Fiji And Fijians And Fiji Indians

Welcome to South Asia – I mean the South Pacific?

Our first day in Fiji we come face to face with a lesson on Fiji Indians and their culture as we are getting ourselves stocked up with supplies, so we head on the shuttle bus on a single parent travel to Nadi town. We buy up some basic snacks and drinks, and take ourselves to the DVD shop. For AU $1.50 each, we buy about 10 movies, and a few 4 to 6 movie sets for $3 – not always the best quality, but needed for rainy nights with no TV etc.

Discovering I had to transfer our money to an accessible ATM account, we head to an Internet Café, where for 25 cents I use the computer. Hot and tired, we go to take the bus back, only to be stuck in a Hare Rama, Hare Krishna – Street Festival which is so noisy, it is kind of freaking my son out. Being a single parent on a single parent travel, however, means that I need to have the skills and experience to make him feel comfortable. I have to admit, the place feels like South East Asia, not Fiji as it is full of Indians – way more than local indigenous Fijians. As a luxury travel expert, I feel like such an experience gives us the wisdom to advise appropriately on the haves and have-nots while in Fiji.

So we try to go and hide in a shop from the noise of the Fiji Indians on parade, but as the celebrators are mostly on foot, it is still going by an hour later. The atmosphere feels more like we are stuck in Southern Asia than the Southern Pacific.

©Exploramum and Explorason – Street Festival, Nadi, Fiji

There is no chance of a bus, so as we are clued up to the costs of taxis, we haggle the price down by 2/3rd of his asking price to our driver who is one of the Fiji Indians who drives taxi’s here, and jump in.

©Exploramum and Explorason – Nadi, Fiji

Alas, we join the back of the festival procession of the Fiji Indians and sit, and listen to a plethora of Indian cussing from our driver, with the odd English swear word thrown in.

There is only one road out of town, and there is no escape. We hear his views on the faith of Fiji Indians, and we decide it is time for a random act of kindness, and we give the driver a roll packet – a refreshing towelette flannel of which he has never seen before. They are a cool, moist cloth, and have essential oil, and he about all but gives himself a bath waiting.

©Exploramum and Explorason – Nadi, Fiji

The coolness of the towel also seems to have washed away his swearing! It is near dinner by the time we get to Anchorage Resort – where there are virtually no Fiji Indians, rather the indigenous Fijians.

©Exploramum and Explorason – Anchorage Resort, Nadi, Fiji

My son jumps into the pool with his clothes on – he has had enough! He had already made new friends from the night before – as kids do, so he happily played with them.

By the end of the day, he is the last in the pool, and the stress of the day is behind us.

We love Fiji!

©Exploramum and Explorason – Anchorage Resort Swimming Pool, Nadi, Fiji

Questions and Comments

• Have you ever been to Fiji?
• How did you find the culture there?
• Share with us your travel experience at Fiji on the comment section below.