Little America and The Capital
Posted: January 28th, 2010 by Courtney
Savusavu is known as “Little America” due to all of the expats that have made the harbor and surrounding area their home. We had a few days to enjoy views of the bay and go sea kayaking around a small island in the middle of the bay.
Savusavu Bay
Kayaking on the bay
Instead flying back to the main island we decided to take an overnight ferry to Suva, Fiji’s capital city. We opted for the first class cabin and were glad we did when we saw all of the people in the economy cabin crammed in worst than an airplane.
Our accomodations for the ferry ride
After getting only about 5 hours of sleep we arrived in Suva and found ourselves a self-contained unit (one that has a full kitchen in the room). We headed for the market to find some lunch and pick up some fresh fruit and veggies for dinner and breakfast the next morning. We have found that fresh produce from the markets is not only cheap but very fresh and in the case of the fruit, very sweet. And out of all of the markets in Fiji, Suva’s is the biggest and has the best selection.
Suva City
Market
The Fijian’s are wonderfully friendly and welcoming people. We met Charlie at the market in Suva and when he found out we were Americans he offered us some coffee and we chatted about the days he was in World War II with General MacArthur.
Scott and Charlie
Later in the afternoon we wondered around Suva, watching a local rugby game in the park and visiting the Fiji Museum where they have loads of traditional Fijian artifacts as well as a information on the Indians who came over as laborers and eventually settled in Fiji. These Indo-Fijians make for the abundance of good Indian food we found in Fiji.
Fiji Museum
The next day we went up into the hills above Suva to the Colo-I-Suva Forrest Park. The have a number of hiking trails and a series of small waterfalls and swimming pools.
Colo-I-Suva Forest Park
Scott enjoying the pools
We spent our last few days in Fiji enjoying the sun and beach on the Coral Coast at the Mango Bay Resort. Although the food we a more western than Fijian or Indian, we met a lot of nice Aussies and Kiwi’s and enjoyed the nightly bonfires. After lots of bumps and bruises, mosquitos bites, and a bit of a sunburn, we thought we deserved a traditional Fijian massage to end our stay.
Dorm bures at Mango Bay
Sunset