Pacific Harbour

Day 145 – Pacific Harbour, Fiji Islands

I blended quiet, last minute and activity today. I had decided to go to Suva, Fiji’s capital city. For that, there is a regular bus every two hours that I can book downtown Nadi -at the bus terminal where the local bus drops me. So, easy.

While waiting for the local bus, I checked the hostels online and didn’t find anything at a decent price on my favorite booking websites.

So I decided to look partway, which proved a great idea, as I found an acceptable hostel in Pacific Harbour, on the sea.

Pacific Harbour is a small place, recommended by my guidebook for diving.

So I arrived at the bus terminal, bought a bus ticket, and literally squeezed myself in the last seat. So I was happy after all not to go the whole way to Suva but to stop two-third of the way.

They launched a movie on the front screen, I hadn’t seen that in a long while. 

The bus dropped me on the highway level with my hostel, which I really appreciated.

I disappointed a kind man who stopped to offer to drive me and my bags the last few hundred meters to the resort, but I was raised not to go into strangers’ cars -and I needed to stretch my legs a bit.

Looking closer, my hostel in a dormitory attached to a 3-star beach resort… meaning that I have access to a very nice pool, deck chairs, and I’m currently sipping a Nowito (virgin mojito) in the restaurant listening to a live band.

I arrived after lunch hour, so I went to a neighbouring burger restaurant for lunch, then to the shops in Pacific Harbour. I haven’t explored that yet, partially because I got caught in a rain shower. But there are some beautiful trees, some flowering, manicured lawns, and if the sky had been kinder I would have taken pictures.

The hostel is very quiet, which I missed after the last two days in Nadi where the common places were full and noisy. Here, it is so spread out that from the dorm we don’t hear the band. And people don’t pass in front of the windows (which are open with mosquito screens) speaking loudly. So I might stay longer than I planned…!

Fijian people often wear a flower in their hair. I’m not sure yet how much is the tourist industry and how much is natural. Men wear shorts as often as sarongs (that are probably called something else here). There are bright colours, patterned clothes (imagine hawaian shirts but with Fijian patterns), you can tell tourists by their drab colours. 

I’ve put my greys back and taken out my Malaysian wardrobe, it is flowers and colours but as bold as the patterns here. I’ll have to do something for that.

I saw a Coca Cola ad for a happy Diwali, it is still surprising. 

The Fijian twist on food here is to add fruit (mango, banana…) in the dishes, and after a Fijian beef burger (I thought it was the origin of the beef, not its preparation), I pay more attention to descriptions. Garlic bread is back too. It’s good with the spicy dahl (Indian lentil) soup I’ve had a time or three.

And my diner has arrived so I’ll stop now!