Fiji Water or Kava?

2023, Mar 02    

Fiji | Country 17 | 4 day |

I am on a work sabbatical for a whole month! A big thank you to my employer who has this program for employees after 5 years of tenure.

Some aspects of the Fiji trip that I find really unique:

• I was stuck in Fiji because Vanuatu, my next destination, was hit by two Category 4 cyclones (Judy and Kevin) within 2 days
• The population is 57% Fijian (Itaukei) and 37% Indian (yes, the British were here)
• Two locals, two occasions, such warmth and generosity. I am very grateful

Arriving

I took a red eye flight to Fiji. Customs were a wonderful experience.

Singers at Customs saying “Bula Bula” (like Aloha!)

Taking the taxi from the airport, my driver somehow sold me a fairly expensive private tour for the next 4 hours. I don’t regret it and definitely appreciated the chance to chat with locals.

We went on the journey to go from the airport to Lautoka (a town in the northern tip of the island) and back to Nadi.

We drove through a local village, and said hi to a young girl. She probably had just woken up as it was 6:30am in the morning.

We arrived in Lautoka and roamed around the downtown, but unfortunately, many places were not open yet.

We stopped by the fish market, and my guide got two fish for his wife. Did we drive all the way up to Lautoka because he wanted to buy some fish?.. :)

The driver is of Indian descent and he showed me a bunch of the local cultural places.

After spending most of the morning traveling through the countryside, we arrived in Nadi, and had lunch at the Indian temple.

Sri Siva Subramaniya Swami Temple and the excellent restaurant that the temple also runs

I dropped off my items at my Airbnb in Nadi - a wonderful host with a big family. I distinctively remember that big iron gate that we had to lock to get inside and out.

My driver dropped me off at a touristy beach called Wailoaloa and we said our goodbyes. The beach was fantastic, and there were resorts all along this strip.

Exploring Nadi

Nadi is full of shops and hotels. The sky is clear one moment, and the next second it was pouring. I walked and visited the shops, the restaurants and eventually made my way to the cultural village.

The Fiji Cultural Village is huge, with many craft stations detailing what are uniquely Fijian. The guide talked through Fijians’ polynesian ancestry, as well as their cannibal past.

The most hilarious thing was that the guide took 15-20 tries before finally getting a small fire - it was very humid that day!

On my walk back to Nadi, a friendly truck driver gave me a lift and dropped me off on the main street.

Port Denarau

Thanks to my friend Alex, who has visited Fiji many times, I ended up visiting Denarau.

As I had plenty of time in town, I walked from Nadi to Denarau. I walked past churches, farms and many local food spots.

Somewhere along the way, this little fella (I called her “Big Sunshine”) decided to follow me, even though I had no food. We walked for a good 60 minutes together, sometimes in the rain.

I was slightly afraid of getting bitten, but this fella was so friendly. She kept some distance, and crossed streets as well as traffic intersections like a pro!

Port Denarau is upscale and probably the most touristy part of the island. There are many resorts, and a port hosting ships that visit other small islands.

I had lunch and made my way back by bus. Along the way, I spoke to a few locals who worked at the resort. Fijians are very cheerful people!

Leaving Fiji (or not!)

I was all ready to leave on my last day. I purposely did not want to stay in Fiji for too long, because I knew that I will be back as I travel to other parts of Oceania in the future.

Little did I know that my flight was delayed by 2 days. I was at the airport, speaking with the attendents, who told me to check back tomorrow.

I wasn’t too worried because I had travel insurance from my credit card, which was able to cover the incedentals.

I booked a hotel / resort that was right across the street from the airport. The extra two days in Fiji at the Tokatoka Resort were fantastic.

I had a chance to walk to other parts of Nadi, and tried out kava. Kava is best described as earthy and slightly spicy, somewhat like drinking ash water. Not a fit for my taste, but it supposedly helps you relax, feel calmer and sleep better.

At the resort, I met an older Asian guy who was on the exact same flight as me. He needed to get to Vanuatu, because he was the part owner of a resort there (on Tanna?) and he wanted to sell it.

At night, I saw frogs by the pool. And at breakfast, I saw birds eating my food when I was away for 20 seconds!

Sleeping Giant

I decided to visit a tourist attraction called Garden of the Sleeping Giant. The walk through the countryside was very interesting; I saw fishermen along the river and risked my life walking across an almost broken bridge.

The Garden of the Sleeping Giant is a beautiful rainforest. I did a short hike and met many Asian tourists traveling in groups (maybe from Malaysia?).

On my walk back, the manager of the Garden was traveling to Nadi and gave me a lift! He is Fijian, but his wife is Chinese.

Despite being a government employee and not an owner, he talked to me about his aspirations to build a better dining experience (small cafe?) and upgrade this attraction which has been more or less the same for decades.

I got off at the hotel by the airport, said our goodbyes and took off to Vanuatu the next day.

I will definitely be back. Maybe next time, the Garden will be completely different.