Llew Wanders the World

This entry begins not with my arrival in Fiji, but with the few hours remaining before my departure from the Cook Islands…

In this time, I managed to head to town, try some of the renowned local ice cream (one scoop of lime, one of coconut) and walk the 2km or so to the airport, arriving WAY early for my flight.

While waiting, I met Sylvie and Serge, a couple from Montreal who were actually the first Canadians I’d met NOT from BC. We talked for some time and discovered that we were following parallel routes for quite a while and promised to keep in touch en route.

I also had a chance to say farewell to Catherine, Vicky and Helen, three wonderful English ladies with whom I spent a good chunk of my last week in the Cooks.

But enough about the Cook Islands… This entry’s main subject is Fiji.

I can’t provide as detailed a summary of Fiji as I could of the Cooks, since I researched rather less.

The main Island of Viti Levu is a volcanic island, much bigger than Rarotonga, with a diameter of very roughly 70km. The population of Fiji is close to 1 million, 70% or more of which live on Viti Levu. The most significant ethnic populations in Fiji are native Fijians (a Melanisian people, different from the Polynesians of the Cooks) and Indians who were brought to the islands by the British as labourers.

Race relations seem to be a significant issue on the islands. While most of the people I met seemed quite happy to live side by side with all the other residents, there must be something important at work here, as the representation of the two main ethnic groups in the government was one of the main issues leading to the 2000 military coup in Fiji.

Anyhow, enough background. Or if not enough, all I can provide. On to the story of my time in Fiji.

I’d only booked 6 days in Fiji, since I’d been there long ago with my parents, and figured I’d just take a quick trip to remind myself of the islands.

In the Cooks I’d heard stories of miserable weather over the past few weeks in Fiji, which was odd, since this is supposed to be the dry season there.

In keeping with the rumours, it was cloudy on Viti Levu when I arrived in Nadi (pronounced Nandi.) Due to the wonders of the international date line, my three hour flight had left Rarotonga on August 27, and arrived on August 29 at 02:00am. I’d originally planned on sleeping in the airport and waking up fresh and bright to start planning my time here. (Yeah, right. Has anyone in history EVER woken up fresh and bright after a night sleeping in an airport?) Instead, I just followed Serge and Sylvie to the Nadi Bay Hotel, a place I’d read of and that seemed nice enough.

It was indeed nice enough. I almost felt guilty about paying the (inexpensive by Canadian if not Nadi stanadards) $24 for an air conditioned dormitory room, since I only slept there for 5 hours and didn’t get to use any of the facilities. The reason I didn’t get to use any of the facilities was that I (fortunately) woke up early and discovered that about my only way to get out of Nadi today (Sunday, when very few buses run) was to arrange for a trip somewhere else and hop on a shuttle that left between 8:00 and 8:30 depending on where I was going.

Based on a reccomendation from someone in Rarotonga, I decided on Nananu I Ra (pronounced Nah-Nah-Nu Ee Rah) Island. It’s a small (5km long or so) island just off the North coast of Viti Levu. Virtually everyone says that visitors to Fiji MUST get off of Viti Levu, and after having spent so much on a flight to Aitutaki, I figured this was about as far afield (or asea I suppose) as I would get.

It turned out to be a fairly nice choice. The mini-bus ride to Ellington Wharf (where the boats to Nananu I Ra Island leave from) took about 2.5 hours. This was lengthened by a stop to buy groceries (some things were a bit expensive, but many were quite cheap, especially after the Cooks) and shortened by our driver’s… let’s say energetic view of his profession. It seems that mini-bus drivers are the only ones in the islands who don’t run on “Fiji Time” (a Fijian expression which basically means “relax. Things will get done eventually. What’s the big hurry?) The sights along the way were nice, but given that they were the exact same on the way home I’ll save the description for then.

After arrival at Ellington Wharf, we took a 10 minute boat ride (quite a fast ride on quite a small boat) across the Nananu I Ra Passage to the Island itself. While I must admit the weather had left me feeling a bit grumpy, the sight of the Nananu Lodge (shown here from above, a few days later in better weather) cheered me immensely. Sitting on its own secluded beach, with hammocks and beachside bungalows greeting the visitor, it looked like a perfect getaway spot.

