A Weekend in Pacific Harbour

After finally shaking off our collective illnesses, on Friday we all headed down to Pacific Harbour for the weekend. 

The beach at Pacific Harbour



My parents, being the cuties they are, had come to visit me all the way from England (though I imagine the two week holiday in Fiji they got out of it was just a coincidence!) and so they gave us a lift for the forty five minute or so journey along the coast. I stayed with them in an apartment, while the girls stayed in the Pearl hotel (literally) next door. Both places were really nice and fancy, although the area itself seems a little bit quiet and past its best. Despite being listed in all the guidebooks as a tourist hotspot, there wasn't really a lot going on in Pacific Harbour (although I was a big fan of the skinny bean cafe!) so on the Saturday we ended up doing a day trip down the nearby river inland.


Getting to the tour was a bit of a disaster- first our transport didn't arrive at the hotel, then, an hour later, a taxi arrived, drove us to the tour office and we were practically thrown into a boat before we could even realise what was happening or ask where the boat was headed! It was a nice day though overall- there was a waterfall to swim in, rafts to jump from and then a 'cultural' village experience which wasn't at all authentic but seemed to please the American tourists.

It was nice to have some time chilling with my parents too, and just doing all the usual stuff we would at home, even if we are quite literally on the other side of the world!

The Sunday was a more normal pool and beach day, even if the sky was a little gray, and I got through a whole host more books on my kindle. As always the trip home came way too soon (I am so not ready to head back into the hospital tomorrow!) but did come with a great new discovery at dinner. 

Unsurprisingly, Ellie found a cat

Google had led my parents to a mexican restaurant in Suva where they decided to take all three of us before they left (aka making sure we didn't starve, left alone for another five weeks). The restaurant was on the opposite side of Suva to the harbour, near the University of the South Pacific campus, so we hadn't really explored the area much. It was a real shock when we arrived to find an incredibly busy, very western, swanky, shopping and restuarant complex ('Damodar City'). Even the cinema here is leagues more plush than the one we've seen in town (and we may already have plans in place to head there tomorrow night). I swear, every time I think I've got the number on Suva I find somewhere new, but it's always a fun surprise. 
Damodar City- Not my photo but a good representation!









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