FijiTime November/December 2019 Edition - Food Escapades by FijiTime

FIJITIME

ISSUE 36 2019

Food Escapades

AUCKLANDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S APPEAL The best dining scenes in the city of sails

36 HOURS IN DUBAI The best places to stay and play

FLAVOURS OF FIJI DIY fantastic Fijian dishes

FOOD OF THE EARTH Discover earth oven cooking from the Pacific

2019 ISSUE 36 | FIJITIME

Discover the South Pacific's secret for beautiful skin and hair

FIJITIME | ISSUE 36 2019

2019 ISSUE 36 | FIJITIME

FIJITIME | ISSUE 36 2019

2019 ISSUE 36 | FIJITIME

FIJITIME

FijiTime is the complimentary, award winning inflight magazine of Fiji Airways. It is published six times a year in January, March, May, July, September and November by Fiji Airways. PUBLICATION Publisher: Shane Hussein Advertising Sales and Content: Bal Naidu | Design and Creative: Bruce Rounds Contributors: Tom Vierus, Benjamin Mack, Jessan Doton, Sera Calson Content: The New York Times Licensing Group. CORRESPONDENCE TO THE AIRLINE Editorial: media@fijiairways.com | Advertising: onboardads@fijiairways.com For flight reservations or more information on Fiji Airways and Fiji Link, please visit fijiairways.com We are available 24 hours a day on the following numbers: Fiji: 330 4388 or 672 0888 | Australia: 1 800 230 150 | New Zealand: 0 800 800 178 | USA and Canada: 1 800 227 4446 Hong Kong: 3192 7568 | Singapore: 800 852 3666 | Malaysia: 1 800 8186

ÂŠ All rights reserved. Copyrighted by Fiji Airways Ltd. Opinions expressed in FijiTime are solely those of the writers and are not necessarily endorsed by Fiji Airways Ltd and their related companies. Fiji Airways is not responsible or liable in any way for the contents of any of the advertisements, articles, photographs or illustrations contained in this publication. Unsolicited material will not be returned. All information was correct at time of publication.

This magazine is proudly produced using environmentally friendly and sustainably sourced materials.

FIJITIME | ISSUE 36 2019

2019 ISSUE 36 | FIJITIME

CONTENTS

ON THE COVER

ISSUE 36 | 2019

Food Escapades

Food delights from around the world

FEATURES

DISCOVER

Fresh tropical goodness

EXPERIENCE

36 Hours in Dubai

REGULARS 13 SNAPSHOTS Catch up on the latest updates from Fiji Airways

77 ENJOY

Your inflight movies, TV and music highlights

90 FLY WELL Inflight exercise to make your body feel restored and rejuvenated

EXPLORE

Meet the radiant residents from the shallow seas of Savusavu

@FijiAirways

65 VISIT

Iowaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Waubonise state park

FIJITIME | ISSUE 36 2019

@Fly_FijiAirways @FijiAirways Read our digital magazine www.issuu.com/fly_fijiairways

bUlatin STAR FLYER

UPDATES

INFO

EVENTS

JEAN-MICHEL COUSTEAU

Benji Marshall talks family, football and travel. Why the Fiji Airways Premier Lounge in Nadi was judged the most innovative in the world Photo: Chris McLennan 2019 ISSUE 36 | FIJITIME

bUla

Andre

Shaenaz

Managing Director and CEO Fiji Airways fjceo@fijiairways.com @fijiairways

Executive General Manager Fiji Link gm@fijilink.com @fijiairways

VILJOEN

VOSS

Bula to all friends of Fiji Airways. Thank you for choosing to fly with Fiji Airways today. This edition of FijiTime is the Food Issue, which is pretty appropriate this close to the festive season. Food brings people together, be they families, loved ones or even strangers. It is the common thread that binds the communities of the Pacific together. In this spirit, we explore a food-preparation technique which is unique to this part of the world – earth ovens. We also taste our way through the delights of Auckland, one of Fiji Airways’ most popular destinations. The City of Sails has been a favourite destination for our guests from Fiji and the United States, and we have an excellent food guide designed to give you access to the city’s culinary delights. Our contributors from the New York Times also pitch in this issue, showcasing some cuisines from the US that are easier on the planet, offering a fresh perspective into dining. We hope you enjoy all of these articles and more in this edition. As we approach the festive season, we wish all our guests and all readers of FijiTime a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and Happy Holidays. Thank you for your business and for choosing to fly Fiji’s National Airline. We look forward to your continued feedback regarding our service. Please write to fjceo@fijiairways.com with anything you’ve noted on this flight.

Vinaka Andre

Bula vinaka to all our guests, from all of us here at Fiji Link, the domestic subsidiary of Fiji Airways. Thank you for choosing to travel to this special piece of paradise we call home, Fiji. To our local travellers flying with us today, ni sa bula vinaka and welcome onboard. In this Food Edition edition of FijiTime, we showcase some of the top places in the Coral Coast town of Sigatoka, also known as Fiji’s Rugby Town. Along with being home to a number of resorts and hotels right on the beach, Sigatoka offers an easy, convenient immersion into Fijian culture and everyday life. A visit to the town is a must. It sits close to the Sigatoka Valley, which is referred to the Salad Bowl of Fiji. All the fruits and vegetables here are full of natural goodness. Speaking of goodness, in this edition you’ll discover how some of Fiji’s most popular local delicacies are made, including everyone’s favourite home-made ‘purini’ (Fijian pudding). We also hop over to Savusavu, an extremely popular Fiji Link destination and discover the iconic Butterfly Fish. Read about their life on Savusavu’s majestic coral reefs, and you quickly see why they are a favourite among snorkelers. It’s great to share more of our home with you and we hope you like what we have in store. Enjoy time with your loved ones these holidays! We look forward to seeing you again on Fiji Link soon. If there’s anything we can do to make your flight more comfortable, please do not hesitate to let our crew know. Vinaka Shaenaz

About Us: Founded in 1951, Fiji Airways Group comprises of Fiji Airways, Fiji’s National Airline and its subsidiaries: Fiji Link, its domestic and regional carrier, Pacific Call Comm Ltd, and a 38.75% stake in the Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa on Denarau Island, Nadi. From its hubs at Nadi and Suva International Airports, Fiji Airways and Fiji Link serve 108 destinations in over 15 countries (including code-share). Destinations include Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada, the UK, Hong Kong (SAR China), Singapore, India, Japan, China, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands. The Fiji Airways Group brings in 64 percent of all visitors who fly to Fiji, employs over 1000 employees, and earns revenues of over FJD$1 billion (USD $460m). Fiji Airways is a Skytrax 4-Star airline.

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Visit fijiairways.com for more information.

star flyer Travel like a rugby league star with these handy tips from

Benji Marshall

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself? I am a professional rugby league player for the Wests Tigers in Sydney but more importantly a new dad to my son Fox who is the best thing that has happened to me. I love music, playing guitar in my spare time and also I am a golf tragic. 2. What’s it like, balancing a professional football career and family life? It can be challenging as I travel a lot, but I am lucky I have an amazing wife who really looks after our home life and makes it so easy for me to focus on performing each week. We have a great balance. 3. Favourite rugby league memories? My favorite memories are my debut, winning a premiership in 2005 with the West Tigers and winning a World Cup with the Kiwis in 2008. 4. Where is home for Benji Marshall? What is it like? I’m from a small town in NZ called Whakatane. It is so beautiful as we have so many beautiful landscapes and beaches. I grew up on a farm where Dad grew and harvested maize and my brother is a dairy farmer. It is also such a talented sporting community. 5. What did you enjoy most about Fiji? I love the culture. The friendly nature of the locals, the constant smiles, the beautiful beaches and reefs and most importantly the food. (love the lovo) 6. Favourite things to do in Auckland? I love cruising over the Auckland bridge to Takapuna for a nice lunch on the beach or catch a ferry over to Waiheke Island and see some amazing winery’s and scenery. Favorite dinner spots are the grill, masu and check out the sugar club up the top of the sky tower 7. Favourite things to do in Sydney? Taking my son to Taronga Zoo, Balmoral Beach for lunch at Bathers and swim at the beach, long lunch at Tottis in Bondi, favorite dinner spots are Rockpool, Mr Wong, China doll and ucello. 8. Top 3 travel essentials? Things you absolutely cannot travel without? Phone charger, pajamas, hoodie jumper 9. Any travel hacks? Roll your clothes instead of folding for more room, mark your baggage as fragile, pack hand sanitizer.

2019 ISSUE 36 | FIJITIME

updates MORE CONNECTIONS WITH JAPAN We are delighted to extend our partnership with Japan’s national airline to make travel between Fiji and Japan much more convenient. In addition to the almost daily codeshare flights between Nadi and Tokyo (Narita), including other Asian gateways, both airlines will now partner up and provide interline services on both sectors. Fiji Airways’ issued tickets can now fly on Japan Airlines’ selected domestic sectors including Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka together with Japan Airlines’ selected international sectors, which include Seoul, Vancouver and Frankfurt. Japan Airlines issued tickets can now fly on Fiji Airways’ selected domestic sectors including Labasa, Suva and Savusavu together with Fiji Airways’ selected international sectors, which include Brisbane, Los Angeles and Christchurch. Bula and Konnichi Wa!

TABUA CLUB PROGRAMME OFFERS MORE TO ITS MEMBERS

introducing our new

tabua club

Did you know? Tabua Club now offers an additional tier called Tabua Club Plus, which offers more benefits for members. This also includes a more convenient and improved mechanism for earning upgrade and status credits on both Fiji Airways and Fiji Link. To join this elite tier, Tabua Club members will maintain 20 or more status credits per membership year. For Tabua Club Plus members, additional benefits will include: - One guest complimentary across the Fiji Airways Lounge network - Access to additional lounges across the Fiji Airways oneworld connect global network - Priority check-in and priority boarding when flying with partners American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas - A reduced renewal annual membership fee together with an extra baggage allowance of up to 38kg in Economy and 55kg in Business Class For more information, please visit www.fijiairways.com

MORE FLEXIBLE SEAT SELECTION OPTIONS A whole host of flexible seating selections are now available for our guests. Simply click through to ‘Manage your booking’ on our website to choose from any of the following: 1. Bulkhead Seats – these are Economy cabin seats in the front of the cabin with more legroom to stretch, recommended for the tall, the ‘early-inflight-service-adopters’ and the ‘eager-to-disembark-first. 2. Exit Seats – with more room to stretch, these seats are situated either next to, adjacent to or immediately behind an Emergency Exit door. 3. Up Front Seats – be among the first Economy Class guests to experience our renowned onboard Fijian hospitality and disembark from the flight. This option is affordable and ideal if you are transiting. 4. Forward Seats – Located just behind the Up Front Seats, these seats are also suitable for transiting guests and those wanting to disembark quickly. 5. Bassinet Seats – for the very young ones. These seats may be pre-purchased in advance via our Call Centre or Sales Office. Demand for these seatsare high, so they are offered on a first-paid, first-served basis. To find out more about the Seat Selection options and its Terms and Conditions, please visit www.fijiairways.com

discover our new travel app

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DOWNLOAD AND EXPERIENCE OUR FIJIAIRWAYS TRAVEL APP Guests can now manage their flight journey on the go with ease through their mobile devices. As part of the Airline’s ongoing initiative to enhance our customer experience (including for codeshare and interline guests), we are delighted to host new enhancements and features on our travel app. The enhancements and added features includes: • Ability to scan passport details which gets auto-filled • Option to scan payment credit card details which gets auto-filled • Third Party Ancillaries which includes car hire and hotel booking integration • Users can now share their trip details with whoever they want via an entry point on the My Trips screen. Once selected, the user can enter one or many email addresses for the people with whom they would like to share their trip itinerary details • Through Check-In Support which enables journeys that include partner airlines (i.e. interline and codeshare flight legs) The Fiji Airways App is available for free download from Google Play and App store.

sNapsHots

Fiji airways premier lounge Nadi

wins majOr award

We are delighted that the Fiji Airways Premier Lounge has been recognised for the Best Lounge Innovation award at the 2019 Apex Awards, held in Los Angeles on September 9th . Our flagship lounge was recognised for including a designated children’s room called Lailai Land complete with qualified nannies. Our submission went against the grain of what’s ‘trendy’, like automisation, and tech-heavy apps. We chose to go with something which our Lounge a human touch, something quintessentially Fijian and quintessentially Fiji. Our lounge was nominated alongside Qatar Airways First Class Airline Lounge and Immfly Lounge. At Fiji Airways, our ‘Fijian-ness’ is at the heart of who we are. And Fijian-ness is our ‘bula spirit’; the Fijian people’s innate ability to be in a state of seemingly perpetual happiness through genuine hospitality and by treating strangers like extended family. The Bula spirit is felt by visitors the second they step onboard their aircraft with Fiji Airways, and stays with them during their time in Fiji, leaving an indelible mark when they return to their homes. When Fiji Airways designed its flagship Premier Lounge in

Nadi, a compulsory element was to ensure the incorporation of this ‘Bula spirit’. It needed to be authentic, and a have differentiating factor. About Lailai Land A recurring story from many of our parent guests was how wonderful the resort babysitters were that it was difficult to get their children to leave their holiday nannies. Therefore, we took the regular crèche and gave it a Fijian flair, offering complimentary nanny services by qualified nannies who possessed the natural nurturing qualities children had grown to love in Fiji. Located within the Premier Lounge, enclosed by a soundproof glass wall, Lailai Land has all the comforts of a modern kids area, with the unique touch of a Fijian nanny to keep the young ones entertained and occupied while parents grab a bite to eat or a spa treatment before their flight. Our little guests will enjoy a story read by our nannies, board games, quizzes or just have a heart to heart conversation with our nannies.

