I can’t remember what day we’re up to now.
It’s been relaxed and fairly uneventful. The most exciting thing that’s happened over the last few days is that Goofy managed to explode a beanbag at home.
I have been told that this is my fault due to poor parenting.
Meanwhile here in Fiji we have also been busy if less destructive. On our second day we drove to Sigatoka and then inland to an old fort. It’s around 150 years old and dates back to when some Tongan prince moved in. We got a guided tour from one of his descendants. The other people on the tour were a Northern European family who seemed a little miffed to have to share. The fort was recently renovated with assistance from the EEC, the dad proudly pointed out to us that that was his taxes paying for it. The story the guide told us about the fort seemed to involve a lot of cannibalism, including a missionary who was entirely eaten right down to, and even including, one of his shoes, in 1879. “1979?” the dad asked, and I thought “No, Lars, they weren’t eating missionaries while Abba were at their peak!” but I didn’t say anything.
After that we looked for some giant sand dunes nearby which are actually a UNESCO world heritage site, but we never managed to get closer than a glimpse in the distance so we gave up and drove home.
The next day was a quiet day in, with exploratory walks along the beach and a snorkel, plus lots of reading and cocktails in the evening.
The following morning we signed up for a morning boat trip to a couple of snorkeling sites. The boat ride was only a few hundred metres from the resort, and was as good as any snorkeling we’ve done anywhere on a pacific island. He then took us out beyond the reef, which was no more spectacular, just deeper – although I did see a couple of turtles.
We had lunch at a nearby resort that we stayed at 23 years ago, when our youngest was just a toddler. It’s very flash now and we had a very pleasant lunch but we both decided we’re actually happier at the resort we’re currently staying at. Much more relaxed.
Today we have come to Suva for an overnight stay. It’s a real city which came as a surprise. Skyscrapers, traffic, MacDonalds, everything. Unfortunately the highly recommended museum is temporarily closed for some reason, but we’ve had a nice look around, and a couple of extremely good meals, and will be quite ready to head back to our resort tomorrow.