Suva City, Vitu Levu, Fiji
Following a dawn arrival in Suva, Fiji, we were welcomed by a large brass band and a remarkable fire juggling demonstration. Upon meeting our local guides, we transited by bus through a Sunday-quiet capital city towards the outlying forested hills. The shops are a mix of Native and Indo-Fijian businesses. The coastal zone of coconut, breadfruit, banana, papaya and tapioca transitioned slowly, slowly into patches of second growth evergreen rainforest. This is Vitu Levu’s wet side and so we were prepared. The forest patches were getting bigger. After a quick hour we arrived at a dirt track leading into an older fragment of evergreen rain forest in the Colo-I-Suva Forest Park. Interesting forest! It had been high graded for Mahogany in 1953 and then replanted with Philipines Mahogany and Pine. These reforestation efforts, typically with fast-growing exotics back then, had all the natural reprods as well, including some beautiful native hardwoods such as kawundama, makita and neotiap. The forest’s structure was intriguing with many levels including canopy, subcanopy, shrub and forbes. Impressively tall tree ferns held epiphytes of monstera and philodendron. Two orchid species were in flower. Our naturalist’s pointed out many of the flora’s rain adaptation features. We eventually walked in an even older section which held tall trees, closed canopy and thick woody llianas. The turnaround point of our hike was a series of waterfalls and pools! Many of us had brought our swimming suits and were delighted by bathing beneath the waterfall amidst the luxuriant tropical greens.
In the afternoon we attended a traditional fire-walking performance. The sun broke through and baked us, as we watched the fire-walkers prepare the stones for their ritual. The performers were called out by their leader from a tall grass and thatch hut. Fire heated cobbles and boulders were leveled in preparation. Vegetation was added to the fire. Working on the pile of rocks for some time, their firey platform was eventually readied. Each of the group took turns walking acrost the fire. Afterwards we mingled with the performers and had the opportunity to ask questions and examine their feet. Although sooted by the experience we were amazed at how soft and uncalloused their foot bottoms were!
Following a dawn arrival in Suva, Fiji, we were welcomed by a large brass band and a remarkable fire juggling demonstration. Upon meeting our local guides, we transited by bus through a Sunday-quiet capital city towards the outlying forested hills. The shops are a mix of Native and Indo-Fijian businesses. The coastal zone of coconut, breadfruit, banana, papaya and tapioca transitioned slowly, slowly into patches of second growth evergreen rainforest. This is Vitu Levu’s wet side and so we were prepared. The forest patches were getting bigger. After a quick hour we arrived at a dirt track leading into an older fragment of evergreen rain forest in the Colo-I-Suva Forest Park. Interesting forest! It had been high graded for Mahogany in 1953 and then replanted with Philipines Mahogany and Pine. These reforestation efforts, typically with fast-growing exotics back then, had all the natural reprods as well, including some beautiful native hardwoods such as kawundama, makita and neotiap. The forest’s structure was intriguing with many levels including canopy, subcanopy, shrub and forbes. Impressively tall tree ferns held epiphytes of monstera and philodendron. Two orchid species were in flower. Our naturalist’s pointed out many of the flora’s rain adaptation features. We eventually walked in an even older section which held tall trees, closed canopy and thick woody llianas. The turnaround point of our hike was a series of waterfalls and pools! Many of us had brought our swimming suits and were delighted by bathing beneath the waterfall amidst the luxuriant tropical greens.
In the afternoon we attended a traditional fire-walking performance. The sun broke through and baked us, as we watched the fire-walkers prepare the stones for their ritual. The performers were called out by their leader from a tall grass and thatch hut. Fire heated cobbles and boulders were leveled in preparation. Vegetation was added to the fire. Working on the pile of rocks for some time, their firey platform was eventually readied. Each of the group took turns walking acrost the fire. Afterwards we mingled with the performers and had the opportunity to ask questions and examine their feet. Although sooted by the experience we were amazed at how soft and uncalloused their foot bottoms were!
