The Pearl South Pacific | Day Tour
THE PEARL SOUTH PACIFIC DAY TRIP
Suva
Two words ‘cultural experience’
The Pearl South Pacific Day Trip takes you on a 5 hour relaxed tranquil journey in beautiful Fiji. The tour starts off with a 45 minute bus ride through the town of Suva, The bus I went on was fitted with air conditioner, the seats were quite comfortable and had speakers connected to a microphone for the director who was looking after us. The director in charge on that particular day was well educated and very informative explaining everything you need to know about Fiji and Suva its self. He answered every single question asked by the guests and he also talked about topics like politics, the tax system, interesting facts about Fijis history such as the news paper, times zone and the Fijian beer company. The director also talked about the side you don’t expect from Fiji, meaning when I think Fiji I think sunny sky’s, pristine beaches and friendly people, He talked about the reality of Fiji such as the jails, crime rates, male circumcision traditions and history of the first crusades (I believe it was that), who reached Fiji and how they changed Fijian traditions and made them civil. Moving on, the one thing that is remarkable about the Fijian people in Suva is that everyone is friendly and every one has a big smile on their face. Throughout the 45-minute journey to the resort everyone who was walking on the side of the road waved and smiled to the people us the bus, which was really nice to feel welcomed to Suva.
Once we reached the resort I wasn't feeling too easy about it because there was lots of construction and it was very noisy driving up the drive way as they were building an extension to the accommodation for the resort. When the bus pulled up to the main foyer we were welcomed by 4 entertainers singing Fijian songs with guitars and most importantly a delicious fruit cocktail. The staff at the resort were extremely friendly and welcoming,they explained all the facilities that were available for us to use, a run down of the day and just general information about the resort and bathrooms etc. The tour allows you to have access to all facilities of the resort, which include pool, pool bar, restaurant, jet skis, kayaks, hire equipment and the beach. My family and I decided to head off to the pool area which had beach chairs around it, unfortunately again with me there were issues with the animals by animals I mean the wasps that were all over the sun umbrellas so we couldn’t really sit in the shade by the pool. The beach was nice, it doesn’t have any waves or white sand but the water was quite warm, personally I wouldn’t and didn’t swim because it wasn’t netted off and the water wasn’t clear. What was really nice about the resort is the structure its self was really modern and had beautiful hand made wooden furniture features and art were on display also there were beach chairs and about one or two little seating huts on the grass lining the beach which was a nice added touch to the resort. The pool bar is where I met an extremely nice bartender who talked to me about his life and the minimum award wage for Fiji, He also told me about his passion for AFL.
At lunch time everyone made their way up to the restaurant where the buffet was being served, the buffet ranged from salads, chicken satay skewers, roast potato’s, coconut rice, plus plenty more to choose from, they also offered small deserts. During lunch a beautiful ‘Meke’ performance, which is a Fiji traditional dance, took place with around 15 men and women in the performance. The act was beautiful and a great way to experience and understand the traditional Fijian culture. The performers then did an interactive guest performance where they went and picked out people from the audience. Yes, I was picked of all people to ‘try’ and learn a snake dance of some sort, it was really fun I'm glad I went up and danced with the other guests and most probably embarrassed my self with my awful dancing. After all the fun and games were over sadly it was time to depart the beautiful Pearl South Pacific Resort. On the 45-minute journey back to the Port of Suva again we had the wonderful informative director who told us more important things about Fiji. The tour gives you about 1 hour left over at Port of Suva so you’re given the option of being dropped at a popular tourist retail store to buy cheap souvenirs or be dropped right back at the ship. My family and I got off at the shop and bought a few items and just walked back to the port where the ship is docked, it only took around a good 25 minutes to walk back. I would defiantly recommend this tour to someone if they were not after a thrill adventure, just some time to chill out and gain cultural knowledge.
What I noticed about Suva;
Every single house/hut has a washing /clothes line which is quite different to back home especially for me as I live in an apartment and I have to put everything in the dryer.
Majority of the people who live in Suva catch the bus everywhere they go, Suva’s main transportation is by bus, there are buses everywhere!
People are crazy drivers; the road rules aparently follow Australian rules, which was hard to believe when I first hopped on that bus.
The smell, Fiji has this certain smell I can’t even describe because it’s so unique and unfamiliar. (Not a bad smell)
All of the prices are similar to AUD, Cocktails, food and accommodations are all the same as if you were just buying a meal or drink in Australia.
Prices Start at:
Adult from A$109.99 Child (12 & Under) from A$105.99
(Prices found: http://www.pocruises.com.au/findacruise/shoretours/Pages/ShoreTour.aspx?ShoreTour=SUV-045)
Make Sure You Take:
Bottled water
Hat
Confortable shoes
Clothes to protect you from the sun
Cash
Hand Sanitizer
Camera
Swimwear
Important Information:
The resort only takes Fijian currency, to hire the jet skis, kayaks or to buy drinks from the bar you must have the currency. If you have AUD you are able to exchange at the reception and if you have left over cash you are able to exchange it back to AUD before you leave.
