Happy Diwali Day! That's how The Daily newsletter began this fine day. Diwali is an Indian holiday….the feast of lights we believe. We first became aware of this occasion when we visited Fiji for the first time around this time of year. We happened to be walking in Lautoka, Fiji, when we saw candle vigils along the sidewalks in town, posters in every store window, and young boys lighting off fireworks in the local park. Fiji has a large Indian community due to the migration of workers needed for the sugar fields back in the old days. So this community still celebrates every holiday that India does. This is the first time we actually were here on the exact date. One of their traditions is creating designs on the sidewalks with multi-colors of chalk. We saw the most of this while in Lautoka, tomorrow's port.
So today's port was Suva, Fiji on the island of Viti Levu. The Zaandam arrived at the harbor under broken clouds with rain showers all over the place. At 8am, it was already 79 degrees, and 94% humidity. Winds were mild at 3.4mph. It appears to be another hot and muggy day, but that is normal for this part of the world.
We had breakfast first, then waited to leave the ship by 10:15am. Most of the tour groups had gone off by then. There was a total of twelve excursions starting with the most affordable ones. Six of the tours were under 4 hours and ranged from $50 to $80. They visited a veggie market and scenic drive for $60. A day at a beach was $50 and a Sawani village and Kila eco trek were $50 to $90. A longboat ride and a park and waterfall was $70. The most expensive tour here was The Pearl South Pacific Resort for 7 hours and $150 with a lunch. The Fiji Museum at Thurston Gardens was part of the tour for 3 hours and $80 . How about doing a zipline? That would set you back $150 for over a couple of hours. An easy sit in the bus tour was Best of Suva for 4 hours and $90. Most of the excursions include a kava ceremony as well.
Unlike Samoa, the Fijian tourist folks do not distribute maps or brochures at an information booth. The only snippet of info we get is on the ship's paper with samples of most-seen places not to be missed. Brief descriptions of these sites are printed on the back of that paper. We always pack this paper with us in case they are needed. The port gent's number is listed on them too. As far as the port talks go on TV , they have had their share of problems on our end, since it is difficult to read the bottom captioning.
Just as we decided to leave, it began to rain. Light at first, then stronger by the second, we found we were in quite a storm. Directly across the street from the dug-up cruise terminal, is the Suva Municipal Market that offers tons of really nice produce, crafts, and best of all….fresh flowers for sale. Taking shelter from this downpour, we strolled the mostly empty market and took all the photos we liked. Even the locals were not out and about in large numbers due to this rain. We were in the market for flowers but decided to buy them on our way back.
We did hear a lot of "bula" greetings from both the men and ladies as we continued to the main street along the waterfront. Bula means "welcome" if we remember correctly, and we always respond back with the same word, although we should be saying thank you. All-in-all, we felt most welcomed and not intimidated as some other passengers suggested. Even the police men and women guarding the doors to the many large banks along the way greeted us as we passed by them. For those folks who ventured out into downtown like us, they could have gone right into the Tappoo City Suva, a modern shopping mall with international brands, shops, and cafes. We do know that most of the crew intended to come here today, as they are not really interested in seeing the sites. Snack foods, local cuisine, and affordable clothing is more their thing.
Good thing we did have our umbrellas, since the rain was coming down "cats and dogs" as the policeman said. Passing the small shops, we did see the fabric store one of us likes. Once again, we would come here on our way back. We did make it as far as the Holiday Inn, one of the very first hotels here in Suva. By now, our shoes were filling with water and except for our heads, everything else was soaked. We were better off than those guests that ventured out this morning without umbrellas or even waterproof jackets as Clare had suggested. Taking shelter near the hotel entrance, the hotel greeters invited us to sit on a bench to stay dry until the worst of the cloudburst eased up. That was not going to be any time too soon, as we watched the parking lot and gutter fill to overflow. At this point, it was funny. The hotel workers said this storm might slow down by 5pm. Then they asked how long the ship was there. We said until 5:30pm, which they laughed and said "bula"….welcome to Fiji – ha-ha!
