Author: thelasthurrahsite

I think all this travelling/jet lag etc finally caught up with me today as I have flopped and done two thirds of sod all. Mind you, there are worse places to flop than here.The heat and humidity just add to the floppiness!

Although the hotel seems pretty full, the beach is surprisingly empty as most of the guests have young children in tow who prefer the pool area rather than the sea. Equally surprisingly, I have seen no-one selling ice cream, fruit or clothing along the beach.  All in all a pretty tranquil spot apart from, of course,

the ubiquitous and intrusive jet skis. Grrr!

Whilst I became quite engrossed in my Michael Hobbs (second hand!) novel it was very difficult not too earwig when you hear English being spoken close by.

He: ‘Where do you want to sit?’

She: ‘I don’t mind. Where do you want to sit?’

He: ‘I don’t care really. So how about over there?’

She: ‘But that’s no good. It’s not in the sun. How about there?’

He: ‘Whatever you want but there are no sun loungers there.’

She: ‘You can drag two from over there’.

He: ‘Yes, dear’.

And that was the end of their communication for the rest of the morning!

Although it was forecast to be a little late monsoon showery today, so far it’s been fine with enough intermittent cloud to reduce  the frazzle factor. But by the looks of it we could be in for some thundery rain later.

By that time, though, it will be beer o’clock so I won’t care.

I did venture out to the local supermarket to get some contact adhesive to mend my flip flops (probably more expensive than buying a new pair but, hey!) and was struck by how little has changed since last we were here. Just a few yards from the beautiful beaches, it’s still the same old unfinished mess.

with scores of small and somewhat uninviting restaurants along the road side.

Is there no pizza free restaurant zone anywhere in the world?

Most of the restaurants claim to specialise in,

well, more or less everything!

Tomorrow I will try and be Phileas again, spring into exploring mode and have lots to report. In the meantime, just time for a shower before the sun goes down behind the yard arm.

Richard

As last night was only a stopover en route to Langkawi I thought I had chosen a reasonably modest Premier Inn type residence close to the airport at a Premier Inn type price. It turned out to be a most beautiful resort hotel at a Premier Inn price

complete with 2 swimming pools, sculptured gardens

and an 18 hole golf course.

Malaysia is hardly a third world country with third world prices so I just don’t understand the economics of how this place can be so cheap compared to, say, the slightly upmarket backpackers residence where I stayed in Auckland which cost almost double!!

Maybe New Zealand and Australia are just that much more expensive anyway, something I evidenced whilst waiting for my Sydney to Kuala Lumpur flight. Paperback novels which in the UK cost around £6-£10 were on sale  for A$32.99 – almost £20 each at today’s exchange rate. I should have bought more in the second hand book shop in Rotorua!

The BBC World Service news was full of the  flooding in Fiji this morning so I was just happy to have ‘escaped’. The poor guy who drove me to the airport yesterday morning (which does seem an awfully long time ago) told me that his house in the delightfully alcoholic sounding town of Rakiraki had been swept away. How he could seem so relaxed about something so utterly devastating is beyond me other than to reflect that when you have nothing or very little, you have nothing or little to lose – in the material sense that is.

Before departing for the airport (courtesy of the brilliant Uber which cost app 50% less than the ‘normal’ taxi fare from the airport to the hotel), I called Malaysian Airlines and was told that my suitcase had arrived and was already on it’s way to Langkawi. It turned out that not only had it arrived before me at Langkawi airport it had been sent to my hotel to await my arrival. The check in receptionist seemed  slightly bemused as to how my suitcase could arrive 5 hours before I did!

Nephew Andy was at the airport to meet me and seems his usual charming and laid back self. And also as usual, it was necessary to have a couple of welcoming beers even before unpacking. So, no time for exploring today other than taking in the view from my bedroom window which seems just fine.

And for those who may spot the odd puddle or two, yes, it has been raining but only a short, sharp shower rather than the relentless downpours that I have been used to.

I’m all at sixes and sevens with the 5 hour time difference between Fiji and Malaysia but a few more beers tonight and a good sleep and I should be back to normal and ready for some more adventures tomorrow.

Phileas

As so often happens with an early start, I was awake way before I needed to get up. It was dark and, yes, it was raining! But after an interesting take off it was sheer bliss to clear the clouds and see the sunshine again.  A couple of hours later, the clouds disappeared altogether so there was a wonderful view of Sydney’s Bondi beach as we came into land.

Hopefully, on the next leg the movies will be slightly more inspiring than the Fiji Airways selection. I was reduced to watching one of Jackie Chan’s less memorable efforts but it passed a couple of hours.

