Suva, Fiji, 21st February 2023

Today we were in the capital Suva of Fiji. Even Tripadvisor has problems with Suva and suggests visiting the headquarters of Suva in Lucerne, among other things.

We liked Fiji more and more. All Fijians are incredibly friendly and helpful. You are regularly greeted on the street, and whenever you have the smallest question, someone tries to help. This also means that someone easily takes a detour to show you the way. In order to get our value added tax back, the customs officers not only refrained from making the export confirmation on board the ship, but also accompanied us to the bank where we received the money. Everyone also says that it is important to them to have a nice stay. We don't remember similarly friendly and helpful people.

The island side of Suva (east side) is greener than the west side. It was also hotter and more humid than yesterday. Especially in the glaring sun, it was unbearable. The vegetation is accordingly. Forests are impenetrable, something grows everywhere, and everything is in the lushest shade of green.

Today we went on a trip to a big market and on the way there and back, we were able to experience the different island landscapes. The markets are just like you know them elsewhere. Beautifully presented, practically exclusively agricultural products in a huge hall. The other things are offered in shops like ours. In Suva, there are not only many cars, but also incredibly many car dealers, gas stations, garages, and spare parts dealers. Despite significantly higher petrol prices compared to Switzerland, the roads are quite congested around the clock, and due to the heat, you don't turn off the engine even when waiting. The waste situation is not bad. Although a lot of rubbish is thrown next to the roads, it is cleared and cleaned quite intensively.

We also visited the Fiji National Museum. A small museum that shows some archaeological artifacts, the settlement, the history, and the current challenges of the islands. Today was also the day of the indigenous languages, so a big festival with televised broadcast took place in the park around the museum.

So if anyone is considering going to the South Seas, we can only recommend Fiji.

Now we're on our way to Auckland, New Zealand again.