Today's port of call was our first one in Fiji…..Suva, the capital. The magic word for the day was "bula", because just about everyone you see will greet you with their favorite hello. Even the little kids. The locals are very friendly, and smile when we say "bula" in return.
By the time we got outside on deck three by 8:30am, the police band had already played for the guests and were gone. Darn, it really is a kick to see the brass band with the fellows dressed in their lavalava skirts. The tour groups were filing off of the gangway, filling several coaches that were waiting right there a few feet away. There were seven excursions today starting with a longboat ride for 4 hours and $70. An eco-trek was $90 for 3 ½ hours while the museum and Thurston Gardens was $60 for 3 hours. We did that for free by walking there from the pier. The jewels of Fiji tour was $180 for 6 hours and a day at the South Pacific Resort was $150 for 7 hours. Finally a zipline was $140 for 2 ½ hours. A village tour that included a kava ceremony was $90 for 3 ½ hours.
We have visited Suva several times and find it is an easy place to navigate. Downtown is steps away from the pier and it includes the Suva Municipal Market, which has everything you might be looking for in the way of produce, some souvenirs, and clothing. We always take a walk through there for the colorful photos. Then on the way back, we always stop outside to purchase the tropical bouquets of flowers for our room.
Directly up the street from this massive market is the fish market with several varieties of locally-caught fish. From there you can find modern malls and shops. The two most well-known fast food chains are here – Burger King and McDonalds. Obviously they are favorites of many locals. Tourists too who always go there for the wifi.
We headed past many banks and stores, stopping at one of them which happened to be a fabric store. There must have been 100 bolts of the prettiest floral tropical fabrics, so we asked if they took US dollars. The answer was yes, although we are not sure she heard us correctly. We said we would be back.
Our first stop was at Thurston Gardens for a stroll through their landscaped park. There are certain trees planted there that house the large fruit bats, and they were there in large numbers today. A few were flying around, but most all of them were hanging around – upside down as they like to do. Occasionally, they open their wings to cool down. Continuing up the seaside road, we came across the palace with a guard at the gate. He has a lonely job there standing at attention, until a load of tourists stop to take his photo. Just like the British guards in London, they do not engage anyone in conversation….just stand at attention.
We always stroll the seawall here watching the locals and some of the birds that will dive for fish. Today we saw terns, and maybe two blue herons, some shore birds, and a bunch of common mynah birds. We made it as far as the Chinese Embassy then turned back since the road was under construction and closed. There were a few guys casting gill nets in the shallow reef waters without a boat. We could see the fish jumping right off of the shore, so they must be easily caught. Truthfully, there are several outlets for water drainage, and we suspect they are old sewer water pipes. The sea water here appears to be quite murky and no one swims in it. There was a nice breeze blowing, and even though the skies were foreboding with dark rain clouds, it never did rain.
Taking our time, we were ready for lunch by 1pm, and went to the Grand Pacific Hotel, a blast from the British past. It is really the nicest hotel in town, and they serve a wonderful lunch. And if you visit there around 3pm, they serve a high tea in the lobby. Quite proper in fact.
We went right to the patio and pool area and were lucky to find a table for two. To say you are not rushed here is an understatement. Eventually a waitress arrived and handed us menus. She took our drink order which was two local Fiji Gold Drafts. Ice cold. Then we ordered a 10- inch BBQ chicken pizza to share, which took a while to arrive. No rush, we ordered another round of beer and relaxed while watching a young boy enjoy the swimming pool all by himself until his dad joined him. After splitting delicious the pizza, we ordered a slice of pumpkin cheesecake with a side of pistachio ice cream. Refreshing, it was the perfect end to the meal. Leaving by 3pm, the lobby and bar were getting busy with new guests arriving.
On the way back, we did stop at the fabric store, where the saleslady said the owner might not take US dollars. There was a floral print that stood out among the rest, so after asking the owner, he said yes to the money, and then measured 2 ½ meters for a mere $7 USD. Good deal. There are some things that are hard to resist and that has to be unique t-shirts and fabrics from various countries. Then we did stop at the market to pick up two bunches of tropical flowers, which were tied with ribbons by the vendors before they handed them to us. Another $10 USD well-spent, although we do know they will come with a few ants. There are rules that we are not allowed to take off food or plants, but we can bring back just about anything we wish in the way of food stuff and flowers. We boarded the ship around 4pm after passing the many vendors at the gate offering cheap massages and hair-braiding. No thanks, and "bula" was exchanged by all including us.
Relaxing on the veranda was good for one of us, while the other worked away with photos of the day. We had the best seats for a sunset, but it ever developed….way too many clouds on the horizon. Still no rain. Dinner was interesting with several Indian seasoned appetizers and mains. One was an empanada, which was actually very good….not too spicy. Caesar salads for both of us, and one main of Club Orange leg of lamb (excellent) and another with the roasted chicken with the pasta on the side. Funny thing….they forgot the penne pasta, and only put the sauce over the chicken. Go figure…. And ordering Lea & Perrins for the lamb did not happen as they have substituted Frenchs instead. Not the same by a mile, we said no thanks. Desserts were one chocolate tart and a small rum cake totally drenched in good rum for a change. Really tasty.
As we are still composing this, the ship has not left the port and it is 11:30pm. Guess the bunkering of fuel took longer than expected.
Looking forward to Dravuni Island tomorrow although we heard some talk about rough seas due to a passing hurricane somewhere. Hope it isn't true.
Bill & Mary Ann
