Bula Fiji!

Bula Fiji! We survived our 11 hour flight! It was a wee bit cramped for our tall bodies (poor Jeff) but miraculously we were both able to catch some z’s and felt fairly refreshed when our flight landed at 6am. First impression - everyone is so friendly! As we departed the plane we were greeted by a smiling trio strumming on their guitars, and from then on, everywhere we went people were just so friendly. We caught a taxi to the hotel and on the way our driver gave us a Fijian language lesson and a few tips on things we should do (one of our new favorite terms is “sega na leqa” - Fiji’s version of “hakuna matata”). 

At the resort we were greeted with more smiles and a few high fives. Since our flight was so early and our room wasn’t ready, we dropped our bags off and set out to tour Port Denaru. We grabbed a coffee and watched the boats and people come and go. 

We still had time to kill once we arrived back at the hotel, so we settled in, ordered a pina colada (a must when you’re on a tropical island!) and simply relaxed. Our goal for this little layover was to chill, recover from the jet lag, and enjoy this tropical paradise! Pinch me I must be dreaming! 

Our room was well worth the wait and better than we expected! You can’t beat a view fitting for a screen saver with palm trees, topical flowers, and the ocean. Jeff’s status spoiled us again, thanks for the upgrade Hilton!

We slipped into our swimsuits and hit the pool! By this time we were ready to cool off and take a dip in the water. While lounging by the pool, we were invited to partake in a “mixology” course at the little beach bar. We mixed the ingredients, practiced our shaking skills, and created one of the prettiest drinks I’ve ever made. It was a little too decadent and sweet for me, but still very fun! It also gave us a chance to chat with some other couples who gave us a whole slew of recommendations for New Zealand and Australia. Thank you!

As dinner time approached, we took the beach route back to our room, dipping our toes in the ocean, admiring the sea shells, and stepping in some of the coolest sand we’ve ever felt… the wet sand was so soft and squishy it was like walking on a memory foam pillow.

We watched the sunset and dined on Thai cuisine and were back in our room and asleep by 8pm, the time we often eat dinner back home! :D 

Thanks to the jet lag we were up early enough to watch the pink rays of the sunrise from our balcony. We soaked in the morning vibes while sitting on the patio enjoying our breakfast and sipping a cup of hot coffee. As Jeff put it, “I love vacation”. Life doesn’t get much better than this!

We hit the town after breakfast with our first stop being Nadi Market, a local fresh fruit and vegetable market. There were familiar fruits and veggies like limes, eggplants, and foot long green beans. There were also bananas galore, with some bundles still attached to the tree branch. We also discovered unfamiliar items that we had to ask about like the large piles of roots stacked on the benches - that’s the famous Fiji kava! And massive bulbs with green leafy stems - that’s the taro that makes the purple boba tea we love. Who knew?!

We headed to Sri Siva Subramaniya Swami Temple following the market with a detour to the grocery store and office supplies shop. Our first catastrophe or headache of the trip was finding that the IKEA bag we used to protect my backpack did not survive the flight… My bag was hanging out of the seam when we grabbed it off of the baggage carousel. Oops! Thankfully the little office supplies store had duct tape (blue even to match!) that we used to fix the bag until we could get a better one. First problem solved! As for the grocery store, we love wandering around local grocery stores, you never know what you might find and we always enjoy picking something unique to sample. This time we chose “chicken” flavored chips and pineapple and orange mango Tang. We haven’t had Tang since we were kids! 

Onward to Sri Siva Subramaniya Swami Temple, a large Hindu temple with traditional Dravidian architecture. Before entering we removed our shoes and Jeff tied a sarong around his bare legs. The temple itself was adorned with sacred statues and vibrant murals telling different stories. All in all it was a neat stop.

We enjoyed experiencing the hustle and bustle of daily life as we wandered around the small “downtown”. Our initial impression of Fiji held true as several people greeted us with the local “Bula” (hello) and asked where we were from, but it was also stirring as it opened our eyes to a whole different way of life.

We caught the local bus back to Port Denaru which was also an experience. We could tell this was not a common way for tourists to travel and we definitely looked out of place as we squeezed our way through the tiny isle, standing awkwardly for a a few stops before a seat opened up. As we rode along, we took in the sights of random cows, horses, and goats roaming about, kids at a local school playing outside, and small houses with their laundry drying on the line, all part of the daily routine. 

We spent the afternoon chillaxing at the pool, embracing the freedom to not do anything except soak in the sunshine and cool off in the pool. 

As evening approached, we gathered around for a farewell Kava ceremony. We watched as the chief mashed and mixed the yaqona roots with the water to create the special drink. He warned us the drink has alcoholic properties, and would cause our mouths to tingle and make us sleepy. He also told us our tea was a 2-3 year root meaning it wasn’t terribly strong. The roots are similar to wine, in that the flavor changes with age. The 7+ year root is larger and very strong versus our 2-3 year root which is plenty for newbies. Now we need to look back at the photo from the market and try to decide what year the roots are in the picture! 

As part of the ceremony, the chief scooped the drink into coconut shells, and as he handed us the cup, we had to clap once and say “Bula”, down the drink like a shot, and then clap three times and say “Maca” meaning “finished”. We ended up downing three cups each in order to finish the batch (it felt rude to say no), and I like to think it zonked us out so we were ready for our 5am wake up call the next morning. The drink itself was a brown, muddy color and tasted quite earthy, and just like the chief said, it left our mouths tingling and a little numb. 

Our time in Fiji ended too quickly, just as we knew it would be. We look forward to returning some day and exploring the smaller islands. As part of our world sampler, it was the perfect little free layover, giving us a chance to relax, work through the jet lag, and prepare for our next stop… a road trip around New Zealand! 

Vinaka Fiji and Sota Tale!