Travel Journal: Suva, Fiji

We just got back from our tour in Suva, the second stop in our itinerary. We did a mixture of cultural, historical and fun things for today. I will write them all down now while it is still fresh in my memory. We still have heaps of time to rest and to prepare for dinner and tonight's show (It's Wild, Cool and Swingin as per the cruise compass) later.

We already docked in Suva by the time we finished preparing to get off the ship this morning. We booked the Jewel of Fiji shore excursion via Viator weeks prior to boarding the ship. We could have booked it with Royal Caribbean instead but my friend found out that it was more expensive to book it with them. We thought it would be risky to book an excursion outside the cruise line company because other tour companies might not or probably do not have any arrangements with the cruise line. There could be a conflict regarding pick-up and departure times and we might be left behind by the ship or we may have wasted our time if they pick us up later than usual.



We also weren't sure if there will be other people on the cruise that would book excursions from tour companies other than Royal Caribbean. If in case we get left behind on the island, it would be more comforting to know that we weren't the only two people who got left behind. Haha! Those kinds of little things that could have an annoying domino effect. But, we agreed to book one tour with Royal Caribbean and one tour from another tour company so we could compare later on.

Fortunately, when we got off the ship, vans from different tour companies were already parked outside and tour guides were already waiting for their respective clients. Viator emailed us beforehand the detailed instructions - the meeting place, time, what the tour guide would be wearing, etc. It was good to know that a lot of people booked excursions through other tour companies as well. Once our van was filled, a lady in our group asked the driver/tour guide what time would the tour finish as we have to be back by 4:00 PM. The driver/tour guide knew that already and he assured us that we will be back on time so all of us felt relieved that they seem to know the do's and don'ts of touring cruise clients.

Our driver drove us to Navua, 3 towns away from Suva, about an hour drive, so we were able to see a bit of the other towns.

We started the tour by visiting a village (Koromakawa Village) meeting house called bure. We had to take our shoes off as per their custom and as a sign of respect.

We were warmly welcomed with a war dance and a kava ceremony, a sacred and traditional ceremony that is only performed for visiting high chiefs and important visitors. Kava is their national drink. I tried it. Its taste isn't as bad as it looked. It looked like muddy water, tasted like an old lipstick? (At least for me!) A folk dance was performed thereafter as well.

Our tour guides also shared the history of the village (established by an Englishman named Mr. Danford). They showed us how they cook/their traditional way of cooking called lovo. It's like an oven but underground. They dig/create a big pit in the soil and place wood and stones in it. They light a fire in it and if it's ready for cooking, they rearrange the stones so that the food to be cooked can be placed on top of it properly. Then, they cover the pit with dried leaves. Our food for lunch was cooked in that way.

They also showcased how Fijian mats and artworks are made. For the mats, they shred or pound pandan leaves to make it thinner and weave them together. These mats are considered traditional gifts. As for the artworks, they use ink from mulberry. They pound mulberries and use the extract as ink. They add charcoal to that extract to create a black ink and they add clay to create brown ink or just use the pounded mulberry extract as it is. They also have handmade fabrics, which, similar to the mats, are used as gifts for a wedding or funeral. If I remember correctly and hopefully, I am not mistaken, I think it is also customary for them to give gifts at funerals.

They showed how they open coconuts, which is very similar to how it is done in the Philippines, and what they do with the coconut byproducts. They use the coconut husk to make their roof while they use the coconut shell as a pot/container for cooking as well.

Our guides also explained their native weapons (such as neckbreaker and cannibal fork) and meaning behind their symbols (e.g. putting a flower on your left ear means you're single while placing a flower on your right means you're married). I loved this part. A lot was discussed but these are the only ones that stuck in my head as I write this.

We also visited a village pre-school and met some kids who sang us both welcome and farewell songs, which was really cute.

Then, we had lunch and ate the food that was cooked earlier. Their food is somewhat similar to Filipino food. There were noodles with vegetables (like pancit), a dish that looks and tastes like laing but not spicy (I forgot what it was called), rice (Yay!), fish in coconut, curry, pumpkin. We thought we would have extra time after eating lunch so we also had our name listed for a quick massage but we cancelled it because we had to go straight to our next activity.

I tried and ate most of the dishes offered.

Before leaving the village, my friend and I bought some souvenirs. We quickly slipped on our rashguards and aqua shoes as well. We deliberately left all out things at the village for this part of the tour. We canoed down the Navua river to visit Navua's largest waterfalls. I didn't notice that it was a 45-minute trip because I was busy looking at the villages, rainforests and waterfalls that we passed by. It would have been nicer if the weather wasn't gloomy. But at least we didn't have to worry about sunburn or heat.

After reaching our stop, we trekked further into the forest to reach the waterfalls. We had a quick dip. And I had a little accident before that. I was stepping on rocks to get slowly into the water and as I walk one step further, there were no more rocks! I somehow slipped into the water. There was like a gap in that spot/a sudden dip and the water is fairly deep for my height. Luckily, there was a man nearby and he grabbed me by the arm. I was split-second close to panicking and I wouldn't have been able to swim! Whew. He then pulled me to a safer spot where it was not too deep. Oh, my goodness. I was super grateful to him.

We capped off the tour by riding a bamboo raft, which was their previous means of transportation, back when there were no roads and before motors were introduced.

Chinese cuisine for dinner

We canoed down the river again and went back to the village to grab our things. It was a good call to leave our things in the village because it was a hassle to carry things and worry about our gadgets while canoeing and trekking. We were driven back to the cruise ship port on time. Everything in this tour went smoothly. Now we know that we can safely book tours outside the cruise line company. They are efficient and they are way cheaper, too!

Next port stop will be in 2 days time!

Travel Journal: Lautoka, Fiji

HELLO, LAND! We got out of the ship for the first time since we boarded for the cruise.

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.

We freshened up and prepared for dinner and tonight's scheduled show, Motown Hits (Again, another homage performance to some old school hits which we again enjoyed. Thanks to our parents for exposing us to their music. We might have not appreciated it before but we do now.) and Giovanni (I think he's an American performer. Think Ne-yo.)

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!