So Fiji is a developing country (GDP per capita=$4,252.98 at current prices). It's the most affluent country in the South Pacific, which along with Suva's deep port contributes to Suva being a fairly bustling small city.
The interior on the other hand, is a different story. During the last weekend of July CoIntern and I went to the northernmost part of Viti Levu (the main island), riding along King's Road. King's Road is fairly rickety, the worst part being the mud track carve into the hill. Along the way we passed small settlements and villages. Here are some photos from that trip.
This is the roof of some traditional housing--the bus moves at a fairly breakneck pace over flat land, to make up for the slow going up hills, so it took some practice to time my shots properly.
It was something of a grey day, which added to the drama of the ride. Here you can see some farmland and a few animals.
Standard village housing--bright colors, open windows, elevated in case of flooding.
More of the same village. Bright and pretty, but decidedly not a high standard of living.
Traditional transportation in the interior--bamboo rafts.
More crops. Sugar cane is the biggest crop in Fiji, but palm and coconut oils are also harvested, along with food crops like taro and cassava.
This was a much smaller village, more run down but that may have been a factor of its remoteness and size rather than poverty level, though of course the two are related.
Speeding by another village, where the laundry is all getting wet from the rain.
Watch out for the cows! About an hour from Suva (on the return trip) the bus was delayed while a shepherd finished herding his cattle across King's Road.
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