Beqa Island--My Favorite So Far

I went to Beqa Island with 3 friends and 3 people I hadn't met yet three weekends ago, and it was amazing.  Even though it rained for 20 out of the 36 hours we were there. :)  Why was Beqa so great?

1. This awesome cross-stitch was hanging in the dormitory (there were two guys and five girls, so they took the bure and we took the five bed dorm). Seriously, this thing took a lot of time, and it is very accurate.

1a.  This is what we did for the first two hours (until lunch)--lay on the super comfy beds, chat, and eat dalo (taro) chips.  Corrine really likes chips.

1b. This is what the girl's room looked like the next morning--I love how mosquito nets make you feel like you're in a princess bed.  

2. Beqa Island is super pretty.  The beach part is not amazing, but the flora absolutely is.  And the nice thing about a grey day is that it makes the green pop so nicely in the photos.  More photos below.

Tree with bean pods... I've yet to find out what kind of tree it is, but it looks super cool.

Lazy ease and relaxation.  FYI--that grass is the best grass I've ever walked or laid on--springy and bright and wonderful. 

More pretty.

This lovely little swing made for a very fun afternoon for me.

3. When the rain finally stopped, as soothing as it had been, we were ready to wander around the island.  Time for a beach walk, led by the resident Swiss backpacker.

Away we go!

The outer shell of the coconut

The discovery of a cross-section of the coconut makes for a cool demonstration of how it has two shells. 

The first of two--what are these doing here? photos

Why do people keep forgetting their stuff in paradise?

The water in Fiji is so clear!

I'm not sure what kind of flower this is, but it smells great!

Two trees in one (they seem to have completely interspersed their roots to the point that they may be sharing a root system)!

Not great for swimming, but awfully pretty!

More jungle prettiness

Beqa's seashell collection.  Sadly, Fijian law keeps me from bringing shells back to the states.  Otherwise, everyone would be getting cool shells as presents.

Expulsion of Acting High Commissioner

In Fiji, the Australian High Commissioner is like the ambassador.  The official HC was expelled awhile ago, and while Fiji will not approve the appointment of another, a series of acting HCs has been deemed acceptable.  The latest acting HC, Sarah Roberts, was expelled for interfering in the MSG meeting.  Which is largely an inconsequential, but important for image, meeting that was to be held in Fiji. 

http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=151699

While you read that article, take the time to read the other articles in Fiji Times (owned by Murdoch, one of two newspapers in Fiji and likely to be shut down as its international ownership has been declare illegal), including the one where Commodore Bainimarama says that if Australia and New Zealand don't offer Fiji support, well, he just doesn't see how the political system will be ready for elections by 2014. 

Wandering around Suva pt. 2

So the Fiji Islands had amazing traditions of personal adornament, but then the Methodists came and declared cool hair, body paint and nakedness ungodly.  And now they have phenomenal influence everywhere.  Why the Fijians didn't just say screw you is unclear.

This sign hangs over downtown Suva, across from an abandoned and boarded up club that advertises its air conditioning to try to entice partiers.

Also on this street: some incredible Indian clothing shops I can't wait to visit.

The market in Suva is very fun.  Lots of cool veggies and fruits, including these bitter cucumbers.

There were also pineapples next to these for FJD 3.  These are the inferior, but more photogenic pineapples.

Yum, dalo (aka taro).  Here Fijians also cook the tops of dalo, called roro.  The treat roro like spinach or collard greens.  But before you cook it you have to wash it extremely thoroughly, otherwise it will cause your mouth and throat to itch as you eat it. 

The best roro is as part of palisami, a roro and coconut milk concotion cooked as part of a lovo (this amazing Fijian meal cooked beneath hot coconuts and stones for hours, with fish, dalo, chicken and veggies).

Outside of Suva Market are vendors for these phenomenal tropical flowers.  It puts pretty much any garden ever to shame.

After the market I went to Cost-U-Less, which is basically a chain of mini-Costcos throughout the tropics.  After a rough week of not quite adjusting to Fijian food, it was great to find some familiar things to eat.

Wandering around Suva

Two weeks ago it was a gorgeous weekend in Suva (the weekends are usually pretty grey for some reason).  I wandered around and went to the market. 

Here are some photos from my wanderings.

This is the way to work.  It makes for a very nice walk when I'm not running late.

This is the view from the hill down to the ocean--very nice! :)

This is Albert Park, where a rugby competition was going on.










More photos in the next post, the formatting is going crazy.

Island Adventures

A visit by a blue-backed cockroach has my heart racing, so I decided to take advantage of being unnecessarily awake and make a post.

For my second weekend in Fiji I went with a Coworker (Aussie 1, there are lots and lots of Aussies here, so numbers will be needed), her friends, and CoIntern to a tiny little island called Caqalai (but pronounced theng-go-la).  It was fabulous.

This is the view when you arrive (by 1 hour boat ride from Nausori).  You can walk around Caqalai in an easy ten minutes, and the only buildings on the island are the resort, run by the Methodist Church of Fiji.  And by resort I mean main building, dive shack, canteen, two toilets, several bures (little shacks that are private sleeping quarters) and one large dorm.


The whole thing is powered by a generator, so the point is not so much luxury as relaxation.  And diving and snorkeling if you want to take advantage of the crystal clear water.

 The housing was pretty fun, not that we stayed in it much.  Lounging in the sand or going for little swims in the perfectly warm water were my preferred activities.  It was the perfect contrast to the congestion of Suva.  The weather wasn't super sunny, but that was hardly a problem.  In fact, it poured rain for much of Sunday, but that was just an excuse to relax and read.  I also learned a card game, which required some sort of complicated strategy I've now forgotten.

Not a bad view to wake up to, huh?  There are several islands nearby, some inhabited, some not.  In the latter category is Snake Island, named for the ridiculous number of snakes usually seen sunning on the rocks there.  You could swim around Snake Island in ten minutes at high tide, it's super tiny, and at low tide you can walk to it from Caqalai.  I did not go to snake island, which I'm sure it not a surprise.

The inside of the dorm housing....  my first mosquito net, which is somewhat surprising given the amount of traveling I do, and the warm places I prefer.

Mozzies, as the Fijians/Southern Hemispherians call them, were not to much of a problem, certainly less of a problem than in Suva.  Coral was more of a menace, and several folks cut themselves with injudicious kicks while snorkeling. 

Goodbye Caqalai, for now!  (The odds of me going back are high, given that bus to the boat, boat ride round trip, and room and board cost about $60 US).

Happy 4th of July everyone!