For more information - https://www.fijiairways.com/en-fj/bookings/fiji-airways-premier-lounge/

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arrival BIOSECURITY Fiji laws require everyone arriving from overseas to declare all biosecurity risk goods including food, plant, plant products, used material and animal products to biosecurity officers at its borders. These goods could harbour exotic weeds, pests and diseases that could damage and destroy Fiji’s unique flora and fauna, environment, agriculture, livestock and tourism industries as well as the health of local communities. When arriving in Fiji you will be given a passenger arrival card. This is a legal document and required by law. It is important that you read and fill out this card carefully and truthfully. CHECK-IN For all international flights, check-in counters open three hours prior, and close one hour before departure. Domestic flights open 90 minutes before departure and close 30 minutes before departure. You can also check-in online between 4-24hrs before your flight. CLIMATE Fiji enjoys a mild tropical climate averaging 31°C (88°F) during the summer months of November to April and 29°C (84°F) during the winter months of May to October. COMMUNICATION Mobile outlets are located at Nadi Airport international arrivals. You can purchase a prepaid SIM card for local and international calls and internet data. CULTURAL There are many cultural activities you can engage in whilst on holiday. Check with your hotel reception or activity desk on what is available in your area and ask about cultural tips on dress code for visiting villages and more. If participating in a kava (yaqona) session, clap once before accepting the bowl, and then three times, after handing back the empty bowl. It is customary to accept the first bowl, but you may respectfully decline the second bowl, if offered CURRENCY Fiji Dollar (FJD). Banks include ANZ, Bank of Baroda, Bank of South Pacific, HFC, BRED and Westpac.

CASH AND CREDIT CARDS Cash is generally used in the smaller stores around the country. Larger shops, hotels and restaurants will accept most credit cards. DRESS Dress is casual and informal throughout the islands. The wraparound sulu (sarong) is Fiji’s most distinctive form of dress. Modest dress is advised in towns and villages in respect of the culture. DUTY FREE ALLOWANCE 2.25 litres of spirits or 4.5 litres of beer or 4.5 litres of wine. 200 cigarettes or 200 grams of tobacco. Please note, for passengers who are transiting through Nadi, your Duty Free will be confiscated as part of liquids, aerosols and gels (LAGS) restrictions in place by the Civil Aviation Authority. ELECTRICITY The electrical current in Fiji is 240 volts AC/50 cycles. Fiji has three pin power outlets identical to Australia and New Zealand. EMERGENCY NUMBERS Police: 917, Fire and ambulance: 911 When staying in any rural areas, ask a local person for the number and location for the nearest police station and medical centre. TRANSPORT Getting around the islands is easy with our subsidiary airline Fiji Link or jump aboard a sea transfer to the islands. On the main island of Viti Levu, taxis, private cars and coach transfers are available. PASSPORT AND VISA REQUIREMENTS Passports must be valid for at least six months beyond the intended period of stay in Fiji and a return or onward travel ticket is required. Entry visas are granted on arrival for visitors from eligible countries.

LANGUAGE English is the official language of Fiji. However, indigenous Fijians also speak iTaukei while Indo-Fijians speak Fiji Hindi.

ITAUKEI (INDIGENOUS FIJIAN)

FIJI BAAT (HINDI)

Bula – Hello Bula Vinaka – A warm Hello Ni sa moce (ni sa mothey) – Good bye Vinaka – Thank you Kerekere – Please Mai Kana – Let’s eat

Namaste – Polite greeting, polite farewell Goodbye – Bye (English commonly used) Kaise hai (kaise hey) – Informal, how are you? Dhanyavaad / Shukriya – Formal thank you Thank you – English commonly used Please – English commonly used Kaana kao – Eat

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General Info

tHings

to do Dine Fiji is a multicultural nation and dining options in towns and within hotels and resorts reflect this. Dishes from India, Asia and local seafood can be found in most restaurants, along with international favourites to please every palate. Fiji’s best known for distinctive outdoor feast, the lovo, an in-ground oven of heated rocks used for cooking a variety of foods wrapped in banana leaves.

Golf There’s a wide range of quality golf courses in Fiji, from international championship golf courses to small “pitch and putts”. You can play a round at the Denarau Golf and Racquet Club, Natadola Bay Golf Course (Coral Coast), Fiji Golf Club (Suva), the Ba, Labasa, Lautoka, Suncoast and Nadi Airport Clubs, Novotel Nadi and the Robert Trent Jones (Jnr) designed course at Pacific Harbour.

Shop

Some popular Fiji items to bring home for friends and family include Fijian inspired designer T-shirts and Bula shirts, replica war clubs, cannibal forks, Fijian combs and carved tanoa bowls, from which the national drink yaqona is mixed and served. Handicrafts like traditional woven baskets and mats, masi (tapa cloth), wood carving and pottery items are also popular. A bestseller for both men and women is the sulu (Fijian sarong). Most stores are closed on Sundays.

Adventure Explore Class ll to lll whitewater rapids aboard inflatable kayaks and whitewater rafts along two of the country’s premier liquid pathways, the Upper Navua Gorge and Wainikoroiluva. River rafting offers a great way to experience some of Fiji’s most spectacular terrain. For those wanting to reach new heights, there are ziplines at the Sleeping Giant mountain range in Nadi, Momi on the Coral Coast and Wainadoi near Suva

Surf Fiji is one of the world’s premier surf destinations, bringing the best surfers to its waves. The Mamanuca Islands, Beqa, Kadavu and Sigatoka are home to some great surf breaks with islands like Tavarua and Namotu catering specifically for surfers. Stand up paddle boarding is also becoming increasingly popular.

Dive Known as the ‘Soft Coral Capital of the World’, Fiji is home to a vivid array of reef life and a wide spectrum of underwater creatures including sharks, manta rays and over 1000 species of fishes. Visitors can swim with manta rays in the Yasawas or feed tiger and bull sharks in Beqa Lagoon. Fiji ranks consistently in the top five dive spots in the world with Taveuni, Beqa, Kadavu and Suncoast being areas of note.

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eveNts calendAr

November 2019 7–9 November 9-10 November 15-23 November

Oceania 7s - Suva Uprising Music Festival - Pacific Harbour Oceania Rugby Women’s 15’s Championship, Churchill Park, Lautoka

SATURDAY 9TH NOVEMBER

December 2019

FROM 12PM-1AM HEADLINED BY

TICKETS ON SALE AT

E A R LY B I R D

TICKETS

$35

Cafe 30 SUVA

Ginger Kitchen 13-14 December Uprising Beach Resort SUVA PAC HABOUR

Taste Fiji NADI

PROUDLY SUPPORTING

25 December LIFELINE FIJI 26 December

Grasshoppers Netball (National Netball Centre, Suva) Christmas Day Boxing Day

Image Credit: Sofitel Resort

January 2020 15-18 January 20 January to 02 February 25 January

Coral Coast 7’s Sigatoka Australian Open - Melbourne, Australia cHinese New year

February 2020 14 February 17-19 February 21-23 February

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Valentine’s Day AIME 2020 - Melbourne, Australia NATAS Travel Fair 2020 Singapore

advertorial

DRIVING FIJIAN EXPORTS TO NEW MARKETS As a statutory organisation, Investment Fiji operates independently as the facilitation arm of the Fijian Government, providing services and assistance to promote and stimulate investments and exports. Today the Acting General Manager of Investment Fiji, Mr Ritesh Gosai talks about Investment Fiji’s Trade & Export division, its key roles and services and how we are driving our exports to new markets.

Investment Fiji’s purpose is to help develop a sustainable and successful nation by stimulating investment and exports. In order to do this, Investment Fiji attracts and facilitates Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and domestic investment, while also working with established exporters in upskilling and promoting their products and services overseas. Our dedicated Trade and Export team is tasked with increasing Fijian exports through capacity building and internationalisation support activities, training and enterprise development, identification of export opportunities, market research, introductions, domestic seminars, online tools and printed materials. These key services are designed to assist local and foreign investors develop comparative advantages of their export products. Fiji’s total exports in 2018 was F$2.18 billion, of which F$1.19 billion was domestic exports, classified as products originating from Fiji and reexports of F$983.7 million within the same period. In 2019, total exports are expected to grow by 8.5 % to a total of F$2.29 billion. Fiji’s major export destinations are, Pacific Island countries driven by re-exports of petroleum oils, United States with increased exports of mineral water, Australia led by precious metal and apparels, Japan with a large export of woodchips and New Zealand with increased exports of Kava. Other major trading partners are China, European Union countries and other Asian countries. Being the ‘Hub of the Pacific’, Fiji is also a strategic trans-shipment center for cargo traded between the Pacific Island countries. Fiji creates and manufactures Fijian-made products and services across many industries and sectors. Assisting local exporters benchmark themselves against international standards is one of the most important tasks of Investment Fiji’s Trade and Export team. We believe our local products have a unique niche proposition, and can compete against some of the best in the world.

Fiji also has a strong potential in export of services, with ICT and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sectors being a priority for the Fijian Government. Fiji is focused on increasing exports and investments in value-added products to complement export of raw materials. The Fijian Trade Policy Framework (2015-2025) aims at improving and securing meaningful international market access which promotes the production and export of value-added products and underpins Fiji’s commitment to bilateral, regional and multilateral trade frameworks. This is done to expand and secure market access for ‘Fijian-Made’ goods and services and promoting ‘Brand Fiji’ across the global trading environment. Value-adding is a major focus for Investment Fiji, as it increases the appeal of Fijian products in the marketplace. This key service is part of Investment Fiji’s support to local entrepreneurs, as it is designed to maximise long-term benefits from inward investment, both domestic and foreign, and to develop a comparative advantage for Fiji. We continue to work closely with international partners, Fiji’s trade commissions and embassies around the globe to connect local exporters to potential buyers and new markets. Through our prestigious Prime Minister’s International Business Awards, Investment Fiji gives local companies a platform for recognition, benchmarking performance and capacity-building. The awards inspire other local companies to innovate, showcase their achievement and contribution to the Fijian economy. Investment Fiji has developed a strategy that allows exporters to sell more products overseas through market research, introductions and targeted result-driven missions aimed at advising exporters on market trends and potential entry strategies. We stand ready to assist interested international and domestic investors and exporters with any guidance they require.

To learn more about how Investment Fiji can assist your business, please visit our website www.investmentfiji.org.fj or contact us on (679) 3315988 or email info@investmentfiji.org.fj 2019 ISSUE 36 | FIJITIME

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tHe fijian legend of the

shark gOd

dakUwaQa Words and Photos: Jean-Michel Cousteau and Holly Lohuis

In Fijian mythology ‘Dakuwaqa’, is the shark god who protects fishermen from any dangers at sea. This is one of many Fijian legends emphasising the important connection Fijians have always had with the sea and all its inhabitants. But in modern times the tables have turned, and ‘Dakuwaqa’ now urgently needs the help of people all around the world. Almost 70% of the 75 recorded shark species inhabiting Fijian waters are considered to be globally threatened with extinction. Research has shown that massive depletion of sharks has cascading effects throughout the ocean’s ecosystems. As a diver for over 73 years, my own attitude towards sharks has changed over the decades. Once feared as a dangerous threat on our dives, I now emphasise the critical importance sharks have in maintaining a healthy balance throughout the world’s oceans. When asked what to do if you see a shark on a dive, I always tell my fellow dive friends, count yourself very lucky. Sharks are not the mindless predator the media and Hollywood want us to believe, but instead well-adapted oceanic animals who have swam in the world’s oceans for over 400 million years. And today, we are the one species causing their demise. Only with opportunities to snorkel and dive on healthy coral reefs with intact populations of sharks and other predators, can we value the ecological role these apex predators play in maintaining a natural balance.

