Day 42 - Fijian feast

Sheila (our hostess, Duncan's cousin, smiling below) works with a lovely Fijian woman who wanted to show us how Fijian food is done properly and kindly threw a dinner party last night with a veritable Fijian feast - whole baked fish, palu sami (parcels of coconut cream wrapped in taro leaves baked in the umu or oven), seaweed with pineapple, chicken baked in banana leaves and served with sour berry sauce, roasted pork, taro, fish in lolo and banana... and, as if that wasn't enough, mango mousse and papaya baked in coconut and spices. All eaten on her terrace overlooking the twinkling lights of the port, with wise words and observations of her years in Fiji.

Earlier in the day, we'd stopped by Government House, the official residence of the Fijian President, with a ceremonial guard in dress uniform (including the marvellous, pinked white sulu)





Rather less spendid however is the sad Parliament building, abandoned and neglected since the last coup