Fiji

Fiji was the last destination on our 6-week journey to the other side of the world with Edda's clear given: relax! And relaxing it was, anyway the only option with the prevailing temperature in the 30s.Our stay was essentially wrapped around our wonderful 4-day cruise in the Yasawa Islands, with Suva & Levuka before (an attempt to get to see Fiji a bit) and two days in a resort in Nadi afterwards.

Suva Municpal Market

File size 132 kB. Choose JPEG or Java Viewer. Suva's bustling Municipal Market really is the place to stock up produce, including yaqona. We had it served as part of our "cultural" experience on our cruise. It essentially looks and tastes like dish water with an ensuing tongue-numbing, but the fact that gossip spreads "around the yaqona bowl" highlights the social importance of this custom.
Some half a kilometer away from the Market along Victoria Parade and Suva became one of the most quiet capitals we have ever been to.

Levuka

File size 73 kB. Choose JPEG or Java Viewer. Levuka was Fiji's colonial capital from 1874 to 1882 and its first center of white settlement. It is a very relaxed small town, almost too relaxed on a Sunday when local folks spend all day in church and there is not much to do. The mix of the large architectural heritage with the rainforest backdrop and our superb accomodation (John & Marilyn's Levuka homestay with the best breakfast on our trip) made the somewhat difficult flight to and from there really worthwile!

Off Yaqeta Island, Yasawa Islands Group

File size 61 kB. Choose JPEG or Java Viewer. A very nice evening mood at sunset on our second cruise day, only seconds after a rainbow straight ahead had faded away. Our ship "Fiji Princess", a french-built catamaran, had only very recently been acquired by Blue Lagoon Cruises which was probably why we were given a free upgrade to this Gold Club Cruise. We saw no reason complaining...

Blue Lagoon Beach

File size 86 kB. Choose JPEG or Java Viewer. Spending a day at the cruise company's major asset, the Nanuya Lailai island with the famous Blue Lagoon beach, was the undisputed highlight of the cruise. The pano shows our landing in the morning with the ship's dinghies. The beach was still virgin at this time (it must have been groomed) and exclusively our own for the whole day. The sunny wheather of that day eventually accounted for something like 90% of our total travel tan.