Since I started on this trip I’ve seen a fair few airports and I must say that I’m dismayed at the growing trend of placing the duty free shopping area as some sort of obstacle course between security and the departure gates. The airport experience is now more like a visit to Ikea or worse as retail sales staff are prone to leap out at you when all you want to do is find the gate and go! And at this time of the year particularly, the  ghastly ersatz Christmas music  dripping out of the omnipresent sound systems is especially depressing. Bah humbug? Maybe but do we always have to settle for quantity rather than quality?

Sydney was certainly sunny but the rest of Australia was not. It only took half an hour from take off on my next leg to encounter cloud – sometimes dense- and turbulence.. So a lot of bumping around for around 7 hours which was certainly more interesting than the movie selection – again. What is it with these airlines?

I was becoming a little paranoid about bad weather following me but there was a definite improvement as we moved north from Indonesia. So, by the time of landing, it was clear and fine – the weather that is. Other things were not.  I arrived safely in Kuala Lumpur with an overnight stop before travelling on to Langkawi tomorrow. My luggage did not. I suppose it had to happen sometime. Anyway, the kind and helpful Malaysian Airlines staff know exactly where my suitcase is …… still in Sydney! So,  after lots of form filling, I am assured it will arrive in Langkawi tomorrow – possibly even before I do. I’m not holding my breath.

Oh the joys of jet setting! It’s been a very long day.

Phileas. zzzzz

 

In an effort to avoid going stir crazy, with grim determination I ventured out last night despite the appalling conditions.

Today, though, the downpours have been more sporadic. So, whilst I could see no point in embarking on any more distant adventures, at least I was able to get out and have a last look round Fiji’s second largest conurbation.

I must say that of all the countries I have visited so far, Fiji has been my least favourite. Of course, the weather hasn’t helped  but it’s more than that. I think it’s the lack of variety of things to do plus the missing ‘something’ that makes a place special.  For sure, the people are very friendly (while I was waiting to cross a road today a man came up to me and said ‘what’s your name?’. Slightly taken aback I told him. He just smiled, shook my hand, said: ‘My name’s John. Have a great day’ and walked off!).  I’m sure that on sunny days the whole island takes on a totally different complexion. But without that sunshine, it’s all a bit of a nothing. In other places I have visited that are on/by the sea there has always been something else other than the beach. For example, the old city in Havana, the parks and gardens in Buenos Aires, the artists’ quarter in Guayaquil, palaces in Lima, the tropical jungle in Panama plus the endless attractions in Rio etc. Here, unless I have missed something, there seems to be very little other than the beaches; no other characteristic to mark this country out.

Laukota city where I have stayed is, frankly, a bit of a mess.

I think this rotting hulk that lies just offshore probably best sums the place up.

It’s all a bit run down. Maybe it’s not in the grand plan to make this place a tourist/holiday destination but a bit of money tarting up  just the sea front would make a big  difference.

Of course, nowhere looks particularly attractive in the wet

and for sure, even Christmas shopping can’t be much fun when you are in danger of getting drenched.

 

The Fijians, though, seem reasonably stoical about it all. But then, living here maybe they know what to expect.

In about 12 hours I start the long journey to Malaysia. Somewhat surprisingly, there are no direct flights. So I have a 4 hour flight to Sydney followed by 8.5  hours to Kuala Lumpur. A long day and another example of how vast this area of the world is. At least travelling such a distance there’s a chance of leaving the bad weather behind!

Could I be heading for the sun at last?

Phileas.

No, I didn’t get out last night as the deluge continued. The grass area outside my bedroom window which normally serves as both a football pitch and helicopter landing pad (see previous pictures) now has a third function – a swimming pool.

The floods in my part of Fiji are not as bad, though,  as in some areas as I found out this morning.

What I also found out this morning was that, to my great surprise, it wasn’t raining. So, time for exploration. As I have said before, even Trip Advisor struggles to find the ‘Top 10 things to do in Lautoka’. It’s just not that sort of place -especially when the weather is bad. So, having done the market, the main shopping area and the sea front, The Botanical gardens beckoned as being possibly the best of  the remaining bad bunch. In a small city, these gardens were quite easy to find but despite the sign clearly showing Sunday opening times, they were shut!

So, with the highlight of my day not on the agenda, under increasingly threatening skies, I turned round and headed back to base.

On the way back I passed fine examples of two of the three main religions in Fiji. Shopping and Christianity! The only out of town-ish supermarket in Lautoka was doing a roaring trade

with some aggressive promotions going on as well although I didn’t think the prices were that special.

