I wanted to include some Fijian details, which, while fascinating, I failed to include in my Suva or Taveuni Island Reports.
The question Lawrence Olivier asked Dustin Hoffman in the Marathon Man, "Is it safe?" is the same question people ask about:
a. Drinking the water
FIJI Water© bottled water is unsurprisingly offered at the Grand Pacific Hotel and other higher-end establishments in Fiji.
In the United States, FIJI Water© is generally held up by those who like to pay for what is free and freely available as the best-bottled water in the world. Generally, these people tend to also imply that they care about the environment (far) more than me, but in the end, have no compunction drinking water that is shipped to their lips from halfway around the world.
For nature lovers, this is another benefit of visiting Fiji: it is recommended that visitors should not drink the tap water. So you can now drink FIJI Water© with much less guilt.
All this talk about water making you thirsty? Then order some FIJI Water© and see for yourself.
b. Safety
Safety was a topic on Taveuni Island. It is a reason the owner of the Nakia Resort enjoys living in Fiji, as she felt she could walk anywhere on the island at any time of night or day.¹ Why did she feel that way? “Because there are no guns. I had to admit that must be a nice feeling, one that no American can have.
She also went on to inform me that another benefit of living in Fiji is not having to deal with Jan 6, corrosive politics, or 24-hour news. I mentioned she might be a little disingenuous, as Fiji has had numerous coups, to which she responded, "Coups are good for some people."
"They always are," I replied.
Though a little grittier and not nearly as easy on the eyes, I felt safe in Fiji's capital, Suva. In a few cases, I was told by a local to be careful, but the ensuing story always centered on pickpocketing and scams involving inflated prices for carved coconuts.
An issue I had at checkout at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva, is an issue I have with most checkouts. No, not the cost, but how it is documented. Going into each stay, I know precisely what I should be charged for my room, as it's documented in some sort of email.
In this case, the hotel thoughtfully broke out the room charge, with a different rate for each day, which is interspersed by the other charges (the mini-bar, the bar-bar, Mrs. AAR’s massage, etc.). It is now my task to add up these daily room charges to make sure they equal what is listed in the email. This was complicated by the fact that the booking.com quote for the first four days included a 2.5 % credit card surcharge, but the booking.com quote for the last two days did not (I extended our initial stay). The services of a forensic accountant would have been extremely useful at this point.
I did my best while standing at the front desk for those 15 minutes, in the middle of which I was asked to take a customer survey (I declined). The bill looked accurate, but decided to give it a more thorough accounting a few days later.
I realize that those who book hotels for business could generally care less, as could rich people, but am I the only non-business, non-rich person plagued by this condition? In the end, I was overcharged by $3 USD. There could also have been a slight variance in my exchange rate calculations, but no matter, as I decided to magnanimously let it all go.
I wasn't too bothered by the surcharge as I was getting 2% back using the Capital One® Venture® card. Click here and earn 2% back yourself (and 75,000 bonus miles).
Fiji's beachy cocktails tend to be priced the same, irrespective of liquor, whether imported gin or Fijian rum.
Speaking of rum, Rum: The Manual, is a book about how to drink rum of all kinds. It's about classic rums, new-generation rums, rhum agricole, premium aged rums, rums from all over the world, rum enjoyed with cola, rum enjoyed with ginger beer, rum for a classic daiquiri, and rum cocktails that ooze style. Above all, it's about drinking rum.
If you fly to Fiji from the US, you will most likely fly Fiji Airways, though before booking, be advised:
Like all airlines, except Southwest, they have different levels of service that have different levels of baggage allowances. Now, normally, this would not be an issue except when I was charged $230 USD for my first checked bag, and my carry-on was limited to 7 kb/15 lbs.
From an excruciating check-in, to minimal legroom, the experience was the worst I ever had on an international flight.
The guy who checked me in (and extorted the $230) hassled me about my onward flight from Fiji (which I had not yet booked). I gave him fake flight details via a screenshot that looked very official.
- Note: Fiji Immigration did not ask about this issue.
On the other hand, my flight from Fiji to Auckland (NAN - AKL) on Air New Zealand was delightful. Good service, a seat sized for a human being, and no baggage shenanigans.
My Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU) ATM card did not work anywhere in Fiji, even after repeated calls to customer service (I like to use it to withdraw cash overseas as it reimburses me for ATM fees). I was thankful I had also packed my backup Capital One ATM card.
You will be charged a fee of one to three percent to use your credit card. Why? I have no idea. And neither will the person charging it, who will then complain about the excessive charges the bank charges him.
When you land in Nadi International Airport (NAN), pronounced "nah·dee," you will have three options listed in decreasing order of prevalence:
a. Go to Denarau Island to board a boat and/or ferry to the island chains of the Mamanucas and the Yasawas. These are where the white sand beaches are.
b. Go to a more remote part of Fiji, which I did by flying to Taveuni Island after visiting Suva. This is where the real Fiji is.
a. Go to Suva (via bus, taxi, or plane). Most tourists will not choose this option, which is exactly why I did.
If you do transit Denarau Island, you need to carefully plan your "visit" to spend as little time as possible in what is actually a giant shopping mall.
So you might not be able to get to see the white sand beaches of the Yasawas in the foreseeable future? Then watch the 1980 movie Blue Lagoon starring the very talented Brooke Shields. The beaches were so stunning that it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography² and called "lovely to look at" by Roger Ebert.
While its sequel, Return to the Blue Lagoon, was not nominated for an Academy Award, it was filmed on Taveuni Island and noted for "its lush tropical scenery and attractive leads," which helps make "it a guilty pleasure."
If you spend any amount of time in Fiji, you will be eating walu, which is the Fijian (and Hawaiian) name for escolar. As it cannot metabolize the wax esters (gempylotoxin) naturally found in its diet, it has an oil content of 14–25% of its flesh, which can lead to steatorrhea, which is another name for "the shits." I can personally attest to this synonym.
- It is sometimes also called waloo. However, be advised that it is definitely not wahoo.
Supposedly limiting portion size can limit its effects. Either way, being forewarned is being forearmed.
All this talk about walu/escolar making you hungry? Can't get to Fiji fast enough? Order using this link and enjoy this dolphin-safe fish that is frozen fresh to preserve the essential nutrients, and lock in its natural flavors. Enjoy the rich, buttery taste of Frozen Escolar Saku in your favorite seafood dishes, or try it grilled, baked, or pan-seared for a delicious meal.
The population of Fiji is made up of:
a. Native Fijians (56.8%), who are Melanesians, although many also have Polynesian ancestry.
b. Indo-Fijians (37.5%), descendants of Indian contract laborers brought to the islands by the British colonial powers in the 19th century.
c. Rotuman (1.2%), natives of Rotuma Island, whose culture has more in common with countries such as Tonga or Samoa than with the rest of Fiji.
d. Europeans, Chinese, and other Pacific island minorities (4.2%).
e. Australian (0.3%). Fiji was a British crown colony from 1874-1970, with Australia playing a commercially significant role in island life.
There have been four Fijian coups d'état in the last 40 years, and the Native Fijian vs. Indo-Fijian dynamic played a role in all of them. So there may be value in attempting to understand what is going on here.
Note: Fijians are Melanesians (and not Polynesian), and therefore Fiji is not part of the Polynesian Triangle.
To better understand the factors behind and the implications of the 2006 coup, the book "The 2006 Military Takeover in Fiji: A Coup to End All Coups?" might be a very interesting read.
A few Fijian words might come in handy:
a. hello = bula (boo·lah). Everyone you meet will say it, generally with a very genuine smile.
b. thank you = vinaka (vee·nah·ka).
The "Lonely Planet Fijian Phrasebook & Dictionary" could be very useful in learning a few more Fijian words as well as being a handy passport to culturally enriching travels.
Endnotes: I wanted to provide some very specific details that, while vaguely interesting did not contribute to the overall narrative. Perhaps just wait until the end to enjoy.
¹ Please do note that due to a complete lack of streetlights, walking around Taveuni Island at night can still be quite dangerous.
² Blue Lagoon lost the 1980 Academy Award for Best Cinematography to Tess.
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