The ocean is the defining feature of our planet. It feeds us. It sustains us. It inspires us. It is why we seek tropical oceanic destinations like Fiji. As an Ambassador for Fiji Airways, I am honoured to share reasons of why we need to all be stronger ocean advocates. The ocean produces more than half of the world’s oxygen (the result of phytoplankton photosynthesizing). It acts as an important carbon sink, storing 50 times more carbon dioxide than our atmosphere, helping mitigate the impacts of climate change. Ocean currents circulate cold water from the poles and warm water from the equator, regulating our climate and weather patterns. We rely on healthy oceans for food, medicine, and economic benefits. Yet today, we face problems that undermine all of these critical gifts. The sea unites us all. As visitors to this beautiful island nation that is Fiji, may we take the lessons from the past and apply them to today’s conservation and sustainable goals of living in better balance with nature. I am honoured to share reasons of hope when it comes to ocean inspiration. If we start our tropical journey with an attitude of gratitude for all the important services the ocean provides for humanity, may we appreciate the Fijian legend of Dakuwaqa, the shark god who protects fishermen. May we all feel empowered to be protectors of sharks and our water planet.

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dIscOver HISTORY

FOOD

SUVA MARKET

WINE

Fresh tropical goodness. Wander through the different stallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s at the Suva municipal market. More on page 26

2019 ISSUE 36 | FIJITIME

ancient fisHing techNiques Fishing was commonplace in among the coastal communities of early Fijians, and modern fishing techniques widely used in Fiji today bear close resemblance to historical practices.

From individual hand-held, handmade spears to communal fishing drives, numerous fishing practices have withstood the test of time, and remains an important part of life for many Fijians. Historically, rubble-walled fish fences were used extensively on tidal and estuary flats, together with a whole range of wicker-work barrel and basket fish traps. Unbaited trumpet-shaped funnel traps were set facing upstream in rubble weirs built across river rapids, fish being driven into them from upstream.

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Coconut or hibiscus fibre nets up to several hundred metres long were used to catch turtles, while a wide range of smaller hand nets were used by women in their daily foraging for prawns, shellfish and small fish. Spearing and shooting with arrows was reserved for males, while naturally occurring plant poisons were used to stun fish during communal fish drives..

The photograph below shows a communal fish drive. Coconut fronds were attached to a long rope, or to vines, to make a scare line which could be several hundred metres long. This was walked out into the ocean making a long loop around the shore, or around a stone-walled fish trap. The scare line was then slowly brought back into shore, driving the fish into an ever smaller space where they could be caught with spears, hand-nets or by stunning them with the duva root.

tHe

aucklandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s appeal as the

delicious city by the sea Story and Photos by: Heart Of The City

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et between two large harbours, New Zealandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest city boasts a laid back and outdoorsy personality. However, its dining scene has evolved from simple fare to a new generation of culinary delights that are found established in the various dining and shopping enclaves around the city. From casual alfresco to gourmet fine dining, Aucklandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s city centre is dotted with one-of-a-kind eateries that create incredible dishes. Discover the meals that have become famous amongst restaurant go-ers and experience the memorable tastes served.

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Gurnard Crayfish ravioli $19/piece | Baduzzi |10-26 Jellicoe Street

Shallot tart $28 | Hugo’s Bistro | 67 Shortland Street

Baduzzi’s gurnard and crayfish ravioli, topped with tomato butter, is a succulent and creamy pasta dish that is handmade daily and cooked to order. The traditional recipe is a timeless creation as well as a chef favourite.

Hugo’s are famous for their modern interpretations of bistro classics which change every season dependent on the fresh ingredients available to the kitchen. Order the shallot tart accompanied with aged balsamic and goat’s curd for an abundance of rich flavours. .

Fried chicken waffle $16 | Orleans | 48 Customs Street East

Korean fried cauliflower $17| Hello Beasty | 95-97 Customs Street West

Orleans is home to authentic Southern classics that have all the hearty flavours you’ve been craving. The fried chicken waffle is not to be missed - drizzled with maple chipotle, crisp sage and herb butter, this soulful dish is a crowd pleaser.

Hello Beasty’s take on ‘KFC’ is a popular choice amongst vegetarian diners. Glazed with spicy gochujang and roasted sesame seeds, taste cauliflower like never before. Bite through the irresistible crunchy shell and savour the sweet and chilli sauces that cover the bite sized cauliflower.

Seared lemongrass beef $25 | Cafe Hanoi | Excelsior Building, Corner of Galway & Commerce Street

Crisp soft-shell crab $25 | Ebisu | Union Fish Company Building, 116-118 Quay Street

Ebisu’s crisp soft-shell crab is a staff pick and restaurant musttry. The crab comes with wasabi and orange ponzu, making an exquisite combination of spice and fresh citrus. Treat your taste buds to this innovative dish that gives Ebisu its reputable title. .

Getting there: Fiji Airways flies direct from Nadi to Auckland daily 2019 ISSUE 36 | FIJITIME

fresH trOpical

goodness Story: Vittoria Pasca

f you’re into fresh, tropical produce, there’s one place in the Fijian Capital Suva you really can’t miss - the municipal market. Wandering through the different stalls is a great experience, you’ll see all sorts of colours, shapes and sizes! You’ll also get to chat with many charming vendors and patrons, a great cultural experience itself. Markets are a great way of experiencing and interacting with a new place; it gives you a glimpse into not just the food, but the communities which rely for heavily on them for trade and sustenance. The market is open every day between Monday and Saturday, but gets bigger towards the end of the week, between Thursday and Saturday. Especially on Saturdays, when many farmers come from nearby villages to sell their produce, the variety on offer becomes quite amazing. So, ready to start our tour? Stop 1: get some bu! Our first stop will be at the market entrance on Rodwell Road (opposite RB Patel). In Suva’s hot and humid weather, we definitely need to hydrate

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ourselves with some fresh bu (Fijian for coconut water). And don’t forget to bring a spoon… if you come back after drinking your bu, the vendor will happily cut the coconut in half so you can also eat the delicious young coconut flesh. Try it, you’ll love it! Stop 2: experience multicultural Fiji Let’s head into the market where you’ll find an example of how multiculturalism has enriched the kitchen. Of course you’ll find all the traditional starchy crops and tropical produce, such as taro, sweet potato, pineapple, bananas, pawpaw, mango or avocado (when in season). But you’ll also find many other ingredients typical of Indian and Chinese cuisine. In the stalls selling traditionally Indian ingredients, you’ll find freshly ground aromatic herbs and spices such as curry or fenugreek leaves, cumin, ground coriander, leafy greens, all sorts of red and green chillies, fresh beans and vegetables, as well as moringa (or saijan). This leafy green is now being increasingly sold internationally as a superfood (and at superfood price!), but here at the Suva market, you can still buy a tray for 1 FJD.

And if you’re into super foods, look for fresh ginger and turmeric as well, you’ll find plenty around the market. At the Chinese stalls, you’ll find different types of leafy greens (such as bok choy, choy sum or watercress), other types of vegetables and even fresh tofu. A great thing about the Suva market is that vendors and other patrons will be happy to have a chat with you and answer your questions. So, if you find a fruit or vegetable you have never seen before, feel free to ask what it is and how to cook it. They will give you some very good tips. Stop 3: eat a delicious tropical snack If at this point you start feeling hungry, feel free to buy a piece of fresh pineapple ready to eat. Already peeled and chopped, it’s perfect for a delicious healthy snack. But if you prefer bananas, then try the Lady Fingers, the local smaller and sweeter variety. A small bunch will cost you between 1 and 2 FJD.

Stop 4: try some kava If you’re into kava, or at least curious about it, then it’s definitely worth going upstairs. You’ll find there many kava stalls with their beautiful yaqona roots. Even if you don’t drink Fiji’s national drink, it’s still worth taking a look at the display. From the same stalls, you could also buy as a souvenir some beautiful coconut shells traditionally used to drink kava. Upstairs, you’ll find plenty of spices, legumes, cereals and nuts as well. Perfect if you like Indian cooking. Stop 5: flower shopping And now let’s go flower shopping! For that, we need to head downstairs, back towards where we bought our bu. You’ll be amazed by the beauty and variety of flowers on sale at the Suva market. And by their price! You’ll find all sorts of colourful tropical beauties, from orchids to bird of paradise flowers. A bunch will normally cost you between 2 and 5 FJD. Difficult to resist their charm!

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Transit Lounge Transit/Pre & Post flights Free Transfers ONLY 3 MINS AWAY FROM NADI AIRPORT

Transit Day Pass Includes: FREE return airport transfers, complimentry Fijian spa foot ritual, Free Wi-Fi, movie room with bean bags, luggage storage, showers/ toilets, in-house flight schedule screen OTHER INHOUSE SERVICES: Private day rooms (Upon availability), massage, day spa, café, Fiji made shopping, child minding, gym and MORE! Opening Hours: 6am-8pm daily (extended when required) How to organise your FREE transfer? Visit the airport arrival information desk or call us directly on +679 992 5313

Bonus Offer

Quote Fiji Airways on booking and receive a 45 min massage for only FJD $50 2019 ISSUE 36 | FIJITIME

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BEAUTIFUL Naturally

A world away, the South Pacific is one of the last remaining anchors of natural beauty. Our turquoise lagoons teem with colourful sea life and pristine rainforests luxuriant with tropical flora and fauna. Deep in the heart of this idyllic setting lies Fiji, an archipelago of 333 sun-kissed islands, and the birthplace of our Naturally Fiji skin and hair care. Home to an ancient culture that lives close to nature, we didn’t have to go far for inspiration. Fijians have a centuries-old practice of using indigenous plants in healing and beauty rituals. Chief among them is the coconut palm, known in the South Pacific as the Tree of Life for the many gifts it yields. Naturally Fiji products are hand crafted from natural ingredients sourced locally and around the world. These handpicked, raw ingredients are brought to a modern production facility, and this combination ensures an environmentally and socially sustainable product that delivers exceptional qualities to our customers.

Our production philosophy not only benefits small island communities by providing employment, but extends to minimising our carbon footprint by the sustainable harvesting of our natural ingredients, from their natural habitat, negating

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the dependence on irrigation and fertilisation. Even today, virgin coconut oil is pressed throughout the remote outlying Fijian islands, to which plant and floral essences are added for a variety of uses: as an after-sun tonic, moisturiser and massage oil. This nutrient dense wonder oil, rich in Vitamin E and powerful antioxidants, is at the heart of Naturally Fiji hair and skin care, to which we’ve

added the essence of our natural ingredients. The power flowers, the Black and White Orchid, are a rare bloom that’s been revered through the ages for its hypnotic beauty. Orchids have been found to reverse the signs of aging, calm inflammation and help increase cell turnover. Known as “the tree of a thousand virtues”, the sacred oil of Dilo (Tamanu) has remarkable regenerative and curative properties. Tamanu

oil is able to reach all three layers of the skin: epidermis, dermis and hypodermis, promoting the growth of healthy skin. The Neem tree is known as the “Village pharmacy”. The medicinal and cosmetic properties attributed to Neem Oil are so numerous that they invoke disbelief! The seed inside the Neem fruit is rich in oil and is extracted and cold pressed for healing skin disorders. We add Noni extracts which are considered one of the best treatments for most types of skin conditions as well as hair. It promotes healthy

hair and scalp and contains antifungal and antibacterial properties. Other ingredients like Tumeric, Rosemary Oil, Lavendar Oil, Honey and Sugar, add beneficial properties resulting in firmer and better skin tone for both oily and dry disposition. The combination of our Virgin Coconut oil & natural extracts and oils, produce a potent fusion that is nourishing, moisturising, protecting and rejuvenating for skin and hair. Naturally Fiji brings you “all the essences of Fiji” sourced from the finest pure coconut oil, orchid extracts and natural ingredients. Created with only one true objective: “Where the body meets the soul”

2019 ISSUE 36 | FIJITIME

tHe

big reverb Story: Eric Asimov/C.2019 New York Times News Service

y day, Alex Schulkin studies topics in wine chemistry, like texture, for the Australian Wine Research Institute, which is supported by mainstream grape growers and wine producers. When he leaves work, Schulkin heads to an unprepossessing warehouse outside this small town in the Adelaide Hills. There, he and his wife, Galit Shachaf, make gentle, lovely wines under the Other Right label that come alive in the glass, free of additives, manipulations and the other trappings of the conventional winemaking he studies. The Other Right is just one of many producers that are part of a thriving wine counterculture in Australia, clustered here in the Adelaide Hills but extending throughout many of the nation’s winemaking regions. This counterculture is not a single group of winemakers working toward one goal, but a spectrum encompassing many different degrees of rebellion from the mainstream Australian standards set in the 1990s. What they have in common is the myriad beautiful wines they produce. On one end are those who embrace extreme interpretations of natural wine, producers like Anton Van Klopper (of the Lucy Margaux label), James Erskine (Jauma) and Travis Tausend in the Adelaide Hills, Tom Shobbrook in Barossa and Sam Vinciullo of Margaret River. On another part of the spectrum are producers who are subversive but not single-minded, who reject being called natural winemakers, either because they dislike the term’s connotations or they do not live up to their personal definition of the genre. They include La Violetta and Brave New Wine in Denmark in the Great Southern region, Blind Corner and Si Vintners in Margaret River, and Gentle Folk and Ochota Barrels in the Adelaide Hills. And there are outliers like Abel Gibson and Emma Epstein of Ruggabellus, in Barossa, who make complex, challenging yet gorgeous wines that show the influence of Radikon and Gravner, masters of ancient-rebornas-modern styles in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northeastern Italy. These are not producers who dabble in more low-tech styles. They excel at them, showing little tolerance for careless winemakers who accept flaws, or wannabes who value theory over practice.

