November 12, 2013
How luxurious it felt to head into the yacht club this morning and drop off our big bag of laundry. Tomorrow we’d retrieve it, washed and folded, from the front desk. Next, we headed into the restaurant and split a really good breakfast burrito (yet another American influence on this restaurant’s offerings) while watching a tropical downpour take place outside. It looked like it was going to be one of those days were we’d need to be prepared to take quick cover from sudden rain showers, but it wasn’t going to stop us from getting a few things done, even some sightseeing.
Once again our first project of the day was the solenoid issue. We headed back to the place we’d discovered yesterday and yes, the guy there could rewind it for us. Rich also realized we’d bypassed a shop yesterday with good potential and wanted to check it out. Lo and behold, they had a solenoid, a slightly different size than ours but workable. Between this one and the one we were having fixed, we’d make it to New Zealand with one repaired solenoid and one spare. Once there, we could order a proper new one from Seatech Marine, our favorite watermaker and autopilot guy in the States.
Now that the morning’s task was done, we could do more sightseeing. Today we picked up where we left off and headed to what I’ll call uptown Suva. I should mention that my “town” definitions are not from a tour guide but my own. I like to define downtown as the busiest and most bustling area of a city, while a typical midtown is more organized with shopping and mainstream businesses. My idea of an uptown area is that of a more stately, dignified, and quiet place. The next area Suva certainly fit that description.
Uptown Suva included all the foreign embassies, consulates, high commissions; government buildings; the city library; the Suva civic center, Albert Park (the city’s sporting field); and the Fiji Museum with its surrounding Thurston Garden (a smallish botanical garden). It also included an upscale and well-designed Holiday Inn, the historic Grand Pacific Hotel (being rebuilt, refurbished and restored to her former glory after falling into disrepair), and the city’s best coffee house: The Republic of Cuppiccono. Below, a map with some of this stuff.
We cabbed into town and began our walk at Sukuna Park (by the McDonald’s), heading past the government buildings, the Holiday Inn and the under-construction Grand Pacific Hotel. As I hoped, this area of the city was quiet with little pedestrian traffic, a refreshing change from yesterday. We were headed to the museum when we spotted the Republic of Cuppiccino and thought a coffee drink would be nice. We went in and ordered two cappuccinos and were asked if we wanted them Italian style or American style. Not knowing the difference but not wanting to look like coffee ignoramuses, we went with the Italian-style. They were delicious.
Below, photos of the Republic of Cappuccino and a couple of buildings in the area. (Click to enlarge and scroll through any photo galleries that follow).
After coffee we headed to Thurston Garden and the Fiji Museum. We couldn’t help but notice this end of town seemed a little neglected. Thurston Garden was a pretty park and was being kept up, just not well kept up. The grass was patchy and too long, the fountains had dried up, and it just seemed to need some TLC. We hoped that when the grand hotel was restored it would inspire better maintenance for the surrounding area.
The clock tower was impressive, but the museum was small and not very interesting. There was a group of school kids there who, whenever I took out my camera, wanted to be in the photos. So, I don’t have many photos of museum stuff but I do have photos of hyperactive school kids. Below, an antique ocean-going canoe and a photo of a couple of the kids in the museum. (It’s impossible to be annoyed at their antics when they’re this cute.)
There was a small natural history room but the taxidermy was so bad it was distracting. The main thing I learned that day was that good taxidermists are deserving of respect, especially since so many people are bad at it yet still manage to find employment doing it. It’s also amazing how many mosquitoes can manage to live inside a museum—why would they not be outside? Maybe school kids are a mosquito gourmet delicacy.
Time for lunch. We tried Joji’s Noodle bar (the Chinese noodle place at the mall) and it was very nice, then went to our first movie in months (Rush, an excellent movie!). There are a lot of nice things about being in a big city, that’s for sure! We finished our day by walking inland and up a hill to an electronics store Rich found online (Universal Electronics). Yep, it was a good store; Rich found parts to contemplate for long periods of time. Thankfully I had my guidebook to keep me entertained and made sure we stopped to see the Roman Catholic Cathedral before getting a cab back to the yacht club.
At this point, we’d seen enough of Suva to form an impression: we loved it! How can anyone say it’s a pit? There’s not even any basis for that! It’s a city with all the things you’d expect from a city, both the good and the bad. It’s quite modern and has a lot to offer, including some very attractive surroundings.
Plus it’s cooler here, and when it does get hot and sunny, there’s air conditioning everywhere. It’s surprising how many places we’ve come across that should have air conditioning but don’t (I’m talking to you, Queensland). Suva had a thumbs up from us! (And we hadn’t even yet discovered what would become our favorite things here!)–Cyndi
