THE OLD MANOR HOUSE

FIJI

HOME PAST EXCHANGES RIVER TRIP DINNER AT CHANDS

As those of you who have done it will know, the thing about traveling west is that you keep going back in time until you reach the International Date line then, WHAM!, you go forward with a big bump!  So, although we left at 23.00 on the Sunday night from LAX we didn't get to Nadi, Fiji until TUESDAY.  This meant that we didn't get a 23rd July 2001 at all.

Culturally, this was our biggest comparator and made Mexico trips pale into insignificance.  Lots of people go to Fiji and they stay at a resort and see little, if anything, of the real Fiji.  So we were lucky, indeed, to get the opportunity to do so.  

Warwick Shadow Palm.JPG (56750 bytes)<<<One Fiji.........Another Fiji>>>Suva Town.JPG (69867 bytes)

A great Fiji web site is here.

We were on the main island, Viti Levu, of the 333 that comprise the Fiji Islands, at a place called Pacific Harbour.  The island population is made up of about 60% native Fijians and 40% originally of Indian descent.  The two populations live pretty separately and, of course, there were the troubles of 2000 when the coup occurred. A place of extremes.

We were picked up from the airport by a taxi and taken the two and a half hours to our exchange home.  Naively, none of us were prepared for primitive conditions there so it came as a shock seeing the Villages and children walking to school in bare feet.  Our driver stopped en-route at a local market which was just as I imagine India to be, as indeed, are all the towns.

At last we arrived to be greeted by Sohbag, who tends the house externally, and later by his wife Bijma who is the housekeeper.  They were such nice people and looked after us famously for the week we were there and even invited us to dinner at their home. This was so good it has a page all to itself, here.  Thank you!

Sohbag & Bijma close.JPG (445227 bytes) Sohbag & Bijma  

Villa Front Dish.JPG (76354 bytes)<Villa front..Pool>Villa Pool.JPG (72834 bytes)..Garden>Villa Trees.JPG (70831 bytes)

Cultural Centre Lily Pond .JPG (69052 bytes)  Cultural centre walking distance from villa

PH Resort River Valley.JPG (67300 bytes)  PH River from Bridge.JPG (69614 bytes)  Oasis.JPG (74489 bytes)  Also short walk

Warwick Island 2.JPG (62476 bytes)  Warwick Trees Sea.JPG (72703 bytes)  Warwick Fountain.JPG (76456 bytes)  Warwick Resort

PH Resort Palms.JPG (75199 bytes)  PH Resort Patio.JPG (68219 bytes)  PH Resort Pool 2.JPG (62125 bytes)  Pacific Harbour Resort

Theresa & Abi PH Resort.JPG (396855 bytes)  Shane & Abi PH Resort.JPG (448145 bytes)  Theresa & Abi Warwick .JPG (405303 bytes)  A pink day, obviously!

A superb trip was up river to a traditional Fiji village.  The pictures are here.

After Fiji we flew to Sydney......

Contact Shane or Theresa by e-mail:     Try clickin' the chicken!

me@shanedowling.co.uk

Tel: 44 1425 657803

Pages last updated:  14-Aug-2004

 

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