Blogs from Suva, Viti Levu, Fiji, Oceania - page 2

Hello all, The funniness continues... So when I left the internet shop yesterday, I got onto the public bus to go home. Oh my...so funny! The bus is basic...really basic! The seats, not so much cushion. The windows...um, there are none. That's right. Why have windows and AC when you have the south pacific wind! Once moving, its great, but while I waited the 15 minutes for the bus to leave the main station (and by station, just a parking lot), I'm pretty sure I sweat at least half my body weight. Here is one thing I have already accepted...I'm going to smell for the next month. There's no way around it. No place has AC. The sun is unbelievably hot, ceiling fans are limited and its humid. And, as if this was not enough to ... read more

Have a look at these photo's from Suva Market. This place is great - very cheap - about $125 Fijian gets us all our fruit and veg for a week - these guys come from their villages to sell. Think you are taking your life into your own hands if you buy the fish - no food standards - as you can see...a few weeks ago a lady with a dead chicken (feathers and all) was sitting in between a couple of the fish sellers. What you do is you hire a guy with a wheelbarrow for around $5 and he follows you around the market to put your stuff in. I miss my berries from Australia but pineapple, banana's, pawpaw is great. ... read more

On the eve before the Sapphire Princess arrived in Fiji, a Canadian passenger, through the cruise critic website, had arranged in conjunction with Princess cruises to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving with a traditional turkey dinner in the Santa Fe restaurant. Chris and Roisin had signed up for this event weeks before and were the only 'outsiders' in attendance. Chris was quick to advise others that his great grandmother was Canadian so that makes him 1/8th Canadian and Roisin was his ‘+1'!! The evening started with a ‘happy hour' in the Wheelhouse bar. On entering, Chris and Roisin were immediately spotted by and invited to join a couple they had met on day 1 of the cruise critic role call ‘meet and greet'. This now seems eons ago. Colin and Barbara are from Toronto and are both keen ... read more

After returning to the main island, we headed back to Colo-i-Suva to stay at Raintree lodge again. Although I'd liked it here heaps the first time, I now consider it to be pretty average. Tovutovu Resort has just raised my standards so much ;-) It's funny, the cleaning/maintenance staff here are so much friendlier than the service staff (some of whom are very disinterested). The next day we bused to downtown Suva to do some of the things we missed first time. I wanted to do some souvenir shopping, so we headed for the curio and handicraft market. It was so awful here. Firstly the goods weren't that great quality. Secondly I suspect they were mainly made in Indonesia and all the shop keepers were Indian, so it wasn't supporting local Fijians. Thirdly, I really hate ... read more

To those of you who have been to Fiji, how many of you have been east on the mainland? How many of you have rafted down trepid white water, how many of you have visited a local village, how many of you have travelled the entire mainland on public transport alone, how many of you have watched the all blacks play fiji with a local, how many of you have managed to dive for free, how many of you have swam in natural rock pools deep in the rainforest, how many of you have trekked through the rainforest for free??? I have no idea how I did it but I have and I had such a great time! It rained and rained for the first week or so, I had many a set back, I ... read more