Bula, Fiji!

So…where to begin? I’m still finding it a little hard to believe that we’re actually here in Fiji…it doesn’t seem real yet. That might have something to do with the humidity though; at the moment we’re both walking around in a constant heat-induced daze! Here I go, being typically English- complaining when it’s too cold, too hot, anything but ‘just right’. This tropical climate, with its thick, sticky air, is going to take getting used to…good job I’ve found Suva’s Olympic Pool! Literally the biggest swimming pool I’ve ever been in- 50m by 50m. To put it into perspective, I had 5 lanes to myself, and the other side of the pool had 30 kids in it. But I’m getting WAY ahead of myself- let’s go back to the beginning…

First impressions of a place always start from the plane…green mountainous terrain fringed with white beaches and turquoise waters lingered below as we descended into Nadi. As I walked into the airport, I thought the tropical air was getting to my head already; I was sure that I could hear three men singing. But sure enough, there were three big Fijian men, all in flowery shirts, strumming guitars and singing with huge, contagious smiles on their faces. Fantastic entry into the country! It’s a shame I was zombified for the four hour drive from Nadi airport to Suva; most of it was right by the ocean, giving a great tour of Fiji’s south coast. 

Arriving into Suva, the island’s capital and our home for the next little while, was a little shock to the system after all the roadside greenery. It’s small by many cities’ standards, but the streets were still heaving on Saturday. We soon discovered why this was; it was the final day of the Hibiscus Festival, Suva’s biggest festival of the year. Floats each carrying a pretty contender for the ‘Miss Hibiscus’ competition rolled down the main street, dozens of people lining the streets to see them pass. 

One thing that struck me about Fiji was that EVERYTHING is in English- all the signs, shop names, food packets. I knew that Fiji had been a former British colony- they still have the Queen on their dollar notes, though they have been independent for 31 years- but I thought I’d see some Fijian dotted around. Apart from the many friendly ‘Bula’ (hello) greetings you get every day, I’m not even sure I’ve heard much Fijian spoken in the streets; I think it’s mostly been Hindi, and quite a bit of English. Suva’s multicultural population, mostly of Indian or Fijian descent, makes for a wonderfully diversity in the clothing. Saris, sulus (knee-length skirts for men- more common than you’d think), and of course, floaty flowery dresses and shirts. I can guarantee that Patrick and I will be wearing flowery numbers before the month is up; Patrick doesn’t think so, but watch this space- the tropical ambience will get to him!

Not many exciting photos yet I'm afraid- but here's a few I've taken when walking around the city...

No rest for the wicked; we had a mission over the weekend- Operation Find-A-Flat. We made three new taxi driver friends along the way, all of who seemed appalled at the rent-prices for each flat. Whatever price we’d been quoted, however cheap it seemed to us, they’d always say ‘OWWWW! Too much! I’ll show you a much cheaper place! They take you for fools!’ All half-mad (with accompanying crazy laughs) but really helpful and friendly; after discovering I was British, one driver told me that he thought Harry was a ‘very cheeky boy’! That he is, Mr. Taxi Driver! 

Anyway, after about ten viewings over the weekend all over Suva, we’ve managed to find a lovely flat $700FJD-a-month place, two bedrooms, furnished, with some great landlords. After reading up on Suva, I was slightly concerned with possible property theft; it is rife here, apparently…but we were soon put at ease when our landlord flashed us his detective badge! We’ll certainly know who to go to at a time of crisis! When we opened our new freezer, we even found that they’d given us some housewarming gifts…a fish and a whole chicken…yes, with feet still attached (but no head, thank God!) ‘You like chicken? You know how to chop it?’ asked our landlady. Looks like that was useful training in the Indian desert, Patrick (see this link if you don’t know what I’m on about! Patrick's Chicken Experience in the Desert)

 So we’ve spent our first night in our new flat, and soon found out that alarm clocks will not be necessary. Starting from 1.30am, the roosters were crowing every half an hour. As George (Patrick’s boss) said, they’d better be careful not to be too annoying, or they’ll be joining their friend in our freezer! Perhaps a little brutal…though our landlady did say that our chicken had been wandering around the front yard a few days before, so not far from the truth…

Speaking of food, I visited the food market today- probably the best market I’ve ever been to. And that’s saying something; as you’ve probably gathered from past blog posts, Patrick and I are big fans of food markets! Today I got 5 papayas, a bunch of bananas, some apples, some oranges, some pineapples and a bag of chillis…all for $10 FJD ($5 CAD, 3 GBP)!  It had a serenity not usually found in fruit markets; I’m sure it’s a different story on a Saturday! I couldn’t believe the sheer VOLUME of fruit on offer…I saw stacks of coconuts and pineapples that towered over their sellers’ heads! Unfortunately I didn’t get any pictures- I’ll be sure to take my camera next time.

So! That’s our first five days (well, Patrick’s first ten) days in Fiji.  We haven’t figured out the local delicacies yet, apart from a yellowfin fish dish called ‘Mahi Mahi’ that I had at the Bad Dog Café. Now that we’ve found a place to live, we’re hoping to explore the island on the weekends; one thing that we’ve learned about Suva is that it rains a fair bit. I actually enjoy the rain- it creates lush surroundings, and is a relief from the sticky atmosphere- but it will be nice to see those golden-white beaches on the island’s western side that all my friends have raved about. I don’t think it’s quite sunk in yet that this is going to be our home for the next few months…but the friendliness of Fijians, the beauty of Fiji and the Irish pub down the road will help us to feel at home in no time.Speak soon! xxx