Ramses – flying in after two weeks of work in Singapore – was fit as a fiddle and fully acclimatized to the tropical heat. We, however, were still struggling to catch our breath after arriving from autumn in New Zealand.
“Bula, bula! Wrong way, wrong way. Are you lost?”“Yes, we do believe we are.”“Don’t worry. You’re still in Fiji “ And the correct directions out of the village to the Natadola beach came with a big, welcoming grin. Fiji remained under the British Crown until 1970, and it still shows. You drive on the left side of the road, and you behave. There’s no Tahitian flippancy over here. Anyone not of Indian descent – which totals 37% of the Fiji population – braves the tropical heat in heavy, dark, knee-length, boarding school-style fabrics and dark coloured or sometimes flowery grandmother blouses. Thank god for the occasional flower tucked behind a rebellious ear, for the exuberant colour splash of Indian saris and temples, and for the warmest of “bula” greetings and smiles all around us.
A welcome song is never far way. This is the enthusiastic staff of the superb Sails restaurant near Denarau Marina where we did the clearing in. The mud crab curry was delicious, but eating it was a challenge: you had to fish the crab out of its green curry sauce in order to crack it. And it was a very hard shell to crack. Messy, but very yummy.
This is the Sri Siva Subramaniya Temple in Nadi. It is the largest Hindu temple in the Southern Hemisphere. During British colonial rule, more than 60 000 Indians were brought to Fiji under a 5 year working contract on sugarcane plantations. Many chose to stay. Today, Indo-Fijians make up around 37% of Fiji’s population.
This is our present Playground.First Mamanuca, then Yasawa.
A stylish family dinner at Lomani Island Resort.Thanks for the invite, guys!
By now, we’ve fully shifted to Fiji time : deadlines, schedules, and clocks no longer bother us. Our cruising permit took 2 weeks instead of the promised 4 days to arrive, but nobody seemed particularly concerned. An email announcing the permit , without the actual permit attached , was good enough to set us free. So off we went to explore the Mamanuca Islands, joined by our son who had flown in from Singapore, and our brother and sister-in-law who traveled all the way from Seattle for a Fijian snorkeling expedition. And snorkel we did! Our first big bite of Fiji has us all excited for more. Enjoy our first glimpse of reef splendor below, while we head off to the Yasawa Island group, where village chiefs expect visitors to arrive bearing gifts before exploring their house reefs. We are coming fully prepared.
Looks like our house photographer is in the mood!
This alien-looking crown-of-thorns starfish is busy devouring the coral it’ s latched onto, like a vampire sucking the life out of its victim. Too many of these starfish can devastate the reefs. But they are no match for “Triton’s trumpet.”Behold Triton’s trumpet, a top predator of the crown-of-thorns starfish. Due to its cultural, spiritual, and commercial significance, – blow that trumpet conch shell ! – it has become a rare find in the Pacific. We’re so excited that we spotted one.
Snorkelling on the reef called “Seventh Heaven” feels like floating inside a snow globe. But instead of snow flakes, it is baby fish that swirl aroundyou, as your fingers and toes turn all pruney and you want to stay forever.The mesmerising magic of Planet Ocean is a wondrous thing.
Looks magical! De foto’s van jullie huisfotograaf zijn national geographic worthy!
Vinden wij ook. Het plan is van de posts met Ramses foto’s af te drukken in boekvorm. Voor op de koffietafel wanneer we es thuis zijn😀
And greetings to whole of the family!!!
👍
Nice colours 🙏🏻
En blijkbaar is dit nog maar het begin!
De foto’s zijn wonderbaarlijk en kunnen afkomstig zijn van natural geographic.
Mensen blijven hem aansporen om er iets mee te doen commercieel. Voorlopig zijn wij de enige enthousiaste afnemers.
What beautiful photo’s;
You obviously have a very good house photographer….
We verzorgen hem goed! Ik sta regelmatig in de keuken🙂
Wow, stunning photos!!
Enjoy!!
Zo mooi de onderwater wereld hier is! We moeten wel goed uit ons doppen kijken wanneer we ons met O2 verplaatsen. OVERAL koraal.
Prachtig weeral ! Fijn dat we mee kunnen genieten
Met plezier!