore on our own today.
Entering the downtown area, we found it was hustle and bustle with lots of people and traffic. Typical big city. Located right on the corner was their extensive produce market, where we took a spin through first. The vendors had every type of fruit and veggie piled on plates and calling their piles "heaps". Everything was sold in heaps, except for the eggs which were crated. On the outside corner, was the flower market, where we promised one vendor we would be back.
Then we passed by their movie theater and the shopping mall, which we avoided visiting. The most popular places were Burger King and McDonald's, which were already full of passengers doing free wifi. A bit further up the street, we walked past Albert Park, where a government building faces a huge soccer/cricket field. Right across the street from here was Thurston Gardens. These gardens opened in 1913 and was the original site of the first Suva village. The museum on the property houses some artifacts from the MS Bounty and samples of the cannibal history of the island. This museum is the oldest of its kind in the South Pacific. One nice lady vendor was selling her wooden jewelry there, and we did pick up a set.
It was heavily overcast today, and it even began to rain a little. It sure was not the best day for snorkeling. By the way, the ship offered 16 tours today. Speaking of rain, we learned that the summer months of December through April is the wet season. Then May to December is winter and the days are warm, but mostly dry. Just the opposite of where we live.
We walked the seawall passing the official residence of the President of the Republic of Fiji. He and his family reside in a beautiful white home on top of the hill. The entrance is guarded by a soldier who stands with his rifle, and occasionally marches back and forth at the gate. Across the road is a helicopter landing area, which is off limits to all. Then we passed by the Chinese Consulate and Embassy houses. Locked gates and security cameras revealed high security here.
We reached the end of the seawall where a river drains into the bay, and figured it was a good place to turn around. Bet we were greeted with two dozen "bulas" from the locals as we walked the few miles around the bay. Many people like taxi drivers, moms with kids, or workers come to this stretch, park their cars, and have lunch. Or even take a quick nap in the heat of the day. Some young ladies were fishing from the wall, but we would guess the waters were questionable with sewers draining into the bay.
Lunch was on our minds, so the best place for that would be the Grand Pacific Hotel, an icon of Suva. Walking through the lobby, we entered their elegant patio which faced the ocean. A lovely swimming pool stretched out from the center of the garden, and sure looked inviting. Not one person was swimming today.
Ordering beverages first, we both had their Fijian Gold draft beers. Then we shared a chicken and avocado burrito with cornmeal fries. Adding one order of French fries, and finally a slice of spiced cake with vanilla ice cream, left both of us happy. But a strange thing happened when we paid with our credit card. It would not work in the server's handheld little machine. She tried it twice, so we asked to pay in US dollars. She said fine, but then tried one more time. Well, the third attempt worked. Sometimes when the process is tied to the internet, and if that is slow, it fails. One other thing we found out was that they did not accept American Express. Fijian dollars would have been better, but we did not have any.
On the way back, we did stop at the flower market, where we picked out an assortment of tropical flowers. The friendly vendor proudly trimmed the stems and made a lovely arrangement. All of this for a mere $10 USD. We may have gotten a bonus of a few ants in the deal, but a bit of spray will take care of that.
We had an invitation for a special cocktail party for the 12 of us President's Club members. It was held at 7pm on the aft deck nine, above the Seaview Pool. We did learn that one couple had to fly home due to poor health, which was sad, since they had intended to stay on until May. Anyway, six small tables were set on the railing, and each had an assortment of canopies and nuts for us to munch. Waiters took our drink orders, and offered more hot treats. Hosts included Henk, Christel, Shiv, Philip, and the new sommelier, and food and beverage manager who recently joined the ship. By now the sun had actually appeared, but was ready to set. It gave all of us a treat when it did go down below the horizon. We stayed until 8:15pm, but had warned our waiters that we might be a bit late. Well, we were a lot late, but they took good care of us as always.
Dinner entrees were a breaded haddock and one hamburger stuffed tomato. That was different, but it should have been the cabbage wrapped entrée. Actually, the tomato was much better. So was the apple tart with vanilla ice cream. OK…..more walking will be needed tomorrow on Dravuni Island.
Bill & Mary Ann
