Colo-I-Suva

    Colo-i-suva is a 2.5 km rainforest park about 30 minutes north of our hotel. Along with a few other adventurous hotel guests we rent a taxi for a day and head out in the morning. We can hear the upper swimming pools about fifteen minutes past the trailhead and take the left turn towards them. Already feeling the heat I dive in right away. After cooling off a bit we follow the Waisila Creek as it winds down over waterworn rocks and through the trees to a series of waterfalls and swimming pools, all the while listening to the melodic bird life.

 

    Upon returning to the taxi driver, he informs us that he has arranged for his wife to prepare dinner for us. Everyone seems in accord so he takes up farther up north towards his home. On the way he says there is something we need to see and take some pictures of so he turns off the road and drives to a riverbank where a bunch of Hindu people are having a meeting. The beat of drums and chimes are in the air as we get out of the cab. He tells us that this is a once a year ceremony and that we shouldn't get too close but that's not a problem for the telephoto lens. After the men are pierced through the ears, shoulders, mouth, and chin, the dancing begins and they move toward a bus that takes them to the second trial, firewalking, which we won't get to see tonight.

    Reaching Ashook's home that he was born in, we are greeted by his wife, three children, niece, two brothers, father and mother, and grandchild. We hang out in the living room which looks much like a typical living room, with a T.V. and stereo, and chat about life in Fiji, while Ashook keeps our beer mugs full with Fiji Bitter. The dinner table is laid out full. There are a few curries, chicken, lamb, chickpea, roti, some spices, tamarind, ginger, anise, and rice all delicious after a day at the pools. Over dinner he tells us about some things going on Fiji with the tension between indigenous Fijians and Indian-land owners. Stemming from the indentured servants brought to Fiji from India to work the sugarcane plantations in the 1800's, many Indians were leased land after their service and recently the leases have expired. Due to the large amount of Indians taking over the land native Fijians have refused to renew land rights and the European Union has discontinued the subsidy on sugar cane, as he explains it, work is hard to find. But after dinner he leans back in his chair and says "but life is good here, money isn't everywhere, your stomach is everywhere" and rubs his large belly, we all agree. After the meal some girls get some henna tattoos from the younger daughters, and then we say our goodbyes, we have a cab waiting. With full bellies we return to the hotel to rest up for another day.

Out and About

    After settling into Suva somewhat we get out for the day. Our first stop is the Fiji museum which boasts a large collection of artifacts including the cannibal fork. Then onto the market to do some shopping, which is kind of a cool place to hang out, if you don't mind the heat. Upstairs are the kava sales or as the sign points "Grog". Wandering upstairs, it's much like downstairs everyone is trying to get your attention and they all have the same thing, but hotter. The folks come up with some creative ways to eat a coconut and it's hard not to find someone who wants to open one for you. As one guy grabs it from me and starts to smash two coconuts together until the top cracks and he pops it off, after I drink it he takes it again and smashes it against a wall and hands me the pieces of sweet meat from the inside. The rest of downtown is an assortment of dvd shops, shoe stores, and curry houses.



A house boat used to transport goods up river used with bamboo to guide and a stoe at the back



Ancient brass knuckles on the right made of shark tooth

Shark tooth sword and battle ax

Ancient artifacts on the right is an anchor used by the chief on his warboat and on the left is the "killing rock" you can see a place to rest your neck on and imagine the rest

Some artifacts found after the slaughter of a missionary and the bowl used to drink his blood and the fork used to eat him up. Savage

Hanging out on but street

The name of the game is "lime or lemon" apparently oranges, lemons, and limes are all green

These could be it

And look more coconuts

Suva

Packing into the Suva-Nadi-Suva taxi we were elbow to elbow. 13 passengers filled every seat. These taxi’s follow the usual frantic pace of taxis with a bit of something special added. They make up to seven trips back and forth from the capital Suva, and back to Nadi. Taking the Queens road south east they cut the six hour bus ride in half taking a bit under three hours. Once on the highway it’s no wonder how they make up the time; tailing other vehicles often as both cars attempt to pass a bus or two. I decide to just look out the window and hope for the best. A passenger in front has come down with motion sickness and vomited in the front, I guess he didn’t have time to stop. We pull in to downtown Suva near the market, and hail another taxi to catch a ride to south seas private hotel, which is a bit older without the room service but has a communal kitchen to make some delicious dishes with the fresh food from the market.

Southsea Island cruise

During an adventure to Nadi town, we were flagged down on the street by what looked like an information tent and the woman asked us what we were doing the next day and when we said we didn’t know she offered a day cruise to one of the islands. Fiji has hundreds of islands and the classic way to see Fiji is to arrive in Nadi and take a boat that goes up the Yasawa and Mamanuca island chains that run north directly to the west of Nadi. The cruise sounded good and all we had to do was attend a presentation put on by wyndam, a hotel in the upscale resort port of denaru, near Nadi. It took about three hours and we watched a corny movie that I’ve seen before and declined their offers of buying a timeshare, but we were rewarded and the next day we booked our cruise to south sea island through south sea cruise. Picking us up from smugglers at 7:15 I realized why there is a commotion and everyone seems to disappear from the hotel at 7; waiting outside is the cruise bus picking up half of the hotel. We jockey in and go to the marina and confirm our cruise which is the first stop among the 60 island stops running up the islands and we are at our destination south sea island within half an hour. We get a loud Bula!!, the customary hello which by now I use all the time, and a short rundown of the island which we can walk around in five minutes and take a look at the schedule; which has snorkeling at the beach, lunch, snorkeling in the outer reef, followed by a submarine trip, then volleyball, kayaking, tea time, and more swimming before being picked up by the ship again at five thirty.



Theres the view of Nadi from south sea island





Gotta love the dancing babies in the background



The lunge towards an unsuspecting guest is surprising

After putting on my best indiana jones escape the isand of cannibals look, i alone realize that nobody is looking at the right camera



Submarine voyage led by Captain Nemo



Lunchtime dance entertainment