It is expected of us to
wear a native outfit called a “sulu” whenever we visit villages in Fiji. A sulu
is a large square piece of fabric wrapped around the waist and worn as a skirt
by both men and women to a length below the knee.
Other islands call them
“sarong” or “pareau”; basically, beach wraps; but the wearing of the traditional
sulu is a sign of respect in this Christian conservative country. Away from the
villages and on the resorts or onboard the Fijian Princess our dress can be
more casual, but it shows respect for the elders and the people of the village.
As the people of Fiji are hospitable, generous and forgiving and because
visiting a village should be a highlight of our trip it is only right that we would
show them such respect by wearing a sulu. Indigenous Fijians have a strong sense
of tribal heritage and customs and as guests we should immerse rather than conflict
with their beliefs.
Blue Lagoon Cruises
will provide us with our sulu for the trip. The difficulty is keeping it on.
For men the sulu is
worn tight at the waist by wrapping it around and tucking in the ends. It
should be low enough to around mid-calf, but with any movement that thing is
going to get loose. There definitely won’t be any running around while wearing
my sulu. I won’t be going commando while wearing it, nudity is prohibited in Fiji.
Attire in the villages
will be the most conservative on our trip. Women are expected to cover their
shoulders as well as the sulus which should cover the knees. Sunglasses and hats
should also be removed; wearing them is considered impolite. Also, it is
recommended to not carry a backpack on the back, but to carry it in front of
you, lest someone thinks you are hiding something,
When we set our sights
on traveling to the Republic of Fiji, a 300+ island archipelago in the South
Pacific, we thought this far-flung tropical paradise only offered white sand
beaches and blue Pacific waters and coral reefs. We were ready to bask in the
sun as languid breezes dried us after refreshing plunges into tranquil waters
sipping tequila laced Kava drinks and shouting “bula” (Fijian for ‘hello’) to
everyone within earshot!
Fiji offers much more
though. Viti Levu, the largest island of Fiji, is tropical, lush and volcanic
and all that beauty hides yet another beautiful destination. The Navua River has
been described as one of the top ten white water rafting day trips in the
world!
The 10.5-mile gorge is
like a mini-Grand Canyon with the waters cutting through ancient black lava forming
steep walls that are in places 40 meters high and sometimes the river is just 5
meters wide, barely the width of the rafts themselves. The lush tropical
landscape of ferns and tendrils of vines and waterfalls cascading down the
walls at nearly every bend make this a necessary trip for your dynamic traveling
duo to Fiji.
Often referred to as
the River of Eden, when we saw pictures of the Upper Navua River Gorge we knew
we had to book a day’s excursion, even though I don’t really like white water
rafting. Janet loves it. She likes it enough to have booked a two-week
adventure on the Colorado River through the real Grand Canyon. She had booked
her trip through O.A.R.S. and the company is our guide on the Fiji trip as
well.
It is beautiful and it
is gorgeous, but most importantly, all that beauty is protected, and by our
taking a trip down the Navua we are helping preserve this land.
SUSTAINABILITY v EASY
MONEY
It’s alluring for
developing and poor countries to sell their land for the timber, mine for
resources or to dam the river. It’s the quickest way to make money, and often
the money is too great to ignore, but the people of the small villages that
line the Upper Navua did just that and said ‘no’ to development. They feel the
river is a direct connection to their ancestors and the short-term gain will
never make up for the long-term damage.
Two outfitters run
trips down the Navua and both helped broker this unique conversation cooperative,
which prevents mining, logging or even roads within 200 meters of the river. River
Fiji and our outfitter O.A.R.S., helped form the Upper Navau Conservation Area (UNCA)
by leasing the rights from the local villagers or Mataqali.
We went with O.A.R.S.
because of Janet’s connection with them from the Grand Canyon trip, and she was
even able to logon to the website and get us some “frequent flyer” discounts
for this trip.
Perhaps even more appealing
than sailing through the islands off Viti Levu, this day of white water rafting
through Eden will be life-altering epiphanous.
We are traveling to the
distant island nation of Fiji in September. Located in the South Pacific, Fiji
is nearly on the other side of the globe and just 1,200 miles from Auckland,
New Zealand. Fiji is an archipelago of some 300 islands and hundreds more islets
scattered over 1,000,000 square miles. Of the 300 islands about 100 are inhabited.
It’s a long way there
and because we are crossing the International Date Line we will “miss” a whole
day in our travels. For instance, we leave on a Thursday and arrive that
Saturday. Friday won’t exist.
