Final Day in Nadi, Fiji

Off to the Doctors

Last night the band at our hotel only played until 9:30pm, and it was good tunes,  so no ear plugs were needed.

John is still feeling off when we wake so after breakfast we head to the nearby hotel we stayed at when we first arrived in Fiji to find our cab driver Riko.  We find Riko in his cab but the loud snoring alerts us that he is in a deep sleep. Nicky, the manager of our first accommodations wakes him but Riko suggests we go with  another cab that is waiting there.

We take the cab to Dr. Naidu’s walk-in clinic that is highly reviewed online. I love the sign at the reception desk.

The office is very professional. They take John’s vitals, we meet with the doctor and they run blood tests. It turns out he has a bacterial infection. They put him on an IV drip for hydration and also give him some antibiotics by IV. This will take over an hour so I grab the opportunity to walk to the craft market and do some unsupervised browsing.

When I return John’s IV is almost done. The cost for all of this is only about $275 Canadian. Twenty years ago when Cameron was ill in Florida and went to a public hospital, they put him on an IV for hydration but no medicine and the cost was over $2,000.00 USD. Really makes you think.

We leave the clinic, check out the town and go to a restaurant that is highly recommended for traditional Fijian food. We know we are in the right place because we are the only tourists. I have a lamb, coconut and spinach dish and John has the boiled fish. Both dishes only come with spoons, we request forks and knives. Once again the portions are humongous but the food is really good. Both meals together total $15 CAD. Definitely not a tourist restaurant.

We take a cab back to the hotel and rest over the remainder of the afternoon.

Fiji Culture Village

At 4:45pm, we are picked up in a minibus for our night program at the Fiji Culture Village.

We are greeted with traditional songs and lots of Bula Bulas. Bula seems to have a lot of meanings here. You can tell I’ve been in Fiji for awhile because it is now every second word that I use. For example:

“Good morning. Bula Bula”.

“Bula Bula. What time is it”

“I would like a glass of red wine. Bula Bula”.

“Bula. Which way to the washroom. Bula Bula”.

“Sorry to interrupt, I thought this was the women’s washroom. Bula Bula.”

If you ever are at a loss for words in a conversation, just say Bula Bula at certain intervals or whenever there is a lull.

Click here for a short video of Bula usage.

After the greetings, we are taken on a tour of the cultural village. We learn that up until the British came to Fiji, canabalism was regularly practiced. The last cannibal died in the early 1900s.. It is said that in his lifetime he feasted on over 900 people. I wonder how they know that. Did he keep count? Did he have a list of names? Did he have different recipes for different people? Did he serve them with Chianti? So many questions.

Our guide says not to worry,  they will try to behave themselves tonight.

We see demonstrations of fire making, pottery creation, war implement usage, tapa making and more. We visit the Chiefs house and an example of the old temples.

By this time it is raining.

Our final stop is to see the Lovo cooking on the hot stones covered in banana leaves. We then watch the traditional kava ceremony ( of which I abstained). Shortly after, we fill our plates at the buffet with the Lovo feast. Lovo is the Fijian version of the Hawaiian luau or Samoan emu feasts.

And then the show begins despite the pouring rain. We watch fierce warrior dances. Click here for a short video.

Best of all are the fire dancers. The rain seems to have no effect on the dancers. They are really a delight to watch. Click here for a short video.

There is some group participation and then with many Bulas, we board our minibuses back to our hotels.

Goodbye Fiji

John is feeling almost normal this morning. We finish packing, head out to breakfast and take one last walk on the  beach before we take a taxi to the airport. We are flying to Vanuatu.

I have really enjoyed Fiji. The snorkeling is amazing and the people are so warm and friendly with a laid back attitude.

When going through security at the airport, I notice a list of dangerous items that you cannot have in your carry on. Besides the usual items, they have added coconuts and war clubs to the list.

Our over three hour flight to Vanuatu is on a small plane; a puddle jumper. We get some beautiful views of Fijian islands from the air.