Guest Blog: Rachel's trip to Fiji

Note from Ruth: Though the main purpose of our blog is to keep family/friends/anybody interested up-to-date on our adventures, the posts are often travel-inspired.  Before my sister left for a trip to Fiji,  I invited her to do a guest blog.  In alignment with most of my posts, you will see some touristy things to do but also learn a little geography and history.  And as most of you might predict, I have inserted my own thoughts here and there.  I hope you enjoy the blog.  Now I'll turn it over to Rachel:

Five Nights in Fiji.....was not enough time!

I have always wanted to travel west of California.  I thought my first trip west would be Hawaii, then New Zealand or Australia.  Boy was I wrong!  Qantas offered the opportunity to go to Fiji and take a small ship cruise around the Yasawa Islands.  Having only sold Fiji once (Ruth reminds you that Rachel is a travel agent), I was intrigued to become more knowledgeable and share my experience with others.  I also wanted to see how "Small Ship Cruising" compared to the bigger ships I had already cruised on.

Fiji is located in the South Pacific; roughly a ten hour flight from Los Angeles and four hours from Sydney.   The Archipelago is made up of thousands of islands.  Of those, only just over 300 are large enough to be inhabitable and due to the lack of fresh water in Fiji, only a third of them are.  I visited in September which is a great time to go as it is a little less humid from June through October.  The rainy season/cyclone season is coming up in November and will last until March, followed by the dry season of April - October.  Fiji is 12 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time which means they are the first to see the sunrise each day and the first to experience the New Year.

The Yasawa Group of Islands are most known for their beautiful beaches.  The Blue Lagoon and Castaway were filmed there.

It is believed that Fiji's first settlers were the Melanesians roughly 3,500 years ago. Footnote When the Europeans went exploring in the area, they were greeted and feasted on. Yes, the Fijians back then were cannibals (Ruth interjects: ewwww).  The first European to speak of Fiji was the Dutch explorer, Abel Tasman (Ruth interjects: heel goed!).  Captain Cook also enjoyed exploring the area.  Fiji became a British Colony in 1874 which ended the cannibalism in the islands.  Laborers were then brought in from India to work on the sugar plantations on the islands.

Sonasali Island Resort

Never been told to get behind the bar for a picture!  Note from Ruth: I'm usually told to get OUT from behind the bar!

There are so many different things to do in Fiji!  The colorful open air markets are loud and friendly.  There you may purchase fresh fruits, vegetables and fish.  Visit the Garden of the Sleeping Giant to find the largest Orchid collection in Fiji.  Nearby, you can visit the Sabeto Hot Springs and Mud Pools.  If none of these options sound appealing you might try snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing, golfing, hiking, sky diving, or explore caves, waterfalls and beautiful beaches.  There really is something for everyone!

Captain Cook's MV Reef Endeavour

Blue Lagoon

Blue Lagoon Beach

On our 4 night cruise, we snorkeled twice a day, each trip more amazing than the last.  We visited numerous villages all with warm, friendly Fijians.  We swam in the Blue Lagoon's crystal clear water.

Sawa-I-Lau Cave

Girls are in Green, Boys are in White

The Sawa-I-Lau caves were also neat to see!

On our visit to the local school, the children sang and showed us around the school.  The students are all very proud of their school!

Note to potential visitors: You should not just stroll into a village.  I recommend to go with a guide so you can learn what you need to gain permission to enter and also to learn the proper etiquette.  

Kava Ceremony

Informational meeting before entering

For example, women need cover their shoulders and knees.  Men need to cover their knees.  It's a sign that you are a friend.  Imagine a grass skirt in a fighting stance, no matter your stance in battle, your knees are exposed, a sign you are an enemy.  

The Fijians speak softly, loud voices are a sign of anger.  

Lastly, be sure to remove all hats as the only person in the village allowed to wear a hat is the chief.

Beautiful Beaches

Direct tipping to staff is not encouraged.  Instead, most places have a box marked "Christmas Fund", "Staff Fund" or "Village Fund" where you can make donations to the shared box.

Vinaka 

Vaka Levu 

to the staff of the Captain Cook Reef Endeavor!

The Fijians have beautiful voices and warm hearts.  I hope I can return soon!

Footnote - Fiji, Northstar Travel Media L.L.C.
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Note from Ruth:  Thanks Rachel! Fiji looks like a beautiful place to visit with a lot of culture and history to learn about.  Here are my questions: 

Question 1: You mentioned that you were interested to try out small-ship cruising.  Having been on only 1 cruise ever (see Norway blog from May 2012 if you're interested), I'm curious to know what the differences are.  Are you still traveling on open ocean, or are you mostly going between the small islands?  How many guests and staff are on the boat?  It depends on where you are.  In our case, we were very close to land at all times.  There is a picture I should have included that I took from the ship showing just how close we were to land.  They have the ability to go in all the nooks of the islands that the larger ships cannot.  They are purpose built to be able to navigate the shallower waters.  Another great area to do a "Small Ship Cruise" would be the Inside Passage of Alaska.  Back to Fiji, our ship had 75 passenger cabins.  It is more about the destination and less about the ship.  There are no casinos, Broadway shows, large spa area, multiple pools or dining options.  Instead you have a room for spa treatments, a single dining room and a room where they had lectures daily (on what you were seeing and experiencing).

Question 2: What is the food like in Fiji? I'll publicly out you here as a picky eater and I'm curious what you thought of local cuisine.  Breakfasts were typical cruise breakfasts of cereal, eggs, bacon (two kinds, crispy and non-crispy), fruit, scalloped potatoes (white and cheesy) and yogurt.  There was always fresh fruit (watermelon, pineapple cantaloupe, blueberries).  They also had canned fruit available - pears and apples.....I had never had canned apples before.   For lunch there were green salads, pasta salads, breads and meats.  For dinner we had a menu of options to choose from.  There was normally a soup or salad to start.  I must mention there were some unique soups....one a Green Bean Potato Soup, but it was more of a pea potato soup.  There was also a soup that came from the Taro root, a few dishes used Taro Root actually.  I did try them, honest :)  You had a choice of a fish, chicken or maybe beef option for your main entree and then dessert.  As soon as I got back all I wanted was some strawberries though :)

Question 3: How many people live in Fiji and what proportion of the inhabitants are native?  
 There are around 875,000 people and half are considered to be "native". 

Thanks again for the post.  If you go anywhere awesome in the future be sure to bring me with you!