One Big Happy Family, Suva

Fiji feels like one big family where everyone knows everyone and even those that don't, act as though they do. Small children sit on strangers' laps on the bus and hostel owners will welcome in taxi drivers for dinner regardless of whether they've met previously or not. 

Of course we stick out a little from the Fijian crowds but we're nevertheless treated in much the same way. The people we've met have been so kind and a couple of the places we've stayed in now have just been family homes with an extra bedroom or two.  

We weren't sure whether this kindness would extend to Suva, Fiji's capital, because we've all witnessed multiple times the difference between cities and their suburbs. However, we hardly noticed we were in a city at all. Despite being the capital, Suva is still pretty tiny and incredibly quiet. The few shops and restaurants there all close before nightfall and the only busy parts of town seem to be the food market at the centre and the bus station as people commute in and out. 

We stayed in central Suva for one night and then made our way further inland to a little lodge which was so remote it made the first seem almost urban. This place was beautiful though, situated right beside the famous forest park which we'd heard had some amazing walks. We ate a light lunch looking out over the lily pond and then headed straight there.

The forest was enchanting and we wandered through it in awe, ducking under swooping vines and skipping over stepping stones in small streams along the way. Deep in the heart of it we found a collection of natural pools with adjoining waterfalls trickling down the shallow valleys. Children were playing in the pools at the bottom and I felt a pang of jealousy as we watched them splash around in the water without a care in the world. I know how crazy that must sound considering how much we grew up with that these kids could never dream of but nevertheless, they just looked so happy. 

Happiness is certainly a common theme around Fiji and so far we've found very little reason for it not to be.