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Paw Paw - Log Day 267: A Taste of Fiji



We knew we would have a busy day today, so after breakfast aboard, we headed ashore to get through all our To Dos: Drop off the dive tank to be serviced and refilled, drop off the sail for repair, find the missing shackle, fill up with dinghy petrol, search for replacement reefing system boom wheels and the paper chart we need, etc. We managed to get through everything on our list, with the exception of the latter two items, neither of which are critical. Although Roy repaired the existing boom wheels, it would have been nice to replace them with new ones. As for the chart, we have the electronic one, but hopefully we can find someone who has the paper version to peruse.

Then it was time to venture off Denarau Island, so we hopped on the local dollar bus and, after taking a tour of the resorts, water park, golf course etc, we proceeded to Nadi Town, where we enjoyed a morning coffee with local cake, found a post office and a number of we ll stocked supermarkets. The highlights, however, were the Fresh Produce Market and the Barber Shop.

After Roy got his hair cut, we spent some time chatting to the barber who was a delightful gentleman and completely fascinated by the fact that we had sailed to Fiji from the Caribbean, on our own yacht, with just the two of us onboard. He had all sorts of questions and enjoyed the photographs we were able to show him of Paw Paw. He did conclude though that he'll stick to flying, as the idea of what we're doing caused him far too much anxiety.

The Fresh Produce Market was definitely the best we've seen since starting our sailing adventure. There was an amazing variety of locally grown fruits and vegetables from grapes to fresh coriander and everything else in-between.

Fiji is slowly, but surely revealing herself to us. While we've only been here for two weeks, the vastness of these islands is staggering, particularly the two main islands of Vanua Levu and Viti Levu. We have sailed hundreds of miles to get from the southeast corner of the one island to the southwest corner of the other. Coupled that with the extensive bus journeys we've made to see the more remote spots and we can say we've certainly enjoyed a taste of Fiji. There aren't too many island nations that produce as much as Fiji and it's not uncommon, that in one sitting, everything you've ordered is local, from the bottled water to the coffee and sugar.

In fact, Roy believes he has found his "happy place" to the point that he has already looked at lots and worked out what kind of dock he'll build to accommodate Paw Paw. With a good mix of the very modern, upmarket touristy places to the easily accessible local towns and markets, he's sold!

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