Martha & Innes Journey to Fiji

My name is Martha Treffry, and together with my friend, Innes Robb, we were supported by the David Cargill Challenge to travel to Fiji.

Over the summer of 2023 we spent four weeks on the Island of Viti Levu in the western division of Fiji.

 

The Journey from Edinburgh to Nadi went relatively smoothly, but we decided to take the first couple of days to take in our new surroundings, and get over the jetlag, before beginning project work.

We spent the first few nights at the Downtown Hotel in Nadi, which had an amazingly central location within the city.

Just down the street from the hotel is the Sri Siva Subrahmanya Swami Temple - the largest Hindu temple in the Southern Hemisphere. The temple is open to the public during certain hours, and so after removing our shoes and socks, and putting on a sarong, we were able to have a guided tour of the temple and its garden. The Majority of Fijians are Christian; either Methodist or Catholic, due to the work of missionaries like David Cargill. However, there is also a significant Buddhist and Hindu population amongst the Indo-Fijians. The history and Politics of the relationship between the indigenous Fijians and the Indian-Fijians is something we learnt a great deal about from the people we met, and also our later trip to the Fiji Museum in Suva. Although it is far too complicated to go into here, it is something I would recommend people read into if they are interested.

 

We also went on a zipline expedition near Tau, which was amazing! This region of the island is much more mountainous than where we would spend the majority of our trip, and so this was able to give us a different perspective of the island. Part of the zip experience involved exploring the first section of Oho cave. Our guide explained to us that the caves were once home to members of the Navatua tribe during the Fijian dark ages. He also said that archaeologists had carried out a dig in the cave a few years previously and had unearthed very strong evidence of cannibalism, which was prevalent in Fiji. Interestingly, the Navatuans were among the first indigenous Fijians to adopt Christianity from the missionaries who arrived there, and the cave still holds the chiselled stone altar where the first Christian wedding ceremony on the island took place. 

 

The next morning, we packed our bags and caught the bus that would take us to where we would be spending the next three weeks. One thing I would say that is fantastic about Fiji is its public transport. There are frequent busses running along the Queens Road in Fiji. They are often very busy, but have very low fares. Alternatively, many Fijians will choose to hitchhike, and the general agreement is that you would pay the same amount as a bus fare to do this. Because everyone we met was so friendly, we had no issue doing this while travelling.

 

We stayed with our host family in a village a few miles out from Pacific Harbour for three weeks. On arrival we participated in the traditional Kava ceremony. Kava, or colloquially known as grog, is Fijis national drink. Made from the crushed root of the yaqona plant, which is crushed into a powder and strained with water. It produces a mildly sedative effect and can cause a numb feeling on your mouth, lips and tongue. In Fiji Kava is traditionally consumed in a ceremonial atmosphere such as welcoming visitors or at certain important events. Our host family were so lovely and made us feel very welcome. Fiji on the whole is a very friendly and relaxed country – perfect for younger travellers. We quickly learnt a few things about Fijian society. Firstly, it is very important to greet people, and be friendly, even to strangers. Fijians will say “Yandra” in the morning, and “Bula” in the afternoon/ evening as a means of greeting. Secondly, ‘Fiji time’ is a very real thing. One of the countries slogans is “no hurry, no worry” – very different to the busyness of life in the UK! Life is pretty slow paced in Fiji, which made our stay more enjoyable as it felt like we were able to properly take our time getting to know the people and the culture.

 

While we were in the village one of our responsibilities was to help run the local day-care for some of the younger children. We mostly worked through basic numeracy and literacy skills, as well as helping them with shape and colour association. Other times we read stories and did face painting. Although this work could definitely be challenging at times (as anyone who has tried to persuade a small child to sit still and concentrate for 5 minutes will know!) It was incredibly rewarding to see them progress and develop their skills.

