Breaking Bread June 13, 2013

We already told you about Aliti; she’s the Fijian friend we made on the flight from Honolulu.

Aliti was home from Guam, where she lives and works, to visit her family – in a village near Suva – and she asked us to call her once we made it to the capital. Initially she was going to bring us to visit her village, but a death in the community made that impossible.

It would have been a great experience for us, but what we wanted most was just to spend some time with Aliti and to thank her for all the helpful advice she had given us prior to landing. Thankfully, Aliti was able to get away for a dinner in town; it was a wonderful opportunity to get to know her better.

We kept it casual and hit up a food court that had a good diversity of restaurants – one offering traditional Fijian food and another serving Indo-Fijian cuisine. Aliti helped us pick out the best local dishes on the menu and our plan was then to treat her to a nice meal by way of thanks.

But she beat us to it!

Like we’ve said before, Fijians are the friendliest people on the planet. Aliti wasn’t about to let an opportunity to treat her guests to a meal pass her by. We begged the restaurant staff to let us pay, but Aliti had an advantage in the local language and we were denied, leaving us little opportunity but to graciously accept the hospitality and enjoy the meal.

We had a wonderful dinner together, just chit-chatting about ourselves and learning about local customs. We only left when the food court closed and they kicked us out. Too short a visit, but we’re happy for the time we spent together. Hopefully, someday soon, we’ll be able to head back to Fiji and visit the village, as planned. Or maybe our next pacific island visit will have to include a trip to Guam!

Next time it’s our turn to pay, Aliti.

As always, Junkii is absent from the photo, offering once again to take the picture.

A Visit to the Temple of Awkward June 10, 2013

There were several statues, but not much else inside the temple.

The Lonely Planet hasn’t steered us wrong very often…even in cases where their description of a particular site is disconcerting, it almost invariably turns out to be well worth the time and effort to get there and to experience it. That proven track record is the main reason we continue to rely on LP. So when the guidebook suggested a visit to the Shree Laxmi Narayan Temple – a little Hindu temple off the beaten path but well within walking distance of downtown Suva – we decided to check it out. Especially since, otherwise, the book listed so very few actual attractions in Suva.

Temples are, of course, far from unfamiliar for us. We’ve visited temples on pretty much every trip we’ve ever taken – and we’ve been in any number of Hindu temples. So we really weren’t expecting anything out of the ordinary. But I’m not sure I can convey just how very awkward this visit was to be.

The guidebook gave little description – just noting what color it was and that it might be tricky to get into; that we’d need to get the attention of the caretaker to let us in. It didn’t mention that there was no bell to ring!

The awkwardness started as we stood before the locked gates, shuffling our feet and wondering if anyone would see us to let us in. As we waited, a taxi pulled up. A male driver emerged and escorted a female passenger to the gate, beside us. By this time, a priest (who seemed to be the only person inside the temple) noticed he had visitors and slowly made his way to the gate to let us all in.

He didn’t speak to us. Not sure if he didn’t speak English or if there was some other rule preventing him from talking. He simply ushered us in and flipped on the harsh fluorescent lights in the temple’s main chamber before wandering out of the room, leaving us alone in the main chamber with the taxi driver and passenger.

With no instructions as to whether or not we could take photos (we didn’t want to be gauche), we were a bit flummoxed, but the driver noticed and said to go ahead. Frankly, there wasn’t much to see. Somehow Junkii got some nice photos, but honestly, it really wasn’t a beautiful temple. We were a bit disappointed in Lonely Planet for even suggesting it, actually.

The priest returned, still silent, and offered us an orange and an apple (one piece of fruit each). We’ve never been offered food at a temple before, but took the fruit graciously, even though it meant juggling our cameras for the rest of our stay… which wasn’t much longer.

After taking a photo with the priest, we politely excused ourselves, but as we were leaving, the taxi driver gave us the impression that we weren’t welcome, asking, “Why are you here?” Maybe he was just curious about whether we were of the Hindu faith, but the way he worded his question made us feel judged. And when he followed up with “You shouldn’t have meat prior to arriving at the temple” we were confused, to say the least. Why had he assumed we ate meat? And why not question us BEFORE we entered?!

We were ready to take our leave.

Once out of earshot, we breathed a sigh of relief and started laughing uncontrollably at how surreal the whole affair had been. We passed a couple of construction workers sitting on the back of a van and offered them the fruit as we walked by, not wanting to hold onto that reminder of such a strange visit.

Even the photo we took with the priest looks awkward!

Closeups of the statues don’t tell the story of how bright and, frankly, ugly this temple was.

You will notice there are no wide shots of the temple, only photos of a few nice details.

Found ‘Round Suva June 4, 2013

We only had one day to explore Suva – not really long enough, but sometimes you have to make choices. The next morning, we were scheduled to be out of the hotel bright and early and on our way to an island off the east coast, called Leleuvia (Oh I can hardly wait to tell you about Leleuvia!)

