I think the last Fiji-based post should be dedicated to another one of our fantastic day trips. For this trip we had a 4x4 and driver to take us round some of the sights close to Nadi. We started off early in the morning from the hotel and drove inland towards one of the main sights in Fiji known as 'The Sleeping Giant'. The Sleeping Giant is a length of undulating terrain that appears to look like a man with a large belly, lying down, sleeping with his mouth open (see photo below). It is one of the most famous landmarks around Nadi, and all the locals are familiar with it. You can actually travel to the giant itself to look around, and I think there are gardens at the top, but mum and I chose a different set of activities, so maybe The Sleeping Giant is a journey for the next Fiji visit.
On our journey along the road we stopped outside one of the Hindu schools. Fiji has a very large Indian population (around 40%) that were brought to Fiji by the British to work on Fiji's sugar cane plantations. Many of the Indian workers decided to settle in Fiji, and their culture and religion can be seen all around Nadi. Although we didn't really notice it, there is apparently quite a bit of tension between the indigenous population and Indo-Fijians.There have been a few military coups to displace the predominantly Indian government, with the indegenous population feeling like the Indo-Fijians have too much power. Consequently, many Fijians don't like to talk about politics for fear of punishment. The tension was not apparent to us though, and there was no sign of trouble throughout our stay.
Once off the main road, we moved away from Nadi and took a small dirt track into the hills. From this position we got another good view of The Sleeping Giant, and got to take in some amazing scenery.
As we drove down into a valley and crossed the Sabeto River, we came across one of the locals on his horse. It was an extremely hot day, and I think the horse was glad of the drink. We then continued up the other side of the hill and arrived at a small village called Navilawa.
Navilawa, as expected, was extremely basic. Most of the villagers lived in huts made out of corrugated iron, but they had running water and flushing toilets, so it wasn't quite as basic as I had expected. The first thing we had to do on entering the village was visit the chief of the village and take part in a traditional sevusevu (kava) ceremony. Kava is made using the ground up (or pounded) roots of the kava plant. The powder is then combined with a little bit of water, poured into a small bowl, and then passed around for people to drink. The ceremony itself involves the visitor presenting either the kava root (or ready ground root) to the village chief, he then makes the kava, and once you have drunk the kava with the chief, you are officially welcomed into the village. I quite liked kava, it was a bit gritty, but had a peppery taste. Mum on the other hand, said it was like drinking mud! I must say though, I'm not surprised the chief welcomes you into the village once you've had some kava; it apparently has sedative and anaesthetic properties. I'm sure he'd let pretty much anyone in after consuming something like that!
Our chief was lovely, extremely happy and friendly. He even had a picture of The Queen on his wall! After drinking kava with him and our driver, he produced some delicious banana pancakes - possibly the best I have ever tasted. They were hot and fresh and full of flavour. I think maybe I should have asked for the recipe!
Once we had been officially welcomed, we were given the freedom to wander around the village as we pleased. Our driver wanted to take us on a walk out to a special cave that the villagers use to shelter from cyclones. It was really just a huge boulder that they could hide under if needed, but it has obviously kept them protected from many cyclones, or they wouldn't keep using it! On our way to the cave we saw lots of pineapple and chilli plants, tangerine trees, and palm trees loaded with coconuts. I got to try one of the chillies, and nearly burnt my mouth off! I was then quickly handed a fresh tangerine to counteract the heat. The tangerine was lovely, very sweet, and much tastier than the supermarket ones.
Once back from our walk, we wandered around the village and took some pictures. As you can see from the photos, the scenery was incredible. We sat on top of a large mound in the middle of the village, and were given some more tangerines and a drink. It was lovely just to sit and take in the surroundings.
After relaxing and sunning ourselves at the top of the mound, we visited the local school. As you can see, it was quite a small class, but of varying ages. We were told that they are very grateful for any paper or pencils that are given to them, as they don't have a lot of money to buy them. Some of the children were holding small blackboards and writing using chalk to save what little paper they had. Mum and I wished we had some pens or paper to give them, but unfortunately we didn't bring any with us. The children seemed happy though, and there were lots of things on the wall that they had drawn or made, which brightened the place up.
Following our school visit we departed the village and made our way back up the dirt track towards Nadi. The driver did still have one surprise for us - a dip in the Sabeto River. He took us to a deep pool with a small waterfall at the end, and let us cool off with a swim. It was just what was needed after our trek to the cave and I had fun climbing up onto the rocks and 'bombing' back in to the water.
After our swim, we were driven back to the hotel. It was still a lovely warm sunny day, so we decided to grab the sunbeds by the plunge pool and continue working on our tans. There was of course, plenty of time for another dip or two before the sun disappeared.
I would certainly recommend a visit to Fiji for anyone that wants to see some of the Pacific Islands. The scenery was incredible, and the locals were very welcoming and friendly. I really enjoyed my time in Fiji, and would love to visit again and see some more of the island.
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