The first port in our itinerary is Lautoka, Fiji. We knew we would be arriving at lunchtime so we didn't book any shore activity as we will be pressed for time. We decided to go around on our own. We took a cab then walked around the town and... looked for wifi instead. Our roaming didn't work there. It had been three days since we last sent messages/updates to our families and friends. (One more day of no contact and they might send out a search party! Hahaha!) Also, I needed to do internet banking transactions.
We scoured the mall, the restaurants inside and the two Gloria Jean's they have but to no avail. But we found a Missha store there! What are the odds, right? There is no paid or free wifi in any establishment that would normally have a wifi but there is a Missha store. We were surprised! We went inside and bought a few Korean beauty products.
We checked out souvenir shops as well to look for unique pieces we can buy for our friends and family and add on to my souvenir collection as well. I didn't buy anything though as the items were a bit expensive than I thought they would be. Hopefully, I find something in Suva tomorrow.
Since we couldn't find any wifi, we decided to go back to the ship instead. We noted that there was a shuttle bus that we can hop on to and drive us back to the port. As we were standing in line to ride that bus, I saw a familiar black and white sign -- wifi! Huzzah!
We walked to that restaurant (named Kruepa -- EDIT: So if ever you decide to go for a South Pacific Island cruise and one of your stops is Lautoka, visit this shop if you need wifi.) but, for a second, we hesitated to walk in when we saw that it was an Indian restaurant. (Of course, we are in Fiji. Duh.) I do not know heaps about Indian food and I do not really eat Indian food. (Well, I drink Chai and I'd eaten Chicken Tikka Masala but that's about it.) Their sign said that they also sell sweets so, we thought that would be a safe option to eat while we sit there and use their internet connection (which we also paid for). We went in and looked at the food display. We had no idea what to order so we asked the lady behind the counter what she would recommend. She was smiling at us as if she knew that we were only there for the wifi really. Heh. She recommended the raspberry barfi and the peanut laddu.
The raspberry barfi didn't have any raspberry taste at all. It tasted like pastillas. I liked that. The peanut laddu tasted like the usual peanut delicacies in the Philippines. Like masareal. Or peanut kisses but softer/chewy. Of course, we also ordered Masala Chai tea. We enjoyed our "mini-food escapade" while we used our one-hour internet limit down to the last second before heading back to the ship.
We decided to walk back to the port instead of taking the shuttle bus so we can look around further. I saw an ANZ ATM machine along the way and decided to withdraw some cash. There I was standing, pressing buttons, expecting it would shell out AUD because it's ANZ bank, I got Fijian dollars instead. As it should do. Of course. My gosh. Haha!
We reached the ship earlier than scheduled and in time for the sunset, which we indulged in.
Tomorrow, we stop at Suva, the second port in our itinerary. We will be there the whole day so we have an adventure-like activity booked. I'm excited!
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