Around the World in 106 Days with

Ray & Claire!!

Part 27 – Fiji

This area is a part of what is known as the “Pacific Ring of Fire” i.e. the meeting place of the tectonic plates of Australia and the Pacific and it is indeed an area known for a lot of tectonic

activity. They often have earthquakes in the region and there are also several underwater volcanoes erupting under the cover of the sea and so not really visible to anyone

....that is, until a new island pops up somewhere!

As you can see on the map, we have Noumea on the left, Vanuatu just above it and Fiji to the

right. We had a full day at sea to get from Port Vila to

Suva.

Nowadays, Fiji accounts for more than 330 islands, of which about 110 are populated. The nation has a population of about 850.000 and Suva is just shy of 200.000

The majority of Fiji's islands were formed through volcanic activity starting around 150 million years ago.

Pottery shards found indicate that the area would have been populated about 5000 years ago

Constant warfare and canabalism between warring tribes was quite rampant and very much part of everyday life and theFijians refer to this period as “The

time of the Devil”As usual, the first European settlers were often whalers mixed in with the odd -but very tasty – missionary. In 1874 the British claimed the islands as a

colony

The archipelago of Fiji gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1970 and officially became a republic on the 28th of September 1987

But historically, you will not be surprised to hear that James Cook was here too!

Suva has been the capital since 1882, when the colonial administration was moved here from Levuka.

Fishing and forestation have always been the two most important means of income but today tourism helps a bit, as does the EU subsidies to the sugar

industry here. Many tourists come over from Australia, New Zealand and USA to swim in

the warm waters and scuba dive around the coral reefs.....as do a number of cruise ships (like eight a week on average!)

Fiji is one of the most developed economies in the Pacific island realm as shown on the next slide.

Having successfully navigated our way through the coral

reefs and sandbanks...

..and gone round a Chinese

Meteorological Survey

Ship...

(or was it a “Spy Ship”perhaps?!!)

....we were unfortunately beaten tot the best mooring spot by another cruise ship – by 5 minutes!

As the sign says, we were “Welcome to the Port of Suva!”

Although partially

masked by the other cruise

liner, the end of the port

area is usually where the

fishing vessels are all moored

– either that, or in clusters in the harbour.

We were warned to be very careful of pickpockets whilst we were ashore – but there were many Police Officers around

(Raymond asked one of them what he wore under his skirt – and got an unexpected reply!!)

We were not exactly sure what this sign was actually meant to mean, but if the guy is handing out gold, maybe we should have called in?!

The municipal market was an interesting place for a stroll but, similar to other ports of call, we were not allowed to bring back any groceries from our visit ashore – more's the pity

(Although, having said that, the Hotel Manager, apparently, purchased masses of local fruit and vegetables for us to enjoy over the next few days!)

Thurston Botanical Gardens were named after Sir John Bates Thurston who was the fifth governor of Fiji from 1888 -1897. The garden is now maintained by the museum and the

grounds are open to the public all year around

Thurston Gardens museum holds a collection of archeologically material, some of which dates back 3700years and cultural objects representing

the communities that have settled on the islands over the last 100 years

The clock tower at Thurston Gardens - as well as the bandstand - were both constructed in 1918 in memory of the first Mayor of Suva

Suva’s Sacred Heart Cathedral sits on a little hill very close to the central business district.

Unlike the Tour Coaches, the local busses are equipped with vey cost effective air conditioning – i.e. they had no windows!

...but the sea did look extremely inviting!

We didn't have time for a swim

The Suva Fiji Temple is a Mormon Temple

Rotten pictures – but the coach windows were dirty – well that is

our excuse!

A few shots to give you an idea of how some of the local houses look – some Fijian and some Indo-Fijian

A local farm where tapioca is grown

..and Claire was given an orchid by a local maiden and.......

......a welcome from a Fijian (1st Row Prop Forward

About half an hour’s drive out of Suva we arrived at the Organic Spice Gardens of Fiji.

from the Fijian Rugby Team) – in full native costume

...but they also have plants here that are used as dyes, weaving materials and

medicine

The spices and plants grown at the spice farm are not only used for cooking.........

We were invited to have a few snacks after our “tiring” journey

............and then treated to some dance routines

The plantation began life as an experimental project under the

direction of a New Zealand herbologist.......

.....and has now become a thriving industry involving a network of village out-growers to produce the quantities required by tourists and for export

“Our Hero” amongst the different types of palm trees (except the

one that he is standing under is a Mango Tree of course)

No Brendon – yours is an

older model and hasn't got

a flash drive on it

Hey look Ray – we have the

same video cameras!

...but I have an

even bigger one on board the

Ship!

“Oh really

?!

Goodbye ---and make sure you

come again (oh and can we have our beetle back

please

Back on the bus – and its off once more

..............and a few miles up the road, we arrive at the Cultural Arts Village

Joseph (who turned out to be the “warrior "who took us around

the village in the 80’s!!) welcomed us

and acted as our guide to the various activities going on.

He also invited Claire to sample Cava ( a

non alcoholic but very “relaxing”) drink

made form bamboo juice and fresh straw)

...Mrs Wembly having a non

alcoholic drink? I must film that for posterity!

Here we saw a display by the Beqa

Firewalkers

Its easy when you know how

...and we were also shown some

of their traditional native

dances

Then we had a demonstration of how to “peal” a coconut – which turned into a

race between the two, with 1st prize being the

hand of a visiting tourist maiden

Scribe’s NoteFor a complete explanation of the art of peeling a coconut and the use of both the inside and the outside of this nut – see the future Bora Bora Blog

The maidens were quietly washing their smalls when all of a sudden the village was

attacked by another tribe who tried to make off with one of the maidens

The two chieftains then fought a battle for ownership of the village

The winner

.....and the loser is the next one for the cooking pot!

Bula, Bula (come again)

Some more local scene

ry shots

for you

A local Primary School

This is the (now unused) remains of the Islands prison from Colonial Days

We passed several little canals on our way through the city to the ship (after another hectic session of bartered shopping – this time for an extremely nice black pearl necklace for Raymond

(I think not – says “She who must be Obeyed”!)

As the coach’s air conditioner was very cold we did consider hitching a ride back to the Ship on this seaplane – but then found out how much it would

cost!!

And so once more it was time to get aboard our Ship and

“Buckle up”

The locals bid us a fond farewell

.....or perhaps they are just glad to see us go?

This busy Port, however, carries on as before

...and the

busses carry on as

normal

But when the Pilot departed it was left up to the Captain to navigate us through the sandbanks and

coral

But Mr Google was always on hand to assist him – and we could even watch his manoeuvres on the cabin's TV screen

And so as we said farewell to Fiji – we looked forward to a couple of days entertainment at sea before our next Port of Call

15 Mar 2012

16 Mar 2012

But before they came on – we

were treated to a Dance Master Class from Reg

and Jean

....and then Nancy came on to introduce the Acts

Aviva

Followed by The Black Watch Show Company

“Hey Blue – that lady should be the Lead Singer of

this Group!?”

17th Mar 2012.... at the International Date Line

She certainly is

But she is not much good at

those high kicks

17th Mar 2012.... Ground Hog Day!

18th Mar 2012

As well as receiving some very welcome e-

mail greetings from Samantha and

Rosalind...she also got a nice card from her

newly “adopted daughter” Lucy from

the Black Watch Show Team

..and one wonders if Mrs Wembley has given up alcohol

for Lent?