The most elegant hotel was right next to the Holiday Inn, the Grand Pacific Hotel, which dates back to the late 1800's we think. Although we would have made a visit to nearby Thurston Gardens where the Fiji Museum is located as well as next to Suva's government buildings, we figured it would be far too wet and muddy to walk under the mature trees with hundreds of hanging fruit bats in them. It would have been nice if we could have walked as far as the Presidential Palace to see if the guard at the entrance was standing in this downpour. Chances are he may have been standing in the narrow guard house with his rifle at his side.
It was a relief to enter the opened doors at the Grand Pacific Hotel, the only place in town we would consider having lunch….and a proper one at that since it is so British. Passing through the elegant flower-decorated lobby and past the center carpeted seating where afternoon tea happens, we entered their garden restaurant. Several tables were set up with the view of the swimming pool and the ocean beyond. It's almost as if time has stood still surrounded by this setting. And for the first time we can recall, the place was near empty of customers even at noontime. Fine with us as we had seamless service. The first order of the meal were two draft beers, which the waiter recommended Vonu, a low carb beer, which we did not hear. It was OK to wet the whistle, but we switched to Fiji Gold once we remembered the name. Much bolder and better than the light ones in our opinion. Most of the lunch choices tended to be on the Indian side, so we went for the pizza, which is not a surprise. Margherita had the best toppings, and we added some onions, mushrooms, and pepperoni. There was a little confusion with the pepperoni, since the waiter thought we meant peppers. Glad he asked. No, we described pepperoni as looking similar to salami. A puzzled look told us the waiter was not familiar with salami. So the pizza ended up with sliced sausage, which was close enough. It did take a while to arrive, but we were in no big hurry. By now, the worst of the rainstorm had passed over he city and eventually stopped. We did add a shared dessert of pineapple strudel with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. There was something diced small and tangy, but we could not agree what it was mixed with the pineapple. Then it struck us, it was candied ginger. And ginger is not something that we use at home in cooking, but here it was a good combination. And we just had a fleeting thought…..so far between the Alaska runs and this Legendary cruise, there has been no yum-yum person handing us ginger or candies like they do on the grand world cruise. Is this another tradition that will disappear?
We had lingered long enough, and decided it was time to head back before the rain started again. The streets and gutters were still full of water, so we had to be careful where we walked and watch for cars and trucks that might find it amusing to spray us as they made a quick turn. There was a sign posted by the entrance that we had not seen when we arrived. It was aimed at the folks that used to come here, and with the price of food and beverages, they used the hotel pool and lounges. Well not anymore. It has been strictly forbidden to do this, and the notice was strongly worded to that effect. And they blamed it on health concerns, as well as unfortunate incidents that had occurred with some unruly (drunk) visitors. We recall many of the ship's crew members and officers used to come as a group to enjoy the amenities here. Not any more…..
The first stop was a visit to the same fabric store where we had bought some yardage last year for a blouse. Wearing that blouse today, one of the salesladies recognized it and made it her job to help us again today. However, looking for a fabric that was basically white possibly with a leaf pattern in it was near impossible. Trying to replace two plain white bouses that got lost with the luggage a year ago had proved to be a problem. Of course we could not leave empty-handed, so two lengths of tropical fabrics were purchased for really, really inexpensive.
Then we arrived to the produce market where we easily found bouquets on the outside tables to bring back to our room. These tropical blooms will outlast anything that is made onboard. Having saved some of the florist sponge-like holders, these new and fresh flowers were stuck in these and will stay much cleaner than if they were in water only. We made it back to the ship after 3pm, well before all aboard by 5:30pm. That was when the rain began falling again, but this time there was thunder and lightning. Pretty exciting, but maybe not for the extra-large bats that took wing and flew over the ship until it got dark.
Time for dinner once again, we had one shrimp appetizer on a skewer and one bowl of piping hot chicken noodle soup. Different salads were next, followed by a Club Orange dinner of short ribs with a pineapple/ mole sauce on the side. Veal cordon bleu was the main course for me. Desserts were a berry tart with few berries since they are running out of them, and a couple of slices of pineapple.
We noticed that many folks had left the dining room at around 8:45pm and may have been headed for the World Stage to listen to a new singer, Patrick McMahon. His gig was "country" with hits from Glenn Campbell, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, and Kenny Rodgers.
Tomorrow we will be in Lautoka, a short distance from here.
Bill & Mary Ann
