Dramamine is good - Jay

Dramamine is a gift of nectar from the gods of travel. 

Upon our arrival to Fiji, we anded in Nadi on the western side of the Viti Levu (the main island of Fiji. We then traveled by car to the eastern side of the island which was 3+ hours away.  We didn't know it at the time, but the roads were curved and bumpy. This combination of road conditions along with almost uncontrolled speed limits (or lack there of) made for a nauseating experience for our family (after traveling 14 hours via plane. At one point, about 2 hours into our drive, Easton informed us that he needed to stop for fear of stomach ailment. So we did. He didn't throw-up, but he did feel as if he might. 

We have since made an additional drive from Suva to Sigatoka, which is about 2+ hours west of Suva (along the same curved road). The ride was equally as bumpy, and to make things even more speculative, we were on a bus that appeared to be behind schedule. But this time, we gave the boys Dramamine. The Dramamine seemed to do the trick. They both did fine and survived better than others on the bus. The girl next to me ended up disposing of her lunch in a plastic bag about half way home.

Dramamine. I recommend it.

Taxi Cabs in Fiji - Jay

The primary mode of transportation in fiji is walking. People walk everywhere. If they have jobs, they walk to work. If they need groceries, they walk to the market. If they are of school-age? Yep, they would walk to school.

But, beyond walking, most people take Taxi's. Fiji is speckled with Taxi cabs. There are taxi cabs in the cities, along the inter-town roads, and even in the villages. Most of the taxis are run down cars with automatic transmissions. The insides are torn up, banged up or rusted through. Driving in them feels like a child's go-cart rumbling down a hill out of control. Though there is often a note (hand written on the dash) stating that seat-belts should be worn, none of the drivers wear one. There are no seat belts in the back seat and on many occasions the front passenger device is either broken or non-existent.

Most of the drivers are of Indio-Figian descent and were born in either Suva or Nandi. They speak english well enough to communicate with passengers, but, despite the area (including Suva) not being that vast, they often don't know all of the streets or targeted destinations. On several occasions, our driver has had to call into their office to get directions (or at least that is what I think they were saying (in Hindi).

And I dont want to intimate that the drivers are bad, but I will say that they are a bit erratic. There is often swerving, honking, quick stops, and otherwise spotty driving. 
Much of the problem with the driving though cannot be associated with the drivers, nor the cars. Rather the roads, the round-a-bouts, and the dogs play a significant role. The roads are full of potholes. And I mean big pot holes. Two feet wide, 6 -12 inches deep and scattered across most roads. 
Additionally, there are many round-a-bouts stationed around the streets of Suva (and other towns). They are a great tool for controlling traffic, but the Taxi drivers also use them as sling-shots to spin their guests from side to side in the back seat of their cars. There are also packs of feral dogs that roam around the cities. They often linger in the roads slowly meandering together (or attacking cars as they pass by). The taxi drivers often honk and swerve toward the dogs to scare them a bit so they do not get hit.

Despite the variety of Issues and oddities of taxis in Fiji. they are certainly a valuable way of life.

Fiji Village - Easton

My experience in a village in Fiji was excellent. I stayed in a typical village, played with the local kids, and saw a sand dune next to the South Pacific Ocean.

The Village, called Vunavutu, is a typical Fijian village.  There were about 36 houses with 6 families amongst them. This leaves about 6 houses per family. Within each home, lived about 11 people.  In the houses, there is not much furniture. They normally eat on the hard floor with weaved mats. Their kitchens are outside the house in different buildings. For laundry, they use a stick and a bucket with clothes in it. They smash the laundry into the bucket with water. Then, they dry it by using lines across two poles. They have to grow their own food in places called plantations. They go to the plantation to pick the food for the family each day.  

There are a lot of kids in the village. I counted about 25 kids ranging in age from 1 month to 18 years. There is a lot of spae for the kids to play outside. THey can play around the whole village and in the river that flows near the plantation. Every morning, the kids start their day at the main house. THe kids are very playful. They like sports such as rugby and soccer... and play with their friends, even in the rain.

We visited the Sigatoka Sand Dunes. To get there, you walk up a couple of large hills, then you see the ocean. The waves were huge. The water is salty and very warm. When playing in the water, there are times that you should not get in front of someone else, because the waves might carry you and slam you into them. For example, I was standing in front of my brother when an enormous wave hit me and I slammed into my brother's face. He fell backwards and we both floated to the shore.


When leaving the sand dunes, you come to more hills, then look for a big star in the side of one of the hills. The star was made by someone's feet walking in a pattern. Be careful coming down the hill. Do not run as fast as  you can or else you might trip and get sand all over yourself.

This was my experience in Vunavutu Village, Fiji. I definitely would want to come back again.