March 16th, 2025
Another new port for us and I have always wanted to go to Fiji. We docked on the industrial side of Fiji where there are lots of factories. To get to any of the beaches and resorts it is over an hour drive. Fijians are also very religious and since we were docked on a Sunday a lot of things were closed. We opted to do a ship’s excursion and went to a beach 1 hour away. We were warned about crime on the island and not to wear flashy jewelry or show lots of cash. On our bus ride to the beach we passed 3 prisons and a juvenile detention center. We had a greta guide and he explained that most of the crimes were drug related.
We went to a private beach that they opened just for us to enjoy since they are normally closed on Sundays. The guide explained that there would be no food or drink to purchase on the beach so the bus made a 15 minute stop at a grocery store for people to purchase things if they wanted.
The locals sang for us upon arrival and departure.
The beach was nice and some people were disappointed that there was no snorkeling. They had chairs and tents on the beach for us to use and the water was nice and warm.
The water color was nice and they had bathrooms and fresh water showers.
There were guards/security walking on the beach. We liked how they used natural plants to create a fence around the houses.
We passed lots of villages on our way to the beach. No one has air-conditioning because they say electricity is too expensive. Our guide also explained that to visit any of the villages you had to have permission and you had to bring a gift for the village chief. They are very loyal to the old customs.
We did not stay on the beach for long, a little over an hour and then back to the port. They did say the mall was open just because we were in port but there was nothing we needed so we just went back to the ship.
The port which was really just a container port. The mountains around the island.
Tonight we are sailing to the other side of the island which is the side where all the resorts are and good diving and snorkeling. We have a snorkeling trip planned and another barbecue on the beach.