OCTOBER (^2017) businesstraveller.com
Another huge part of Fiji’s appeal
is the interaction with friendly locals
- something apparent from the
moment you land, as you’re greeted
at the airport by a band of brightly
coloured Hawaiian shirt-wearing
ukulele players. Visiting local villages
is a popular activity, and all new
arrivals are invited to partake in a
traditional kava ceremony: while
regaling us with gruesome stories
of the country’s cannibalistic past,
the leader mashes a murky brown
liquid in a large bowl, before cups
are offered round the circle. We clap
once, say “Bula” and down the liquid,
finishing off with three more claps.
Made from powdered roots of the
kava (pepper) plant, the slightly
silty mixture has a mildly narcotic
effect that causes a pleasant tingling
sensation on the lips and feelings of
euphoria (depending on the quantity
consumed!) – though it is certainly
something of an acquired taste.
At dinner, we see some of our
new village friends again as we
are treated to a cappella renditions
of church hymns from the local
choir. This is followed by a heart-
stopping fire dance and machete
routine that has us spellbound. It’s
made all the more suspenseful by
the imperfections; a machete slips
through one performer’s fingers,
while another sports a large bandage
Clockwise from
above: Six Senses
Fiji Malolo Island;
a traditional kava
ceremony; and
diving Fiji’s soft
coral reefs- like almost all the archipelago
resorts – has its own scuba diving
centre with shark and shipwreck
dives available. My favourite
underwater experience was the
chance to swim alongside manta
rays, gentle giants of the sea that
are huge but harmless, swimming
against strong currents and filtering
plankton into their smiling mouths.
Far larger than a human – some can
measure up to 7 metres (23 feet)
across – to snorkel or dive alongside
these majestic fish is an incredible
experience.
Fiji is also home to more hardcore
dive adventures. Beqa Lagoon,
located to the southwest of the
capital Suva, is famous for its shark-
feeding dives featuring one of the
most feared underwater predators:
the bull shark. Meanwhile, on
Vanua Levu, the nation’s second
largest island, the Jean-Michel
Cousteau Fiji Island Resort on
Savusavu Bay (regularly awarded
top eco-resort in Fiji) provides
access to top dive sites like the
Chimneys and Grand Central
Station, reef systems festooned
with some of the richest soft coral
growth on the planet.
That’s not to say the “mainland”
should be avoided. While the
beaches can’t compete, there are
other forms of beauty, in the form
of verdant jungles boasting tropical
flora and fauna and magnificent
64 I Time out in... Fiji
from where a fire trick went wrong
during a previous performance...
But as much as Fiji’s appeal
extends to its pristine beaches,
tropical jungle and friendly people,
it’s just as famed for its exciting
aquatic delights. The water is some
of the clearest I’ve ever experienced
and even snorkelling on the beach’s
fringing coral reef reveals schools
of neon-hued fishes in vivid blues,
pinks and greens. I shriek with
delight when a sea turtle passes
nearby, involuntarily swallowing a
large gulp of seawater in the process.
Scuba diving is naturally a major
draw; the Blue Lagoon Beach Resort