Live from Fiji...

11/6/2009

He said:
Greetings from Auckland! As I write this we have successfully made the trip from Fiji to Auckland. Having had a few days distance, I can more effectively reflect and relate the details of our adventures. First and foremost, I should tell that Fiji is EXPENSIVE! When we initially booked our flight, we decided on Fiji on a whim. Most of the flights that we found went through Fiji anyway, so we decided to make a pit-stop. A 15 day pit-stop. Little did we know (or research), that Fiji is no cheap date. In fact, very basic accommodation was about $80.00 U.S. Our initial plan was to stay at medium range places and explore the country...uh good luck with that. There is no such thing as medium in Fiji. Your choices are backpacker (20 bed-dorms), or uber-resorts. So our initial spot was a beautiful island resort in the Mamanuca Island chain. It was one of two places on the island. Usual hotel amenities (pool, bar, activities), but with a hefty price tag for food. The interesting thing that we noticed was the service. There is a palpable English training to the accommodation and it feels a bit awkward to be a “rich” tourist once again exploiting a third-world country. However, the physical setting of the island was stunning. The sky is painfully blue, the weather was perfect and we went snorkeling several times which was great. On one trip, I was lucky enough to see a sea snake. I was cruising alonge foot snake! Trying to be casual, I tried to swim away...checking back where the snake was, I noticed... ”hmmmm that’s weird, it looks like it’s swimming my way!” Yup...following me. I kicked on the afterburner, swallowed about a gallon of sea water and nearly drown but escaped without conflict.
After the islands, we went back to the mainland of Vitu Levu and rented a car. We travelled first south to the capital of Suva. SUCKED! As a result of the difficult economy/big city/ whatever else, the city is full of con artist. The scheme goes like this: They approach you with apparently friendly intentions, try to force feed you some “help” (i.e. directions, information, etc...) then they pull a souvenir our of their backpack and try to carve your name in it before you can refuse it so they can force you to purchase it. Aside from that, it felt like another big city. We were in and out in 45 minutes and off to the north of the mainland.
The north was full of beautiful mountain ranges, sugar cane fields and incredibly friendly people. This was by far my favorite part of the trip. It was very interesting to see the combination of peoples who have found themselves in this country. There is a trio of Pacific Islanders, Indians, and recent emigrants. The indians and the Fijians were both brought as slaves. It was unexpected to see such a large Indian culture alive and well in Fiji. Many of these Indians were from the untouchable sect of the Indian Caste system, and have since tried to return to their mother country. But as we heard, they were treated so poorly, they have since returned to Fiji.
After the north, we went to another island chain for our final four days. The Yasawas are very mountainous and rugged but also very beautiful. We stayed at a mixed backpacker/resort which was all-inclusive style as they do in Mexico. The result was a forced summer camp for adults. It was a bit weird with little to do as it was raining so we found ourselves counting the seconds until the next meal was served. We met some nice folks though and had a good time getting to know a bunch of Aussies and Canadiens.
Overall, Fiji was a bit outside of what we expected. I am glad we saw it, but I’m not sure I would return. I did want to mention as a side note, that Summer was shocked by how attractive the guys in Fiji were. All super active and athletic, it was funny to catch her peeping as we drove past the Rugby fields. In most countries, the shoe is on the other foot. It’s always weird the things that you find when you travel! Can’t wait to get on to New Zealand. Will write more soon and let you know how things are.

She said:

Life in Fiji-
Our “holiday” officially began in Fiji with the warm sun, the islands, the blue-green ocean, the white beaches, the “Fiji time” lifestyle; clearly a dream vacation for most but a shock to the system for Jesse and I. Shear panic engulfed me as our boat pulled up to our first island, Tokoriki, the northern most island in the Mamanuca Island chain. Even though it was the most beautiful setting I have ever seen, I was terrified of the idea of being isolated on the one island. “Really, there is nothing else here?” I questioned, ‘what are we going to do with ourselves for 6 nights?” “Relax!” I reminded myself. Relaxing, however did not come easy and before I knew it Jesse and I were attempting to hike around the entire island! Our frenetic energy was slow to dissipate but when it did we seemed to fall into the deep slumber of island life; reading, sleeping, laying in the sun, the occasional swim in the pool/ocean. Yes, I timidly re-entered the ocean. Snorkeling in the deep, clear waters in awe of the amazing coral and plentiful fish.... and no sting rays!!! Okay, I didn’t last that long in the ocean but at least I went in a few times! The 6 nights on Tokoriki island ended up flying by and before I knew it the boat was returning us to the main island, Viti Levu. Jesse and I ended up renting a car and headed to the southern coast of Viti Levu, “the Coral Coast.” How great it felt to be on the road and free to do whatever we pleased. However, on the main island we were quickly reminded that Fiji is a third world country, a very poor country. Our drive took us through village after village of poverty but not slums of despair. Rather the opposite, a vibrant sense of community, family and sincere happiness. This is something I have always found true in third world countries and it makes you wonder the true meaning of a meaningful life. We made our way from Nadi to Suva (the capital) and had a very short visit. We were quickly targeted as the tourists and hustled left and right. The air was humid and heavy, the dirtiness of the city apparent and being confronted around every corner we left after about 45 minutes. Disclaimer: this was a rarity for us. Besides Suva our experiences with the Fijians were either indifferent or amazingly friendly, acknowledging us a Bula (hello) everywhere we went.
We then made our way up north, to the “Sun Coast” and stayed in RakiRaki. The north is drastically different then the south and is beautiful with its large farms of sugar cane, mountain ranges and incredible views of the ocean. As the land changed so did the people. There is more of a presence of the Indo-Fijians in the north. When arriving in Fiji I was shocked to find that Indians make up about 40% of the population. These Indo-Fijians were more apparent in the cities (the entrepreneurs) or the Hindi Indians that worked the fields. We stayed in the north for two nights and then headed back out to the islands, this time to the Yasawa Island chain and to Waya Island. Our last four nights were spent at the Octopus resort or rather “the summer camp for adults” we ended up naming it. With the rain, scheduled meals and activities I wanted to hide in our bure and never come out. Being accidently upgraded to the honeymoon bure didn’t help in making me want to come out either! Although this place was not a place that I would normally seek out, it did have some memorable moments. I had my first Kava experience with the welcoming ceremony. Kava is a root that is made into liquid tasting like muddy water. It is a drink drunk by Fijians (rather then alcohol) and used in Fijian ceremonies. It is customary to drink the bowl full of Kava in one gulp, return the bowl to the Chief and then clap three times. Its immediate effects are a numbing of your lips and mouth. It is a narcotic that causes numbing throughout the body with large consumptions. We also met some great people with this stay, Canadians, Aussies, more Aussies and more Canadians!
Reflecting back on our Fiji trip I want to say it was wonderful and I am happy that I experienced as much of Fiji as we did. There are many issues that left a distaste in my mouth; socially, politically, the white mans’ wealth and exploitation of the Fijian culture has me questioning our right to monopolize with our tourism. We suck...?