22) Suva, Viti Levu, Fiji pt 2

September 2008: South Pacific

Suva, Viti Levu, Fiji pt 2 (S 18.07.297 E 178.25.405) 

               

  

                Captain Cook briefly passed thru the Fiji islands.  Briefly, meaning the fear of cannibalism was so strong that they may have stepped on land and then quickly left and never came back.  I’m not sure of the connection as to why the remaining piece of the Bounty’s rudder found its way to this museum.                                                                                                                                                                     

  

                The fish market was small considering the size of this city and that the produce market is the largest in the South Pacific.  Much of the fish is caught spearfishing with band guns and the boats are tied up directly behind the stands.  Along the walls you can see dive gear and wetsuits hanging to dry.  It’s pretty easy to strike up a conversation with most anyone here and they light up when I ask to take a picture.  But, the police officer behind the cyclone metal fence politely prohibited me from taking pictures of her working.  Upon moving my vantage point I saw she was inspecting with latex gloves burned/deteriorated clothing that was laid out on the grass at the edge of the police yard.    

         

                                                                                                                                                                                        This downtown area is fast and loud, dangerous and dirty.  I tried to capture a taxi ride on video but as luck would have it the driver wasn’t able to break the speed of sound due to traffic.  But he was quite able to turn the 3-lane one-way road into his own 1-lane road.  These drivers are really aggressive not only to each other and buses but also to pedestrians.  The traffic directions are reverse of what it is in the states and you must be on your toes to look the correct way before stepping off the curb.  The bus station is crowded with buses and people and I made no attempt to even learn the procedure.  All the bus stations in these islands have an intimidating look to them and it seems you need to be from here and be indoctrinated into the system to use it correctly.   

                This particular downtown area is congested.  In-between the bus station and the produce market is an outdoor food court of some kind. But, this is a bit different than the mall.  These stands have lots of food I’ve never seen before as well as many different drinks.  The drinks appear to be served in common cups that sit in a bowl of rinse water.  I found this food court to be a little bit yucky for my taste and the stink that wafted up from the asphalt and curbs was enough to make me gag.  Moving on….

                The first internet café was a step back in time. Small, crowded and loaded with antique Compaq computers and gasp! Cathode ray monitors.  I swear I thought they were going to be monochrome.  C’mon, I can at least poke fun as we all in the states are spoiled with some of our electronic gear.  Flat screen monitors, etc.  Anyway, the connection speed was too slow and I was unable to attach.  As luck would have it down the street was the ultimate modern café with nice individual booths, flat screens, high-speed connection, AC.  This was the best internet café I have seen and used in all my ventures into these places on these sailing trips. 

                For the record, I went to the McDonalds near the KFC.  I had to check consistency.  First of all, no quarter-pounder; Uhm, 5 cents for ketchup; the fries were excellent; the bread was local and that was the only thing that tasted different/bland.  Some food critic, huh?  I did cave in and went to The Korea House for dinner one night; bbq beef, kim chi, garlic, peppers, etc.  I even used sticks to eat with!  The food was fantastic.  Another little item that dates this area and gives a look into the conventional wisdom is that shark fin soup was on the menu.  The next night was Chinese at a recommended restaurant.  Once again I ate with sticks but really don’t want to make a habit of it.  The food was excellent.  See, one stop at McD’s is not out of the order. 

   

                                                                                                                                                                       

                Having had my fill of getting an education at the museum I then wandered the streets to take pictures.  This place is loaded with subject matter.  The architecture is all over the map and the streets in the surrounding downtown area meander.  I stumbled on the Fiji Archives but it was closed.  I have a feeling it is a victim of politics.  The government instability reaches all thru the society here and we are able to see the effects.  Tourism had been hit hard and is barely making a comeback.  We’ve had conversations with locals and there is optimism in their outlooks.  Most don’t like the current state of things and are looking to the next election that keeps getting put off.  Some see the potential of this place but understand it just isn’t in the cards.