Boldly Go Solo

Fiji is a very welcoming place. Everywhere we go we get big and loud "bula's" (BOO-lah), always singing and sometimes guitar and ukelele playing.

Several times we've had "scary" warriors sporting face paint, spears and bracelets of grass or leaves on ankles, upper arms and wrists run out to greet us, screaming Fijian things we don't understand and jumping and making faces. All in good fun.

These seem very much tourist and hotel related but the Fijians also have realized they need to preserve their old ways and teach others. Even if the old Fiji ways involved cannibalism and warring tribes. 

Today's post goes back to morning #1 when we arrived at Nadi Airport. Before dawn. It was quite a cheery wake up to see these guys singing and playing guitars and ukelele. Some of what I've learned since about what you'll see in the brief video:

Bula shirts

These colorful, cool shirts are a Fiji staple. The Fijian version of an aloha shirt. We drove past a police station and saw the uniform on dozens of cops sitting on a bus. A bula shirt in a blue-and-white pattern with the police patch on their arms.

Flowers behind the ear

Frangipani and other flowers go behind the left ear if you are single, right ear if you are married. Both men and women get flowers. They look tropical and exotic and smell nice the whole time they're on.

Sulus

The sulu va taga (SU-lu vah TAHN-gah- remember, "g's" have an "ng" sound) is worn by both men and women. The one you see here is the more formal one. Unlike the sulu/sarong that is a large piece of cloth wrapped or tied, and more casual, this one in the video is a tailored sulu va taga that men wear to work and when dressing up. 

The Fijian version of men's suit pants. They are made of similar material to suit material, have pockets and a belt that is part of the waistband. And sandals are the way to go. 

So, the video below, family, (as some Fijians say a lot) is your (and was my) first taste of the Fijian way of life. Yes, once you are welcomed into a village by the chief and go through a kava ceremony, you are family.

Solo travelers joining any sort of village tour will find a big welcome and learn a lot about Fijian ways and should feel safe and happy traveling to and around Fiji.

I'm off for more snorkeling right from my hotel, the Warwick Fiji Resort and Spa. I'm told the "wildlife" is much different here than it was down the road a bit. And the water is super warm here on the Coral Coast, in the south of the island of Viti Levu. Hot, even, in the shallow spots. Not expected for those of us used to East Coast beaches. East Coast, US, that is.

Now, enjoy a Fiji welcome. I'll be back with more posts on other aspects of Fijian life.