Of course, on our
return we’ll “recoup” the day and it will seem to stretch on for an eternity.
Despite the exotic
location and the distance, this trip will cost us less than a shore house for a
week in New Jersey. Team VFH always finds a way to travel on the cheap and
still do it right.
FREE AIRFARE
As Advantage members we
collect frequent flyer miles every time we travel with American or one of their partners and because
we also have the American Aviator credit card, which gets us even more miles, we
were each able to cash in the required 80k miles for the free flight. Afterall,
we had signed up for the card in 2019 and we were gifted 60k miles, which we
promptly used to travel to Croatia that summer. So, despite the COVID pandemic which
severely limited our traveling, we still managed to accrue the required miles
in less than 3 years. This is a huge savings as airfare was close to $2,000
each.
On this Fiji trip, our
itinerary has us flying to San Francisco and connecting with Fiji Airways, a
partner to American Airlines. We stop in Los Angeles on our return and connect
with American again.
Once we arrive, we will
stay for nearly a week at the Bedarra Beach Inn on a section of the main island
of Viti Levu called the Coral Coast, a popular tourist area. While there we will
have a chance to see some Fiji villages and perhaps go for a rafting excursion
along the Sigatoka River. Then we transfer to the MV Fiji Princess, operated by
Blue Lagoon Cruises for a week’s sail through the Mamanuca and Yasawa Islands
to the northwest of Viti Levu.
The Fiji Princess is
capable of up to 68 passengers, which is a little larger a ship than we are
used to as we really like small ship cruises, but Blue Lagoon Cruises is the
best option in Fiji. The other cruise lines we’ve traveled with in the past,
Unforgettable Cruises in Croatia, and Variety Cruises in Costa Rica and Panama tried
to put us on the Fiji Princess, so we decided to go through Blue Lagoon Cruises
directly.
Paying for the trip in full when we booked saved us 30% of the price, plus they awarded us a FJ$100 onboard credit!
With over 90% of Fijians
vaccinated against COVID the country takes the spread of this disease
seriously. As travelers to this island nation, we need to be vaccinated with
proof of vaccination before boarding our flight(s).
We need to prebook a
Rapid Antigen Test to be administered shortly within 72 hours after our arrival.
The Fiji travel website helps with this, and it turns out we will be tested at
the Bedarra Beach Inn at a cost of FJ$43 each.
We are required to have
trip insurance that covers COVID. Fiji offers a plan, but we have a yearly travel
insurance plan with Allianz Insurance, more expensive but worth the money in
the long run.
Janet said I should make hot
sauces that people can eat. This is quite impossible as I am spending the
summer making hot sauces from the hottest peppers on Earth.
This year in our back deck
oasis we are growing (in ascending heat index) Jalapenos, Tabasco, Cayenne, Habaneros,
Ghost, Trinidad Scorpions and Carolina Reapers! The last three peppers top the
Scoville scale with the Carolina Reapers heating up the kitchen at over
2,000,000 units. In comparison Jalapenos come in varying between 2,500 to 8,000
Scoville units.
Don't believe me? Here's a great site comparing the heat.
Affectionately dubbed “the
Jungle”, each summer we transform our back deck, at the middle-class garret we
call home, into an extra room to enjoy. Emblazoned with ferns and flowers on
the deck itself and lights ringing our rails, it is as if the rest of the world
doesn’t exist.
GHOST PEPPERS
Included in this wonderfully peaceful setting is a coffee tree
growing from a bean we harvested in Monteverde Costa Rica and I figure in about
4 years or so we’ll get our own home grown cup of joe.
We have expanded our
“plantation” to include the immediate area just off the deck and we grow our array
of peppers in several pots positioned to capture as much sun as possible.
This year’s harvest has been good,
and we have made several variants of hot sauces.
Here’s a quick list of the
pepper sauces we, er I, Janet won’t touch them, that have been made:
BAJAN HC
BAJAN STYLE HOT SAUCE – From Barbados this mustard and Habaneros hot sauce is a great compliment to chicken.
DEATH BY SCORPION - Incredibly
intense flavors of the fruity Trinidad Scorpion peppers with lemon and
cilantro.
