Suva, Fiji - Nov 22, 2014

Bula, Bula (a greeting similar to "Aloha" in Hawaii), can be heard throughout this Capital city of Fiji. One would think they had a community meeting on how to treat tourists but we found as the day unfolded that the Fijian people are a very embracing and welcoming people even away from the main market areas. Suva, became the capital in 1882 when the British moved their headquarters here and cleared the land. One of Fiji's most dramatic struggles began in this area, with a raid by the Rewan Chief Qaraniqio that sparked an 11-year war between powerful chiefs and led to Fiji becoming a part of the British Empire. Modern day Suva is a bustling and highly multicultural regional centre having everything you would expect from a large city - modern shopping malls, farmers markets, restaurants, entertainment as well as a large range of cultural activities.

Steps from the port and you are in the main Municipal Market where the friendly people great you, smile and in many cases ask you to take their picture. Circling a good city block, the more common than men, woman sell everything from the Taro roots to the many types of fruits (many I have not seen before) to the Kava made for traditional welcoming ceremonies. Fruits, vegetables and beautiful flowers can be found on the lower level while the Kava and spices can be found on the second level. Across the street and connected to this market is the massive fish market. Fish here are of all shapes and sizes and many still alive with the vendors occasionally dampening the fish to keep them barely alive. They like their fish fresh here. There is one huge tub of live fish where you get a plastic bag and the vendor scoops out the live fish into the bag and then they put in on the scale to be weighed. I witnessed a whole bag of fish jump off the scale, LOL. Great photo opportunities.

From here Jeff, Ellie Jan and I continued our walking tour for the day (the market was so great that we spent pretty close to two hours here - this is why there are so many people pictures in our photos this time around). We headed toward the majestic Grand Pacific Hotel built in 1914 where enjoyed a drink stop sitting beside the pool overlooking the ocean - wonderful. Then we headed across the street and into the Thurston Gardens then up to a residential area, ending our days tour in the Indian District and then the Handicraft Market.

This is our second time here where we had done a ship's tour in the past so nice to have a day to just visit this city, especially on a Saturday. From the bustling market to a parade, to watching the filming of a commercial in Thurston park, we had a wonderful day mixing in with the locals. Back to the ship by 2 pm for lunch and some relaxation while the Tourist Police Band set up to play for us as we cast off our lines.

There are three parts today, hope you enjoy...