I actually have little to say about my 4 days on Nananu I Ra. Thankfully the weather improved, with the rain stopping on the second day, and the clouds clearing away entirely thereafter. The island was peaceful and idyllic, but there really wasn’t a heck of a lot to do. Supposedly the SCUBA diving is nice (I suspect I’m one of a select few people who still insist that SCUBA be used as an acronym) but I don’t dive. The snorkelling would have been nice, but Nananu I Ra is buffeted by almost constant 60km/h or greater winds. (Apparently Nananu I Ra is a world-class location for windsurfing and kiteboarding.)

The highlight of my stay was a walk to the far end of the island. This took perhaps 3.5 hours return. The walk itself was interesting enough, and made it clear that many parts of Fiji, especially away from the hills are actually semi-arid. On the walk I also saw some beautiful, extremely relaxed horses grazing on the long grass that covered most of the hilltops (is it just me, or are ALL the domestic animals on South Pacific islands supremely relaxed?)

The highlight of the walk, however, was the views. Looking down on the beaches, ocean, reef and coastal forest was great. The small size of the island made it possible to see all of these at once, along with the mountains off in the distance on the mainland.

I must admit, that after the walk, I found myself spending a lot of time sitting in hammocks reading, all the while keeping half an eye on the palms above, worrying that a wind-loosened coconut might fall and brain me. (Apparently more people are killed by coconuts than by sharks in the Fiji islands. I’m sure that this has more to do with the rarity of shark fatalities than the frequency of coconut ones, but it still gave me pause.)

One other highlight of my stay on Nananu I Ra was the evening spent drinking Kava with the hotel/hostel/resort (what do you call a place with 2 private beaches, but dormitory rooms and cold water showers?) staff. Kava is a traditional Fijian drink made by grinding the root of a highland plant, then straining water through the resulting powder. Traditionally it was only drank by native Fijian Chiefs. Kava has historically been used in many ceremonies, and there are a series of actions that properly accompany its consumption: The greeting of “Bula” when a bowl is presented to one, a single handclap by the recipient to show respect for the one presenting the kava, then the triple clap from the rest of the group to show respect for the drinker, as well as others I’m sure I missed out on.

Kava’s effects are very subtle, but they can creep up on you. The first bowl or two produces a tingling or numbness in the mouth and lips. Subsequent bowls make you feel relaxed and peaceful. Consuming large quantities almost ensures you of a very sound night’s sleep and a late, but very refreshed rise the following day.

With the aid of the kava, my book and the conversation of my fellow guests, time passed on Nananu I Ra, and eventually I had to catch the boat back to the mainland. The wind had picked up a lot since my arrival, and the trip back was almost an amusement park ride, with water being splashed everywhere, and the boat sometimes becoming briefly airborne before slapping back down on the waves.

Eventually we arrived back on dry land, and hopped back on he mini-bus for a return to Nadi. The ride back provided some great views of the mountainous interior of Viti Levu, as well as the numerous sugar cane fields that dot the island. Since my last trip here, I’d forgotten how important sugar is to Fiji. Sugar cane farming and processing is a big business, and it shows. Cane fields cover huge tracts of the island, trucks heavily laden with sugar cane dominate the main roads, and much of the land is crisscrossed by cane train tracks. The cane trains are small gauge railway trains that run through the fields, delivering sugar cane for processing.

Upon arrival back in Nadi, I ran into Sylvie and Serge, the couple from Montreal, again and after introducing them to Joelle, yet another French Montrealer I’d met, I headed to bed.

Thursday, my second last day in Fiji, was time to explore Nadi town proper with Hedd and Hayley, a Welshmen and Englishwoman respectively who were staying in my dorm.