GET AWAY FROM ME GOLDEN BOY -
Carolina Reaper sauce with some cilantro to help ease the pain
CAROLINA REAPER HOT SAUCE –
Just plain f-ing hot
CAYENNE PEPPER HOT SAUCE – In
the Tabasco style of sauces, just vinegar, salt and the peppers… but with some
onions and garlic
CAROLINA REAPER
JALAPENO HOT SAUCE –
Flavorful, but without the crazy heat.
GHOST PEPPER MEDLEY HOT SAUCE
– Add a Scorpion and some Habaneros and tomatoes and you get this beauty.
The Tabasco peppers haven’t
ripened yet so that will be yet ANOTHER concoction coming!
Sometimes I strain out the
leftover pulp and seeds, sometimes if I want a thicker sauce, I bottle it all!
Janet orders the bottles on
Amazon and they come with sealing caps that I heat up with a hair dryer.
GET AWAY FROM ME GOLDEN BOY
We also make a PINEAPPLE/HABANERO JELLY which is excellent as an appetizer over Mascarpone, or
cream cheese. I think we got the gelling thing down this year.
We also make JALAPENO POPPERS. Stuffed with cream cheese and cheese, wrapped in bacon and coated with panko
crumbs they are also a great appetizer. They also will freeze for later times
when the cold winds blow!
As frequent travelers
we like to sample many local beers, but with the surge of craft brewers
throughout the country at times this can be a daunting task. In the Centennial
State a pub crawl would be especially difficult as Colorado produces more beer
per capita than any other state and is home to 300 registered breweries. It may
be a beer lover’s paradise, but an impossible task to hit them all!
For the longest time
when thinking about Colorado beer it was only Coors, brewed in Golden Colorado
with water from the Rockies! Before 1991 it wasn’t widely
available on the east coast and this rarity added to the brand’s mystique and
popularity.
I never liked Coors, and I won’t drink it to this day, but if you do
see me out in public and I am drinking a Coors product, please know I have been
kidnapped and signaling for immediate help!
Above is a list of
craft beer in the Centennial State. The list is endless, and given our short span of time in our recent visit to Colorado, we were only able to taste just a few of the available beers.
So, what follows is an
abridged listing of beers we drank while in Colorado and they are listed in
random order, with no rating or review from me. We did bypass beers we could readily get at home like New Belgium
and Oskar Blues and Coors and stood mouths agape when we headed to the craft
brew aisle at Davidson’s Liquor Store in Highlands Ranch near our host’s house
in Centennial.
Visited Breckenridge Brewing several times while in town. They also have a brewpub in the Denver area. Some of their beers, like the 2Planker at 9.5% are only available at the bar and not bottled..
Although admittedly I
look marvelous in a ski sweater sipping a hot toddy by the ski lodge’s
fireplace, don’t ever expect me to be out on the slopes. Nope! Skiing and
snowboarding are not in for me. Ice skating too. Even cross-country skiing,
which is basically running on skis is scary for me, especially if there are any
hills involved.
Heck, just riding a
chair lift is scary for me.
Double Heck… I don’t
even own a ski sweater.
So, it’s safe to say
that this travel blog will never give you inside information about winter
sports. Never.
YES!
Why then come to Breckenridge
Colorado for a vacation during the summer?
Afterall, Breckenridge
is one of the most popular skiing
destinations in the western hemisphere, with ski runs on peaks 7, 8, 9 and 10 in
the Tenmile range which is part of the Rocky Mountains and averages 1,600,000 visitors
yearly during the skiing season. There’s also snowshoeing trails along the
peaks and snowmobiling excursions to sign up for in a season that stretches
from November through to March.
Breckenridge and nearby
Vail with its 1,600,000+ visitors make this area an extremely popular
destination, and it is just an hour and a half drive west of Denver.
ALL DOWNHILL FROM HERE
MAIN ST, BRECK
The first Breckenridge ski
trails were cut in 1961 on peak 8 whose elevation is at 12,998 and the area has
grown now to include peaks 7, 9 and 10 as well. The town of Breckenridge sits
at 9,600 feet in elevation and gets very crowded during skiing season.
Our recent extended
family visit to Breckenridge was split between two sister resorts. Ours was the
older Grand Timber Lodge nearer to town and the rest of the family was at the
newer Grand Lodge at Peak 7 on Ski Hill Road, which has a beautiful view of the
mountains still snow-capped in places in late July. Sitting on the balcony of
the Grand Lodge we had an unobstructed view of now-green ski runs and the thankfully
shuttered Independence SuperChair lift and where we would watch the afternoon
clouds gather into thunderstorms.
gathering storm
Both resorts cater to families
with movie theaters and game rooms, fitness centers and plenty of pools, both
indoor and outdoor. In deference to the winter months, all the outdoor pools
are heated or actual hot tubs and at the Grand Lodge they hand out robes to keep
the chill off the bathers. Even in late July the temperatures at Breckenridge
never got much higher than 73, a welcome relief from the blistering heat of
Denver.
