Fiji was gorgeous, the all-girls' trip a gift from family. The girls and I set off with Aunty Marnie and cousin Genevieve on a Sunday afternoon. Marnie had heard that meat was diificult to come by and perishingly expensive and because we intended to cook in our room some of the 7 nights we were there, she was loaded up with sausages, bacon, beef roast and mince. I also had 'snacky' things.
Fijian customs got a bit sticky over the pork products, but the officer offered to refrigerate the bacon and sausages until we left a week later, for $5. Was this a rip-off? We never found out, because we'd forgotten about them when we came home. Sorry Marnie, I know we've embraced the bacon and let it go, but it will remain a quirky memory forever.
In Nadi's main street where are windows are barred, even in shops only selling soft drinks, an old Fijian man with a bent back and feet that looked like they had been installed the wrong way around, wanted to be my mate. All Blacks, he beamed, as it was just a few days after the Rugby 7s. Oh, and by the way, he added, he'd do a good deal on sulus for us (light wraps). We got sulus at the market but visited James' shop to look at t-shirts. There, he whipped out two dark sticks (and by now, folks who have visited Fiji may be beginning to nod), asked our names and engraved them, with the date. Then asked for $20. Why did I not see this coming? My friend Mairi had guarded me against exactly this. But I showed James he had not picked on a fool. I only gave him $15.
Prices in supermarkets were fearsome. A King Size block of Cadbury chocolate, $12 (around $9-$10 NZ), bagful of dried pasta $7, little tub of yoghurt $5, packet of crackers $5. No fresh milk available, only long-life. Our favourite taxi driver, Baba, asked if we would like him to take us to the airport for our flight out. Then, head hung, he asked if we had any excess food we planned to throw out. "Me and my villagers would be most grateful for anything." Well, we hardly ate for the last couple of days. "Baba needs that," I'd tell the girls as they reached for jam.
Come dawn on the day of departure, Baba and his van were not waiting. Instead, he had sent a friend with a van to collect us and explain Baba's vehicle had broken down. I handed over the large bag of goodies and asked the driver if he could get them to Baba. He smiled a large, slow smile.
So many memorable moments. Gen and Sophie getting stuck in to some water volleyball and Gen's resultant sunburn; the girls and I deciding to try out the sea temp in front of the resort, unaware it was just moments before the resort's daily fish-feeding activity. No wonder the little buggers were so nibbly. Sophie, Fern and Claire having the courage to take part in a guided, outer-reef snorkel trip well off-shore, and seeing two reef sharks cruising beneath them. From the safety of the boat, I was intimidated. What lucky girls. On a submarine-type trip over the corals a small zebra fish kept peeping in the windows at us, returning with a 'friend' and later, three tiny kids! When the girls asked their snorkelling guide if he ever saw "Nemo" (clown fish), they all dived down and the guide tickled an anenome and out swam five Nemos!
I was amused by young male resort staff who obviously tired of smiling sweetly and greeting everyone with a cheery, "bula!" Several times, as young Claire approached, they would smile and lunge towards her, fiercely shouting "Bula!".(There's a photo below of one young man doing just that) This mostly made her cackle and spoiled the effect. Great way to fulfil the requirements of your contract and have fun.
What delightful people, with so little in the way of material possessions. We returned home with a special lesson from those with so little, yet so much, to give. Relax, enjoy, sing, laugh and dance.
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
