All Blog Posts Tagged 'Suva' (41)

"'Scuse me," said a portly figure at the next table, "can you puzzle this bloody thing out? Dunno if the film's winding." I looked at the man's camera; it see

med to be all right. 

"Where're you from?…

Pacific Harbour Resort and Cultural Centre, about thirty miles west of Suva on the Queen's Road, it not really a harbour at all. It has one of the few good bathing beaches within reach of the capital, a luxury hotel, and an open-air re-creation of…

"What about the Fiji Indians?" James said. "They have a right to live here too. Why should the Fijians sit on all the land? It should be collectivized and divided up among those who want to work it."

"You know very well what would…

(This is the ninth and final in a series of blogs by Norwegian anthropologist Solrun Williksen.).

To restore the building will cost a lot, but other expensive buildings have been constructed during the time that the GPH has been left to decline. Looking around in…

(This is the eighth in a series of blogs by Norwegian anthropologist Solrun Williksen).

Looking at the bleak walls, the broken windows, the trees that nobody care for anymore I see in my mind's eye the string of events that took place in this building, the bustle of an active social life,…

(This is the seventh in a series of blogs by Norwegian anthropologist Solrun Williksen.  These next few excerpts cover the glorious history of the GPH).

Fiji Times twice to find people who had worked at…

(This is the sixth in a series of blogs by Norwegian anthropologist Solrun Williksen.  These next few excerpts cover the glorious history of the GPH).

It is clear from all this that saving the Grand Pacific has not been of a very high priority in…

(This is the fifth is in a series of blogs by Norwegian anthropologist Solrun Williksen.  These next few excerpts cover the glorious history of the GPH).

"Doesn't matter. The people are the people. It's time all this racial nonsense was broken down. It's getting exciting here now the neo-colonial power structure the British left behind is starting to crumble. Just wait and see-there'll be plenty of changes here once all the good 01' darkies have died off. Nobody wants to talk about it to us,…

(This is the fourth in a series of blogs by Norwegian anthropologist Solrun Williksen.  These next few excerpts cover the glorious history of the GPH).

The restoration got delayed. In August 1995 a new message in the Fiji Times: "Grand Pacific to get a facelift at last". It was illustrated with a…

(This is the third in a series of blogs by Norwegian anthropologist Solrun Williksen.  These next few excerpts cover the glorious history of the GPH).

The Grand Pacific Hotel was built in 1914 and was hailed as a masterpiece of colonial architecture and a seat of splendid receptions, balls and…

That evening Derek and I made our way by taxi to James's address. He lived in a comfortable neighbourhood where the houses were set well back from the road on high ground among big trees.

"We rent this from the Methodist Church," he said. "I sometimes wonder what they'd make of…

The afternoon had been disorienting: it was strange to cover a hundred miles in three hours after…

We spread the bedding below a half-fallen guava tree and nibbled on some of its unripe fruit. The stars were already starting to come out; against the darkening sky 1 saw the great bat in flight, as big as an eagle. There was something sinister about it-a European…

It's been a few months since we celebrated the 60th year of QE II's reign.  During her these past six decades on the throne she has visited 135 countries including of course the Fiji Islands, one of the 54 …

In recent days Amelia Earhart's last tragic flight has resurfaced in public consciousness as a team of researchers sails towards the island of Nikumaroro where they hope to locate the wreckage of her plane offshore.  

Although Ms. Earhart is probably the most famous of the early Pacific Aviators, she certainly…

When I first got to Fiji, many years ago, there was little fine dining to speak of. The best consistent meal you could  generally get was a curry.

Times have changed. Fiji has become so much more gastronomically…

I really have to admire the Fiji Museum for taking the mundane and making it really interesting. They also gave me a great idea for a belated Veteran's Day post.

As readers may know, Viti Levu, was riddled with gun fortifications aka batteries during the Second World War.…