Fiji time- Where everything is running on island time and when told to be somewhere at a certain time, you add at least an hour to it....
When I decided to travel to Fiji I really did not know what to expect. Sure, I have seen the commercials and the ads for Fiji's white sand beaches, crystal clear water, and it being described as paradise. While there is some truth to those ads, there is also so much more about Fiji that people never hear about. Things like the people who inhabit this country and culture that surrounds it.
The first four days I spent in Fiji I found out that there is a lot more to this country than the white sand beaches. Let me start by talking about the Fijian people. Fijians are quite possibly the nicest people I have ever met and definitely some of the most hospitable. In the city of Nadi, as I walked down the street I was met with kind smiles and a "Bula!" which means hello. I found the same treatment at the hostels, in the grocery stores, and in the Villages. I have to be honest, it was a very strange thing for me to experience. These people have no idea who I am, obviously they know I am a foreigner, but they smile and say hello. It was also very strange to see people so happy day after day. These are people who live in homes the size of my bedroom or even smaller, with no windows, furniture, beds, AC, and sometimes no electricity. The bathrooms and kitchens are outside. The houses are made with either bamboo or metal. They all seems to sleep on the floors. The vast majority do not own cars and walk miles to get to a store or to their schools. The children are lucky to be able to attend school, but for many, their parents cannot afford to send their kids. Despite all of this, the Fijians are happy, smiling and, kind people. I tell you, it really makes you think about your own life and how you take things for granted.
In those first four days I travelled the entire main island, Vitu Levu. I experienced the two largest and very different cities Nadi and Suva. I visited two different Villages, one of which, hosted my group for a traditional Fijian meal with the Chief of the Village. We were welcomed into the village with a traditional Kava Ceremony. Kava is a root that the Fijians use to make a special drink, Kava, that actually looks and tastes like muddy water. We all entered the meeting house, greeted the Chief, and were then given a bowl of Kava. Any place you stay in Fiji typically has Kava ceremonies. It is a huge part of the Fijian culture. The Fijians do not belief that Kava is an intoxicant, but in realty it is. When you drink it it makes your tongue tingle and for some it make their tongue go numb. It also makes you feel a little spacey. Most of all if you are not used to drinking it, it makes you sick. Practically our entire group was sick by nightfall.....After the Kava ceremony we all sat on the floor and ate a beautiful traditional meal.
After the meal we walked over to the school for a visit. The company I booked this little tour with visits four different village schools twice a month and the kids really look forward to visits. When we walked up to the school the kids were all running to take their seats. They sang us a couple of songs and danced two tradional dances. One dance for the girls and one for the boys. One little boy in particular stood out. He was such a ham. You could tell he loved the traditinal dance. He would come right up to you with a big grin on his face, looking you in the eye, and would break it down. It was very funny and cute. The music just moved through his body. Once the kids finished their performances we all introduced ourselves to them. Once the formalities were done we all went into the group of kids with our cameras to take pictures. Let me tell you, these kids LOVE getting their picture taken with you. They come running up to you with smiles and excitement asking for you to take a picture. With that being said, our guide warned us of this and of one other thing. Sometimes the kids roll up a piece of paper with their name on it as well as the school name because they like to see the pictures and obviously don't have the means to buy a camera. They keep it hidden in their hand and when they go to shake your hand they slip it into your hand. We were all warned of this because if the teachers see this, the kids get in trouble, so we were all asked to be sly about it if it happened. As far as I know, no one in our group received a rolled up piece of paper, but there was one little girl that I had taken pictures with that did slip me something. I shook her hand and as we shook, she slipped a small piece of chalk into my hand and told me her name. At the time I thought it was a piece of paper, but when I later realized it was chalk I was a bit surprised. However, after thinking about it for a bit, I think the chalk was a symbol to signify that she wanted me to write to her. I will never know if that is what she mean't, but I will write to her and send her the photos we took.
After the school visit we went down to the river, where we hopped on rafts made of bamboo. As we floated down the river we heard both adults and kids yell out "Bula!" and they gave us a wave from the hillside. We gave them a wave and yelled "Bula!" back to them..People from our group jumped off the rafts into the river. The guides jumped off and on. Everyone had a good time.
The following days we played in the hot springs and mud pool, went sandboarding, visited Suva, and then finally returned to Nadi. The four days were an eye opening experience and I was very happy that I was able to experience the non-commercialized side of Fiji. My next five nights would be spent on two different Islands.
The first Island, Beechcomber, was about an hour ferry ride out of Nadi. Some of the people from my group were also heading to this Island, so I would have some friendly faces around to hang out with. Beechcombers was much more like what you see on TV. The sand was white, the water crystal clear, and There were people having fun in the sun. Unfortunately, the night that we arrived, I became very ill and was not able to enjoy the two days I had there, as it took me those two days to recooperate. Honestly, I feel lucky that in my four months of travel this was the first time I had been sick, so I can't really complain...After two days I started to feel better and was off two my second and last island, Manta Ray.
Manta Ray is a beautiful and very relaxed island. Needless to say I was very happy to be there. It is famous for, you guessed it, its manta rays. Lucky for m,e they are in season right now too! When the Manta Rays are swimming nearby they beat a drum to signal for people to come down to the beach with their snorkel gear. The boat heads out and people jump into the water to swim with them. I decided to give scuba diving a try and on the way to the dive spot we all hopped out into the water with the gentle giants. Manta Rays are huge, with a wingspan ranging from 4-8 feet. Being in the water with one right next to you is a surrreal experience. At one point I was facing head on with one and it was unreal. They are harmless creatures, but the shear size of them is intimidating. Truly, one of the coolest things I have had the pleasure of experiencing.
I mentioned above that I decided to give scuba diving a try and I am so glad I did. Being under water And being able to breathe and swim among the fish is amazing. The first dive the instructor kept a hold of us as we swam, but the second dive I was able to scuba solo. On the first dive we saw tons of fish, an eel, a reef shark ,and lots of coral. On the second dive, my favorite dive, I was with the dive instructor and one other certified diver. We were dropped out in the ocean and descended down into the water. The coral was abudnant and the fist were plentiful as well. The three of us stayed together as we explored the reef. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and have a feeling that I will be doing it again in the future.
My three nights in Manta Ray went by very quickly, too quickly to be honest. I would have loved to of stayed on that island for longer. Nevertheless I set sail back to the main island for my last three nights in Fiji. I was very excited to find out that two British girls, Natalie & Rachael, that I had travelled the first four days with would still be in Nadi for two of the days. A funny side story before I continue...It seems as if the whole of England is in Fiji right now. Seriously, out of 22 people in my group all but 5 were British. I don't know what it is about the Brits, but I find myself being thrown together with them a lot in the last four months. Not that I mind, because I have really enjoyed their company along the way. Back to Rachael and Natalie... The three of use hit it off after the first day and I was very happy to be able to meet up with them again in Nadi. So, for the next two days and nights I hung out with them. Sadly, they departed last night, but they are actually going the U.S. next, so I will most likely be seeing them in a couple of months time.
Today is my last day in Fiji and also my last country of travel. I head back to Auckland for the night and then fly home. As this is a long posting already, I will be writing one last posting to signify the end of this amazing four month journey that I have been on. I will also be posting the Fiji photos, so check back in a day or so...
Cheers,
Jenna