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Photo by Frances Andrijich/The New York Times While no more than a niche in the entire country’s wine culture, Australia’s natural winemakers, like natural producers around the globe, have assumed an outsize influence that goes far beyond their numbers. With their emphasis on minimalist winemaking and organic or biodynamic farming, these producers have unintentionally become a sort of conscience to the industry, a voice in the heads of wine drinkers everywhere, asking questions that go beyond taste to issues of health, morality and philosophy, all while making wine that ranges from delicious to profound. From a small, unorganised cadre of producers in France, their numbers have spread through all corners of the wineproducing world. Even so, “natural wine” remains undefined and subject to dispute, not least among the producers themselves. It is above all an ideal, a desire to farm with respect for nature and centuries-old traditions, and to make wine with as little intervention as possible — with no added yeast or

bacteria for fermentations, no acidity or tannins beyond what came with the grapes and nothing to enhance or alter texture, flavours, aromas or colour. The most contentious issue is whether small amounts of sulfur dioxide, a kind of cure-all antioxidant and preservative, should be employed at all. Some producers choose to use a little sulfur dioxide before bottling to avoid risks, accepting the tapering, narrowing effect on aromas and flavours it might have. Others do not, preferring the increased vibrancy and unmediated aromas and flavours that can come without sulfites. Instead, they seek stability through meticulous hygiene and winemaking, scrupulous attention to detail and keeping the pH of the wine low enough to discourage unwanted microbiological life. Schulkin, who began his wine studies in Israel before coming to South Australia, chooses not to use sulfur dioxide, but he is easygoing about it. “We don’t mind life in our bottles, but we don’t like activity, so we prefer low pH,” he said. “It’s not about avoiding risks, but about managing them.”

Getting there: Fiji Airways flies direct to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane with connections to Adelaide on partner Qantas Airline.

Photo by Randy Larcombe/The New York Times Sam Vinciullo, who makes wine in the Margaret River region of Western Australia, is not nearly so laid back. He is resolutely anti-sulfur, just as he is uncompromising in what he demands of others and of himself. Unlike Schulkin and some other natural winemakers who buy grapes because they cannot afford their own vineyards, Vinciullo has essentially put everything into leasing an old vineyard and all his winemaking equipment. He would rather do all the farming himself than allow others a role. Indeed, he says he has at times camped out alongside a vineyard, rather than cede control. Yet he makes delicious, unconventional wines, like his 2018 Warner Glen White/Red, 75 percent sauvignon blanc and 25 percent shiraz, which is fresh, pure and textured, like biting into fresh fruit. He says winemakers who work naturally must be both meticulous and willing to wait. “It’s like raw milk cheese,” he said. “Have

patience and you can have something pure, alive and not nuked.” Vinciullo has very little time, however, for others who don’t share his militancy. He is skeptical of winemakers who say they work organically but add “just a little sulfur,” and he refuses to sell wine to people who he believes do not understand what he is trying to do. Others who share his anti-sulfur position include Shobbrook, one of Australia’s natural wine pioneers, and Erskine of Jauma, who makes wines of eye-closing beauty. Taras Ochota in the Adelaide Hills has inspired a number of local producers who work naturally, including Basket Range Wine and Commune of Buttons, but he does not want to be called a natural wine producer. “It’s a bit annoying, actually,” he said. He farms organically, and succeeds in making juicy, crunchy, delicious wines that develop over time. But he likes to use a little sulfur dioxide.

Photo by Frances Andrijich/The New York Times

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Here are 15 winemakers in Australia who are working naturally and whose wines are worth remembering. Many others work in this style, and their wines are worth trying if you see them. Blind Corner: Juicy, delicious wines from biodynamic grapes in the Margaret River. Borachio: Bright, crunchy wines from the Adelaide Hills, “smashable” thirst quenchers. Brave New Wine: Outstanding, experimental, idiosyncratic wines, from a husband-and-wife team in Denmark in the Great Southern. Commune of Buttons: Fresh, unpretentious wines from the Adelaide Hills. Gentle Folk: Serious but pretty wines from husbandand-wife scientists in the Adelaide Hills. Jauma: Delicate, gorgeous no-sulfur wines from McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills.

Photo by Frances Andrijich/The New York Times

La Violetta: Wonderful range of wines from the Great Southern.

While he loves wine of acidity, that feel alive, he is not a fan of genres that are popular among natural wine producers, like pétillant naturel, or of rigid attitudes.

“When I started, it was a radical thing not to fine or filter a riesling,” he said. “Not to protect a wine at every step along the way was considered unthinkable.”

“Snobbiness comes more from the hardcore natural winemakers who think anything with sulfur dioxide is trash,” he said. “The old order is a bit more accepting and curious.”

His 2017 riesling is lovely, richly textured, one of the best Australian rieslings I have had, full of elusive flavours that you want to pursue. He calls it Das Sakrileg.

Younger Australians have been attracted to natural wines more by the aura of informality and unpretentiousness.

Ruggabellus: Striking, singular, skin-contact wines of rare beauty from the Eden Valley.

Si Vintners: Easy-drinking wines from biodynamic grapes. Travis Tausend: Thoughtful, subtle wines from a searching producer in the Adelaide Hills.

Photo by Randy Larcombe/The New York Times

Still, he embodies its rebellious ideal. He worked in Australia’s corporate wineries, and saw firsthand how fruitiness was valued over savoury complexity in red wines, and how whites were made using cautious methods that avoided risk at all costs.

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The Other Right: Bright, savoury, refreshing wines from the Adelaide Hills.

Shobbrook Wines: Always surprising, always delicious, from a natural wine pioneer in Barossa.

Way over in Denmark, in the Great Southern region in far southwestern Australia, Andrew Hoadley of La Violetta makes a set of wonderful wines. He avoids the term “natural wine” because he thinks it is divisive and because he chooses to use small amounts of sulfur dioxide.

Ochota Barrels: A great, wide-ranging selection of fresh, energetic wines.

Sam Vinciullo: Pure, energetic, uncompromising natural wines from the Margaret River.

Jasper Button grew up in the Adelaide Hills, in a sort of commune. Several couples there, including his parents, planted a vineyard in the early 1990s. By 2010, the market for its grapes was dying, but Button was able to sell to producers like Ochota, which allowed him to keep the vineyard and make wine. His label, Commune of Buttons, now produces juicy, easygoing, energetic wines.

For his own whites, he took the opposite approach. He ferments his riesling in barrels rather than in steel tanks, and neither filters nor fines the wine.

Lucy Margaux: Luminous, provocative wines from a natural wine pioneer in the Adelaide Hills.

Photos by Frances Andrijich/The New York Times

experIeNce FIJIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LARGEST WATERPARK

HAPPY HOUR

MEMENTOS

DUBAI

Far-flung adventure 36 hours in Dubai. More on page 39. Photo: Dubai Tourism Board

2019 ISSUE 36 | FIJITIME

big Conquering bUla waterpark the Fijian Falls Story: Shane Hussein It’s a breezy, warm Saturday morning and I’m at the Big Bula Water Park on Denarau Island, home to some of Fiji’s most popular resorts. I had, on numerous occasions, driven past it on Denarau, and thought about taking the kids to it one day. All my kids needed was one drive past it, and that was it. I was told I’m taking them there the next weekend, and the decision was final. Kids are pretty determined when they want to be, aren’t they? If it has nothing to do with school, they do not procrastinate. So, here we were, at the Big Bula Water Park conveniently located next to the Denarau Golf and Racquet Club on Denarau Island. We were ushered in by a helpful young man, who issued us our waterproof wrist bands, handed us towels for use, and ushered us to the nearby lockers and changing rooms. Quick change into togs and we entered the park through a cheerful, not even slightly ominous, shark-head tent. A first look at the Big Bula Waterpark and I was immediately impressed by how deceptively big it was. More than a dozen inflatable water slides were lined up along the sides of a central walkway. The park design is brilliant in its simplicity, with the one walk-way ensuring that you couldn’t miss anything and designed in a way that one path will lead you all the way through, past giant inflatable slides offering single and dual (racing) slides. There’s a neat 10 metre high climbing wall/palm tree and you can scale up using a harness; a covered splash pool for the little ones to frolic in, complete with a volleyball and floaties. Many inflatable pools allow you to race with someone else. Arsh, my 10-year old resoundingly beat me in one of them. He would tell me for days afterwards that it was because he was more aerodynamic. I would simply shrug it off. I took Nubayd, my 6-year old into a dedicated ‘waterpark within a waterpark area exclusively

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for the younger ones. It was slides and obstacle courses all the way through for him, which he was absolutely thrilled about. We did a few of the inflatable slides along the walkway, right up to the park’s main attraction, the gargantuan and majestic ‘Fijian Falls’. Standing over 15 metres tall, Fijian Falls is 6 different slides offering 4 absolutely exhilarating experiences, ending in a large pool. At first glance, I wondered if Arsh and I could do it. It’s the non-inflatable part of the waterpark, a massive steel and fiberglass structure. The first slide, lower than the other three on Fijian Falls is the brightly coloured, hence aptly named ‘Sea Snakes’. Arsh was tentatively at first, gingerly stepping onto the slide. I was too, but of course, there was no way I was going to let him know that. After a little bit of persuading, we both pushed off. It was every bit as thrilling as it appeared. You slide down the first part, ease over a short ‘landing’, and then increase your speed in the second half of the slide into the pool. The first challenge of Fijian Falls conquered, we were boisterous, and thought I could conquer the other three slides, which are at the highest point of Fijian Falls. Arsh and I made our way to the top of the 15m high platform, tandem slide tube in hand aiming for the ride called ‘Tavarua Tubes’. It was there that I met Moji, who was the platform attendant. Smiling cheekily, he helped us get set on the tubes, told us to enjoy the ride, and gave us a gentle push (our hands were occupied with the tube handles). Tavarua Tubes is a winding halfpipe slide which careens you around a few loops before dispatching you into the pool. It definitely got our pulses racing. We thoroughly enjoyed it, and would go on to do it over and over again, including individually. In between slides, the kids also enjoyed splashing around in the pool, while I lazed around on an extremely comfortable floating cushion in an adjacent pool. Lots of lounge chairs, and covered

mini-cabanas were dotted around the pool, offering other ways to soak up the Saturday morning sun. The waterpark wasn’t overly crowded, so there was more than enough spots in every area for all the visitors. In between the numerous trip ups to the Tavarua Tubes I kept my eye on the biggest slide of them all – CloudBreak -. Standing at an imposing 15 metres high, it didn’t offer a sense of ease that the other slides did. I saw many of the guests approach it with some hesitation, however, their faces after they ‘took the plunge’ so to speak were of absolute elation. Buoyed by this, I decided to take on CloudBreak myself. Arsh was having enough fun on Tavarua Tubes, so he politely declined. Which brings me back to Moji. Just as I thought about retreating, he said: “Go on, you’ll like it, I promise”. I stood at the top of CloudBreak (named after a famous local surf break) staring down the length of the sharp slide. I then looked at the pool at the end, from the edge of which Arsh and Nuby were waving me on. Sigh. ‘Here we go”, I thought. “You better be right, Moji”. Off I went. The thrill of it was incredible, and all my trepidations disappeared as I sped down the slide onto a long landing which slowed me down just enough, allowing me to hit the plunge pool comfortably. I came up out of the water to the sounds of my kids cheering. I looked back up the top of CloudBreak basking in the fact that I had just conquered Fijian Falls. From the top of the highest platform, Moji gave me the quintessential Fijian thumbs up. “Vinaka”, I yelled back at him, although I’m sure my voice didn’t reach him at the top. Pricing info: Big Bula Waterpark has a number of pricing options for adults, kids, families and groups. Open every day of the year including Christmas day, anytime is a great time to visit Big Bula waterpark and enjoy the Fijian weather and hospitality.

