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" Bula " from Fiji
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Bula ( Pronouned M-Bu-La means welcome Hello or Welcome ) from Fiji !!!
Well I have now arrived for my short stay in Fiji. I landed in the early hours of Friday morning ( Have crossed the international date line now so I have lost a day !! ) I landed at the main airport in Nadi ( Nandi ) which is on the east coast of the biggest Fijian island of Viti Levu. Fiji is made of about 300 islands, of which less than half are inhabited. It is truely a beautiful place, the climate is tropical, they are in their summer months, and the temperature is in the mid thirty degrees, very hot and humid.
The resort I am staying at is only about 15 minutes from the airport. The scenery is mountainous lush and green, the quality of the roads are dreadful.
I have a wooden house on stilts which is known as a bure which faces right onto the beach. The views are truely superb. The complex is quite small with only about 30 rooms. It is very quiet at the moment. They do not go into their peak season untillater in March ( which is their autumn ) as the climate is more moderate and less humid.
I visited in Nadi town on my first morning. Although I have never been to India, I would imagine Fiji to be quite similar in many ways. About half the population are of Indian descent, which were originally brought here to help with what used to be their main source of income, which is suagar harvesting. Although this has fell away somewhat, it is still an important part of their economy, secondary only to Tourism.
The tourist industry apparently has still not fully recovered from the Military Coup in 2006, although relatively bloodless it has had aa significant effect on Tourism.
I managed to stock up on a few items, as the room is well equipped with fridge etc so I was able to stock up on essentials !! Spent most of the afternoon by the pool. Had a dip in the sea also. The pace is very slow here and it is a relief to be able to get in the water due to the heat.
Their is a main restaurant to eat in on the resort, and also an Italian place that does pizza/ pasta. Had a nice meal in the restaurant, had a local fish dish in garlic for starter, and a lamb dish very tasty indeed!!
Had a really heavy rain storm in the evening, which is quite usual for Fiji in the summer - really warm rain though, and a surprisingly mellowing experience. Apparently they have had record rainfall this summer, the locals are moaning about it, just shows how mad the weather is everywhere at the moment.
Saturday I booked onto a half day trip. This included visiting a market in the second city of Latouka. Once again there is a real feel of indian culture ( about 50% of fijians are of indian descent ) There were so many items of fruit and veg I certainly had never seen in Tesco !!
The second part of the trip was to visit some gardens that are called "The Gardens of the Sleeping Giant " These are famous in particular for their Orchids, and also because they were established in the garden of a famous american actor called Raymond Burr, of Perry Mason fame ( If you are over 40 you will know who I mean !! )
Although he died in 1993, the gardens are now run by the National Trust here, and they are really something else. The setting to totally tropical, and at times it felt like the set of "I'm a celebrity get me out of here " It certainly is the most beautiful place.
The resort was a bit busier tonight, and had dinner in the pizza/pasta restaurant with 5 other peple staying there.
It started raining at about 23.00, which prompted everyone to go swimming.
Am off to New Zealand tomorrow, my brief glympse of Fiji has been very agreeable, a beautiful place, and the locals are very welcoming. Only a 3 hour flight this time!!! Though leaving my little wooden bungalow here to go to a hostel, sure to be a different experience........................
Latest Comments (1)
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Bula to you too (reply)
Mar 2, 2008 04:42 EST by julieturner
30 degree temperatures, beautiful views, sea, pool, bar, restaurant - sounds awful!! We're about to have another cold spell starting this evening, with ice on the roads - so no spring yet!
Hope you chill for a couple of days, you probably need it.
Jules
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