[The last renewal of this page: Mar. 11, 2012]

On board KE704 departing Narita at 13:55 to Inchon Airpot in Seoul, Korea. It's so regretable that there is no direct flight to Fiji.







Now I have to say good bye to Japan for a while.




It has been in a good weather for a long time, but only for today, it turned in bad even in the Pacific coast, and therefore, we had to fly above the cloud all the way to Seoul.




However, in our way to Seoul, there was only one sporadical window open to the ground right above the Yokota Air force Base and Haijima Biridge of Route16. I was on the left window, but if I were on the right window, I could see my town, Hanno city right there!
Who can say it's happened just by chance! I could not help feeling a moment for a big change of my life is really coming.




After arriving at Inchon Airport, Seoul, I have to spend nearly three hours for the transfer to KE137 which goes to Nadi, Fiji.
Of course, I rushed into the restaurant to enjoy Korean food after a long time.




Shortly after, boarding will be started.




There are many who feel it nice by looking at this terrible picture with reflections of room illuminations. The Hangan river flowing Seoul city with many big bridges is a very typical and unique scenery in all over the world, maybe.




The night coach is not very comfortable trip, however, the dawn on the flight is something very special.




At last, we cut through the equater line to the Southern Hemisphere, however, due to the season as rainy season, multiple thick cloud layers spread over all the way.




After descending down through many of cloud layers, the target place, Fiji came in sight. The time was 8:30 in Fiji time, and 5:30 in Japan time.
It was what I had been told so, but actually, there was nothing like in the words "White coral coast and light blue sea, with strong bright sun and dark blue sky" (sad...)




A lot of green is very impressive. It is also impressive that the houses are not tight up together even in a village.




Hey, Mr.Airbus of Korean Air, thank you for your great job through the night!




According to the rule of the company, I'm going to stay with a Indian family for the first two weeks, and then with a Fijian family for the next two weeks.
The first faimily lives in Namaka area, close to the Nadi Airport.




This is the Indian family's house. It is big and nice.








From the right to the left, Ravind, his wife Reena, his 17 years old son Ravineel, and his 12 years old son Ravishek.(though visible just little part of himself) Dinner is done on the floor in circle, putting curries and rice or nan into the plate, scrambling them using fingers, and eat them with those fingers.
The menu is curries everyday. They are interested in me as I am the first Japanese stayed with them who ate food with fingers since the first night. They are delicious! One of the Chiken, lamb, fish or vegitable is contained depending on the date of the week. Eat these curries with rice and nan.

On the third day of my new work, I went to Suva, the capital city of Fiji, which is located 190Km away to visit Embassy of Japan. It is a long trip for four and a half hours for one way by bus.


























the bus got a trouble and can not go further at somewhere around just thirty minutes to Suva. I recognized they never be able to fix it, and I got off bus right away.




I tried to call the taxi, but it will take a long time, no doubt. I was lucky to find a local bus was going, so I asked the driver to let me get on anyhow. The driver seemed to be a great macho who could kill me with a single punch...




As we approaching to Suva, more and more mountains are showing up. I understand why it is said that Suva has much rain through the year, and therefore Nadi got a sightseeing centre in the west of the island.




I anyhow got arrived at the bus terminal in Suva.




Suva is a city which is hard to believe that it is in the same country as nadi. Its appearance is absolutely the same as common cities in the South East Asian contries.




As I got to Suva in late, I hardly could ate lunch but had no time for see around the city, and got the way back to Nadi.

On the first weekend since I arrived at Fiji, I went to Nadi Town for shopping daily necessaries. Heavy showers come with intervals continuously today also. This what I learned after visiting here, but the rain drops in the tropical area are not cold! It is like a lukewarm shower in the shower room. That may be why people here does not bring umbrellas?






CHICKEN EXPRESS is a fast food store similar to Kentuckey Fried Chicken. Prices are almost the same as in Japan, and it is too expensive for this country. But I cound recognize the secret that people there was sharing a food for one person with all the families.




This is one of the most popular shopping area for foreign turists.

(Daily morning course to my office)






Papaya trees are around anywhere in neighbours.




