August 2008: South Pacific
Savusavu, Vanua Levu, Fiji Part 3 (S 16.46.661 E 179.20.067)
The other Dave and I did some walking and came upon the hot water spring. This water is literally hot enough to boil eggs, cook food, etc. I touched it and it is far too hot to swim in. The locals place their food in plastic bags; cover them with a mesh bag of some sort and rocks to hold it down. While we were there 2 guys were sitting on the bench and we realized just how hot and humid this little spot was. We got out of there pretty quick as it was a small place. The run-off spills into the bay and you can see the steam rising at the water line where they meet. As expected there is a lot of trash in the water and some large snail shells. Some areas are really clean but then there are pockets that are just neglected and seem to be magnets for trash. Of course, plastic is the main ingredient of the trash mix.
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| And for those who care, cement power poles. |
This tractor came a long way to become yard art. I’ve always wondered how vehicles and machinery are abandoned like this and would like to hear their stories.
This pier belongs to Fiji Pearls (pearlsfiji.com) and in the distance to the left of the end of the dock just beyond the water level bushes is the farm where the pearls are grown. The Cook Islands are famous for their black pearls and Fiji is famous for their gold pearls. The gold pearls are rare and are a result of water conditions; soil and water temperature, minerals, etc. I’ve looked at low quality and high quality and learned that grades are based on luster and imperfections. The luster of the Fiji pearls and the gold pearls in particular is spectacular. The success rate for the perfect round pearl is very low and for gold pearls even lower. They are something to see and quite easy to break the bank.
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