Happy hOur sota tale “Till We Meet Again” Prior to the boarding call, a final toast to Fiji Time – a refreshing mix of the freshest local fruits spiced up with our local Fiji Bati rum and a dash of lemon. Till we see you again, Bon Voyage, ni sa moce, sota tale.

Recipe

- Blend fresh watermelon, orange, pineapple - Lemon juice - 45ml of Spice Rum - Built over ice - Garnish with pineapple wedge Available at the Fiji Airways Premier Lounge (Nadi International Airport)

2019 ISSUE 36 | FIJITIME

Mementos of Fiji

Here’s our list of what to take back with you to remember your Fiji holiday by.

Image Credit: Fonu Jewellery

Image Credit: Jacks Of Fiji

FONU JEWELLERY

FIJI RUGBY JERSEY

Designed to tell the story of the Pacific legends, this unique jewellery collection is inspired by the ocean and the skies. Offering a range of fine sterling silver 925 and hand-carved, plated jewellery, Fonu Jewellery piece are excellent companions for any occasion. Available at Prouds stores at Nadi International Airport and Proud stores Fiji wide..

Don’t miss your opportunity to show off this prized collection to your friends, family or any rugby fan. The famous ‘black & white’ strip has been proudly worn by Fijian rugby players for over 100 years. The ‘Flying Fijians’ as they are commonly known around the world, are renowned for their razzle-dazzle style of rugby, played with a flair that is quintessentially Fijian. Get your ‘Fiji Airways Flying Fijians’ rugby jersey from any Tappoos store Fiji-wide, including at Nadi international airport departures.

Image Credit: Coconut Kids Fiji

Image Credit: Pacific Island Arts

COCONUT KIDS FIJI DOLLS A brainchild of award-winning designer, Mala Chawda, Coconut Kids Fiji produces specialty Fijian dolls, children’s wear and accessories, stuffed toys and pillows. Popular selections include the Fiji Baby Dolls and My Fijian Turtle collections. Certified ‘Fijian Made’, each purchase of these items directly benefit the dozens of Fijian machinists and craft artists who carefully design and hand-make them. You can find Fiji Coconut Kids at Jacks of Fiji and Tappoos stores 36

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PACIFIC ISLAND ART This extremely popular hand-printed resort wear is fastbecoming the attire of choice in the South Pacific. Based on traditional Tahitian art, and created more than 50 years ago, Pacific Island Art uses specific techniques for block printing hand-drawn motifs, which is then mixed with unique colouring agents to make eye-catching wear for men, women and children. Pacific Island Art is available at the PIA retail stores in Lautoka, Namaka (Nadi) and Suva.

Image Credit: Fiji Coconut Vodka

FIJI COCONUT VODKA Enjoy a Fijian twist to vodka, with the Fiji Coconut Vodka. Every single bottle is hand-made, using the freshest Fijian coconuts. It combines the effervescence of vodka with the smooth, tantalising taste of organic coconuts. No artificial flavours or chemicals are added, so the taste remains true to Fiji. Available from major liquor stores and duty free outlets anywhere in Fiji.

Image Credit: Jacks Of Fiji

Image Credit: Tourism Fiji

FIJI FLAG The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;noble banner blueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is the symbol of pride for Fijians worldwide. Fijians display the flags proudly in their homes and offices, and thousands of fans are seen in stadiums everytime a Fijian rugby team takes the field. It is definitely a must-take-home memento after your holiday. Grab one today from Jacks of Fiji stores in airports, resorts and their stores Fiji-wide.

2019 ISSUE 36 | FIJITIME

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Enjoy paradise. Leave the rest to us

ramada suites

by Wyndham wailoaloa beach fiji, nadi bay Fiji’s newest 4 star, 6-Floor Beachfront Serviced Apartment Suite offers spectacular sunsets with 360-degree rooftop scenic viewing, over-looking Wailoaloa Beach, Nadi Bay & nearby Mamanuca Islands. Making it a central hidden gem for all visitors alike. Ramada Suites by Wyndham Wailoaloa Beach Fiji is located just 15 minutes drive from Nadi International Airport, Port Denarau Marina and Nadi Town central. There is a total of 40 suites located on five floor levels comprising a mix of King Studio, One Bedroom beachfront and Two Bedroom beachfront and ocean view options to choose from. Each immaculately outfitted suite comes with its own Private ensuite, Dining area, Lounge, IP TV display, Study desk, Air-con, Kitchen and Laundry facilities and FREE Wifi connectivity making it perfect for travellers wanting to feel all the comforts of home while on holiday. The property offers great facilities such as Senikai Spa & Fitness centre, Tropical Traders Gourmet Delicatessen, Lap Pool, Kids Pool with Play Area, Carparking and great Dining options.

Providing a warm welcoming retreat, the hotel is ideal for families, leisure and corporate travellers and is a perfect base for connections to the outer islands and many other attractions. Located on the 6th Floor is Nadi’s newest and only dedicated Rooftop Restaurant & Bar; Club 57 & Bistro. This 80-Seater In-door & Outdoor Restaurant offers diners a 360 degree view of Fiji’s spectacular sunsets and breathtaking views of Nadi Bay and the nearby outer islands. One cannot fault this charming restaurant with it’s modern deco and sophisticated ambience. Enjoy exceptional Mediterranean infused food inspired by local seasonal produce and modern gastronomy while basking in the light, soft jazzy sounds of Miles Davis, Bessie Smith, Peggy Lee and others. Our extraordinary selection of local and imported beers, wines, spirits, international and crafted cocktails caters for people from all walks of life. For the intrepid traveler looking to experience something new, bold, unmatched….come and visit Club 57 & Bistro for that little extra experience.

Investment Opportunity: Limited number of apartments left for sale! There are many benefits in owning a unit at Ramada Suites by Wyndham Wailoaloa Beach Fiji, namely • Your investment is managed with support from a 5-Star Global Brand • On-site management ensuring your property is kept at a 5-Star Standard • Pooled income which means revenue EVERY month no matter what the occupancy • Pooled Maintenance Fund so your repairs, utilities and insurance are taken care of • A team dedicated to providing you with a positive experience • Consistency, reliability & professionalism • Owners receive 28 nights usage per year 38

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www.ramadawailoaloafiji.com

For investment opportunities contact rohit.lal@ramadawailoaloafiji.com Tel: +679 9984676

36 HOurs

in dubai Story: Seth Sherwoodi/C.2019 New York Times News Service Photo: Dubai Tourism Board

Dubai is impossible to ignore. As its leaders and property developers proudly trumpet, the city-state along the Persian Gulf has the world’s highest building (the Burj Khalifa), the world’s tallest hotel (JW Marriott Marquis Dubai), the world’s largest artificial island (the Palm Jumeirah) and the world’s biggest mall (Dubai Mall). Lost in the bravado is the more impressive truth that this formerly sleepy backwater of the United Arab Emirates has emerged as an ethnically diverse metropolis where the world’s populations mingle along a recently opened coastal corniche, on well-kept public beaches, in modern subway and tram systems, and within hundreds of Arab-Persian-Indian-Pakistani-Filipino-FrenchJapanese-Chinese-British-American restaurants, both humble and high-end. And now Dubai is finally developing an alternative, arty side, with a fast-rising gallery district, ambitious indie fashion designers, a crop of cool organic cafes and world-class night-life spots

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saturday Noon Bohemian Brunch Warehouse-chic style arrives in Dubai courtesy of Tom & Serg, an Australian-Spanish pair whose namesake restaurant fills a soaring, neo-industrial space with tall windows, exposed ducts and hanging light bulbs. The menu is equally large and international, mixing brunch-style bites like corned-beef eggs Benedict (49 dirhams) and breakfast burritos (59 dirhams) with lunchtime fare like seared tuna with soba noodles (51 dirhams) and sea bass (69 dirhams) with Mideast-tinged sides like tangy eggplant purée and rice pilaf with pistachios. Then visit the pastry counter to choose among bread pudding, carrot cake and many other house-made desserts.

2 p.m. Art Street

friday 5 p.m. Straight to the Top Visiting the Burj Khalifa - more than 160 stories soaring 2,716.5 feet in the air - is like catching an airplane. You book your ticket online (125 to 200 dirhams, or USD35 to USD55 at 3.60 dirhams to the dollar), print it at an electronic kiosk in Dubai Mall, wait in line, undergo a security check and enter a tightly packed metal enclosure. Then, suddenly, liftoff, and the high-speed elevator deposits you on the 124th-floor observation deck. Best viewed at night, the twinkling cityscape - pulsing highways, soaring skyscrapers, desert sprawl - is a powerful introduction to Dubai’s vertical ambitions and outward push.

8 p.m. A Colossus Called Rhodes The evolution of British cuisine from global joke to global juggernaut owes much to Gary Rhodes - sometime cookingshow personality, cookbook author and Michelin-starred chef - who opened the much-anticipated Rhodes W1 last year. Within the white, soft-glowing, minimalist-cool interiors, a friendly young staff (sometimes more eager than experienced) delivers modern takes on British country classics, from Welsh rarebit to braised oxtail to offal meatballs in gravy. Especially recommended are the mushy peas - which form the earthy bed for crispy oyster tempura - and slow-roasted pork belly with winter vegetables, apple chunks in honey and green salad with pungent blue cheese. A three-course dinner for two, without wine, costs about 600 dirhams.

10:30 p.m. Dubai’s Got Talent Musical decisions are tough. Do you want to hear fez-wearing, oud-strumming troubadours kicking out classic Arabic dance tunes with an orchestra? An ace disco cover band channeling Donna Summer? A portly crooner bellowing Italian opera and a singalong of “We Are the Champions”? All of this and more, from reggae tributes to Egyptian crowd-pleasers, is served up live and loud in the vast, velvety concert space known as MusicHall, on the famous Palm Jumeirah island. Numerous acts perform short, spirited sets during the night, sending the well-dressed, all-ages crowds into a tizzy. Book a bar seat or table in advance and quaff a glass or two of Chivas Regal Scotch (1,200 dirhams for the bottle) or a Spiced Pisang cocktail (spiced rum, aged rum, Pisang Ambon, Midori, banana; 95 dirhams) on arrival. 40

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Like a Hollywood studio lot, each of the warehouses within nearby Alserkal Avenue - an enclosed arts district housing over 20 galleries that is undergoing a major expansion - offers a window into a fascinating universe. Salsali Private Museum, a sleek space outfitted with classic midcentury chairs and a minicinema, shows mainly Iranian and Middle Eastern artists. Grey Noise, which has exhibited at international fairs like Frieze and Art Basel, presents highly conceptual projects, while the more accessible Gulf Photo Plus shows international photographic works. For inspiration, hit A4, the district’s dedicated cafe, lounge, library, cinema, fashion boutique and ideas incubator. A cafe latte runs 20 dirhams.

5 p.m. Stilettos and Smoothies Megamalls? Meh. Ditch Dubai’s oversized, overpopulated, overwhelming retail cathedrals and instead stroll down Jumeirah Beach Road to seek out its small indie boutiques. Slip into the Closet, part of a small new trend of Dubai consignment stores, for red leather Jimmy Choo stilettos (600 dirhams) and a funky floral Marc Jacobs scarf (200 dirhams) for a fraction of the retail cost. For ethno-chic silvery teapots (315 dirhams), embroidered cushions (350 dirhams) and Taschen tomes, French-owned Comptoir 102 serves it all up - along with fresh juices, smoothies, coffees and teas. Sharing a villa, Bambah stocks the designer Maha Abdul Rasheed’s haute couture mainly glamorous evening wear recalling Hollywood’s golden age - while the Zoo Concept provides kitsch-cool accessories and novelties (a clear plastic clutch embossed with an Emirati flag, ladies?) chosen by Rasheed’s brother Hussein.

8 p.m. Mideast Feast Get out your hyphens. Qbara fuses an innovative east-west, neo-traditional, Arabo-Levantine-Persian-Ottoman mash-up menu in a bi-level, low-lit, Moorish-chic den of sultriness. Faster than a flying carpet, the kitchen can transport you to Yerevan via Aleppo (a sweet-salty hybrid of air-dried beef basterma with tangy peaches and halloumi cheese) and Marrakesh (a smoky synthesis of quail in grilled grape leaves with Moroccan spices) followed by stops in Istanbul (gelatinous red-fruit Turkish delight coated in a chocolate shell with rosé-flavoured ice cream) or Shiraz (Persian pear sorbet). The fat wine book, with vintages extending from the States to Syria, includes a lovely, light, dry, mineral rosé from Chateau Massaya in Lebanon (65 dirhams per glass). Three-course dinner for two, without drinks, is around 700 dirhams.