Banana trees are at everybody's home.




Coconuts is also here like this.




A happy and a quiet morning.




After 10 minutes walk, I reach to the main road going around the island coming in Namaka Village. I get a bus here.




There many buses without window frames and glasses. They only pull down the roll-uped sheet in case of sudden shower.




I always get on bus here. The fare in Nadi area is JPY30 (40 cents) flat. It really helps our life!




As you see, there are no window frames and glasses! You see a white string being stretched above the windows between front and back. (Look at the left one) This what you have to pull when you want to get off when the bus is approaching to the next bus stop, to make a ring sound with a bell installed in front both side. (You see them in the picture) The entrance and exit is only one at the front, and you have to wait passengers to get off before you get on, so it takes a lot of time.





This is the gate to the Nadi Airport.









A guard wears a sula (A scurt for man...Fiji's traditional formal wear.)




After getting into the Airport, aprons are visible over the fence directly. My commuting time is a time for excitement expecting what aircraft I could see this morning.
After pushing shutter button of camera many times, I get in the airport building where my office is located.




This is a aircraft of Banuatu Air flew and came from Banuatu, a neighbour country of Fiji. Wonderful name and design which let us feel the smell of Southern ocean!




Niugini Air flew and came from Papua New Guinea via Solomon isds.




Our Air, flew and came from Nauru, a neighbour country of Fiji.






Getting into this building and climb up to the second floor, my office is right there.

(Vegetable and fruit market)




This is a well known vegetable and fruit market among turists. It is located just by the side of the bus stop that I get on everymorning.




Papaya, Banana




Dalo at left, and Kumala at right. Both are kind of potato.




Cassava at left, Dalo at right. Both are kind of potato.




Coconuts














So many sweet tropical fruits are here! They taught me names of each fruit, but it's hard to remenber!




I ate this after getting back home. I forget its name, hi hi. It's sweet and delicious! Its appearance is just like a hand grenade.




Boiled cassava. Its taste is just like a potato! It's good.

(The English language institute for students from the abroa which is managed by the company that I am working for. We call 2,000 students to our institue from all over the world, manly from Japan.)




I always stay and work in the office at the Nadi Airport, but today, I have special arrangement and get over to the Lautoka campus, 40 minutes to the North by car from the airport.




On my way to Lantoka, a scenery of the sea with small islands caught my eyes! There are a heaven there, like we see in the picture, with white corals and cobalt blue sea, bright sun shines and a deep blue sky!
I want go there right away!!








Lautoka is a very beautiful village.



This is our Free Bird Institute, Lautoka campus! This yellow building is a dormitory.









Two buildings on this side are class rooms. They have air conditioners and is comfortable to study.






A public elementary school and a kindergarten are adjoined to our school, and we are managing language school keeping the alliance to them, so that for example, we can provide a service for studying abroad for parent and child. (Send child to these public school while accepting his parent to our language school.)









On every Friday, graduation ceremony is held because the students are participating the lessons with his own term from one week to one year, and therefore on every Friday, there are some students to finish his course and graduate.





Young students seem to enjoy the campus life and studying English happily. In the campus, the EOP policy, i.e. English Only Policy is strictly followed, and even between japanese students, speaking Japanese is not allowed. If student violates this rule, he will be punished to be withdrawn from the school and sent back to Japan right away.
They are communicating in English freely and naturally.




This day, there were five students to graduate, and they received the graduation certificate from their teacher and hugging each other. Five students gave speeches in English to all. They had no hesitation to give nice speeches. It was so impressive.

== OK about the small islands which are located nearest to the Heaven, I anyhow want to go to the neares sea right now! == (Beach at Denalau)




I can't stand and wait anymore! I must buy a swimming suit anyway...I visied Nadi Town again to buy it and also some maps and text book for Fijian language.








I am in the souvenir shop of folkcraft articles being caught by its sales man in the street. I am well experienced to get away from it without buying anything. (It's difficult otherwise you have a strong heart)






I found out a Chinese restaurant! Oh, nice! Let's eat a luch here! I recognized that I have not drunk any alchohol since I got to Fiji, and "Yeah, I can drink it now!" was what I thought and ordered a big bottle of Fiji Beer Gold.(They have four types in Fiji Beer, and the Gold is one of them.)
Oh, lovely! It's cold and fresh! It was so good!