Immediately next door is the Methodist chapel which was also doing a roaring trade. A service was in full swing and the singing that radiated out onto the street was exceptional, complete with pitch perfect harmonies. I stood transfixed for a while listening to a magical rendition of Hark the Herald Angel Sing. I couldn’t help marvelling at just how religion can engender such passion in people who, whilst not exactly poverty stricken are not far above the bread line, something that seems to get lost as we get wealthier when, more often than not, the shopping ‘religion’ takes over!

The third religion in Fiji is undoubtedly rugby – the more so after winning gold at the Olympics (not bad for a country of less than 1 million people).

The stars of this success are treated like royalty (despite being paid little/nothing) and everywhere you go you can see young people practising their rugby skills. I was just about to take a picture of these two youngsters doing just that but they were much more interested in having their picture taken close up instead.

I can never imagine such a thing happening in UK where I would have probably been arrested. Progress?

The heavens opened again just before I got back to my hotel. Sadly, even Jesus couldn’t save me

so I got drenched!

The hotel food is adequate but another evening of incarceration is not acceptable. So I plan to don my swimming trunks and swim to a local restaurant if necessary.

I’m trying not to be negative about Fiji but under the current weather conditions it really is quite difficult not to be. The people are so friendly and I’m sure the landscape is great – if I could see it!. But as so often is the case in such tropical ‘paradises’, the entire tourist industry is centred around outdoor activity mainly relating to the beaches and the water (trip round the islands, scuba diving, swimming, snorkelling etc). There is precious little else. So, when the weather is pants (as it has been ever since I arrived) there really is very little to do.

Ah well. You can’t win them all!

Phileas

It’s now day 3 of this relentless rain and it’s getting very tiresome.

2 more days, though and then I’m out of here which is just as well as I will almost have run out of books to read by then.

Last night, because of the outside conditions, I ate in the hotel and had a couple of beers in the bar afterwards where I had a fascinating conversation with the highly intelligent  and articulate bar lady/person. Although of Indian descent she was born in Fiji and considers herself to be Fijian. So, so far so good. She then explained the difficulties of growing up in what is still a very ‘closed’ society here.  As a single girl, her entire life is dictated by the morals and influence of her mother, father and family. She is told what to wear, who to talk to (and who not to), what job is appropriate and if she declares she has a boyfriend, it is expected that she will marry him immediately! So this lovely lady and her (secret) boyfriend who also works in the hotel have a very clandestine relationship. I was quite saddened to think that this bright, smart 21 year old more or less at the start of her adult life has very little chance of being her own person thanks to the pressure and influence of people from a bygone age. Compare that with 21 year olds in our country who are sometimes old before their time. It’s a strange old world!

It would be good if I could venture out of my hotel prison this evening to eat but I’m not sure if even McDonalds (yes, there is one here, unfortunately) would welcome a drowned rat on their doorstep.

Glug! Glug! Gurgle!

Richard

 

 

The rain has been relentless today. Non stop. It’s not as if we hadn’t been warned, of course

but it is rather depressing being stuck inside for a whole day when there is so much to see and do out there. Of course, I could brave the elements as I did in Vancouver but here is different. Vancouver is a big modern city with an efficient infrastructure including decent roads and pavements. Here I would probably drown in a pothole inside 5 minutes if I stepped outside!

I have, though, put my self inflicted incarceration to good use and have sorted out some accommodation for the second half of my trip. Over the past few months I think I have become quite good at understanding the ‘internet speak’ on travel websites. It’s a bit like interpreting estate agents’ bu***hit!  ‘Close to the beach’ means anything up to 5 miles away. ‘Compact accomodation’ means tiny room. And ‘partial sea view’ means you can just see the sea if you are a giraffe!

Every half an hour or so, I look out of my window in the hope that the weather is improving

but no luck so far.

By the time I had finished my scribblings yesterday there was a dry bit. So, anticipating (correctly) the weather conditions today, I went out again for a short visit to The Gardens of The Sleeping Giant. The ‘Sleeping Giant’ is, I am told, a rock formation that looks exactly as the description (a little bit like Elephant Mountain in Spain) but I couldn’t tell you as the clouds were so low. As to the gardens, these were developed originally as a breeding place for orchids by a certain Raymond Burr (he of Perry Mason and Ironside fame) and subsequently turned into the most gorgeous tropical acreage – even in the wet!

Inevitably there are loads of orchids

but there is also acre upon acre of a lush tropical landscape full of the most amazing plants, trees and shrubs

most of which I had never seen before

and even including 3 splendid tree huggers!

A truly beautiful place made even more interesting by knowing who it’s most unlikely creator was.

