I was up at 3am to watch South Africa play New Zealand in the Tri Nations rugby. Normally in Sydney if I want to watch a game being played in South Africa I have to get up at 1am, but due to the two hour time difference it’s now 3am in Fiji – Yes, I know I’m a Rugby Tragic. South Africa won 31 – 19.
“A fantastic combination of an all inclusive cruise exploring the Mamanuca Islands circuit with 3 hours at our very own South Sea Island”, the South Sea Island Cruises brochure read. Sounds just what we need. So, we booked the cruise for tomorrow morning – leaving at 8.15am. The Mamanuca Islands are to the North East of us, where there are many resorts. The islands that we are seeing are the Bounty, Treasure, Beachcomber, Mana, Castaway and Malolo. It gives us a chance to compare the hotels on these islands.
"Don't mention the coup." I told myself when writing this blog about Fiji, but I couldn't help it -It was on the front page of the news. On the front page of the Sunday Sun it announced that there is a split in the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) over Fiji’s immediate suspension from the Commonwealth. Instead, Fiji has been another warning that it had until the 1st September to inform CMAG in writing that it would hold elections by October, 2010. I noticed possible ramifications could involve being unable to take part in the Commonwealth Games, and a stop on receiving some aid - I’m sure the government is quivering in their boots at the thought of that prospect.
Although, I’m sure, if this happened two hundred years ago, the military officers, who lead these coups in Fiji, would be quivering, as surely England would have dispatched a fleet to ensure these mutinous officers would be all hung. England did just that in one famous mutiny down in this area of the Pacific. I'm referring of course to the Mutiny on the HMS Bounty by Fletcher Christian. When Captain Bligh reported the mutiny in London the Navy sent a warship in hot pursuit after the mutineers, and captured some of them who were later hung. Some of them they never found; Fletcher Christian and some of the mutineers, who knew that England would hunt them to the ends of the earth, burnt their ship, and successfully hid out on Pitcairn Island (which had been mapped incorrectly on the charts) where their descendants still live. Captain Bligh was cast adrift with some of the crew, and managed an epic 3618 mile journey to safety. Their boat passed through the gap between Vitu Levu, the island we are on now, and Vanua Levu, and that gap is now named Bligh Water.
I had to feel out todays blog with useless trivia (see above), because we did absolutely nothing. We have slipped into "Fiji Time".You can't help it, you just find yourself slowinnnnng dooooown .............................
