Location: Fiji
In Fiji, gaining clearance from the authorities requires great patience and the ability to read between the lines. A straight answer is hard to find, and we have temporary clearance to remain in Suva. We are not fully cleared until Monday when the office is open again after the weekend. Arrival and anchoring in a Fiji bay on weekends probably doesn’t happen often. However, we are here, and it is beautiful. We are “cleared” to go ashore, and the crew spends lunch and part of the afternoon cruising the industrial Suva by foot. Suva is a significant change from the small towns we have visited since Tahiti. The market is located next to a bus stop with more buses than a city Greyhound station. The food is amazing, from restaurants to street vendors. Some of us ate in an Indian restaurant with a variety of dishes, from duck curry to sweet rice and roti. There is a significant Indian and Chinese population here. The evening was spent at the Royal Suva Yacht Club. The dress code is formal, and we all go from board shorts and t-shirts to looking like we are going to the prom, an amazing feat in a place where nice clothes don’t last. We all got out on the dance floor after dinner, and everyone showed us they knew how to move with style. Today was a great day in the South Pacific.