February 14, 2026

Bula (in Fijian) means welcome. It’s a super warm and friendly greeting-you’ll hear it everywhere in Fiji, from cruise ship greetings to big celebrations.

“Well, our fathers fought the Second World War/ Took their families to the Jersey Shore.” Billy Joel, from “Allentown.”

When I was a kid, the South Pacific was portrayed as paradise, especially since World War II had ended. My Dad was a Chief Petty Officer (CPO) in the Navy SeaBees and was stationed in the Philippines. I remember scavenging through his Navy foot locker that he kept in our basement and finding all kinds of exotic things like grass skirts, foreign coins and even knives and a machete. That was cool! Movies like South Pacific and all the Hawaiian films (yes, I know Hawaii is not in the South Pacific) made it seem like paradise.  On the Jersey Shore, especially in Wildwood, a form of art and architecture known as “doo wop” featured exotic motifs including the South Pacific with motels named “Bali HI,” “Kon Tiki,” and “Castaways.”  Motels featured tiki lights and plastic palm trees.   Tiki bars were the rage.  Jimmy Buffett before there was Jimmy Buffett.  It was the longing to take the family somewhere exotic on a 1950s working class budget. That is not the Figi of today. Sweating in oppressive heat with high humidity interspersed by torrential rain.  The hot rainy season can color your opinion.  

Suva, in the northwest region of Fiji, is home to nearly half of Fiji’s urban population. With that said, it is common in urban port areas in the south Pacific to see families with children selling fruits/vegetables at the pier area.

The only way to experience Fiji is to get out of the city.

 Raymond Burr, who played Perry Mason, in the long running TV series, loved the south seas islands.  He had a place that, after he died, became a boutique resort, and had a passion for orchids.  In 1977 he bought fifty acres at the foot of Sleeping Giant Mountain so he could raise orchids.  He turned it into his own botanical garden.  The garden goes from a valley, up through rainforest with winding paths.  It has fifty different varieties of orchids so there are some for each season of year.  It is stunning.

When he died in 1993 the gardens transitioned to local management.  The garden hosts weddings, corporate events and retreats as well as welcoming day visitors. It was the perfect day to stroll the paths and discover some of that South Pacific that our fathers talked about.

And as it is Valentine’s Day, Chongae and I got to enjoy a festive night onboard ending with a beautiful Fijian sunset.

Thanks for traveling with us.