Lautoka, Fiji, on the island of Viti Levu, has population of 71,500 people, many of whom are of Indian and Chinese descent to name only a few. Nicknamed "Sugar City", Lautoka was built on the sugar cane production long ago. This city has a far different feel about it, as if you are in a 1950's setting. Most of the businesses are still operated by these two groups of people with the Chinese being the bankers and the Indian population being the store and restaurant keepers. At least 200,000 residents work for the sugar cane operations.
It was going to be a very hot and humid day again with temps in the 90's and light winds at 4.6 mph. It was heavily overcast, and you knew at one point, there would be rain showers. We are here for two days, because Dravuni Island was cancelled weeks ago. There was damage to their tender landing, and would not be fixed anytime too soon. That's too bad, because that is one stop people looked forward to seeing and spending some time on the beach and swimming in the water.
In the meantime, there were some tours offered here today starting with a ride to nearby Nadi for 3 ½ hours and $80. Kula Eco Park was an option with lunch for 5 ½ hours and $120. Two excursions for 4 ½ hours and $130 were to the essence of Fiji with lunch and Homestead & History. Thermal mud pools was high on the list for 3 ½ hours and $150. Bring an old swimsuit, as the mud may stain. Definitely not our thing. For $180, you could do the Savala day cruise with lunch for 4 hours or Bula coffee and sand dune adventure for 5 ½ hrs. Finally for $190, there was a zipline and Tau Cave for 4 ½ hours or a day at the Hilton Resort Denarau Island and resort for 6 hours and lunch. Here is something interesting, while in Suva, a flyer was handed to us with some tour options such as the Hilton day pass which was only $85 for the same tour as HAL's. And the zipline was $120 for the same amount of time. You would have to pay us to do that activity.
We stayed onboard until 10:45am, then headed out for the walk to town. The port provided shuttles today, but you had to book your complimentary tickets on you phone app or online or even on the TV in our room. This practice started while we were on the Grand World Voyage this year. They ran about every 30 minutes and took the folks to Jack's of Fiji, a popular clothing and souvenir store in town and to Tappoo City Mall.
It was easier to walk, although it was hot, we did get to see the big rigs loaded with the cut sugar cane….the most we have ever seen before. The sugar production story is outlined on billboards on the way to town and provide excellent info on what made this place successful. We heard "bula" from here, there, and everywhere, even coming from the big rig drivers. What a kick. Bulas came from the numerous taxi drivers as well as from locals all the way to downtown.
Having been here several times, we knew our way to the marketplace, which is every bit as big as the one in Suva. Local shoppers were out in droves since they are in the middle of two events - Dewali and Fiji Day. Along the way to the market, we came across a fabric store called Island Fabrics. We found the exact type of white-on-white fabric for a long sleeve blouse. The storekeeper was hesitant to accept US dollars, but with 4 meters of 42 inch material, she came up with $10 USD. Good deal and we wished her Happy Diwali Day which brought a smile to her face.
Entering the local market, we ducked into the enclosed fish counters. It was obvious that most of the daily catch had been sold, but we did see various types of tropical reef fish ready for sale. There are the very same fish that you would see while snorkeling, having paid hundreds of dollars to do so. Obviously, their numbers are staggering, and they are in no danger of going extinct. The rest of this massive market was loaded with "heaps" of healthy-looking produce which makes for colorful photos. One of the friendly ladies in the market spent 20 minutes talking to us, asking questions such as where are you from, how many kids do you have, how old are you, and how much does it cost to be on the ship. They are not shy here, and we answered the best we could. Asking our names, she wanted Bill to take a photo of the two of us. We did, then said our goodbyes.
At one end of this market was the "fast food" section where you can buy slices of watermelon or pineapples on a stick. Another nice lady asked where we were from, then proceeded to describe the products she was selling. All really foreign to us. We think talking with the locals is more fun that just visiting the sites. Then a couple of cute little boys passed us eating sliced watermelon, and we asked to take a picture. The parents seemed to like that. Spending time in this town was like frosting on the cake for us.
Time to start thinking about lunch, we walked the main street opposite the Tappoo City Mall. Small shops provide a great window-shopping opportunity, but since we had not exchanged any US dollars for Fiji money, we bought nothing. Just as well, we might be overweight already going back home. Following the park down to the water's edge, we were on Marine Drive where the Tanoa Hotel & Resort is located. Their restaurant, The Fin, had wonderful air-conditioning and ice cold draft beers. At 12:30pm, there were only a few customers, but by 1pm, a buffet lunch was set up for a group of seminar guests. They were serving a buffet of chicken/beef stew, a pile of rice, and veggies on the side. Judging from the heap of food piled on their plates, we determined that Fijians are really good eaters. So along with the Fijian Gold beers, we ordered a 14-inch Hawaiian pizza, followed by a decadent chocolate brownie with ice cream to share. It took two more beers to re-hydrate before we headed back to the ship.
There was no heed to hurry back, since we were spending the night. Following Marine Drive, we had essentially taken a short-cut on the way back to the ship. We were closer than we thought. At the pier, we asked the price of a poncho-style top, and the vendor said $35. No way, as elsewhere in the world, they are $15 or less. The rain was just beginning to fall, so it was a good excuse to leave the vendor to other guests. Within minutes, the rain began and fell hard as there was lightning and thunder. Once again…..exciting especially watching it from our veranda.
Dinnertime came quick enough giving one of us a break from photo-sorting. One of us order a bowl of chicken noodle soup, noticing that it was "skimpy" with more broth than anything else. Darn, the soup chef had gone home and we have a new person. Regie promised to ask for more veggies, noodles, and chicken in the soup next time. He has been very good that way. There was a baba ghanoush appetizer and two different salads as starters, followed by Club Orange pork belly and sweet and sour duck. We would have passed on dessert, but they had Bosche Bol, the whipped cream filled éclair-like treat, so we shared one.
Entertainment was a comedian by the name of Flip Schultz, who has been seen on Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central and HBO. It had been such a long and warm day, we were happy to turn in early as usual. Burning the candle at both ends has never been wise for us. And we have another day here in Lautoka.
Bill & Mary Ann