To store your ski
equipment both resorts have lots of lockers on the ground floor. (They don’t
want you dragging that stuff up to your room.)
There is plenty of
public transportation throughout the year with free buses up and down and
around the town and shuttles that are on a schedule and for on-call. Also, there
are gondolas that whisk tourists (and skiers) from the parking lot to the
SuperChairs. As we spent most of our time with the bulk of the family at the
Grand Lodge, we would drive up there, under 3 miles away, and then take the
gondola back into town.
In the summer Breckenridge
is a pretty town, its Main Street is festooned with hanging flowerpots and
tourist shops, restaurants and bars, including the Gold Pan Saloon which first
opened in 1879, and it makes for a pleasant stroll. In the winter the average
daytime temperature is 20° and the area averages 330 inches of snow per season.
Temperatures during our stay in Breckenridge rarely got much higher than the
mid-70s, but afternoon torrential thundershowers were a daily occurrence.
The town of Breckenridge
had its start as a mining town in 1859 when prospectors entered the valley
during the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush when gold was discovered in the area. The
mines are closed now, although one can visit some of them and can even go on a gold
panning tour at the Country Boy Mine about 10 miles east of Breckenridge.
Don’t kid yourself.
Despite all the free public transportation, things just cost more here in Breckenridge.
It cost us $34 for a dozen donuts and two coffees at Daylight Donuts. It cost us
over $100 before the tip for lunch at the BBQ joint Kenosha one day. Great food
while sitting on the “best deck in Breck”. At Breckenridge Brewing Company a
light lunch between five of us was $186 before the tip. Good beers though. And,
speaking of tips, some places started their “recommended” tip at 20% and one
establishment, the Breckenridge Tap House had a recommended 30% on the receipt!
We cooked a lot of our
meals at our Grand Lodge efficiency, which was sensible, and spent a lot of our
time swimming and playing board games and cornhole, reserving one of the movie
theaters for a family night of watching kid films and hiking. We also did a fair amount of pub crawls up and down Main Street at several of the bars and brew pubs.
PEAKS TRAIL
One hike was along the
Peaks Trail, which has its trailhead at the Grand Lodge and where it is
possible to hoof it all the way to Frisco and then take the bus back to
Breckenridge. We didn’t go that far, but hikers, coming from the other
direction, told us there was a moose about a mile ahead. Thankfully we didn’t
run into the moose or had a Bigfoot sighting during our time in the mountains
of Breckenridge.
Another shorter hike
was The Illinois Creek Trail that was great for the younger kids, as it leads
to Isak Heartstone the Troll, a massive wooden smiling troll with rocks for
toenails! That trailhead is at one end of the ice-skating rink at the south end
of town.
Other activities include
strolling along the Blue River where people wade in the flowing water, biking;
there are several bike rental establishments; and fly fishing. Mountain Angler offers
half and full day fly fishing trips and caters to all, from the novice to the
seasoned fisherman.
As for the “Dumb and
Dumber” reference, they filmed some of that wonderful movie along Main Street in
Breckenridge (standing in for Aspen). The scene where Harry got his tongue
frozen to the chair lift pole would be me if I were ever forced onto a chair
lift…that way I would never have to ski down.
Another spin around the
sun and another year of travels in the book.
Birthday greetings from
9,600 feet in elevation. We are currently in Breckenridge, Colorado a very
popular ski town for backcountry and resort skiing, that is as popular during the summer despite the lack of snow.
The resort and the town are crawling with tourists. We are here with our
extended family from England and Denver.
The weather is much
cooler here than in Denver with just a high of about 70 degrees and there is still
snow on some of the very peaks of the mountains here. They are the Tenmile
Range and part of the Rocky Mountains.
I am fortunate to visit yet another place on this vast beautiful world. It is a great place to celebrate my birthday.
It is expected of us to
wear a native outfit called a “sulu” whenever we visit villages in Fiji. A sulu
is a large square piece of fabric wrapped around the waist and worn as a skirt
by both men and women to a length below the knee. 
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