|
The South Pacific's Wild West. Levuka, FijiMay 16, 2005
|
|
The boat ride to Levuka.
Founded in 1874.
Levuka's main street.
After our stay on the tiny Caqalai Island we rode on an open boat through a colourful lagoon, weaving through passageways in the coral. Forty-five minutes later we arrived in Levuka.
Levuka was Fiji's capital until the shift to Suva in 1882. What makes the town so attractive is its 19th-century, Wild West feel. Many of its wooden buildings and covered sidewalks still remain today. Levuka was founded as a whaling settlement and became the main center for European traders. In its glory days it had over 50 hotels and taverns along the main street. Levuka had a rowdy reputation and it is said that a ship could find the reef passage in by following the empty gin bottles floating out on the tide. Today there is only one bar in the Royal Hotel and the bartender strictly shuts off the lights at 10pm. What keeps Levuka alive today is a tuna cannery and the few tourists that venture this far out.
The hotel we stayed at is the oldest hotel in Fiji. The previously mentioned Royal Hotel was built in 1852. It has a platform on the roof called the "widows watch" where wives would watch for the over-due return of their husband's ship. Our room was quaintly decorated with antique furniture, lacey bedding and faced the sea. The entire ground floor was a huge lounge area reminiscent of an old men's club. It felt like we took a step back in time.
Our return trip to the main island was a lot more adventurous than we expected. From Levuka we rode in the back of a truck for an hour, stopping in villages as locals jumped in with numerous bags of produce they were taking to sell in the market. All the villagers seemed to know each other and as the truck drove through, they were laughing and waving. Once again we had the pleasure of being the only foreigners, but the villagers loved this, smiling and greeting us with a hearty "Bula". By the time we reached the boat, the truck was crammed full of people and produce. Somehow they managed to fit 50 people and 100 bags in a small boat. An hour and a half later we arrived on the main island. Here we thought a spacious bus would be waiting for us, but instead it was another truck. Two and a half hours later we arrived back in Suva tired, eager for fresh air and stomachs in knots from the bumpy road. Times like this are our favourite moments in travelling once they are finished.
