2007 Fiji

Up

drying kava	jay	jay3	kate and kel
mj	mj at octopus resort	mj on the boat	octopus resort 1
our fishermen	plant life	sunset at octopus	sunset on the beach
takalana	takalana 2	top of the hill	view from takalana
village dance	village house	village singing

Fiji 2006

Home

3 village boys	Aussie Jim	Aussies and Yanks	Jim and Kel
Kelly and her man	Kelly	Our sailing crew	Rainbow Fish kids
Steph, Kel, Jim	boy warrior	fire dancers	kava and tire repair
kids on a boat	my house	seaside view	turtle Island
village kids

December 2005, Diving in Yanuca

12 05Cecile Yanuca Diving	12 05Ganesh Yanuca	12 05Kel2Yanuca Diving	12 05Kelly Yanuca Diving
12 05Widge Orlanda Yanuca Diving	12 05Yanuca Diving1	12 05Yanuca Island	12 05returning home from Yanuca

Fiji 2004

See the notes below.

Group hiking photo FIJI	John and Maj,FIJI	Kelly and the local ladies,FIJI	Kelly with bure,FIJI
Kelly Mark Roger and me	hiking,FIJI	our beautiful hike,FIJI
Beth and the Sydney Police	Beth on vacation-Fiji	Fire lighting	Island singers
Island	Me on the beach	enjoying the sun

June, 2004

16. Group hiking photo
17. John and Maj
18. Kelly and the local ladies
19. Kelly with bure
20. Kelly Mark Roger and me
21. Hiking
22. Our beautiful hike

Fiji was once known as the 'Cannibal Isles' and its people were believed to be fierce and hostile although that was long ago...nowadays chances are now all you will find warm and hospitable people.
The country consists of about 330 islands (depending on how many reefs and tiny islets you take into consideration), of which about 100 are inhabited. The two largest islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, account for more than 85 per cent of the total land area with Viti Levu being the most developed and most populated island. While the majority of the islands are high and mountainous with peaks rising up to 1,400 meters and large navigable rivers, there are also a few low lying atolls. Fiji has a mild tropical climate; the best time to go is in the dry season or 'Fiji winter', from May to October.

I live in Suva, Fiji's capital; it is located on the southeastern coast of the big island of Viti Levu. Suva is the country's political and administrative center as well as the major port. Suva and its urban surrounds are home to half of Fiji's urban population, and it is the largest city in the South Pacific. It's a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic city with many mosques, temples, churches and a cultural center. My home is a lovely 3-bedroom house close to town that is furnished with Balinese furniture..I think I will stay here a while. There is a waterfront area about 15 minutes from my house that has a wonderful walking path that goes for miles around Suva Point. Another favorite area of mine is the Suva Municipal Market, which is known for their delicious fruits and vegetables, numbing kava, fresh fish and seafood, and colorful spices.

Speaking of Kava (Yaquona) perhaps nothing reflects the Fijians' reverence for tradition like yaqona drinking. In the Fijian village, particularly on a weekend, and you will probably come upon the spectacle of a large extended family sitting on the floor around a large wooden bowl filled with a muddy-colored liquid, drinking the contents from half a coconut shell. Kava.s action is peculiar; its drunkenness does not affect the brain, but paralyzes the muscles, so that a man lies helpless on the ground, perfectly aware of all that is going on. Now there.s a sight!

Just in case you are thinking of visiting me flight time is approximately nine and a half hours from Los Angeles, about six hours from Honolulu and three hours from New Zealand. Everyone is welcome however I can.t ever guarantee that I will be home due to my travel schedule but you are welcome to stay in my well-guarded house.

--Kelly

Fiji 2003