![](\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Knna4N4kOz4\/UYGL8kRhr5I\/AAAAAAAAAhk\/ZOl4ihS3mB4\/s1600\/Women+in+sarongs+(Medium).JPG\")
<\/a><\/div>\nThe kids in the village seemed to be happy and liked to interact with the visitors. I fell in love with one little boy who seemed to be very inquisitive about us. He was visiting with his grandfather (who was a major participant in the \u201critual\u201d). The boy was very shy, but when I put my hand out for a \u201chigh five\u201d he lit up (see my friend in the photo).<\/p>\n
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<\/a><\/div>\n\nWhile English is one of two major languages (was one of the British Colonies at one time), it seems that most of the population speak the other major language: Fijian. When we were on our tour, we found it hard to communicate with the people of the village. <\/p>\n
Fiji’s major agricultural product was, at one time, sugar cane. Today, sugar cane is still grown on small farms (one estimate suggests about 22,000 small farms) and there are four sugar mills still operating. They are outdated and are said to be unprofitable. In spite of the decline in the sugar industry, they still export about 250 thousand tons each year and 45,000 people are employed directly or indirectly by the industry. The cane is shipped to the mills on very old narrow-gauge trains.<\/p>\n
It appears that the rest of the agricultural industry produces crops for local consumption. That includes a huge variety of fruits and vegetables. We saw a few cows, but it would not appear to be enough to support the necessary meat supply for a population that is a bit less than one million. We did see lots of chickens and that seems to be a big part of the diet.<\/p>\n
Fiji is also a major exporter of hardwoods \u2013 primarily mahogany. The British planted the mahogany trees in the ’50s and they are now mature. Commercial fishing is also an important industry.<\/p>\n
One phrase you hear all of the time is \u201cFiji Time\u201d. The information source I cited in the last post makes the tongue-in-cheek observation that maybe the slow life style is partly a result of the consumption of Kava. In any case, the country does, indeed, operate on Fiji Time. The generalization is that Fijians are relaxed and don’t seem to have an urgency to operate by the clock.<\/p>\n
I have so much to say, but: That is all for now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hello from Nadi, Fiji \u2013 Part 4 Blog posted: Thursday Morning May 2, 2013 Fiji time (Fourth travelogue of this trip). There is so much to write about in order to capture some of the details of the trip. … Continue reading