I’d heard a lot of disheartening things about Nadi being awash in crime and drugs, or at the very best pushy salespeople. As it turned out, it had been misrepresented. While not spectacularly beautiful or modern, Nadi was not without its charms. It was bustling with tourists exploring and shopping, and ordinary Fijians going about their lives, whether in the city’s places of worship (Hindu temples and Mosques were both clearly visible) in the shops on the main street, or in the fruit market. (I was amazed when I turned the corner and saw the fruit market and was struck by rememberances of it from years and years ago.)

The day was somewhat hampered by my need to save Fijian dollars for the departure tax. I’d been told it was $20FJD, so I’d been carefully guarding a twenty dollar bill in anticipation of it. Just to be sure, I ducked into a travel agency to check, and was informed that it was, in fact $30FJD. This was actually something of a relief, for while I would have to pay to withdraw more Fijian currency I could at least spend some and enjoy a nice Indian meal, instead of subsisting on a package of cherry cookies and five seriously under-ripe mangoes, as I’d previously planned.

After our meal, Hayley and I walked back to the Nadi Bay, and spent a pleasant late afternoon chatting with other guests and reading before she headed off to the airport, and I headed off to bed for my final night in Fiji.

The next day was going to be tricky. I’d taken out a further $20FJD, leaving me with the departure tax plus seventy some cents in Fijian currency. Unfortnately, I hadn’t planned on how I’d get to the airport. I’d hoped that there would be a local bus, which would almost certainly cost less than seventy cents. Unfortunately it was not so.

Just as I was preparing to walk to the airport, I was offered a spot in a taxi with an English (via Malaysia and Hong Kong) medical student who was going to re-arrange her flight to the Solomon Islands where she was going to volunteer at a hospital. Chalk another one up to the kindness of strangers.

I’ll end the story of my stay in Fiji with a wonderful bit of irony: After all my fussing over the departure tax it turned out that I’d been gravely misled by my fellow travellers, the hotel staff and the travel agent. I found out at the airport that it was already included in the price of my ticket.

I’d originally feared that this entry might have been ever so slightly short on actual “travelogue” but it appears not to have been. All the same, I do have some more general observations about travel that have been forming in my mind whilst in Fiji that I’d like to add:

1. I feel a bit… guilty almost… about how little I actually DID in Fiji. I pretty much just sat around on a small resort type island and then saw the second largest city on the main island. I feel like I really missed out on getting to know and understand the country a little better. I actually feel like I learned a lot more about Fiji by reading the Fiji Times on the flight to Auckland than I did by actually visiting the country.

When one has a good long time in a place (as I do in New Zealand, Australia, Southeast Asia… Indeed, pretty much everywhere but Fiji) it’s all well and good to spend three or four days getting to know one’s way around, but if you really do have only 6 days, maybe taking a tour is the best way of seeing and learning something about a place.

2. I really have to learn to spend money. In Fiji I was so focussed on staying below budget that I may have missed out on some opportunities to see a bit more of Viti Levu… I could have hired taxis (that were cheap by Canadian standards) to take me places a bit farther afield, but the omnipresent figure of Mammon on my shoulder wouldn’t allow it. If I don’t brush him off sooner or later I’ll arrive home much richer in cash but poorer in experience, which is much of the point of this trip.

3. I’ve begun to develop a strong distaste for that small group of people who seem to regard travelling as a fashion show. Not necessarily people who bring lots of clothes, or a few conveniences of home. Fair enough, some people don’t want to do laundry every day and don’t plan on trekking a lot, so can manage with heavy bags. Indeed, I’ve already met many wonderful people who fit into the above group.
No, The ones who trouble me are those who have bags full of designer clothes, who spend most of their days seeming to pose for fellow travellers, whether lounging by the hotel pool or on tours in small villages.

They seem to be represented equally, or perhaps even greater in the backpacking commnuity than they are in the tourist crowd. I hope I’m not judging them unfairly, but as I say, they’re already growing irritating.

As much as I hate to end on a negative note, I’ll leave off here, thanking you all for continuing to read (especially those of you who I haven’t met in person yet.) I’ll “speak” to you all again from New Zealand.

Tags: South Pacific

This entry was posted on Friday, September 3rd, 2004 at 12:00 pm and is filed under South Pacific. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.