Quandary

First off, let me tell you Q is not a quandary in Fiji. Yes, you read that right. Not. A. Quandary. Nope.

 

That’s because Fijian uses the Latin script, there is a Q in it. And there is no rule about U following Q but not being pronounced because Q anyway has a U as part of its pronunciation, I mean how weird strangely complicated art thou, O English, really? 😊

 

But...um...never mind. In Fiji, I can tell you about any number of things starting with Q. Before that, take a quick look at the way the Latin alphabet has been adapted for the Fijian language. 

 

(Although...there is no X in the Fijian alphabet! OMG, should I have a breakdown now or should I leave it for later?! Okay, let’s take one letter at a time. Sufficient unto the day is the quandary thereof...) 

With Q we are actually spoilt for choice, where to even begin? I could tell you about Akupasi Qera, who is a professional rugby player - rugby is the cricket of Fiji (baseball? - if you're reading from USA) and players are superstars. Or about Adi Litia Qionibaravi  -  she is a Fijian chief and a former Member of Parliament. Or Apimeleki Nadoki Qiliho who made church history by being ordained as the first indigenous Fijian bishop.

I could tell you about Quwawa, which the Fijians believe have medicinal properties. It can be used to treat stomach ailments and for hangover relief. So if you've had one too many, you could totally try a tea made from Quwawa leaves. That is aka Guava in English. 😉

Or for instance any of the settlements - there's Qereqere, Qauia, Qalito Island aka Castaway Island, Qarani and more...see what I mean? 

And of course, Qia which is the Fijian traditional art of sacred tattooing, lost with the conversion to Christianity and now being revived without the spiritual obligations. 

But honestly I'm not getting into details of those, because what I really want to do is to show you some photos of Queens Road. 

Queens Road. Getting into Lautoka from Nadi. The speed
limit in large towns is 60 km/h. As you approach villages
it's even lower at 50.

This is a coastal road that links Lautoka to Suva through the Southern side of Viti Levu,  it passes through the international airport at Nadi, Sigatoka and the Coral Coast. Here's a screenshot of the route. 

Map of Queens Road linking Lautoka, the second city, to Suva, the capital of
Fiji on Viti Levu.

In many places the road hugs the Pacific and in others the waves are visible. All through the drive, the presence of the ocean can be felt. 

The ocean is never far. Queens Road near Korotogo.

On one side the mountains, on the other the breathtaking blue of the Pacific on
a fine day. In between, the purr of the engine and the turning wheels. The
journey is the destination.

As I said, the ocean is never too far.

The road dips and rises and affords a glimpse of blue from many angles and many places. Sometimes behind, sometimes in front. Sometimes swishing in her foaming broderie Anglaise underskirt right alongside.

 

Spot the guardrail and road signs - you'll be able to appreciate how the road
nestles between the mountain and the ocean. 

I've never quite understood why the Ancient Greeks visualised Oceanus as male, so much more feminine than masculine - the repository of primal life, coaxing the sun's energy into rain, the resting place of all rivers, the starting point of continents. Its very form encircling, fluid, all-encompassing, all-accepting. Its rhythms eternal and cyclical, mostly placid and patient with earth’s children, occasionally having a totally terrifying mega meltdown when pushed beyond limits. Does that sound like a male to you? Nope, I thought not. 

Road repairs going on. Again, a clear picture of how close the ocean and
road are. At Vatukarasa. 

The road from Lautoka to Suva stretches for 218 km and takes around 4-5 hours depending on the traffic and road conditions. 

Sunset on the Queens Road. Somewhere near Natadola. 

Somewhere near Navua. I'm standing just a few steps down from the car.

The max speed limit on it is 80 km/h and given that it is single lane in many places it is hard to break any limits. On the other side, i.e. from Lautoka to Nadi the character of the road changes. The Pacific is still there, but is hidden by the undergrowth or sugarcane fields, revealed in flashes between buildings and trees and waving grasses. In places the road recedes inwards into the land, skirts around the Nadi international airport and then carries on. 

Going towards Nadi from Lautoka on a cloudy day. More mountains on view,
but the ocean's there too somewhere close, off the frame.

It was originally a gravel road with a steeper gradient, located farther away inland, longer and far more challenging to negotiate. It used to take the entire day to travel between Lautoka and Suva, and the wear and tear on the vehicles was staggering. 

Just a tiny glimpse of the waters under a point off the middle of the rainbow
to the right. Near Viseisei. 

Travelling in the old days, the passengers arrived exhausted, laden with kilos of dust.  I was told this by a local transporter who was a child when the surfaced road was built.  It was called Queens Road after the 'original' queen, i.e. Queen Victoria and not Elizabeth II, he said. I can't find a way to fact check this.  :) But it feels okay not to, to take him at his word.

As the road gets into Lautoka, there are these ancient Persian Silk trees,
reportedly planted by the Girmitiyas 150 years ago when they first landed. 
Again, I haven't been able to verify this but the trees certainly look
jaw dropping impressive. 

The new surfaced road was constructed during the mid 70s and opened in 1976. Read about that here. The last line of admonition from the then Governor General is quite sure to make you smile. 

Credit.  The new road being constructed in the 1970s. 

All this month I'll be writing about Aspects of Fiji, which is where I'm staying quietly put at the mo. And where the sum of its quaint parts is greater than the whole.

Did you know that 46% of shares in the national carrier of Fiji - Fiji Airways, is held by Qantas? Another 52% is held by the Fijian government. Air New Zealand and the governments of other Pacific nations hold minor shares. The airlines began life as Air Pacific and was initially acquired by Qantas in 1958. It was rebranded as Fiji Airways in 2012. Read more about the airlines here and here. 

~ Thank you for reading ~

Posted for the A-Z Challenge 2023