Welcome to the Port of Suva

We were ready for a cultural experience in Fiji and took a tour from the port that promised a trip to an authentic village.  Again, a taxi ride without seatbelts.  I sat in the middle of the boys in the back seat with my arm across them holding onto the door handles, prayers on my lips, because there was a wee bit more traffic in Suva! 

We started with a tour around the city and important landmarks including the gardens and parliment buildings where the coup occurred.  

We managed to jump out near a misty waterfall (complete with barbed wire as they are in the middle of constructing a viewing platform of some kind).  

We arrived at the village about 30 minutes outside of Suva.   It was only the 2nd time this village has hosted tours from the cruise ship.  They were quite excited to have us and were graciously hospitable, offering watermelon and pineapple, a tour to their village church and hall. 

The whole village from the babies and children to the old (toothless) men were seated with us in the hall and they re-enacted a kava ceremony for us as they would perform for a visiting chief.

 The women greeted us with floral leis, demonstrated weaving mats and wanted to dote on the boys (who were rather intimidated by the whole show). 

 We had a brief stop at a backpackers hostel for refreshments and discovered that we were 9423km from Vancouver, Canada, and admired their peaceful lagoon. 

 Lovely tour operators gave the boys some clay pigs and a Fijian flag and thanked them for sharing in the joy of their island home.  The boys were a bit overwhelmed by the day and mostly shy and quiet during the village visit, but I think it was good for them to be exposed to another way of life. 

Pretty sure we ended this day in the hot tub . . . feeling grateful and a bit more clear about the reality in the islands that not everyone who lives there gets to sit back and enjoy the beach.