Fast...

 ...well, what do you think I am? Flat out of my mind? Fast is not a word you'd associate with Fiji. Everywhere you'll hear the term "Fiji time" and what that means essentially is that "there's no rush." Most people are not stressed about schedules here, life is laid back, things will get done eventually, don't worry, be happy. Go with the flow and have fun!

Btw, the speed limit in Fiji is 80 km/h so anyway no-one's getting anywhere fast. Sit back and relax. Take in some of the views. And mull over some facts about Fiji. 

 

Sunset over Nadi, with palm fronds in the frame.

Fiji is one of the few nations to have three official languages - Fijian (iTaukei), Fiji Hindi and English. iTaukei is spoken by the indigenous Fijians, Fiji Hindi is the language of the Indo Fijians, quite distinct from the Hindi spoken by native Hindi speaking Indians. Fiji Hindi has evolved from two different dialects of Indian Hindi - Awadhi and Bhojpuri. English came with the British, it's widely spoken/ understood and the language of business. The Fijian Constitution is available in all three languages. 

Creek from the bridge. 

Firewalking is a fascinating cultural tradition in Fiji. The Sawau tribe of Beqa, an island off the western coast of Viti Levu perform firewalking. The legend goes that an ancestor of the tribe while fishing for eels freed a trapped spirit who then rewarded the warrior with this unique gift - the ability to walk on fire without being burnt. Only the descendants of this warrior perform firewalking today. The practitioners walk on wood fired white hot stones after a period of ritual abstinence. The heat does not burn or mark them. Tourists may witness this ceremony in Beqa and also at some of the resorts in the Coral Coast area.

There is also another tradition of firewalking in Fiji among the Indo Fijians, which has come to Fiji from South India. It is a Hindu temple ritual of purification and prayer for rain addressed to the Goddess Kali. The supplicants observe a period of abstinence and walk on to burning embers accompanied by chanting and drumming on specific festival days. This ceremony is performed in some temples in Viti Levu. 

Shimla - a fancy residential area in Lautoka.

Fiji is an eco-friendly single use plastic shopping bag free zone since 2020. Plastic bags less than 50 microns thick were banned by the Fijian government due to their negative impact on Fijian waterways, rivers, oceans and wildlife  - to protect these from plastic pollution. The compliance with the ban has been excellent according to the Minister of Environment. This is corroborated by my own shopping experience over the last year -  shops do not bag their products in single use plastic bags, all shops visited use non-woven reusable bags (sometimes charged to customers) and/or paper bags. Shoppers can also bring their own bags if they prefer.

Non woven reusable shopping bag from a bookshop in Suva.

There are an estimated 556,300 Facebook users in Fiji as of 2022. FB's ad reach according to their own estimates was over 60% of the population. But given that FB restricts its audience/users to 13+ age groups, the penetration would be somewhat higher. Fiji's internet penetration is more than 75%. The total number of social media users is estimated at 649,100 in January 2022 or about 71% of the population. Fiji is a digitally connected nation!

Young teen with phone on beach and fisherfolk with nets out at work in Suva. 

All this month I'll be writing about Aspects of Fiji, which is where I'm fiddling around with the keys at the mo. And where the sum of the constituent parts is fabulously greater than the whole!

Did you know that Fiji is also a favourite vacation haunt of film folk, bigwig celebrities and even royalty? Bill Gates honeymooned in one of its exclusive island properties. Vacationers here include the Crown Prince of Spain and Oprah Winfrey, from Melissa Roxburgh to Celine Dion, Anthony Hopkins to Mel Gibson, Fiji is the preferred spot for some RnR for the rich and famous. Not just a favoured vacation destination, it is also popular as a filming location because of its scenic beauty and variety of locales - beaches, oceans as well as the inland forest and rugged volcanic terrains. Many well known films and TV series have been shot in Fiji, just two of them being The Blue Lagoon and The Castaway.  

~ Thank you for reading ~

Posted for the A-Z Challenge 2023