According to today’s newspaper, the centre of the current storm is still a couple of hundred kilometres north of this island and proceeding southwards at a leisurely 10km per hour. So it seems the worst is yet to come. The good news is though that it should all have moved away by next Tuesday ….. just when I’m leaving!

I’m dreaming of a dry Christmas.

Richard

In February this year, cyclone ‘Winston’ killed 42 people in Fiji and left more than 50,000 people homeless. The forecasters say that the one heading this way right now might not be quite as bad which, of course, makes me feel a whole lot better!

The weather yesterday was not too bad so, mindful that it might be the last dry  and sporadically sunny day for a while, I had a ‘Richard’ day, chilling by the pool, reading and catching up on a few emails, interrupted only by a very noisy helicopter ferrying people to a Christmas party in a marquee close to the hotel.

Considering the Fijian average annual salary is app £12,000, clearly a small percentage of the population are doing very well indeed although, just like everyone else, they got pretty wet when it bucketed it down later on!

Today’s weather, whilst starting out very overcast, was at least dry until mid afternoon so I indulged in a sightseeing trip courtesy of my new best friend, Junior, a taxi driver. During the course of the day, he insisted on showing me his home and introducing me to his wife and 8 children who all live in a tiny house seemingly comprising of just one living/sleeping/ eating area plus a bathroom.

Whilst not exactly living in poverty, these are poor people but, oh so happy. The smiles were not just for the camera. This short visit made me feel very humble and mindful yet again of the privileged life we lead. It’s good to be reminded every now and again.

Our first stop was at the First Landing resort where, according to legend, the first Fijians arrived back in 1500BC. Nobody is quite sure where they came from although one story I heard is that they originated from South Africa which I thought was a bit odd!

If you are looking for a secluded and romantic holiday this place would be ideal as long as you don’t want to wander outside the hotel perimeter as there’s nothing to see or visit other than the Total oil refinery!

Running parallel to many of the roads in this part of Fiji is a narrow gauge train track for transporting sugar cane to the local refinery (located next door to my hotel as you can see in the helicopter photo!).

The sugar cane cutting season lasts 6 months and must be back breaking work. Junior had a sugar cane cutting co driver who accompanied us as it’s the non cutting season now. He told me that, in the season, he goes to work ‘when I turn the lights off in the morning’ and comes home ‘when it’s time to put the lights on in the evening’. In short, probably a 12 hour day, working for buttons.

Our next stop was Denaru Island (separated from the mainland by only a tiny bridge) which is the main international resort area in Fiji.. I saw more westerners here in 5 minutes than I have seen in the whole time I have been in this country so far. What a contrast between this place and the rest of the island! Beautifully manicured roadways.

Expensive villas with private moorings, of course.

Every brand of luxury hotel you can think of

a water park

and even a Hard Rock cafe!

It’s difficult to know what Junior or his co driver think of this place although they did say, somewhat whimsically ‘we know this isn’t the real Fiji”!  I just wonder how many of the tourists who come here actually step outside this highly cocooned environment.They should do as, apart from anything else, they could then enjoy the best fish and chips  I have had in a long time.

and all for app £3!

As I like to know the geography of anywhere I visit, we stopped off in one of the more upmarket town-lets to buy a Fiji map.

Whilst waiting for Junior to reappear from his parking place, a middle aged gentleman started talking to me and totally unsolicited and perhaps slightly depressingly told me how far up the shop walls the water had risen during cyclone Winston. Once again, though, I was struck by how unbelievably friendly everyone seems to be.

Apart from the tourist and  sugar cane industries, the export of wood chips is big business here.

So, next time I pop into Wickes to buy some bark chips I’ll take a look at the country of origin.

Guess what? It’s raining again!

Phileas

 

 

 

 

 

The rain continues to follow me. It was lashing down on arrival in Fiji and for the rest of yesterday evening. So exploring had to wait until today when, although not sunny, at least it hasn’t chucked it down – yet!

One of the things I have got into the habit of doing is a bit of Trip Advisor and Google research on the next country I will visit. So, I had already been prewarned that, in Fiji, the internet is generally poor and universally expensive. For example, the charge for in room wireless internet in my hotel is app £15 per day! Courtesy of my research, though, I also learnt that the clever thing to do is to visit the Vodafone shop at the airport  on arrival and buy a mobile wifi thingy which I did. This clever little device, when charged, connects my phone, iPad and laptop to the internet, presumably using the Vodafone phone signal or something  like that, without using the hotel’s expensive system. All clever stuff. Not cheap but about half the price I would have paid the hotel for daily internet.