Chinese people are every where in the world, and it is very happy for a Japnese as finding Chinese food which are very common in Japan is very easy anywhere in the world.




I know that there is a Fiji which we know in the beautiful pictures only in many small islands out of main island of Fiji, Viti Levu island.
However, we have such a beautiful weather past one week despite being in the middle of rainy season, I thought I want to try the South pasicfic water anywere near here without hoping something special!
I bought a swimming suit, and rushed to the beach in Denalau!




Oh, at last, i got here! The sea of Fiji!
Of course, here around, the beach is nothing special, a beach like we find anywhere... But acually, this is the first South Pacific for me!





To tell the truth, even though I bought a swimming suit, I really was not sure if I ware and getting in the water or not. Just take a look, was my first intention though.
Puuting my feet in the water, I was surprized its temprature was so warm!! Unbeleivable!!




On the beach, sea shells were not all that I found. There are many parts of corals!




I CAN'T STAND ANYMORE!! I aparently lost the shame, and changed my close on the beach into swimming suit, and .....




Jumped in the water!! Wonderful! How nice! Good water! Feeling so nice!! I felt I wish I could stay there for many hours in that way. Looking around nobody else was in the water. It is an amazing place!
When I go to the islands, I will bring skin diving aparatus, of course. Boat companies are organizing many weekend tours to many island including one night stay in the hotel. The have a safety box facility there so that I can enjoy swimming putting valuable personal belongings in the box without worrying about.
I checked a travel agent in Nadi Town just a while ago, and found many weekend tours with just a few thousand JPY with one night stay and meals.

---

== Now getting into the last half part of the Homestay experience, and now I moved to a Fijian's home ==




There are plenty of land, and there are few two story house. Most of the private houses are 1 story houses. So the sky looks bigger and wider and it's bright.




The room under the parabola antenna with a widow is my room.




Vilive, and his wife Alena. He is a soldier of Fiji army. Meals are very normal for Japanese and delicious, and Papaya and fruit juice are essential for every meal. Very differnt from Indian homes.




There are two big windows, and it is OK to stay in without air-conditioner as the wind fllows through the windows. In the previous home, my room has only one small window, and now I recognized that was a reason why I spent such a hard time.




A clean and a beautiful, and comfortable room, indeed. Alena does cloth washing and the bed making for me, which are so helpful.




Morning time in Fiji is so fresh and pleasant. Moreover, the commuting time is only 15minutes, while I used to spend 2 or 3 hours in Japan, and therefore I am very happy to get arrive at the office at 7:30 as the first people to unlock the door.




The fact that I can behave crazy like this means that I have now gotten used to the job?!




As the fish that comes in meals in Fiji was so good, I tried to see what they are visiting Namaka Market.
Wow! Gees..... Aren't these tropical fishes for appreciation??!!








I don't think I am familiar to all of these in my life! Uh...m It's a strange feeling, how can I say...




Since I arrived Fiji, a kind of birds flying everywhere just like a sparrow has been attracting me all the time. That's the Mynah. They are bigger than sparrows in 2 sizes maybe, and when they walk, they don't go ahead jumping to legs together, but actually WALK with wide steps. That is really impressive!






This one is smaller than sparrow in one size, and has a beautiful colors. The most part of the body has exactly the same color as green of the plants, and we anyhow can find them with its small part in red.




This bird's hair style looks very modern, doesn't it?




I have already gotten used to the local bus, however, you would be surprised if you really get on them. There may buses going aged more than 40 years! This driver seat has a basement which should be fixed to the floor firmly, but actually, the part of the floor itself is moving in all directions as the bus viblate while its driving. I am so sure the driver is spending a hard time to drive comfortably....
All the passengers have to pay and receive change if any when getting on the bus . A part with a brown plastic cover is on and the money box is placed on its top, is for the engine, and if you have seats in front of the bus, you may feel the hot air is fllowing out to your legs from that part everytime the driver kick the accelerator.




