Fiji

 Lautoka, Fiji   April 6 and 7, 2025

From the ship we spotted the local sugar mill.

We caught a bus to the town center.

The main street was lined with tall palm trees.

The first day we looked around in the mall, 

basically, we were trying to keep cool by taking in the central air conditioning.

What a pretty bird on this coin!

The second day the local market was open so we strolled around finding some colorful fruit and vegetables.

Ginger drying in the sun

The market is social time for the locals.

Local transportation 

This is Kava and it sure is expensive. 

They even keep it locked up behind a cage.

Piles of ginger root

                                    Taro

      

How in the world do these stay stacked?

Lots of colorful flower arrangements

Suva, Fiji   April 8, 2025

We took one look at those mountains and knew we had to head toward them and the cooler elevation.

It was so hot here.

When we spotted these folks resting in the heat, we renamed the wheel barrels, the Fiji lounge chair.

We really enjoyed our local bus ride through the mountains and rain forest.

On the ride back, we indulged in a couple of local cold beverages.

We crossed the river on the Rewa Bridge to go into the town of Nausori. This was the end of the route. The bus then returned to Suva.

Bananas trees 

The next time we are in Suva, we will plan to stop at the Rainforest Restaurant.

Once we got back into town the bus by drove by the inlet where locals had crafts on display.

We had a relaxing sail away that evening.

Dravuui, Fiji  April 9, 2025

     Can you imagine taking a boat to school?

In the heat of the day, we could actually hear this gentleman snoring.

Time for a break in the shade.

Paradise cove 

Time to cool off in the crystal clear waters.

An old unusual growth

Papayas growing in the wild.

We tried to hike to the top of the mountain for a higher view. Got about half way up and this down pour came upon us making the trail a muddy mess. 

Flip flops and mud do not mix well so we turned around and returned to the beach.

A foggy, rainy view looking back on our ship.

              Soon the sun came back out.

Poor turtle. A local was collecting a dollar to have a peak at it.

Isn't this the most unusual flower?

Chickens everywhere....these chicks were adorable.

Passengers did not want to leave this island. It has such beauty that many lingered till the last moment.

Suvasuva, Fiji  April 10, 2025

We tendered onto the island to the town of Suvasuva.

Nutmeg is wrapped in leaves to sell. 

Fresh greenery lined the entrance to the Yacht Club.

Folks were invited to sit out back to listen to music under large umbrellas.

We enjoyed the view of this unusual two story thatched house. 

We walked uptown trekking through the park.

We thought this sign was comical. Today we were planning to ride the local bus out of the Suvasuva. Unfortunately, the buses do not run as frequently as the ones we experienced in Suva. 

They only run at 10:00 and 2:00 each day.....so we are saving this adventure for the next time.

After finding Larry a new pair of flip flops, we joined the locals and sat next to inlet and sipped a cool one.

It was interesting to watch the small car ferry crossing.

We went back to the Yacht Club and listened to more tunes.

That evening we left Fiji with so many wonderful memories.