Submitted by Rebecca Bronstein on the 2013 winter session study abroad program in Fiji sponsored by the Department of Geography…
Our first relaxing day of the trip! We spent Sunday catching up on reading, working on our group projects, and relaxing by the pool. The following day we left Suva for Levuka on the island of Ovalau. An interesting journey with “Fiji Time,” but we finally arrived in a scene right out of the Wild Wild West. We explored a bit and relaxed the rest of the day. The next morning we awoke early for our big hike to a volcanic crater in the interior of the island. The hike was fairly treacherous. It was extremely muddy from all the recent rain and we were slippin’ and slidin’ all over the place. We laughed at each other and ourselves and of course helped one another out during the adventurous five-hour hike. Our guide, who we called Happy (really Epi), told us some Fijian history and pointed out medicinal plants throughout the hike. We finally arrived at his village and promptly ate a delicious vegetarian traditional meal at Happy’s lovely home. I don’t think I’ve ever been so dirty, but it was a blast! The next day we ventured to the Pafco Tuna Cannery down the road from the lodge where we were staying. The factory was what gave the town its distinctive pungent fishy odor. Later that night, a group of young locals showed us around the town and their great English amazed me. Up at 4 am the next day to travel back to Suva. We visited a squatter settlement later in the day, which was in better shape than I would have expected, though still very sad. I think we all felt a little uncomfortable in our privileged clothes, but it was definitely an eye-opening experience. Interestingly, the people were as friendly as always and showed little shame. It made me realize even more how much excessive stuff we Americans have. The next day we took a bus ride to Sigatoka for our free weekend. We stayed at a hotel on the beautiful waterfront which was just a few kilometers from the more bustling town center. The following day we had the lovely opportunity to relax by the beach and pool and catch up on some work. The weather has been perfect because we’re on the west side of the island. Beautiful sunsets over the ocean too!
Week 4 (Jan. 20-26)
On Sunday we ventured to the Kula Ecopark down the road. We got a little confused with the time because it happened to be Fiji’s daylight savings, so we’ll experience two this year! At the ecopark we got to hold two iguanas and two snakes. We also got to feed chunks of raw chicken to a Hawksbill Sea Turtle. We saw many colorful birds and vibrant fish in aquariums too. The next day we headed into town to explore Sigatoka. We weaved through the side streets and went into several handicraft stores in search of souvenirs for friends and family back home. It has been nice to relax a bit with all the constant traveling. The next day we visited the Lawai Village for a pottery tour. Our “guide” named Kitty explained the kava ceremony (we were pros), as well as traditional pottery techniques. A few ladies performed the meke dance for us and soon had us all dancing with them. They were generous enough to then serve us a feast of delicious fish, chicken, various salads, and fruit. We said our vinakas (means “thank you”) and boarded the vans to Sigatoka’s “salad bowl” to see vegetable and fruit nurseries. We ended our day with a bonfire on the beach under beautiful stars! The next day we went to the Sigatoka Sand Dunes. Despite the piping hot sand, it was incredible! Our guide, who had massive calves from walking in sand so much, pointed out medicinal plants and told us about the history of the dunes and the Lapita people who lived there. Afterwards we drove to Lautoka, the second largest city in Fiji. I noticed the city had a much stronger Indian influence. The next day we visited the Fiji Water Plant. Apparently the factory produces 700 bottles a minute! I still question the company’s sustainable practices and I wonder how beneficial it is to the local area. Still, Fiji water definitely helps spread the name of the country to industrialized countries. Afterwards we traveled down the road to learn about a cattle ranch. The woman who spoke to us had a son there who was on the Fiji National Rugby Team. The following day we boarded a ferry to go to the beautiful Malololailai Island to stay at the Plantation Island Resort. It was definitely the most “touristy” place we had visited. That night they provided traditional Pacific Island Dance entertainment, complete with flamed pole twirling. Honestly, we thought the dances seemed forced compared to the dances we had seen in Dravuwalu. It is interesting that culture is often tailored to suit the desires of tourists.