I found a Fijian "100Yen-Shop"! One Fiji$ is about 40Yen, so $2 means 90Yen. That's something like a few hundred Yen for the people here, and would not be very cheap for them. Oh, I see... I recognized that it is not 100Yen flat for all the goods, but the highest price for the goods being sold is $2 here.

---

== Visit a sightseing spot, TIFAJEK Therapeutic Warm Mud Springs, which I hard to feel happy to to get in ... ==




Vilive and Alena at Homestay home took me there in their car.






Kids playing in a river on the way.




They were so happy to know that I was taking their picture, and got excited.






We arrrived. The picture of the muddy people is really great...




Reception cabin. I asked them to let me see it only.




This is where the hot spring is coming out. it's a small pond, and the bubles are coming up from the bottom. Due to the high humidity reaches to 80% through the year, no steam is visible, but I understood it was so hot from the radiation of the heat from it. Water starts to flow in a stream to one direction from here.




The lady told me there is a place to enjoy the springs 50m ahead folowing to the stream.




I'll be dam, is it? An old couple looked like Australian was just getting out from the "bath-tub" with satisfied appearance.




It is just like a normal pond in the park where the goose is enjoying swiming....Oh, my God! Help me! The temprature of the water was somethign like anbout 40degrees and seemed to be a good temprature, however, I would not get in even though whatever happened.




Come on in, if you'd like to!




A rest cabin. It has a mat on the floor to lie on.




The car drove on a very bad road to here, that we found the tire blew out.
I helped changing the tires, and found one of the four bolts to fix the wheel to the hub was broken and lost! Vilive told me it's been like that since before. Oh my God, again!
However, this Nissan's Sunny could be a kind of brandnew among many cars available here in Fiji.
Well, you can imagine how the drive way back home scared me...

---

== Fijian Plates being served at Matau family ==




Barracuda, which is unable to see in Japan, being cut roughly and boiled. It is served with coconuts milk and lemon juice.
Main dish is Cassava.(A wild potato being grew wild anywhere.) It is normally eaten being boiled, but this day, a cassave being fried after the boiling was served.




Vilive is so satisfied with a big head of Baraccuda on his plate.




Its taste is not strong, and with a source of light coconuts milk and lemo juice make this plate so healthy and let us enjoy the taste of the fish itself very well.




Aleana was telling me "Sashimi, Sashimi for tonight!" from the morning, and I was very much curious what would be shown up....




A fish called Saqa (Shanker as English name), soaked with a lemon juice for one hour, and then marinated with a coconuts milk and onion. This plate is called Kkoda (Kokonda).




Dalo poto. The name is so familiar to me as remenber that it was introduced in textbooks in elementary school, and teachers taught us the Dalo was the most popular food in the primitive world in the Pacific area, then.
Vilive told me that there are so many kinds of Dalo, and the tastes are so different. Some kind has a strong stickiness like a rubber. I was very impressed by that story remenbering the fact that is the same story as Ramen or Miso-soup in Japan. The taste is something between Japanese Yatsugashira and Satoimo potatos. It can be the main food that can fill up the stomach.




As you look, it is called "Sea Grapes" (Nama in Fijian), and is a seaweed. It is just as it was in the sea, and nothing has been processed with out putting any taste, but it contains some salt and is good! The feeling to bite and crush little balls is so nice.




Vilive, just before he starts for night duty. He is a soldier. He straightened his back, and showed me a good style for the picture.
I heard a very impressive story about Fijian army.

Military power: 5,000 soldiers
Arms: No fighter planes, No transport planes, No helicopters (It used to be one, but it is lost now, and when it necesarry they borrow one from a private sector.), No battleships but there are a few boats, No tanks, No armored car.
Fire arms: No missiles, No canons, but they have machine guns, M-60.

It is such a pieceful island in the south pacific!

It's been a month since I got to Fiji, and it is the end of the Homestay experience!
Two weeeks at an Indian home, Kumar family, and another two weeks at an Fijian home, Matau family. They were so nice experiences for me.
They all are so kind, and did a lot for me.

Now, is the time for the independent life starts which has been a great desire!!



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