BULA!
This means hello and this is the warm welcome we received by everyone we saw when we arrived in Fiji at 5:30 in the morning. We left San Francisco at 9 pm on January 4th and arrived in Fiji around 6 am on January 6th. Needless to say, we were exhausted and thankful when we checked into our hotel that there was a room available for us. Above is the gorgeous view from our hotel room. On our first day, we relaxed by the pool and strolled along the beach. We also took a 20-minute walk to Denarau Port which is a Marina facility with restaurants and shops. While we were there, we grabbed a bite to eat and enjoyed the beautiful view below.
The next day we wanted to see a bit of Nadi and decided to go on a half-day tour with a local guide and driver along with 8 other people. We were picked up and went to one other hotel on Denarau before crossing the bridge to Nadi. It was an eye-opening experience because when we arrived in Fiji it was still dark outside, and we were not able to see much of the area. Our hotel is located on Denarau, and has a well maintained landscapes with upscale hotels. All the subdivisions and condos were behind gates and many of the houses were along the canals. The guide shared that Nadi was going to be named the third city in Fiji, and the upcoming city was prone to major flooding and many of the locals had to go to higher ground. The town of Nadi was an eclectic mix of ramshackle buildings, new roads, and a smattering of new buildings.
Our first stop was Sri Siva Subramaniya Nadi Hindu Temple, the largest temple in the South Pacific. The temple was rich in color and had beautiful frescoes painted on the ceiling. Before going into the temple, Conrad and I were given sarongs to cover our legs. We were able to take photos from the outside of the temple, but not while we were inside.
Conrad and I sampled the local drink of Kava while visiting Nadi Markets. Kava is a traditional drink made from the crushed root of Piper methysticum. Once the root is in a powder form, it is mixed with water to make a bitter “muddy water.” The drink is poured into a small coconut shell and you are asked if you want it “low tide,” which is a half full or “high tide,” which is filled to the brim. Before having a drink, you clap one time and say Bula, which means hello; after finishing the drink, you clap three times and say Vinaka, which means thank you. The drink wasn’t as bad as it looked and tasted very earthy and a bit bitter. The market was impeccably clean, and the vendors were extremely friendly selling a variety of local fruits and vegetables. Conrad and I tried the pineapple and it was incredibly juicy.
Our next stop was the Garden of the Sleeping Giants. It was founded by Raymond Durr in 1977 and has a famous collection of orchids and tropical plants. The garden has over 50 varieties of Asian orchids and Cattleya hybrids.
The garden is called the sleeping giant because when you look at the profile of the mountain you can see a man facing up toward the sky. After the tour of the gardens, we went on a jungle hike including a strenuous scramble to a lookout peak which gave us an incredible view of the island.
Our last stop was the mud pool and thermal springs. The locals believe that the sulphur in the hot springs and mud will make you look 10 years younger and has healing properties. There are three thermal pools and one of the thermal springs has a temperature of 70 C (160 F) which feeds and warms the other two pools. The thermal pools are owned and operated by a village to provide income to all the villagers.
After changing our clothes, we walked over to the buckets and proceeded to place a thin layer of mud all over our bodies. The thinner the layer the quicker the mud will dry. Once the mud dries, we went into one of the thermal pools to rinse off. As we descended the stairs, our feet sank into a floor made of muddy sludge and grass. It was a very unpleasant sensation on your feet which you could see on the faces of others. I spent most of my time on Conrad’s lap to avoid putting my feet into the sludge. Once most of the mud was rinsed off,we went into the second pool. Thankfully there was not a slimy bottom but a welcoming and relaxing hot bath.
We chose this beautiful island country in the South Pacific Ocean as a way to relax and adjust to the time zone before heading to New Zealand. Once in our taxi to the hotel, we were told that we were now on Fiji time…..no hurry no worry. Fijians are warm and welcoming people. This visit gave us a glimpse into their culture which does appear to have two extremes. The very opulate resort areas and the more rural subsistence farming. It was evident that the family and the extended tribe were very important to them. I would definitely recommend visiting this beautiful country.