Took the morning to live life resort style (buffet breakfast, sit poolside, research diving, game of life size chess - Rick will tell you he won but don't listen - game board was improperly set - rematch to follow!) and used the afternoon to see Fiji. Left the resort just in time for the rain, not just any rain - rainforest rain, so city walking was a perfect afternoon activity. As small as Viti Levu looks on a map, all the major areas are rather far apart! We're near two hours southeast of Nadi and it is almost equally as far to Suva but in the opposite direction. Suva came recommended for its authentic Indian cuisine and its cheap shopping so northeast it was! Rick's description of Suva - NYC Fijian style! Crowded streets, impatient drivers, small overpacked shops, same merchandise in every window, daring jaywalkers everywhere, mildly impersonal until you start a conversation - a heartbeat all its own. Biggest differences between Suva and NYC: lacks the same diversity and it is drenched in Indian culture! The music, the food, the saris, the jewelry - absolute decadence. It is in moments like these that we realize just how poorly educated we are on the history of so many places in the world. Note: must research Fijian history. We had hoped to find a tourist section of this Fijian city but our efforts were fruitless so we browsed the shops we felt comfortable entering to see what Fijian people are into.
Sought out a restaurant that came highly recommended by our new Indian friend from NZ - Curry House - and actually found it! Much to our surprise, however, they did not have Veggie Korma or any Veggie Curry for that matter. This is a first. We are visiting an island that has strong ties to India and this is the only time we've been to an Indian restaurant anywhere that does not have a vegetarian curry dish! Bizarre. Amanda was craving curry so we continued our hunt and found a delicious Indian restaurant called Maya Dhaba. Stoked we decided to keep looking because Rick said it was the best Tikki Masala he's ever had! Got ourselves lost trying to leave Suva - things look a lot different in the dark! Finally found our way and back through the rainforest we went keeping a heavy lookout for any number of stray animals and those damn speed humps!
Rick's favorite moment of the day (a HAHA moment): Driving here is much like in Costa Rica, one lane in both directions, so if you're stuck behind a slug, you're only refuge is to 'overtake' them. There isn't much traffic so its no big deal BUT some people are a little too aggressive. Someone trying to overtake us and the stinky truck infront of us realized her error when it was too late and had to cut us off to dodge oncoming traffic - ass. Soon as the traffic past, this individual continued on her way by overtaking the truck. Not five minutes later, this same person was pulled over by two Fijian cops, one of which was holding a radar gun! Rick was very amused! Not often does one get to witness immediate karma but sure feels satisfying when you do!
Myth Busted: Service staff is solely motivated by tips. We've received the friendliest service over the past few weeks in three countries that do not practice/encourage tipping. (An argument in favor of socialism!)
Myth Confirmed: Taxi drivers drive like (insert adjective of choice) EVERYWHERE!
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