Jun 25 - Eat breakfast at the place across the street that played live music until late last night. Sit out on a picnic table in the sand and set ourselves back about $25, a lot of money for a meal considering what we’ve been spending lately.
Go to the nearest spot I selected for visiting, that of Sri Siva Subramaniya Temple. It has all the loud colors one would expect from such a place. There is a wedding taking place, so we stay for a bit to listen to the music, then chanting, while the bride and groom sit motionless inside a small, decorated enclosure.
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Head north through town and then east along a gravel track to the Garden of the Sleeping Giant. This botanical garden/park is just short of similarly named places with waterparks, ziplines, mud pools, and other entertainment. It is also on the south slope of a steep range of hills. The entry fee for the three of us comes to F$ 62, almost US$ 30. There are several trails going up through the forest, around a pond, and past a lot of orchids. The best bit is a grassy hilltop with a view out over Nadi and the ocean. The ticket includes juice at the entry lounge area when we finish.
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By now it is after 13:00, so start moving south and east along the coast. We never get very far from the sea, but views into the interior reveal choppy, subdued hills. Nothing clearly shows a volcanic edifice, so volcanic activity here must have ended long ago. Many of the hills are only covered in grass and bushes, the original forests long gone. Eat a salty curry lunch at the Divine Cafe in Navua, a restaurant attached to the local mosque.
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Try as I might, the going is slow and curvy, and we fail to arrive in Suva before nightfall. It is tough driving at night on these small roads, with abundant traffic. Fortunately see the turnoff just in time, as it is a dirt road and unmarked. Down by the bay here is our hotel, just a room in someone’s house. Really dark as there is not power now (station maintenance).
Just a bit on religion in Fiji. Like many South Pacific islands, it went through plenty of missionaries that left competing Catholic and Protestant adherents. The total Christian component today is about 64%, and consists almost entirely of native Polynesians. The balance is made up of Hindus (28%) and Muslims (6%). These last two are imports from the many indentured servants brought from India in the 1800’s.
Fiji