After the day-care we would return back to our host family for lunch. Our host grandmother would make us a variety of traditional Fijian dishes such as Rourou, Laulau and Babakau. occasionally we would have lamb curry, or fish that had been cooked in coconut milk. Many Fijians rely on subsistence farming for their food. Crops such as cassava and sugarcane are commonly grown on plots of land just outside the villages. Innes went with our host family to their farm to help plant and harvest some of these crops, and witnessed how labour intensive this process is. Fishing is also a very important aspect of indigenous Fijian life, and we would often see men wading out from the beach to bring in the nets. Due to the Indo-Fijian population many dishes have a strong Indian influence, with Curries and Roti being popular.

 

After lunch we were frequently working on various maintenance jobs in the village, such as helping to repaint the inside of the village hall, and constructing a waste incinerator. Along with another volunteer, we also ran a beach cleanup to remove some of the rubbish that washes up in huge quantities on the beach. Like many island nations in the Pacific, it is clear that the increase of waste being disposed of into our seas has had a devastating impact on the environment, especially around coral reefs which can be vulnerable to damage. Not only does plastic pollution harm the wildlife, but it also creates an environment on the beaches where children and adults are at risk of harm due to the sharp debris.

In the west we are often sold the idea that countries like Fiji are island paradises, with crystal clear water and sandy white beaches. Although this is true to a a degree on some of the resort islands, in actuality this couldn’t be further from the reality for so many ordinary people. I definitely couldn’t help feeling guilty when walking along these beaches and seeing the extent of the man-made pollution. Fiji is a beautiful country, inhabited by diverse plant and animal species, however it is very obvious that people are doing little to support this. I would really encourage any future travellers with the David Cargill Challenge to try and organise some conservation work while they were out there to attempt to combat some of these issues, as it is clear that it will require a lot of work.

 

When we were not doing project work, we spent our afternoons with our host family, or with other people in the village. In rural Fiji, there is very much an ‘open-door’ culture, and sharing is a vital part of their community attitude. Children are raised by the whole village, and everyone looks out for each other. Occasionally we would catch a bus into Navua, which was the nearest town to go shopping, or to take fabric to the tailors to make clothes. 

 

Our host family are Roman Catholics, and they invited Innes and I to attend Mass with them on Sundays, as well as a few evening prayer and choir sessions. The local church is a little bit outside the village but is an incredibly impressive and well-maintained building. They don’t have an organ, but instead use some acoustic guitars for the hymn music.

 

In the evenings we occasionally held a homework club for some of the older children, which provided us with an insight into the Fijian school curriculum, which is very different from what we remember learning at primary and secondary school.

 

After a very emotional goodbye, we left the village for our final week in Fiji.

 

First, we travelled into Pacific Harbour, where we spent the night before moving onto Suva. Suva, Fijis capital, is on the south east of the main island. It's a very densely populated city, with an abundance of markets and colonial buildings. As you might expect for a substantial port, it’s also very industrial. Suva is home to many significant landmarks, such as the Fiji parliament, Thurston Gardens, the Grand Pacific Hotel and the Fiji Museum. The Fiji museum was particularly interesting, and had many exhibits of artifacts found from the original tribes and settlers.

 

After Suva, we travelled to Sigatoka, and then Lautoka, before returning back to Nadi.

On our final day in Fiji, we visited the Garden of the Sleeping Giant botanic garden. Home to over 2000 varieties of orchids. The gardens are a pretty spectacular sight, especially because we were lucky to go during the blooming season. There is a short hike that you can do up from the gardens, which gives you a fantastic view of Fiji's western coast, and the islands.

 

Being the first young people to be sponsored by the challenge, we knew that it was important for us to establish meaningful relationships with Fijians, as this would help to ensure the continuation of our project. Due to the welcoming nature of Fijians, it would have been incredibly hard not to become so attached to the people we got to know while in the village. A few of the young people we met were very interested in participating in an exchange trip to Scotland, and we hope that this is something we will be able to make possible!

 

We are both incredibly grateful of Richard, and the David Cargill Challenge, for supporting us to be able to have the adventure of a lifetime, and we both sincerely hope that this is something that many other young people from both Fiji and Scotland will be able to share in.