Photos

Here's the Sigatoka River looked down on from the ruins of the Tavuni Hill Fort near the city of Sigatoka on Viti Levu, Fiji's main island.

This was my favorite day in Fiji. After visiting the Sigatoka Sand Dunes, I went into the city, looked around a little bit, then headed out of town looking for the cane railway tracks that headed out toward the Tavuni Hill Fort. Thinking I'd found them, I asked a woman who was sitting on a log next to the street whether that was the right way up to Tavuni. She said yes, but why would I want to walk up there? After explaining that I liked hiking, she said that sounded stupid and that I should ride the mini-bus with her.

It was a warm day and, heck, I was flattered she wanted me on the same bus as her. So I went over, sat on the log, and we waited together until a flatbed truck came along. She got up, got on the back of the truck: this was our mini-bus. I got on the back with her, sat on a crate full of chicken feed, and bounced along up the dirt road through the Fijian villages and farms. The woman kept waving to her friends and explaining (I imagine -- I don't speak Fijian) to them how she'd managed to get me on the back of the flatbed truck with her.

Maybe you had to be there.

Anyway -- I sort of liked the perspective of having the hut in the foreground, kind of wish the lighting were a little more favorable, but it was a fantastic view on a great day.