Fiji Day

We made the most of our only day in Fiji (October 10), which turned out to be a national holiday, Fiji Day, celebrating 44 years of independence from the British. Our first clue was the hotel staff singing the national anthem a capella during breakfast. Our second clue was that we were told the buses weren't running as usual, and the best way to get out and about for the day was to hire a driver. Ultimately it was within our budget to pay FJ$ 200 (about US$ 100) for 6-7 hours of Mohammed's time, and he would take us where we wanted to go, point out interesting things around us and educate us on the history and economy of Fiji.

I couldn't understand coming to Fiji and not visiting the beach, so Mohammed took us to Smuggler's Cove. It was about the same as a beach anywhere, and we even got to see a plane land in the cove.

After that, we visited downtown Nadi, which is mostly a shopping district. We walked around to get a look, then headed to the Hindu temple which had existed for many years nearer to the water, but had been relocated to its present location 20 years ago. We took off our shoes, and I was provided a wrap to cover my legs. We checked out the ceiling panels inside, telling the story of various Hindu gods and religious practices.

Our last excursion of the day was to The Garden of the Sleeping Giant, founded by Raymond Burr to house his orchids. Alan told me that Raymond Burr is famous as the actor who played Perry Mason...whoever that is. The Garden is named "Sleeping Giant" for the profile of the ridge above it, where you can see a face (nose, chin, and neck) then the body down to the feet. The path of the garden began with an enormous variety of orchids, then developed into a tropical forest with trees and flowers throughout.

Alan and I found a dirt trail that led out of the garden and up to a hill, from which we could see the harbor and 3 cargo ships. Once back at garden central, we were provided with fresh papaya juice to cool off. Finally we headed back to the Tanoa Hotel, spent some time relaxing by the pool, then enjoyed sampling traditional Fijian foods that were served for dinner, in honor of the holiday.