11 p.m. Go With the Glow The roofs are on fire in Dubai as top-floor, open-air bars sprout citywide. Everything glows atop the recently opened Dubai branch of Pacha, the Ibiza-based megaclub. The lights glow red. The dome with the trompe-l’oeil sky glows blue. The futuristic Meduse water pipes glow in multiple hues. And the iconic sail-shaped Burj Al Arab hotel next door glows gargantuan white. You’ll be glowing too after a few Iberian Cherry Rosé Martinis (mixed with vodka, tomato and rosemary; 75 dirhams). The glimmer (and glamour) continues at 40 Kong, a 40-story vantage point over the city with an orange-glowing bar, white-glowing low tables and pillars of fire in wire cages. The Kong cocktail (bourbon, vanilla liqueur, orgeat syrup, lime, mint, ginger beer; 90 dirhams) is king.

sunday 10 a.m. Beef Blanket Bingo Dubai’s most abundant natural resource - sand - is free and prime for exploitation along the emirate’s expansive, wellmaintained public beaches. Kite Beach, tucked behind Le Wazawan restaurant on Jumeirah Beach Road, attracts global cool kids, young professionals and hipster families with its golden sands, placid waters, volleyball areas, laid-back vibe and multiple food kiosks. For lunch, follow the swimsuited bodies and smell of grilling Wagyu beef to SALT - the two adjacent Airstream trailers enjoy a cult following for their miniburgers (two for 35 dirhams) topped with melted cheese and jalapeño slices.

Noon Spices and Gold Save a 1-dirham coin to cross Dubai Creek - actually a wide, powerful river - on one of the old wooden abra boats departing from the embankment near the textile souk. You’ll glide past Sinbad-worthy old dhow ships before alighting in the IranianIndian-Pakistani working-class district of Deira. Across the street, the bazaar called Souk El-Kabeer enfolds a warren of shops selling everything from spices to water pipes to ironing boards. A few blocks away, the shop windows of the Gold Souk gleam with buttery and brilliant rings, ropes, necklaces, pendants, brooches and other 24-karat concoctions. Bling notwithstanding, the neighbourhood retains a traditional, down-to-earth feel and recalls the Dubai of yore, before the emirate’s skyscrapers, seven-star hotels and world-domination schemes.

wHere tO stay Amid the historic quarter’s galleries and shops, Orient Guest House (Al Fahidi Historical District, orientguesthouse.com) occupies an Old World courtyard house with 11 rooms of traditional Arabian furniture and fabrics. From 300 dirhams. Opened in 2014 on Palm Jumeirah Island, the 319-room Waldorf-Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah (Crescent East; Plot C-34; ar.hilton.com/en) is a palatial spread. Doubles from 920 dirhams (summer low season) or 1,525 (high season).

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tHe intangible

souvenir Of a

cooking class Story by: Jessan Doton Photos: Flavours of Fiji

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“I believe food is a great way to learn about local culture, to connect with a place and understand a new destination.”

“Ready, fellow cooks?!” Maria exclaimed with her hands in the air, one holding a wooden spoon. The caramel sauce was coming together on one stove burner, the other had our cassava (tapioca) balls poaching, almost ready to be added to the oh-so-tempting caramel sauce - perfectly browned, flawlessly smooth (if we may say so ourselves). There was a group of nine attending this cooking class, with varying degrees of cooking experience, but there were oohs and aahs in unison as we made our very first dish of tavioka vakasoso (cassava in caramel coconut cream). It was a Saturday morning and we were taking part in a cooking class on Denarau. Earlier that day we had driven to the end of the cul-de-sac in the industrial subdivision of the integrated resort island to the front of

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the unassuming warehouse where we were supposed to be cooking…the area did not look like it would house a cooking class of any sort. But don’t let initial appearances fool you, because behind those industrial doors and up those stairs is the inviting open plan kitchen/ communal dining/store/coconut husking area, with aromas of herbs and seasonings wafting through the air, overflowing baskets of colourful fresh produce, plates of spices and ingredients laid out beside a cooking setup like an episode of Master Chef Fiji editionalready teasing us on the delicious day we were going to have. We were met by Malisa, who spoke with an energy and passion about Flavours of Fiji that only comes from being the founder of such an establishment.

“I believe food is a great way to learn about local culture, to connect with a place and understand a new destination. Whenever I travel, food is always at the top of the list whether it’s a cooking class, local food tour or dining in a hole-in-the wall eatery – local, fresh, authentic and traditional cuisine. Once I understand the food, I understand the culture and Flavours of Fiji is an extension of this,” she says with a fire in her eyes. Malisa’s food background is not from any formal culinary training but rooted in her experiences with her grandmother growing up in their hometown in Savusavu. “Up at dawn on a Saturday morning, my grandmother would whip up her delicious purini batter. On the way to the local markets, we would pull over on the side of the road placing our tea-towel wrapped purini in the hot springs to steam. After shopping, we would swing by to collect our perfectly steamed pudding, which would later be enjoyed with homemade banana custard. What a sight though…assorted coloured tea towels dotting the entire hot springs. Based on an honesty system, we knew different tea towels belonged to different families, it was simple in those days; a very wholesome childhood. “ “Also, spending time with my grandfather on the reefs at low tide, armed with a little knife, lemon and chillies – we would spend hours walking, discovering and eating many exotic types of local seafood. All of these experiences ingrained a love of local food in me from a very early age”. She took those memories that fueled her upbringing, along with her natural love of food, and established Fiji’s first interactive cooking class six years ago. And it is this home-grown, home-cooked, soul food ethos that is at the heart of the experience she has created. Like her, none of the other cooks have been classroom trained, but rather, life-trained. They are mothers who take great joy in feeding and nurturing their families and communities.

with aromatics (taro leaves), ika vakalolo (fish in coconut cream), and tavioka vakasoso (cassava in caramel coconut cream). Class is energetic, comfortably paced, abounding with conversations between ‘fellow cooks’, with generous servings of Fijian humour from Maria who makes us do a dance with our pots and tells us how the wooden spoon has transitioned from a tool of fear to one of great affinity for her. One thing that we couldn’t take back with us from class is how the dirty dishes and utensils magically disappeared after our very proficient ability to dirty them up. With an army of just four, including cooks and a manager, the operation is a seamless and effortless affair. After plating our first three dishes, we sat around the communal table and dug right into our handiwork, thoroughly impressed with our creations. Jugs of freshly squeezed kumquat and soursop juice were the perfect accompaniments to our meal. The Flavours of Fiji experience is frontloaded with a guided market tour through Nadi market with an informative excursion through local fresh produce. During the market tour a couple had bought nama (sea grapes) which they graciously shared with the table, so Maria and the ladies generously prepared a quick salad mixing the nama with onions and tomatoes; the tiny explosions with the ensuing taste of the ocean were a treat for the tastebuds. There’s a word in the i-Taukei language that specifically defines this flavour profile- kusima! Next, it was time to cook up an Indian thali with Aarti, or aunty as we would be calling her by the end of the day. Our thali, an Indian-style meal made up of several dishes served on a platter, would have pumpkin curry, chicken and potato curry, and roti (flat bread). Indian herbs and spices were introduced to the country from 1879 when Indian labourers

were brought to Fiji by the British as part of the indentured system. This new population brought along with them exciting new spices and ingredients, and the beginning of a cuisine that would carve a distinct and indelible mark on the identity of Fijian gastronomy. Over the years, as cultures merged and influenced each other, so too did this synthesis express itself through food, forming the unique Fiji-Indian curry. Fresh aromatics and spices of Indian origin found beautiful blends with island staples like seafood, coconut, and root crops. And just like our first meal, we plated our thali and sat around the communal dining table to eat. Although in true Fiji fashion, there were takeaway containers. By this time, after a shared experience and witnessing each other’s rather awkward chicken dances, the group were exchanging stories and experiences of their trip; there were some tourists from abroad, and a couple from the capital across the island. It’s this sense of community and the act of sharing a meal that is so quintessentially Fijian, and what makes this cooking class worth the while. It is, as Malisa so aptly describes it, an intangible souvenir.

That is a glimpse that Flavours of Fiji allows into the lives and culture of its people and its society. Just like Fiji has evolved through the years to become a melting pot of cultures - Pacific and transcontinental - so too has its cuisine. The menu on our cooking class is made up of two meals, and a total of seven courses (gulp). The two meals consist of a traditional Fijian family lunch, and an Indo-Fijian meal, complete with chai brewed on stovetop. One of our master cooks is Maria, who guides us through the traditional Fijian meal of rourou *Visit www.issuu.com/fly_fijiairways for recipes

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cuisiNes tHat are easier On the planet Story: Somini Sengupta/C.2019 New York Times News Service Take a Vegan Food Tour, or Study Up With a Travel Guide Can I eat well without wrecking the planet? As a climate reporter and personal chef to a growing, ravenous child, I think about this question a lot. Is there a cuisine somewhere in the world that is healthy both for us and for the planet we live on? And if one exists, would we even want to eat it? Turns out, there is no magic cuisine to save our species. There are, however, many ways to eat sustainably. They’re built into many traditional cuisines around the world, and we can learn from them. In any case, we don’t have much choice. To avert the most severe effects of climate change, scientists say, we have to very quickly transform the way we eat. Food production accounts for 21% to 26% of global greenhouse-gas emissions, depending on how you slice the data; food waste accounts for an additional 8%, considering that worldwide, we waste a third of the food we produce. Also, with climate change turbocharging droughts and storms, there are new risks to food security for the 800 million people worldwide who don’t have enough to eat. Eating well doesn’t have to mean eating weirdly, or depriving ourselves, or even breaking the bank. Here are simple ideas to guide you, whether you’re eating out or cooking at home. Vietnam: Less Meat, but Not Meatless Pho, the hearty Vietnamese noodle soup, I discovered on a recent reporting trip to Hanoi, can deliver happiness at breakfast, lunch and dinner. At mealtimes, I scanned the streets and headed over to what looked to be the most popular pho stand, took the first free stool and waited for the chef, usually an enterprising woman seated on an identical plastic stool, to assemble my bowl. The soul of pho is the broth, and the genius of the broth is that a bit of meat, not even the best meat, goes a long way. I like the beef version, made with bones, tendon, a bit of brisket, and simmered for three hours or more with charred onions, ginger, 46

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spices of the tropics and the essence of all Vietnamese cooking, fish sauce. Chicken works fine, too, and I’ve even had a vegetarian version, which, I admit, was surprisingly delicious. For me, the lesson of pho is a lesson embodied in many traditional cuisines. Meat can discreetly be the star of the meal. It can be used in small quantities to enrich grains and vegetables. No question, some of us must eat less meat. Authors of a recent report published in medical journal The Lancet, recommend that we instead fill most of our plates with fruits, nuts, vegetables, legumes and whole grains. They did not suggest that humanity forgo all flesh. India: Lean in on Legumes Legumes are a universe unto themselves: from fava in the Middle East to flor de mayo in Mexico, cowpeas in Ghana to mung beans in Bangladesh. I’ve eaten them on five continents. Nowhere have I eaten them in so many forms as I have in India. Pigeon peas become breakfast pancakes known as dosa. Chickpea flour, steamed and topped with oil-popped mustard seeds, turns into a fluffy yellow dhokla. Mung beans are repurposed into sweet halwa, swollen with ghee and cardamom. And then there’s dal, the savoury lentil stew without which no Indian meal is complete. The nature of the dal depends entirely on who’s cooking it, where and in which season. It can be made from any of the vast variety of legumes that grow in the region. It can be flavoured with green mango or goat, coconut or tomato, even a fish head, which my mother swore would make me smarter. (I refused to eat it.) Make me your dal and I’ll tell you who you are. Lentils and beans are high in protein and fibre, low in fat. They are good for the planet, too. The Food and Agriculture Organisation calls them “climate smart” because they can adapt to rough weather, restore degraded soils and even make cattle feed more digestible.

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By midday, as my family and I sat on the terrace, small plates of many things appeared on the tables all around. There were cold and hot foods, blended and whole, a spectrum of colours from every part of the landscape. There was sheep cheese, grilled or plain, tabbouleh heavy in mint, walnuts puréed with red peppers, dandelions sautéed with onions, and, for dipping, a bowl of olive oil with crushed thyme and sesame. It was all there. Grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. There was meat, too. But, as in pho, it didn’t dominate. It hid in the heart of a fried kibbe: ground, spiced lamb cocooned in bulgur.

