Foto: The highlands of the main islands of Fiji (bron: Ronald van der Veer)
Fiji - We head into the mountains. The asphalt on the road is surprisingly good. Everywhere we had read warnings about poor unpaved roads in the mountains. This morning, the staff were still unsure if we could take the inland route to Nadi because of the poor condition of some bridges. We'll see. In the worst case, we'll have to turn back. The road winds gently between the mountains. Everything is green. Just past Mavao, the asphalt ends. The road continues as a gravel road. We have to carefully avoid the potholes. The potholes are still filled with rainwater from the past few days. Because of the muddy surface, some parts are slippery. We proceed cautiously. Normally, you can also visit the traditional villages along the road. But permission must first be obtained from the tribal chief. However, on Sundays, tourist visits are not appreciated. Just past Tuvu, a man on a horse waves to us. “Where are you going?” he asks. We mention the village of Bukuya. He looks doubtful. “Could the difficult bridge be here?” It turns out not to be the case. The man gets off his horse and begins to explain that at the first intersection we should turn left, then go straight for a bit, and then turn right again. Before we know it, a whole route description is drawn on the map of Fiji. We don't dare tell him we're using navigation on the phone. He introduces himself as Joave. “Just call me Joe,” he quickly adds. He lives here, and the land around us is his. “Do you want to see the waterfall? There are two,” he explains. “One is just a few minutes’ walk.” Well, why not? Joe seems trustworthy. We follow Joe into the grassland. By a creek, he invites me to sit on his horse. It’s a bit of a balancing act on the horse. Instead of a saddle, there is only a blanket on its back. We go deeper and deeper into the forest. There lies a five-meter-high waterfall. Before I realize it, Joe climbs the rocks barefoot. “Come too,” he says. We decline. On the way back, he talks about his crops and gives us some cucumbers for the road.
Bounty island Tivua
Fiji - At the harbor, we park the car and hurry to the pier. With ten minutes to spare, we board the Ra Marama, a three-masted ship. I estimate there are about eighty people on board—slightly more than I had expected beforehand. I am greeted with coffee and ...