turning our fijian frowns upside down
Though our trip to Fiji didn’t go as smoothly as a travel day should, all was not lost. It was, in fact, raining when we touched down, but we weren’t feeling stressed for long.
For one thing, this was our view as we landed:
In the ultimate case of irony, a joyful Fijian band was singing and playing—yep, you guessed it—ukuleles at the arrival gate. This set the mood, but also served as a very clear example of an appropriate time to sing and play the ukulele. More importantly, every single airport employee was smiling! The customs agent wished me a happy almost birthday! WAS THIS EVEN THE SAME PLANET?
As we made our way toward the main entrance, we scanned the airport for TTF—Tourist Transport Fiji would be picking us up from the airport and taking us to our homestay on the Coral Coast. We were a little dazed from our flight, and when a woman came up to me to introduce herself as a tourist liaison for the airport, I bristled and half smiled as I waved her away. We had a similar experience in Cairo, except that “tourist liaison” was a straight up scam artist who put us in a cab and then charged us a one bajillion percent mark-up. (My math may be slightly off, it was like three years ago).
Unfortunately, I’m not used to people being so friendly and forthcoming with information unless they want something in return. I quickly learned, though, that this is what the locals proudly call, “the Fijian way.”
As soon as we found the TTF desk, I realized—these people were just genuinely warm, inviting, and seriously nice. It was also when I realized that I didn’t follow Baz Luhrmann’s rule about leaving New York before you get hard.
Hi, I’m the romantic. I’m jaded and genuinely nice people make me suspicious. I AM WORKING ON IT.
After some friendly banter and a warm welcome from the TTF team, our driver, Ravneel, loaded up our packs and drove us and another couple out of Nadi. He told us a bit about the towns and villages we were passing, explained the importance of sugar cane to the economy of Fiji, and promised us that though it was raining now, it would definitely not last and we would have an amazing time in his home country. Spoiler alert: he was right.
We could tell right away that he loved both his career and his country, and he proudly told us that he had worked his way up from a taxi driver, now living in the city (Nadi). He also politely corrected my pronunciation of Yasawa (emphasis on the SA, not the YA), thus saving me from a week of embarrassment. Just jokes, I still said it incorrectly, like, 85% of the time. But I knew 70% of the time that I had said it wrong, and for that I am grateful.
Once we arrived at our homestay, we realized that our directions weren’t entirely clear–they just told us to pull into the village and ask around. Instead of dropping us off to make our way, our driver advised us to sit tight as he got out in the rain, knocked on random doors, and finally found the perfect guide to take us to our home for the night:
This eagerness to go above and beyond, and the, genuine excitement to show us the beauty of Fiji, carried through for the remainder of our trip. Our ride to the Coral Coast also wasn’t the first time that being around the locals completely brightened our moods.
From our homestay hosts telling us that we were part of their family for the duration of our stay to the kids at a local school who wanted to hold our hands while we showed them their photos on our iPhones—our time in Fiji was 100% made special by the locals who couldn’t wait to share their country and make us feel welcome.
Dare I say it, but I think even the ukulele playing pirate’s heart may have grown three sizes when he landed, too.
xo!
the romantic
Though TTF did kindly provide us with free transfers to and from the Coral Coast, anyone who has been to Fiji knows: the people’s genuine friendliness can’t be disputed! The clean, air conditioned vans were pretty nice after a long flight, too.
Lazy Travelers
The Lazy Travelers are two transatlantic best friends who have mastered the art of exploring a new city. Though Ashley is based in London and Carolyn is in Philadelphia, we'll use any excuse to reunite around the world. We’re professional bar hoppers, pub crawlers, and food testers, and you’ll never see us zipping around, checking things off a list of “must-sees.”
14 Comments
Britany
Fiji is kind of a sore topic for me. Short story: I was supposed to go after my semester in Australia and then there was some silly coup going on and my parents wouldn’t let me. (This was at a time when apparently my parents could still “not let me” do stuff. ) All this right here about how fabulous it is… didn’t help.
But I’m glad you had a great time. 🙂
Britany recently posted..The Salt Flats of Bolivia — Exploring the Bizarre Beauty of Salar de Uyuni
Lazy Travelers
hahaha oh nooo. well, this just gives you an excuse to get there eventually! it’s also SUPER backpacker friendly, which i’ll get to later. but i was surprised to see how easy it was to do on a budget!
Lazy Travelers recently posted..no travel required
Bethaney - Flashpacker Family
I’ve really got to get myself to Fiji before we leave NZ for good. Can you believe I’ve never been to any of the Pacific Islands? Shocking for a Kiwi, I know.
Bethaney – Flashpacker Family recently posted..Are Budget Airlines Really Cheaper?
Lazy Travelers
you SOO have to!! some of the resorts seem really family friendly, too!
Lazy Travelers recently posted..travel announcement: oh, canada!
Nicole @ Suitcase Stories
Fiji holds a special place in my heart; It was my first overseas trip! I loved everything abut Fiji and would go back in a heartbeat!
Nicole @ Suitcase Stories recently posted..Interview with a Traveler – Emma from GottaKeepMovin.com
Lazy Travelers
oooh what a lucky first trip!! must have totally spoiled you for other island-y vacas!
Lazy Travelers recently posted..travel announcement: oh, canada!
Charli l Wanderlusters
Ooo thanks for inspiring my wanderlust girls. We’re just a little south of Fiji in New Zealand at the mo and we’re planning to hop over while we’re this side of the world.
Charli l Wanderlusters recently posted..House Sitting and Lifestyle Farming
Lazy Travelers
you HAVE to go!! let me know if you have any questions or need tips!
Lazy Travelers recently posted..no travel required
Traveling Ted
When I went to a music festival in California there was this one band who had a ukulele player. I have been seeing a lot of ukulele references lately, and I am kind of liking it.
Looks like a great start to the Fiji trip. Can’t wait to hear more.
Traveling Ted recently posted..Mother’s Day adventure in Red River Gorge Kentucky
Lazy Travelers
i’m pro-ukulele when they’re not being played mid-flight and/or being played by an actually talented ukulelist.
Lazy Travelers recently posted..#LTGoWithOh bucket list item 3
Kathryn
The people really make a place. Making a special connection with the local people is what turns a turns an good travel experience into a magical one.
Which Fijian island did you go to ? – I don’t think the article mentioned this.
Kathryn recently posted..Eating Vegan Using Hostel Kitchens
D.J. - The World of Deej
Wow…I’m not even from New York, and that kind of friendliness would concern me also. Can’t wait to hear more about the Fijian adventure!
D.J. – The World of Deej recently posted..Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando – Check-In Florida
Leah Travels (@L_e_a_h)
I hope you get that whole suspicion of nice people under control before you come to Texas. You’ll be royally screwed otherwise.
Leah Travels (@L_e_a_h) recently posted..I’m on a Boat: Sailing the Spanish Seas
Heather
Girls tell me that you toured with the Feejee Experience – an unbelievable taste of authentic, traditional Fijian culture. More on kava ceremonies, Sigatoka sand dunes, lazy tubing to secret waterfalls and four hour jungle treks here http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hdoherty/1/1410911640/tpod.html
Heather
Heather recently posted..Malaysia (in brief) — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia