RTW Day 17 - Fiji

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On today’s agenda – nothing. So far we have covered over 13,000 miles. Today is about R&R.

I wake at dawn when the parrots start to sing in the palm trees. We start with breakfast at the hotel restaurant. It’s all local produce. Lots of tropical fruit and fish, which is a luxury after 2 weeks in the USA where junk food is king. Also, local produce does not appear to include nuts. It’s a revelation to be able to pick what I want from the menu without poring over it checking what may or may not kill me. I eat my fruit platter and eggs Benedict whilst contemplating emigrating to Fiji.

We decide to take a long walk along the beach but the tide’s in and there’s not much beach left so we settle for a short walk and a beer. Which is fortuitous because just as we reach the hotel, the heavens open. I know we’re in the rainforest so rain is to be expected, but I didn’t know it was possible for so much water to fall out of the sky in one go or for so long.

We drink our Fijian beer. I notice in the small print that the brewery is owned by Coca-Cola. Then a representative of the hotel’s NZ owner turns up to check on their investment. I wonder how much of the income from tourism in Fiji actually ends up in the pockets of Fijians, rather than multinational companies?

I had planned to run along the hotel driveway before (a) I realised quite how rough the terrain was and (b) the road turned into a river, so I decide to go for a swim instead. When it stops raining. 4 hours later it is still raining. We’ve eaten, had a nap, read a book and are rapidly running out of ideas of how to fill our time in a hut in the middle of nowhere in the rain. 6 hours later I give up and go for a swim in the rain. It’s almost dark but the neon fish shows me the way.

Then we dress for dinner (ie put on more mosquito repellent) and eat scrummy freshly caught prawns and calamari in a curry sauce followed by caramelised bananas.

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Comments

[Ryan Biddulph]

Brilliant Place
We loved Savusavu when visiting Fiji a few years ago. Ryan