Goodbye to Safe Landing

9 October 2013
 
We had a wonderful week at Safe Landing Resort in Nacula (http://safelandingfiji.com/) - and the staff did a few things to make our last day very special.  

Nature cooperated with an extra gorgeous sunset.

On our last full day, the chef came and told Richard they had lobsters for us - Richard said I would love a lobster, but that he would prefer the lamb sausages he had the first night.  So the chef served a Fiji-style version of bangers and mash, to the chagrin of a few people who were hoping for fish.

Anyway, I was served the normal meal.  (Huge portions, I was never able to finish an entire meal!)  I had a bit of sausage.  Then the staff arrives and puts down a lobster in front of me - a HUGE lobster, covering an entire serving platter all my himself!  Boiled (or steamed?), split it half lengthwise, face and all, with some salad along the center cut.

Everyone at the table turned to see my lobster - I truly don't know what I did to deserve this, but, hey, it was LOBSTER!  So I squeezed a little lime on the tail and proceeded to thoroughly enjoy it!  By the time I finished the tail and salad, I was truly stuffed.  There were a few extra bites I just couldn't fit in.  I offered my disgruntled neighbor a bit of lobster, but he was not ready to be made happy.  The kitchen staff took the plate away, and cleaned up as usual.

Of course, I went to the kitchen to say thank you, tell them how delicious it was, all that - and everyone was gathered around eating the leftover lobster!  I totally don't blame them, I would have too, had I not just eaten the entire tail!  (These are rock lobsters, without the big claws.)  But Fijians eat parts of lobster that we North Americans might not eat (like the kishkes), so that would have been available even had I eaten all the normal parts.  It was just kind of funny.

We left Safe Landing today - the staff gathers to sing a farewell song to the guests who are leaving, then they line up to shake each of our hands and tell us thank you - and of course, there are hugs for people who were extra friendly.  

Oh, I never mentioned that people in Fiji are Melanesian, not Polynesian - meaning they are dark skinned, and their eyes are less Asian.  I did ask if there was a legend of how the Fijian people came to Fiji - and I was told that most people believe the original people came from the southern part of Africa, across the Indian Ocean, and to Fiji and some of the other Melanesian islands.

But if you look at the lady in blue in the photos, she looks more Polynesian - that's because her grandfather was an Israeli who was in Fiji during WWII, married her grandmother, and proceeded to have a bunch of kids.  The family is now spread out across Australia, New Zealand, and a several Fiji islands.

Anyway, it was kind of sad to leave Safe Landing, it was starting to feel like family.  We had a grey and rainy ferry ride back to Nadi, and now we're getting organized to head to Suva tomorrow.

Tomorrow is also Fiji Independence Day - so we'll see if we manage to see any of the celebrations and activities.