Blogs from Viti Levu, Fiji, Oceania - page 13

Our plane back to New Zealand didn't leave till 8.30pm so we had all day to get from Suva to Nadi. On the way was a place called Kula Eco-park, just near Korotogo. It used to be a general bird park but now it has become a specialist collection of Fijian wildlife. There are still a few remnant exotics here (a macaw, cockatoos, peafowl and guineafowl) but for anyone who wants to see some native Fijian animals but who doesn't have the time or ability to find them wild, then this is a great place to come. It was a bit steep where the entry fee was concerned ($20) but we did get the distinct impression that the fee may have been "flexible". There are aviaries for barn owls, harriers, Fijian goshawks and peregrines, and walk-through ... read more

Before leaving for the forest park known as Colo-i-Suva, half an hour outside Suva, Robyn and I went for a little wander around the grounds of the Fiji Museum near the hotel. The Museum wasn't open because it was Sunday and nothing is open on Sunday in Fiji, but we thought that the fruit bats from the day before may have their roost in the gardens. They didn't, at least not as far as we could find, but we came across an Indian gardener who was determined to chat. He informed us of many facets of Suva life, from bewaring of conmen and thieves to how it is very cold in winter and very hot in summer. As we eventually got away from him he used the seldom-heard expression of farewell, "OK bye then. Can I ... read more

Blog update July 2007 Dave and I are making preparations to leave Fiji in the next few days and head to Vanuatu, about a 4 day sail. We have been here nearly 3 months and have had a great time. We have really immersed ourselves in the culture and have sailed to pretty much every corner of the country. Our favorite was the east side where there is much more culture and tradition. We visited many tradition villages where the locals where extremely friendly. We have done quite a bit of cooking local traditional foods, both Indigenous Fijian and Indo-Fijian. Some of our favorites are Lovo (fish cooked in coconut cream), Dalo, Cassava and Fijian spinach. I have also been doing quite a bit of experimenting with making curries. Since I have so much spare time ... read more

So my escape trips have been some of the coolest things I've ever done, and I've had some of the coolest kids in my groups that I have ever met. We start off at a small island called Robinson Cruso Island, known for their fire dancers. We stay there for two nights in tents. While we're there we kayak down mangrove creeks, visit prehistoric caves, snorkel, make coconut jewelry, and most of all relax. Next we move on to a resort on the main island called Seashell at Momi Bay. This place is also incredible, small cottages are spread along the coastling with coconut palms hanging overhead. From here we go island hopping to some of the smaller islands like: Castaway, Plantation Beach, Musket Cove, and the famous Tavarua, right next to the famous surf ... read more

Its so hard to believe but the beginning of this week (actually Thursday, when our weeks begin) marked the half way point! its been four weeks in Fiji and we've got four weeks left before we go to Vietnam. I've got time to sit on the internet and add more pictures today because things went a little unexpectedly at work this morning... I showed up at Sabeto Village primary school this morning, like i do every Friday morning, this week with 11 highschool students ready to do some art and community service and we walk into the head teacher's office to find out that he wasn't there today. Some woman told us that this week is exam week so all the kids are taking exams all day. I was like ummm ok... get back in ... read more