I am staying in Fiji’s second largest city, Lautoka. I have absolutely no recollection as to why I chose this location as it’s hardly a tourist destination. I think I’m probably the only foreigner staying at my hotel and have only seen one or two on the streets. And as to the city (a slight overstatement when it comes to a head count), it’s very reminiscent of some of the underdeveloped towns I have seen in the Caribbean. Interesting but basic! Nevertheless, the desire to shop – especially at Christmas time – is the same all over the world.

although tastes definitely differ from country to country

and no more evident than in the food shops.

At first I thought the locals were saying ‘Ola’ to me which sounded a bit odd but it turned out to be ‘Bula’ which, I am told, is Fiji’s universal greeting. Almost everyone you pass smiles and says ‘Bula’ to you so I have been happily ‘Bula-ing’ back. If the stories about cannibalism in early Fiji are true then I really do hope ‘Bula’ means hello and not ‘you look tasty’!

Lautoka’s indoor market is big and fabulous.

The aroma of all manner of spices fills the air (which makes a very pleasant change from the sulphur fumes of Rotorua)

but there’s all kinds of vegetables and fruit here as well,

some of which I had never seen before.

This is ‘Kava’ (spelt with a ‘K’ not a ‘C’!), a root which when crushed is mixed with water to make a drink that is offered at special celebrations. Non alcoholic, unfortunately.

Although there are few, if any, higher end outlets here, there are certainly some lower end ones!

and I wouldn’t think the rental cost for some of the property is very high either.

I don’t think Lautoka has much more to offer the intrepid Phileas other than what I have seen today although it’s just possible, of course, that the place may come alive at night.

Assuming not then I may have to explore further afield or, perhaps, chill by the pool, assuming,of course, it’s not raining.

Phileas today but maybe Richard tomorrow.

Today’s trivia: New Zealand was given it’s name, after  Zeeland in Holland, by a Dutch explorer  (Mr Tasman, as in Tasmania) who discovered the place back in 1642  but was actually a bit of a wimp as he never landed. The Maoris gave him such a fright that he turned tail and fled so it was left to Captain Cook to  be the first westerner to step ashore some 100 years or so later.

Despite blowing a mighty gale today, the rain had finally stopped so I had a lovely drive back to Auckland through some beautiful countryside.

New Zealand, or the bit I have seen, has some stunning scenery although the weather does rather remind me too much of a certain country in the northern hemisphere. Actually, it’s rained in every single country I have visited so far which is not what I  had planned but at least, apart from in Canada, it’s been warm-ish rain.

Agriculture is, clearly, a very important part of this country’s economy as can be evidenced by the number of agricultural type programmes on TV and the number of commercials for  cattle feed and the like on both radio and TV.  It’s perhaps all a little parochial and certainly very rural!

And I just wonder if this has a bearing on the people here and how they are. Everyone seems very calm; very polite. I have seen no aggressive behaviour at all – not even on Saturday night when, bizarrely, the bars were full of people of all ages watching their local hero in some aggressive boxing match! I have seen no road rage, no pushing, no shoving, no rushing.  Nobody jay walks and everyone seems very happy, very relaxed and very laid back. Whatever it is, if I could bottle it and bring it back to the UK, I may not make a fortune but………

The other thing I have noticed is how much more environmentally aware people here seem to be than back in the UK where, especially in the big cities, I feel there is an attitude of ‘nothing to do with me, guv’. A lot of money is spent on promoting a greener, cleaner New Zealand. Having said that, oddly, the price of environmentally unfriendly diesel fuel is about 40% cheaper than unleaded!

Back in Auckland the crowds (well, by New Zealand standards anyway) were out enjoying their Sunday

in a posh little market selling high quality food stuff (oysters, quails eggs, speciality cheeses etc) whilst down by the water side, it was time for the Christmas party.

This lady was already getting stuck in whilst others waited patiently to board

only slightly held up by some taking longer than others to do this.

Keeping strictly to my ‘no alcohol in the day’ rule, I stopped off for a coffee before heading back to my New Zealand residence for the last time.

Although I am not quite half way though my journey, I feel that leaving New Zealand is somehow the end of the first part. Up to now, all the countries I have visited bar one (I had been to Canada before but a completely different part) has been virgin exploration, as it were. Of the 7 countries remaining on my itinerary, I have previously been to 5 of them albeit briefly in some cases. So, although I plan to continue exploring (Phileas), I also plan, weather permitting, to cultivate the ‘beach bum’ in me (Richard). It will be interesting to see if these two diametrically opposed concepts will work together!

In just over a week it’s the shortest/longest day!

Phileas