Fiji, Almost Found a Wife

As usual now, I visited the National Police HQ on the other end of the port city and capital of Sufa. It was casual Friday and most of the officers' uniform shirts were a light blue tropical shirt with police identification on it. We sure could have used that down in Texas.

They were very welcoming and showed me around most of their divisions, even the Commissioner's Office, Internal Affairs and the Gym (where my guide, smiling said the beefy boys workout). My guide was a sweet young Corporal who'd been on the force for 7 years. She is 33 years old when I told I'd been a cop longer than she's been alive she laughed.

Doesn't he remid you of Tommy Chew?

I just loved this woman. Vinaka!

Inside the police compound.

We left the main police headquarters and she took me back to the port where they headquartered another division just for Tourists.  It is even titled Tourist Police. Can you believe that boat-loads of tourists from cruise ships can get drunk, disorderly, pick-pocketed, robbed and lost?  It is a good sized city, crowded, bussling with both women in burkas or shorts and, McDonalds and Burger King. Also, the ride was my first experience at being in a car in left-handed traffic.

My pretty little corporal took me to the giant farmers' market and I bought some Kava. It is a legal cuturally practiced high that leaves you talking funny because your lips are numb. They showed me how to strain it and cold brew a batch.  I didn't drink it because he made it by hand and with the local water.  I'll do it with bottled water later on the ship and see if it gives me the buzz they claim.

She asked where my wife was. After I told her, she said I needed to find a good new wife,  She has also been looking for a good husband.  When I said I could introduce her to some men in the U. S.  She said," What about you?  I told her I had a son older than her. She just laughed and said okay, like it wasn't an issue.

Although I didn't take a long-boat ride up the river and see the falls, what I did see was more what life is like on Fiji.  There are little roadside markets built up against each other on the sidewalks of the main roads everywhere just outside of the downtown area where you can buy just about anything.  There is an area that sells fish, another vegatables and all kinds of others with mixed products.  Traffic is bad and getting worse because there are more and more cars and no room for more or wider roads.  They are afraid of becoming like Japan in this sense.

I saw the area where many of the police live.  I also saw the Army barricks close by. The President of the country is also Commander of the military and there have been four Fijian coups d'etat in the last 30 years. I guess they are about ready for a new one.  I was told most of the people work for the government in some form or another.

There are Police Buses.  They take officers from their stations to their assignment areas and pick up officers that they relieve, I noticed what appeared to be brand new officers downtown directing traffic, a thankless job.  They were still in the police academy and used for grunt work, similar to rookies back home.

There is a drug problem here like most places and the drugs come on the island fron New Zealand and Austraila mostly on yachts but, here's the disconnect: The Fijian Navy tries to intercept the drugs coming in and the police have no maritime units.  They just had a bust the other day of a large haul from a private yacht.

It's a beautiful country though and beautiful people.  However, I stopped at local ATM to get some local currency.  Most places don't use US dollars.  There are all kinds of warnings about theives and pick-pockets, so I was keeping my eyes open.

The bad-actors think they bleand in but, they all look the same everywhere you go.  A local young man dressed more hood-like than normal jumped into line at the ATM behind me.  He tried to manuver up where he could see my pin number entry but I kept moving on him.  The ATM pinged indicated it rejected my card. (It didn't take Visa cards) The man practically disappeared - a dry fishing hole, I guess.

So now on That Note, a little music from when we were about to leave:

Passengers on the ship's balconeys, open decks and railings were all enjoying the concert.

Moce Ni sa moce Fiji