Palm trees everywhere, and beautiful smiles is what you get when you arrive in Fiji. "Bula" which means welcome is the first word you hear.
The walk towards the immigration desk is different from the usual where one is always thinking how many questions are they going to ask me, or how rude are they going to be. But this time it's all different, beautiful acoustic music from the local band performing live as you walk into the arrivals tells you that you are definitely welcome. The band is composed of four men in "skirts", for a first timer, it is always a shock to see men in this traditional dress called a "Sulu".
The sulu can be worn by both men and women and it is worn just like a sarong. This traditional dress is made from light material and comes in all sorts of colours. It can be worn as a uniform for example by security officers, can be worn as a smart casual for those in the office.
Walking to the hotel it's all smiles from the lady on the reception as she says "Bula" to welcome you and you answer "Vinaka". Some of the ladies keep an Afro while others hold their hair to the back, but there something that you will observe in both hair dos, a flower on the side. This is a local flower the "Frangipani" which comes in different colors. The locals have managed to make hair pins of the frangipani from local material and trust me when you look at the hairpin you would mistake it with a real fresh frangipani.
As it is said, everyday is a learning process, surely this is one of them.
I hope you have learned a thing or two from today's entry.
Best wishes and God Bless
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