On the third day of my trip to the South Pacific beach resort of Fiji, I went to the Sheraton Fiji Golf & Beach Resort, located on Denarau Island, the same island as the Hilton Fiji Beach Resort & Spa where I was staying. The main purpose of this day was to attend the Fiji Tourism Exchange (FTE) press conference.
Prices were neither expensive nor cheap. I spent the morning listening to an English lecture and had some free time in the afternoon, so I went to Fresh Choice Supermarket & Liquor on Denarau Island. I took a cab to the supermarket because the fare was 8 Fiji dollars for the whole island. This is a small supermarket used by locals and has a wide range of products from fresh produce to deli and daily necessities, but it does not carry products for tourists. Such is the store. At the entrance, in addition to a graphic prohibiting sunglasses and helmets, there are also words prohibiting backpacks. Once inside the store, you will find a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, groceries, and beverages, all at prices similar to those found in Japanese convenience stores. For example, a 1.25 liter soft drink costs 4.50 Fiji dollars (about 347 yen, converted to 1 Fiji dollar = 77 yen). The price is less than half the price of a 1.25 liter soft drink at the hotel’s store, which costs $9.60 Fiji dollars. They also sold locally grown pineapples, but they were cheaper at the Nadi Market, which I had visited the day before. Well, it was not surprising. I felt that the selection of goods was a little lacking, so I went to a shopping street near the Nadi Market. I took a cab for $17 Fiji dollars. Jack’s of FIJI is the most conspicuous store on this street where tourists can be seen. The two-story store carries a wide variety of Fijian snacks, coffee, clothing, and sundries, so if you are looking for souvenirs, you can find them all here. In addition, two Japanese-speaking (though sometimes English is mixed in) staff members are on hand, so you can rest assured that you are in good hands. Perhaps it was because of this that I saw a Japanese tourist for the first time here, and since it was like this after three days of wandering around a rather crowded facility, it was no wonder that the number of Japanese tourists is around 7,000 per year. After asking for recommendations and looking around, we went to a large supermarket nearby. The store was brand new, with wide aisles, a wide variety of products, and an upscale atmosphere. However, as is the case with supermarkets on Denarau Island, large bags are not allowed, and the locals had to leave theirs at the counter, and there was a strong-looking guard standing there, which made us feel a bit intimidated. However, we, tourists that we are, didn’t hear anything. While we were gawking at some inexpensive Fijian snacks in the snack corner, we noticed a stout man behind us who looked like a pro-wrestler. What’s going on? I was nervous and he said, “The barbecue taste is the best, I eat it every day. I eat it every day. The price was 1.49 Fiji dollars (about 115 yen) for 100 grams, or 2.5 Fiji dollars (about 193 yen) for three small bags of 45 grams. I felt that the price might be cheaper than in Japan. I felt that the price was “maybe cheaper than in Japan? I was given some to share with my companion, who was buying them, and I tried them. It tasted just like a normal snack, just like the flavor. It was more of a snack than a souvenir. After leaving the town of Nadi, we went to the Crowne Plaza Fiji Nadi Bay Resort & Spa, which is located right next to the Nadi International Airport. This is the newest hotel that is still under construction and is opening in phases. Please refer to the FTE article for details. We spent the rest of the evening touring the facilities and watching a dancer show before returning to the Hilton. The next day was the last day of the FTE conference. In the afternoon, we visited the “Coconut Husking Demonstration” held by the Sheraton Fiji Golf & Resort for its guests. The hotel has a farm in the adjoining golf course where they grow vegetables for use in the restaurant, and a portion of the farm was used for the demonstration. Speaking of coconuts, tourists have a strong image of the juice that comes from the whole coconut. However, this program showed that there is actually so much of the coconut that there is no place to throw it away. The fruit is harvested when it is green, and after a few weeks, the whole fruit turns brown. The white inner part of the coconut is broken off and the fibrous part sprinkled on sweets and other items is removed. If you like “coconut sablé,” you will enjoy it. The white part of the green coconut can also be eaten, but it does not taste as good and has a texture similar to nata de coco. The leaves can be woven into hats and bags, and the fibers that grow around the base of the tree can be twisted together and used as cordage. Although it looks like hemp cord, they say it is “too expensive!
A floating paradise that truly feels like paradise! Not that I missed it after being away from the sea for two days, but the next day I boarded a ferry from Denarau Harbor again. The next day, we boarded a ferry again from Denarau Harbor, this time to “Cloud9 Fiji” with the catchphrase “YOUR FLOATING PARADISE”. What is this floating paradise? It is a two-story restaurant and bar that floats on the sea. A manga about a pirate with a restaurant in a similar situation appeared in this spot, and that’s pretty much it. This is a more casual, activity-oriented place, though. The round-trip ferry ride costs $229 Fiji dollars (about $17,600 yen), which includes a voucher worth $60 Fiji dollars (about $4,600 yen) that can be used for food and drink. The ferry used for the pick-up and drop-off is set to depart from Denarau Port at 9:00 a.m. and return from there at 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Two ferry services are available. When we first arrived in Fiji, the weather was overcast with no clear skies, but after the FTE, the weather suddenly improved. The sky is as blue as summer in Denarau Harbor. We boarded the ferry “Maximum” for about an hour with Malolo Island on the side. Between the bright blue sea and sky, you will see something. That is Cloud 9. The image of being in the middle of the ocean may seem deep and scary, but because it is located in a coral reef called the “Malolo Barrier Reef,” the water is very shallow and the waves are gentle. There are areas so shallow that adults can stand on them and enjoy activities such as snorkeling. After moving from the ferry to the building, the first thing to do is to find a seat. The building is spacious enough to accommodate up to 100 people, but there are no reserved seats, so naturally the best seats are taken first-come, first-served. Repeaters seemed to know this and were waiting in line at the disembarkation entrance, but we were just taking it easy and thinking, “What’s the use of being in a hurry? It was important to disembark early. After we managed to get a seat, we looked around and saw that we were surrounded by a 360-degree blue ocean, with the surface of the water shining emerald green in the shallower areas. Don’t just stand there and watch! I was invited to join them, but I had my camera with me, so I refrained. The building has a bar and an authentic pizza oven, which you can order with the aforementioned voucher. Pizza is about $30 Fiji dollars, so there seems to be no need to pay extra for a regular meal. If the weather is nice, you will have a truly paradise feeling.
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