After we got done shopping the markets of Suva, Michael and Jen wanted a little down time by themselves. Junkii and I decided we still hadn’t had enough sight seeing, so we took our leave and headed off for a photo walk around the capital.

Suva is a very walkable city… and we managed to take in a lot during the afternoon. We started in the government district and worked our way across the city, passing a huge Catholic cathedral before winding up in the bustling shopping district. We hoped to find a bar or pub – somewhere to grab a drink – but while there were plenty around, they were all night clubs, and closed until later in the evening. Sigh.

Frustrated by the lack of booze, we went to the mall for some retail therapy (Junkii wanted a Fiji rugby shirt). We did find a Malaysian restaurant that served teh tarik (“pulled tea” – one of my personal favourite Malaysian drinks) which made a nice cape to the afternoon.

I’ve skipped over the bit where we stopped at a small Hindu temple – hereafter to be referred to as the Temple of Awkward – but that deserves it’s own post. For now, check out these photos from our city walk… with more available at SmugMug.

Love what Junkii has done with this simple clocktower image. Looks so stark!

These buses were everywhere…open windows and all. Wish we didn’t need windows on our buses!

Yeah, it’s shot from behind, but to me, this shot just captures everyday Suva so well: three schoolchildren walking home in their school uniforms.

No matter how often I see Gothic architecture surrounded by palm trees, I’m always shocked!

Still searching for booze, we were starting to get frazzled…and well past thirsty!

A cup of teh tarik and an air conditioned food court. A welcome bit of relief after our city walk.

What’s Your Poison? May 31, 2013

You would think the lesson learned from the great (well… not “great”) avocado-shake incident in Ethiopia – an incident that almost derailed our Kenya Safari plans! – might have had a more lasting impact.

Nope!

As we wandered through the markets of Suva, the heat and humidity took its toll on us… so much so that, when we stumbled on a guava-juice stand in the Suva Municipal Market, we jumped at the opportunity to top up our fluids.

That was probably dumb, given that it was made with local water, cooled with ice of unspecified origin, and served in a dirty glass. And it was probably dumb luck that we didn’t get sick… this time.

Honestly though, it was absolutely refreshing and really hit the spot after an afternoon tramping around a sticky city!

As soon as we finished our drink, the owner washed our glasses in a bowl of water and dried them with a dirty rag. THAT didn’t instil confidence!

Market Tour May 30, 2013

Michael at the Suva Municipal Market.

A former colleague of mine once talked about starting a tour business, offering to take Canadians on guided excursions to the world’s great markets. I always thought it was a good idea – not only because it would no doubt be a money maker, given western society’s penchant for consumerism, but also because markets are just some of the best places on the planet! They’re hives of humanity.

I’m in awe of the immense Chinese markets we saw in Ho Chi Minh City and Hong Kong where the locals shop for everyday items from candy to clothes. I lost myself in the Chatuchak weekend market in Bangkok, a densely packed treasure trove where you can find anything from artwork to endangered animals (so it’s rumoured… it’s not like they were on display). I live for the night markets of Malaysia where you can sample every type of grilled/fried/steamed food imaginable. I love dealing with vendors in the curio shops of Kenya, where the safari van stopped for toilet breaks and souvenir shopping.

All markets are delightful in their own ways, even if I rarely buy anything material – just don’t get me started on food! As a result, our day in Suva turned out to be a real treat because, in all, we managed to hit four separate markets that day! Score!

1. The first was en route to Suva – our bus’s one rest stop was at a curio shop with a giant sign that read, “browse in peace.” Psht… my ass. The minute we entered the shop, one of the dozen sales reps was tailing behind us pointing out various things we might like to purchase. Honestly, the place looked a bit ritzy and we had the feeling prices were likely inflated for the tourists, so we kept our coin to ourselves. But it was good we stopped here. The had an impressive collection of traditional wooden tools that the craftsmen of Fiji specialize in; in particular the brain pick (from back when Fiji was a cannibal culture) caught our eye and we resolved to find one to take home before we left Fiji.
2. After we got to Suva and dropped our bags at the hotel, we went for a walk downtown, with Junkii serving as our tour guide; he had read the Suva section of the guidebook. We stumbled on a fish market. Well… more like a row of stalls along an alleyway, but the fish were dazzling, with bright colours and odd shapes that would attract any photographer. We spent a bit of time chatting with the vendors before moving on… so friendly!


