"Singing in the Rain" in Fiji

Well, it had to rain sometime. For us, it happened to be in Fiji. We made the best of it and turned out to have a fine time.

Although Fiji numbers over 300 islands, we visited Suva and Lautoka in the past two days, which are both located on the largest island, Viti Levu. Suva was the first port on Tuesday (this was yesterday…as remember, we are a day ahead). Suva is the capital of Fiji and located on a hilly peninsula in the Southeast corner of Viti Levu. Its natural harbor offers port facilities to ships of all sizes. The waterfront district is a hodgepodge of high-rise office buildings, Colonial houses, government offices and parks. We decided to confront the poor weather and humidity late morning, but got intercepted by friends re-boarding the ship who had already done the same. They coaxed us into having lunch around the pool, and hearing of their travels, we felt we had seen enough and were having a better time with them. So we enjoyed Suva from the vantage point of the ship and enjoyed the entertainment of the Fiji police band down below on the dock.

This morning, we arrived in Lautoka. Lautoka is the second largest city after Suva and located on the island’s west coast. We got an early start (despite the pouring rain and 97% humidity) and drove south from the pier through the beautiful Sabeto Valley. We first visited a private estate located high on a hill overlooking the bay, owned by the individual who operates the main tour company on the island. There we enjoyed a lovely breakfast buffet of local fruits and juices, while taking in the views of the lush grounds and the bay in the distance.

Next, we journeyed to the “Gardens of the Sleeping Giant,” an orchid farm located at the foothills of the Nausori Highlands. It is renowned for its beautiful collection of orchids started in 1977 by the late Raymond Burr, star of Perry Mason (“Ironside”), to house his private collection of tropical orchids. The gardens showcase more the 2,000 different species of orchids and other exotic plants that can be seen as you tour the beautiful grounds. It was a very serene and lush setting. We even met a frog.

Our final stop was in Viseisei Village, regarded as the “foundation village” of Fijian heritage and culture. It is believed that the first settlers arrived here in a large canoe from Melanesia some 3,500 years ago (as in 1500 B.C.). It is also the place where the President of Fiji (and Chief of the Village) resides. Many dignitaries, including the Queen of England, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, and past American presidents have come to Viseisei Village to meet with the President of Fiji (the thatched room home in the background on the right is where he lives).

Fiji is known as one of the South Pacific’s most hospitable countries (with the locals calling the tourists “Family”) and we very much enjoyed our visit.