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2010 - As part of a cruise from Vancouver to Auckland, the Volendam made two stops in Fiji - Suva and Dravuni Island.2004 - An opportunity for a return trip to Fiji presented itself, and I took advantage of it - mainly to reunite with the Fijian family I had visited some 29 years previously. This trip only gave me a few days to explore Fiji, however I covered some new ground :
1975 - Fiji was the destination of the first major trip I took by myself as an adult. In addition to experiencing a tropical country, I was also visiting a Fijian family who my family had known previously. Canadian Pacific Airlines (since renamed Canadian Airlines, and now merged with Air Canada) offered some package deals which were good value, including air fare, local transportation, and hotel accommodation for a vacation which lasted almost three weeks. I visited the two main islands:
Fiji Links - try some of these links to gain a perspective on the Fiji islands.
Fiji has gone through three coup d'etats, with the latest one occurring in 2006. The coups were caused by racial tension between the native Fijians and the indigenous Indians. Both racial groups each represent about half the population, but the Fijians have title to about 80% of the land. Since the latest coup, the native Fijians also have absolute political right to a majority in the government, and rights to assemble in groups is severely restricted. There continues to be significant friction between these two racial groups, and tourists may not be immune to the problems this causes. If you are planning a trip to Fiji, it would be prudent to check with your foreign affairs department beforehand. Canadian Foreign Affairs: Travel Report for Fiji. Given the above cautions, should you still travel to Fiji? JoeTourist says "yes". There appears to be little concern among Fiji's citizens about security problems. During my latest visit in 2010, families with kids were wandering the parks and streets in Suva, everyone appeared to happy and relaxed, and the usual Fijiian friendliness was still very evident. I consider walking down a street in Fiji to be much safer than walking down a street in North America or Europe. |
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