Fiji Adventure Part 1 !

[sarahblack5]

It seemed to me the best way to cure my blues was to have an adventure, so I bought some land in Fiji. I have not completely talked the kid into moving, but we are going to spend three months camping on our land and bobbing around in the blue Koro Sea this summer. After which I suspect I will have no problems convincing him to pack up the shorts

Comments

[gillianinoz]

How does one go about buying land in Fiji?

My idea of exotic is buying land in Tasmania!

[liade]

My idea of exotic is buying land in Tasmania!

Depends where you live. Buying land in Tasmania is very exotic if you live, say, in Germany (as I do) than for somebody who lives in Sidney or Melbourne.

[sarahblack5]

It's really fascinating- every country is different in their rules about allowing people who are not citizens to buy land, or stay past the typical 90 days on a visitor's visa. The actual mechanics are pretty simple, since banks are international and electronic- or they should be! Boise may be a bit slow in this area.

There is nothing like living with people who are different from oneself- just visiting is really not at all like living in a community. I've always roamed around this way, and my experience has been that first instinct for many communities is to throw open their arms and welcome you into their homes. And feed you.

[liade]

I'm hoping for a bunch of stories with lots of local colour, all set in Fiji. What's the Fijian attitude towards gay people?

My personal Fijian experience is a little more varied: I work for the British military and I get a copy of very single police report (in my area) involving anybody related to the British Forces, whatever the relation. There are loads of Fijian soldiers in the British Army, and they have a formidable reputation for being very good soldiers. But they are also mostly really big and the police reports I receive include a disproportionately high rate of domestic violence involving Fijian soldiers. Hit first, oops later may sometimes work on the front but never at home. And yes, I'm aware that that's me being utterly and irresponsibly facetious.

[sarahblack5]

I wonder how much alcohol is involved- I understand alcohol is not a typical part of their culture, but in the urban areas- Suva- there is more available and more trouble. High rates of unemployment in the city. We'll be on one of the smaller islands, in a rural area- the kid is mostly concerned with the absence of hamburgers from his friends at McD's.

Should be interesting! I'm really looking forward to our trip to San Francisco in a couple of weeks on the bus- I like being on the road, but driving makes me tired and the gas prices are going up.

[liade]

I wonder how much alcohol is involved
Quite a bit, I expect. It's a big problem in the British Army as a whole (as I see on my desk every day), but I wouldn't be surprised if Fijians were particularly affected.

I am embarrassed to admit that I actually had to look on Google Maps to find out where exactly Fiji is. It could hardly be further away from Britain - I expect they get homesick, too, particularly in drizzly weather.