Venezuela: Mussel Power (and Clams and Scallops, Too) Alejandra Schrader, a chef based in Los Angeles, grew up on shellfish in Venezuela. She remembers a seafood cocktail sold near the beach: steamed plates of mussels and clams, sometimes oysters, soaked with lime and herbs. Levanta muertos, people would call it, roughly, “the resurrector,” because its iron could help revive you after a night of hard drinking. Then, there was her mother’s thrifty paella. The Spanish version — which has mussels and clams but also needs rabbit, a shortgrain rice called bomba and a special pan — is often too luxurious for many of us. But her mom’s version required just going to the beach with a plastic bucket and digging for clams in the sand. At home, her mother cooked a sofrito of onion, garlic and sweet pepper, added some cooking wine, if there was any in the house, and then folded in the clams and a bowl of leftover white rice, which was always in the fridge. No special pans were needed. No fancy ingredients. “To me it’s very comforting.” Schrader said. “You add a little cilantro or top it with some avocado, and it’s a really great meal.” Bivalves like mussels, clams and scallops are a healthy protein, as long as they come from clean waters. That’s important because they filter the waters in which they grow. But, because they are filter feeders, slurping up phytoplankton, they need only a tiny piece of the ecosystem to produce their protein. “It’s the closest thing you have to a free lunch, from an animal protein perspective,”

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said Richard Waites, who specialises in agriculture at the World Resources Institute, a research and advocacy group based in Washington. Kansas: Be Kind to the Land Every spring, Devon Mihesuah, a professor of indigenous history and culture at the University of Kansas, prepares salads of dandelions from her garden and collects wild onions that grow in the fields. When the frost lifts, she puts gourds and peppers into the ground. She does not spray chemicals to get rid of what others would consider weeds, she says, because bees need them to pollinate. Those habits are grounded in the culinary tradition of indigenous people. Eating local is part of that tradition, but it’s not everything. Often it means treating food as medicine. Always, it means eating in such a way that doesn’t pollute the place where the food is grown. And not eating all of it. That’s why Mihesuah, a member of the Choctaw nation and editor of a forthcoming anthology of essays on indigenous eating, is wary of recommending specific foods. She worries that some could become trendy and then be depleted through overconsumption. “It’s a real respect for your resources,” Mihesuah said. “You don’t take all of it. You don’t pull things out by root.” Lebanon: Pass the Halloumi, With Friends It was a Sunday morning, and the kitchen at Beit El Qamar, in the hills above Beirut, was a bright, busy place. Herbs had been picked from the garden out back. Pots were simmering on the stove. Chickpeas were folded into an earthen bowl of yogurt and tahini.

It was a meal meant to be eaten with others, to be passed around and discussed. A meal designed to slow me down, even if just for an afternoon. I tell you about this meal because it embodies the final and most basic principle of eating well, both for our health and the health of the planet: eating together. Sharing a meal can be a good way to avoid waste and overconsumption. There’s usually someone in the group who will pop the last piece of cheese into her mouth (my child), or scrape the last bits of kibbe from the plate (me). Not least, eating together makes eating more pleasurable.

No longer under-kava

is the kava

tHe new kombucha?

In September this year, the kava game changed with the commissioning of the World’s first kava tissue culture laboratory in Levuka by Fiji Kava. Kava is enjoying a resurgence in western markets, and the tissue culture technology that is being developed at this plant establishes a platform for guaranteed quality to help shape the global rebirth of kava. Not only will it have major sustainability benefits of kava for the industry, but the tissue culture lab will provide Fiji Kava with a unique differentiator and leading edge, with the aim to ensure Fiji produces world-class, disease-free, high quality kava to meet the growing demand for kava from international markets. Kava had its name dragged through the mud in the early 2000’s when a German pharmaceutical company processed the entire plant (Pacific Islanders only use the roots of the plant), got sick, and as a result deemed it to be dangerous. Good sense prevailed and the ban was overturned in 2014, but fixing the damage done to

its name is only just making headway with the efforts of companies like Fiji Kava who have used science to prove its benefits, benefits that ancient Pacific Islanders have known for thousands of years. According to Founder and Managing Director, Zane Yoshida, “we see tissue culture as a long-term solution for creating a sustainable and growing kava industry. This tissue culture lab is an important aspect of the standardisation of kavalactone profiles in the kava plants, from which we have derived desirable profiles which enhance therapeutic benefits such as calming and soothing nerves, inducing sleep and increasing muscle relaxation. We will grow disease free plantlets and clone Noble kava plants which possess these desirable traits, thereby improving both the quality and yield of kava.” To back their plans, Fiji Kava tapped the expertise of Professor Jerome Sarris, appointing him their Scientific Advisor.

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With over 20 years of experience in the natural products and plant medicines field, having led many plant-medicine clinical trials (in particular studying kava), Professor Sarris is the leading authority in Australia and New Zealand on kava and various natural medicines. Professor Sarris has published the results of his clinical trials in high impact medical and psychiatric journals, showing a significant reduction of anxiety and stress in this research. He also has found no compelling evidence of water extracted kava showing any major issues on the liver. The first double-blind, placebo controlled, cross-over clinical trial took place in 2008/2009 in Australia, with the results demonstrating that kava (250mg of kavalactones) significantly reduced anxiety over a 3-week period in 60 adults (Sarris et al., 2009). A follow-up 6-week study in 75 participants diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder further demonstrated the effect of kava (120mg-240mg of kavalactones) in significantly reducing anxiety compared to placebo (Sarris et al., 2013a). Notably, according to Professor Sarrisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; reports, there were no significant effects of kava on liver function or any adverse liver effects in both studies. Together, this data indicates that not only is a water-soluble root extract of a noble cultivar of kava a fast-acting effective anxiolytic, but it also produces less unfavourable side effects compared to conventional pharmacotherapies, and is (in these small samples) safe on the liver. Evolving from its traditional, social setting to a more medicinal, science-backed natural elixir for the ailments of 21st century living, will this ancient libation become the new noni, or kombucha? Visit fijikava.com for more information or to place an order *TGA and FDA compliant and listed as a complementary medicine in Australia, and sold as a dietary supplement in most other international markets.

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explOre DESSERTS

TOWN GUIDE

VEGAN MONTH

SAVUSAVU

RECIPE

Explore, Near and Far. Meet the radiant residents of the Savusavu seas. Photo: Chris McLennan

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sweet as! Asian desserts find their way to the west, and they’re Instagram ready Story: Julia Moskin/C.2019 New York Times News Service

cy, pretty, ingenious frozen treats from Asia — Thai ice cream rolls, Korean-style honey soft serve, Hong Kong egg waffle sundaes, Japanese parfaits, Chinese icecream-filled buns, Taiwanese bubble tea floats, and Filipino and Indonesian shaved ice — are popping up in more and more places in the United States, where they put the basic American scoop shop to shame.

Image Credit: An Rong Xu/The New York Times 52

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Getting there: Fiji Airways flies direct to Los Angeles and San Francisco with onward connections throughout the United States on partner American Airlines.

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The “No Hate” cone from Ice and Vice’s Times Square location in New York. Ingenious takes on soft serve, shaved ice and other treats from Thailand, Japan and South Korea are putting the American scoop shop to shame. (An Rong Xu/The New York Times)

The Taro in a waffle bowl at BingBox Snow Cream in New York (An Rong Xu/The New York Times)

The halo-halo parfait with ube ice cream and granola, at Ube Kitchen in New York. (An Rong Xu/The New York Times)

The Macarons Party at Sno-Crave in San Francisco (Jason Henry/The New York Times)

A bubble waffle with rainbow vanilla ice cream, chocolate drizzle, whipped cream, rainbow sprinkles, and pocky at Wowfulls in New York. Bubble waffles, a popular Hong Kong street snack, have been repurposed as giant ice cream cones. (An Rong Xu/The New York Times)

The Jenga at Sno-Crave in San Francisco (Jason Henry/ The New York Times)

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A pink cotton candy soft serve with Cotton Candy Flavor ice cream, with toppings of sprinkles and fruity pebbles at Wu Kong in New York. (An Rong Xu/The New York Times)

The matcha-sesame swirl cone with mini-mochi and a swirl cookie at Taiyaki in New York. (An Rong Xu/ The New York Times)

Green tea snow with mochi and boba at Sno-Crave in San Francisco (Jason Henry/The New York Times)

Clockwise from center top, the the Thai Tea with lychee, the Panda Bear with toasted marshmallow, and the Crazy Monkey at Frozen Sweet in New York. (An Rong Xu/ The New York Times)

The watermelon shaved ice in a fresh watermelon at Sweet Moment in New York, July 29, 2017 (An Rong Xu/The New York Times)

Chizuru Okamoto holds a coffee jelly frappe, left, while her employee, Andy Lopez, holds a green tea frappe at Okamoto Kitchen Truck in Los Angeles. ((Lisa Corson/ The New York Times)

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Town Guide

Our top picks of where to stay, play, see and dine in Sigatoka

See • Sigatoka Market This Coral Coast town market offers some of the freshest fruits and vegetables in Fiji. Situated close to the Sigatoka Valley, referred to as the Salad Bowl of Fiji has its benefits for Sigatoka residents and visitors alike, who enjoy the constant supply of mouth-watering tropical delights of the earth. Take a walk through the market, and enjoy fresh bananas, papaya, and other seasonal fruits on offer from friendly locals.

• Pottery Village Just a 10 minute drive from Sigatoka town into the lush Sigatoka valley are a number of pottery villages that welcome visitors to experience something unique. The women of Nakabuta village still practice pottery making in the ancient artisanal style of their ancestors, using clay and sand from the river that runs beside their village, mixed with water. Visitors can take a village tour before a masterclass on craft pottery. You’re welcome to try your hand at making your own ware, and of course have a wander around the little handicraft market to buy souvenirs.

Play • Sigatoka Sand Dunes The Sigatoka Sand Dunes stands out as one of the more unique wonders of Fiji and a popular local destination. It is home to a myriad of native and endemic flora and fauna, including clues to man’s first arrival onto the Fijian shore. The National Park exhibits a rich combination of geomorphological, ecological and cultural attributes, making it an excellent place for recreation, research and education. It is also an important training ground for Fijian rugby teams, and has been credited for the successes of the world famous Fijian Rugby teams.

• Kula Wild Adventure Park Kula WILD Adventure Park is set over 3 valleys, with 12 acres of coastal forest. It is a show place for Fiji’s spectacular bird, reptile & marine life. You can get up close via walk-through enclosures that are inhabited by our resident parrots, doves, water birds & reptiles. A nature walk through acres of natural forest with elevated boardwalks allows exploration, from the valley floor to the forest canopy. Marine displays of Ocean turtles, soft & hard coral and tropical fish provide a glimpse of the spectacular marine world that surrounds Fiji. Enjoy Fiji’s only Roller-Coaster Zip Rail and Jungle Waterslide at the park!

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Stay • Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort • Crow’s Nest Situated along the lively Sunset Strip and only a street away from its private beach, The Crow’s Nest Resort boasts self-contained spacious villas and suites with ocean views. The property offers an array of activities including fishing, kayaking, snorkelling, and crab racing. The onsite swimming pool is perfect for a dip. Nadi International Airport is a 1-hour drive away, and chargeable direct shuttles are provided. Sigatoka Town is an 8-minute drive away, while Kula Eco Park is located within a 3-minute drive.

• The Beach Bar & Grill

Located approximately 80km from Nadi airport and nestled at the end of Sunset Strip in Korotogo, Sigatoka, this is a classic Beach Bar where tourists, expats and locals come together for great food in casual beach side atmosphere. Serving fresh seafood, locally sourced produce steak, pasta and international Cuisine, the Beach Bar n’Grill has attracted a loyal following since opening its doors in 2013.

This 4.5-star resort has 207 rooms and suites and 47 bures, nestled in 16 hectares of gardens and coconut groves on the shores of a reef-fringed lagoon. It feels more like a traditional Fijian village rather than a resort. From the first ‘Bula’ welcome, you are instantly surrounded by genuine Fijian hospitality. Each day, families are treated to a huge array of activities and fun -snorkelling, kayaking, coconut bowling, volleyball, tennis, Fijian art and craft classes and daily yoga. No matter their interests or ages, there’s something perfect for everyone

Taste

• The Golden Cowrie Located at the Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort & Spa, this delightful restaurant offers the tastes of Italy while overlooking the majestic Pacific Ocean. Led by Italian Sous Chef Bruno Bettinazzi, who hand-makes the soft cheeses and pasta that are the foundation of this premium dining experience, and delivers a quality of Mediterranean dining not seen before in Fiji.

