 Travel blogs generally are all sunshine and lollipops. Everyone always looks so happy, the pictures post an idyllic scene and there is a tendency to think that travelling is always great. Whilst 90% of the time that is true, there are also times when a visit to a location can be disappointing. Take for example a recent cruise port of call stop in Fiji that we have now phrased - our “Sad Stop in Suva!”. As part of our Christmas Cruise onboard the Pacific Dawn in 2017 our itinerary included a stop in Suva, Fiji. This was our first visit to this destination and we really did not know what to expect. We didn’t book any shore tours - in hindsight our biggest mistake - and instead thought we would explore the town on our own. Suva is the capital of Fiji, it must have something to offer right? The weather was pretty awful when we arrived, warm but with overcast with showers which persisted throughout the day. And the scenery was pretty grim, the ship pulls up in a working industrial shipping port with shipping containers and workmen the greeting views. The plus side to this was that we were within walking distance of the town and no tenders required to get off the ship.
We were in Suva just a few days before Christmas so the town was busy and buzzing with locals getting supplies for the festive season. We took a shuttle bus from the port to the town shopping mall which actually took longer on the bus than if we had walked it due to the crazy traffic. However at least we were sheltered from the rain, we got to see a little more of the town and we were able to sit and watch the locals go about their pre-christmas shopping frenzy. On route our bus guide made sure we knew the obligatory term “Bula” and gave us a few tips on what to do in town - a message skewed towards shopping at the shuttle bus sponsor Taperoo Centre (essentially a shopping mall). In town we headed to the top level where we were told we could get WIFI. Upon arrival we discovered you could only get 15 minutes of wifi and even when we tried to connect it was such a poor connection we did not bother. Not that it mattered we had not had any connection for the 7 days on the ship it took to get here anyway, a cruise is a great holiday for a digital detox. If you are looking for WIFI in Suva, it is not readily available in any of the cafes or restaurants. (Update, apparently there is WIFI - we just had no luck finding it despite asking at numerous cafe's. According to cruise forums it can be found at Jacks?). One positive to our visit was that the markets were open and we happened to be there on the day of the weekly flower market. The colours and arrangements were bright, colourful and unique to the flowers we get at home. We always enjoy walking through markets and discovering the local fare and trying to figure out what it is! There is always a new and exotic fruit or vegetable to be discovered.
After walking about a km of the main street in each direction, stopping at a cafe for a milkshake, we decided that the highlights of Suva were not going to be found in the township and we were disappointed in ourselves for not taking the time to do some research before arriving.
We ended up walking back to the ship, it was located just behind the markets and only about a 100m walk. There were a few markets set up at the port so we had a look at them but then decided to call it quits and head back to the ship. So no WIFI, showery weather (we were there in rainy season what could we expect), really busy shops (it was Christmas) and lots of roadworks making the streets muddy and hard to navigate - that was our Sad Stop in Suva. Having said all that the paint of the blog is that I am sure Suva has some amazing areas to see and explore, if readers can take anything from my sad post it is to book a tour when in Suva. Get out of the town and explore the beauties of Fiji so that you too don’t have to write a post like this! A good tip to do some research before you arrive as sadly we did not do. If you have visited Suva on a port day stop and had an amazing adventure - leave a comment and let us know what we missed. Penny - Itchy Feet Family
5 Comments
Lesley
1/29/2018 04:08:17 pm
I visited Suva in March and after a short walk around the streets and a obligatory visit to the tourist shopping mall I took a P & O tour of Suva, going to the Museum and then to the outskirts of town. The tour was 3 hour's long in an air conditioned bus with a very knowledgeable and interesting guide. We had several photo stops and ended up back at the Tourist shopping mall before being returned to the wharf. I found it to be a great way to get a quick look at Suva. Sadly I found Suva to be dirty and am saddened that the Fijians don't seem to show any pride in their country.
Chris
2/3/2018 05:21:45 am
From reading this awful blog it became very clear that it was your poor attitude that made the stop sad. You sound like a whiney self entitled tourist. Next time stop and talk to the locals who would have gladly pointed you in the right direction or more than likely invited you back to their village. Stay on the cruise ship next time and sip your cocktails - the beautiful friendly people of Suva don't need you making them sad Chris, your comment about our poor attitude is to true and that was the point of the blog. Our lack of research and knowledge of what to do in Suva is exactly what made it disappointing and we were sad with ourselves for not booking a tour or finding out more about what to do in Suva. Hopefully some other readers can provide some insights into the things to see and do when in Suva so on our next visit we are better prepared and have an awesome experience.
Amy
3/31/2019 08:45:50 am
Chris,
Donna White
2/3/2018 05:42:08 pm
You need to visit other parts of Fiji. The people are so welcoming! Lovely big smiles and beautiful singing! Also know the history of Fiji and how different the Polyinsan decendants are from the descendents of India. Leave a Reply. |
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