Lautoka Fiji

Sunday 11/2/2010 Lautoka

We docked and were allowed off the ship at Lautoka, Fiji at 8:00 am. Lautoka is situated on the western side of the big island Viti Levu, opposite of Suva. Vita Levu is the largest island in Fiji, and approximately 250 km from Suva, the capital. Not real far but considering the roads in Fiji it would take a while to get there. We had a welcoming party of Fijians dressed tradition garb and holding "CALI’s" or war clubs. These people were once cannibals so we weren’t sure if this was a greeting or a question of “Guess who is coming to dinner” :)

Lautoka is surrounded with the blue Pacific Ocean on the western side and green gold sugar cane together with pine trees on the other sides. We had no real plans for this stop so we got off the ship at 8:00 am and found a tour booth that had a tour to Bounty Island the sister island of Treasure Island. They said the snorkeling was great and the beach was white… sounded great to us so we booked it.

We took a 20 minute bus ride to the boat dock where we caught a motor boat for another 20 minute ride over to Bounty Island. Now this place had it all… crystal clear blue waters, large areas of reef, white sand beaches, and a nice bar on site… this is the life.

From Bounty Island you could see treasure island off in the distance. We snorkeled here for several hours before they fed us a grilled lunch that included maji maji, beef, lamb, chicken and sausage along with the complimentary sides of salads, rice, and vegetables.  To top it off they had cut freshly picked bananas and papayas and man were they absolutely delicious.

After lunch we snorkeled a bit more since the water clarity and diversity of sea life was spectacular.  After tiring we then went to the bar and consumed a few Fiji Bitters and Fiji Gold beverages before heading back to the ship… another excellent outing in Fiji…

Suva Fiji

10/31/2010 – Another day at Sea

Friday 11/1/2010 Suva, Fiji

We docked in Suva and were allowed to leave the ship at 8:00 am.  Suva is the pulsing heart of the South Pacific and also Fiji's main port. This waterfront district provides the hub for much of Suva’s activity with high-rise office buildings, colonial buildings with second-story verandas, parks and government buildings.

We got off the ship and walked through an area called the Triangle. Then we crossed Nubukalou Creek a rather dirty creek but then we crossed Cumming Street and passed by the Suva Market where local goods and produce are sold. Here we passed a band that was parading down a side street.  We thought it may be in celebration of Fiji’s 40th birthday of independence. Sharon found a dentist’s sign for 50 dollar false teeth… wow!

We passed Sukuna Park named for Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna, founding father of independent Fiji. Next we came upon Old Town Hall and then passed the Suva City Library and eventually we stopped walking when we hit the first of the Government Buildings adjacent to a large open field called Albert Park.

Then after returning back to where we started we went and hired a local taxi for an island tour and to find a snorkel spot.  We ended up at the Black Pearl Resort which was on the beach and had a very nice beachfront with huts, bars, a restaurant and loungers where we sat looking over the ocean.  Although we didn’t find a good snorkel spot here we did find a slice of paradise and stayed for most of the rest of our time on shore. Nice relaxing spot with nice cold Fiji Gold beers… man life is tough…

On the return trip we stopped at an overlook where I took a few photos of the harbor like the first photo of this blog.  Then we stopped at a rain forest resort for a cold drink and a rest. This was a beautiful resort (and it was raining) so we sat in the restaurant overlooking a small lake.  We saw an innovative use of plastic bottles in the small lake nearby. There was a small boat made entirely our of the plastic soda bottles…. how clever! We also saw a lone Fijian fisherman on the far side of the lake fishing in the rain in the rainforest. His yellow slicker contrasting against the greenery of the rain forest made for an interesting shot…