The vendor at the Curio & Handicraft market that seemed the most authentic. Didn’t hurt that he was also really cute! (Photo by Michael)

3. The Suva Curio and Handicraft Market was our next destination – one of the few places we actually planned to see in Suva. Glad we waited to buy souvenirs rather than pick them up en route to Suva. There were a lot more options here: plenty of jewellery and carvings. In the end though, it was one of the last stalls we visited that really sold us. Of course you can never really tell whether you’re getting the real story or not, but it felt true. The owner told us that most of the masks in the market were mass-produced outside of Fiji, and that his stuff was produced locally and by traditional methods. Oh sure, he could have been lying his ass off, but to be honest, the stuff he was selling was of much higher quality than the other stalls. And even if it’s not true, we were impressed by the craftsmanship. We picked up our brain pick!
4. One last market stop, we headed for the Suva Municipal Market – the hub of the city. This farmers’ market had row upon row of produce, and it was just a gorgeous place to wander about, taking photos of the food and the friendly vendors.

Markets are spectacles, for so many reasons. You get to interact with locals and really get a feel for a place. You get to try food you’ve never had before. The photo opportunities are always abundant (as you can see below). Simply put, they’re just NEVER boring places.

Have you got a favourite world market?

Let us know. We’ll put it on our to-do list.

One of the friendly fishmongers.

Oh my gawd, those fish are so BLUE!!

Okay, the cloudy eye is a good indicator that the fish isn’t so fresh, but how often do we see fish like this in Ottawa?

This woman was so playful, pretending to be a model and mugging for the camera. Clearly she’s been approached by tourists like us before.

Wish we could get fresh okra like this. Jealous!

It’s so much easier to ask permission to take portraits when we’re travelling. I’d never ask someone at home if I could take their photo. I really should though. I like portrait photography.

Pretty produce bundles (don’t ask us what it is though).

Hotel Miscommunication May 29, 2013

The hotel we stayed at in Suva – Tanoa Plaza Hotel – was nice, centrally located, and clean. But it turned out to be twice as expensive as planned. We had booked it through the Expedia website a few days before we arrived – a single room for four people. Expedia didn’t seem to have any problem with that request.

Evidently they should have. The hotel couldn’t accommodate four people in a room!

The hotel had small rooms. Oh, the rooms were nice enough…plenty of space for two people to share. Some rooms even had pull-out sofas. It’s just that the rooms weren’t spacious enough to allow the sofa to open fully without crashing into the bed.

This was a Cdn$200 a night hotel…not cheap… but we were essentially faced with two options: go somewhere else or buy a second hotel room. Since we had already paid for the first room via Expedia, we opted to stay at this hotel and pay for the second room… but it doubled our planned expenses for this stop. Not cool.

WIt put a bit of a damper of this leg of our Journey.

It’s also the first time we’ve run into a problem using ANY online hotel booking service (we’ve had a really good run). Mostly I’m still happy with Expedia. It was a simple mistake, probably attributable to the hotel more than anything. I’ve spoken to Expedia about it – and while I did have to wait on hold a long time, they did finally offer a refund… IF we could produce the receipt for the second room.

Sadly, none of us still has that, but we’re gonna send them a VISA statement and an explanation. No guarantees that’ll work, but it doesn’t hurt to try!

At the very least, hopefully this complaint will ensure no one makes the same mistake with this hotel in the future.

Morning view from our hotel room in Suva… a city we’d be happy to live in.

Hot Trudge May 28, 2013

There are no photos of me Schlepping my hiking bag around, so I present instead a photo of me enjoying a Teh Tarik at a Malaysian restaurant in Suva. Cheers to hiking bags and sweetened milky tea!

Thus far on the trip, having packed hiking bags instead of suitcases had proven to be more a headache than an advantage.

Hiking bags are a pain to keep properly packed. You’re forever re-folding clothes to keep everything appropriately compressed. You need to constantly move things around to keep the load balanced – no easy task when you need to grab stuff out of it every evening. It requires a lot of re-packing and foresight. And that’s to say nothing of the straps that need to be secured every time you get on a plane!

But, on days when you’ve gotta tramp your sh*t halfway across a city, those are the days that you know you made the right decision bringing the accursed thing. On those days, having a bag you can carry on your back makes the hours of rooting around for clean shorts all seem worthwhile.

That’s what happened when we got to Suva – the Capital of Fiji. The trip from Korotogo to Suva took a little more than two hours by bus – a nice clean, spacious, modern, air-conditioned, tourist-friendly bus. (See what I did there? That’s called foreshadowing. I’ll be telling you about another bus experience later in the trip that was… shall we say… more colourfully local.)

Anyway, we had a hotel booked in Suva, but the bus only made one stop…at the Holiday Inn. That wasn’t where we were staying. Nope… we were about 8 blocks away. Oh, thank heavens for hiking bags!!

Dragging a wheelie-bag along crowded and crooked sidewalks would have caused no end of accidents, and maintaining a grip on a heavy, handheld case would have been nearly impossible in the sweaty, humid heat of Suva. Sure, by the time we reached our hotel we had sweaty backs, but that’s nothing a clean shirt couldn’t fix.

If only I hadn’t packed my shirts at the BOTTOM!