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vegan Or vegetarian? you Have More travel and dining Options tHan ever Story: Nora Walsh/C.2018 New York Times News Service Photo: Erik Lieux/The New York Times

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Take a Vegan Food Tour, or Study Up With a Travel Guide Adventure outfitter Intrepid Travel recently introduced three new vegan food tours to India, Italy and Thailand led by local guides. “Dietary choices shouldn’t hold anyone back from exploring the world,” said Neil Coletta, the company’s food tour manager. “We make sure every meal is strictly vegan, so travellers can relax and enjoy themselves.” Another travel company, VegVoyages, offers off-the-beaten track vegan adventures in Bali, Nepal and Southeast Asia, while Vegan Travel takes guests on all-vegan cruises in the Baltic Sea, Mekong Delta and Patagonia. The publisher Well + Away recently came out with a series of healthy travel guides, called VitalGuides, with vegans in mind. Guides for San Francisco, London, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn are already available. “Not all restaurants included are vegan, but each one must provide thoughtful vegan options beyond vegetable sides,” said founder Margaux Lushing. The guides, which are curated by locals in each city, are available for download in print and mobile formats for USD 12.99 each. The startup also offers in-room “VitalKits,” with vegan snacks for a variety of hotels, one of the many ways hospitality brands are adapting their offerings to accommodate vegan travelers.

Hotels Across the Globe Are Adding Vegan Menus Lodgings worldwide are introducing vegan menus at their restaurants, cocktail bars, afternoon teas, and in their guest rooms. “Hotels are placing more of an emphasis on wellness, and plant-based cuisine is part of that,” said Los Angeles-based chef and restaurateur Matthew Kenney, who recently opened Alibi, an upscale vegan restaurant at the Ovolo Woolloomooloo hotel in Sydney.

In late 2018, Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills added Kenney’s vegfocused fare on the in-room dining menu. “Talented chefs are elevating vegan cuisine around the world,” he said. “Travellers today don’t have to compromise flavour or the dining experience to get the health benefits of eating plant-based food.” His next restaurant will open inside Casa Sur in Buenos Aires, the meatloving capital of Argentina — a testament to the diet’s widespread appeal.

ovember is World Vegan Month, and with an increasing number of places catering to all types of vegan travelelrs, there is a lot to celebrate. (And perhaps not much to make fun of: The editor of a British food magazine recently lost his job over an email in which he ridiculed vegans.) According to a report published by Global Data, the percentage of vegans in the United States has risen to 6 percent from 1 percent in the past three years and Pinterest says it has seen a near-200 percent spike in searches for vegan food travel guides since last year. Whether it is for health, religious, or environmental concerns, one thing is certain, the vegan community is growing and businesses are responding to its needs.

Your Souvenir Shopping Can Be Animal-Free, Too As the meat-free revolution steadily inches toward the mainstream, its effects are reaching beyond the plate. Portland, Oregon, is home to the country’s first vegan mini-mall, while a vegan food hall, Vshops, recently opened in Miami. Toronto boasts Vegandale, an entire city block of vegan stores, whose annual Vegandale Food Drink Festival has expanded to Chicago, New York City and Houston.

“Festivals are a great way for people to learn more about vegan values, experience the lifestyle, sample products and eat delicious food,” said chef Todd Erickson, co-owner of Miami restaurant Glam Vegan and the culinary director of Miami’s Seed Food and Wine festival, which takes place annually during World Vegan Month. “There’s something for everyone at every price point, from burger battles to private chef dinners,” he said. “Vegan food is not just kale and tofu anymore.

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Getting there: Fiji Link flies to Savusavu from Nadi daily with connections from L.A on Fiji Airways.

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meet tHe

radiant residents of savusavu Story: Sara Calson

ne of the most recognisable reef fish families is the Butterflyfish (Chaetodontidae), and you can expect to see them any on any dive or snorkel in Fiji. The shallow reefs around Savusavu have an abundance of these beautifully patterned fish, and that is a good sign as research has shown Butterflyfish to be a good indicator of reef health. Many species of Butterflyfish feed on specific hard coral and rely on coral reefs for their habitat, so the presence of Butterflyfish usually correlates with healthy hard coral cover. If you’re up for a challenge, you can try to spot as many of the 27 or more species of Butterflyfish found within Fiji’s waters. Often bright yellow and white with dark markings, Butterflyfish may use their colouration and patterns to deter predators. Some species have false eye spots, and black markings often hide the location of their eyes. While they appear very conspicuous during the daytime, they hide in coral crevices during the night time to avoid predation. They rely on hard corals for shelter and usually have a limited range, so they are often the first family of fishes to show behavioural change and population decline when coral are damaged or stressed.

monitoring programmes have shown a corresponding decline in Butterflyfish numbers. Most species of Butterflyfish are monogamous and have been observed to pair for life, so when you spot one on the reef, keep a lookout for another one close by. They are sexually monomorphic, which means the males and females look the same, but in some cases it has been found that the males of certain species are slightly larger than the females. While you might occasionally see some species of Butterflyfish in schools or solitary individuals, most are in pairs defending their territory from other corallivores. Within the family there are also several species of Bannerfish, which are also commonly spotted in small groups or larger schools in the shallows around Savusavu. Longfin Bannerfish are easily distinguished by their elongated dorsal filament, whereas Humphead Bannerfish have a triangular shape and can often be found under coral overhangs. Their feeding behaviour and lifestyle requires healthy coral, so a decline in Butterflyfish diversity or abundance is an alarm for the overall health of the reef. They are so important and correlated with reef health that in 20082009 ‘The Great Fiji Butterflyfish Count’ asked participants of all ages to help count and identify Butterflyfish species around the country. Their results showed a high number of Butterflyfish and a high level of biodiversity found in Fiji, with some species being more common in some regions than others. For instance, the Triangle Butterflyfish was the most observed species found around Savusavu, but on Fiji’s Coral Coast the most common species was the Vagabond Butterflyfish. This example of citizen science, where volunteers from around the country helped with data collection, is a great way to assess reef health on a large scale and generate interest within the community. Hopefully you will see many of these iconic reef fish on the reefs during your stay in Fiji, and their presence will give you a picture of the health of the reefs.

Butterflyfish are omnivores, but some species are specialists and will only feed on specific hard coral, which makes them corallivores. Other species have a much broader diet that will include algae and zooplankton in addition to corals and other invertebrates. Some juveniles act as cleaners, removing parasites from larger fish. Many species of Butterflyfish have an elongated jaw which allows them to pluck invertebrates or coral polyps from tiny crevices. Their scientific family name, Chaetodontidae, means ‘bristle-tooth’, and that is because they have very small close-set brush-like teeth. Researchers found that some Butterflyfish are so picky when it comes to their food that they avoid coral that have come into contact with seaweed, even when the seaweed is no longer present. In previous coral bleaching events around the world, coral 2019 ISSUE 36 | FIJITIME

SAMOAN: UMU

Image Credit: Samoa Tourism Authority

NEW ZEALAND: HANGI 62

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FIJI: LOVO

food Of tHe earth Story: Jessan Doton

he evolution of food has always had a direct and significant correlation to the advancement of humans. The way humans consumed and cooked their food has been indicative of the changing times and evolving societies. Crude stone tools were fashioned by prehistoric cavemen to hunt and kill their food, and the all-important discovery of fire would change the way humans eat food. How the early humans discovered fire and created the first barbecue is a story only we can hypothesise, but one thing is for sure, the shift to a cooked diet was a pivotal point in human history. From tools and fire, to the formation of civilisations and colonies, the story of food continued to be tied to the structures of people and society. Food started being classified according to hierarchy of its consumers; food for the chief, food for warriors, royal cuisine, and poor manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s food. In the Pacific, this evolutionary tale of our sustenance evokes a common thread through subterranean food pits. Pacific Islanders were seafarers and journeyed across the oceans as communities. Once they put down roots on an island, they created their villages and communities around important food and water sources. They also brought with them on these long journeys, the knowledge of cooking food under the ground. While earth ovens were used by many civilisations, they are still commonly found and practiced in the Pacific. To this day, throughout the Pacific, different island nations have their own versions of the earth oven. In Fiji we call it lovo. In Rotuma it is a koua. Tongans and Samoans call their version umu, and the Maori of New Zealand call it a hangi.

At its most basic, this is a dug out pit in the ground used to trap heat and bake, smoke, or steam food, normally using white hot stones, with food parcels of meat, fish, poultry, starchy root crops, vegetables, and even desert placed over the stones and covered by leaves and earth. This is left for several hours before the perfectly cooked feast is exhumed. The word lovo translates to feast cooked in the earth, and it is a feast! Because of the time and labour required for a lovo, it is now usually reserved for communal celebrations like weddings, birthdays, and special family gatherings like Christmas and family reunions. The meats are sometimes marinated and seasoned, and same as the fish and vegetables, are wrapped in banana and dalo/ taro leaves, before being placed on top of the heated stones that are covered in dirt. It is then slow-cooked to give it a perfectly tender and flavourful finish. The steam and leaves and coconut husks gives it a delicious smoky flavour. The lovo experience can now also be enjoyed by tourists at many resorts in Fiji who often have a dedicated lovo buffet night where you can try all the spoils of a delicious Fijian lovo. A few of our favourites are, lovo chicken with its smoky flavour cooked to tender perfection, fish steamed from the heat of the stones, and palusami â&#x20AC;&#x201C; layered dalo/taro leaves drenched in fresh coconut milk with onions, tomatoes, corned beef and spices sometimes added. Partaking in a lovo is more than just a great gastronomic experience, but an encounter with an ancient tradition that has survived millennia and journeys over continents and oceans and continues to exist in practice in the idyllic Pacific.

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Method:

Nanna’s Homemade

‘purini’ recipe A decadent Fijian coconut steamed pudding INGREDIENTS: • 2 cups of brown coconut sugar • 3 cups self-raising flour • 2 cups fresh coconut cream (or canned if fresh is unavailable) • 2 farm fresh eggs • 2 tblsp baking soda • 4 tblsp butter • 1 tsp grated nutmeg

1. Combine coconut sugar and butter in a heavy saucepan gently stirring on low heat until all caramelises into a golden brown syrup (similar to treacle). 2. Then slowly decant the coconut cream into the caramelised blend and gently stir until all has melded beautifully. 3. Add self-raising flour, baking soda, butter and grated nutmeg into a large bowl and mix wholeheartedly by hand. 4. Drizzle the warm caramelised syrup in parts into the large mixing bowl and combine until the blended ingredients are of a similar texture to cake batter. 5. Pour the batter into a greased bowl, cover with baking paper, tie the rim with a piece of string, place in a shallow water filled pot and steam for 1 & ½ hrs. If no hot-springs are nearby, a stovetop will do! 6. When ready, stick a skewer (or clean sasa) into the pudding & if no batter adheres, pop the kettle on and let the grandchildren know its’ purini time! 7. Don’t forget to enjoy with lashings of home-made banana custard, butter & a cup of tea!

Recipe and images: Malisa Raffe (Director - Flavours Of Fiji Cooking School) 64

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visit IOWA

KIRIBATI

SOLOMON ISLANDS

Iowaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Waubonsie State Park

Driving into Waubonsie is like entering a hidden kingdom. Photo: Christopher Miller/The New York Times

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ricH in suprises and secrets,

tHere’s a state park waiting for you Story: Peter Kujawinski/C.2019 New York Times News Service Photo: Christopher Miller/The New York Times

n a cold and damp Iowa evening in October, I sat in a tent and thought about Abraham Lincoln. More precisely, I thought about Lincoln signing a minor piece of legislation deeding the Yosemite Valley to the state of California. It happened in 1864, while the Civil War raged. It is important because of just a few words. California was given ownership of Yosemite on the condition that the land “be held for public use, resort, and recreation.” This was the official approval of a remarkable and radical idea: Everyone should have access to nature. It led to our ecosystem of national and state parks, wilderness areas and nature preserves — all generally committed to providing this access. And it came at a time when Lincoln presumably had a lot on his mind. Did he realise his signature would transform America’s relationship with nature? That October night, I was camping in Iowa’s Waubonsie State Park, just one park among the many thousands now scattered across the United States. It was near the tail end of a yearlong mission to visit as many state parks as possible. (Final tally: 53.) This article focuses on those I visited in the western part of the country. Waubonsie is a small state park in the southwestern corner of Iowa, near Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri. I didn’t know anything about it, except for reviews saying it was a good place for a picnic. I figured it’d be a few lonely trees surrounded by corn. What I found truly astounded me, and emphasised what I love most about state parks: You never know what you are going to find. In this 1,990-acre state park, I found an ancient forest on a plateau, an island of mysterious trees in the middle of a vast agricultural region. A secret in plain sight. Waubonsie, as it turns out, is the result of glaciers melting and rushing down the nearby Missouri River. Silt from these glaciers has piled up in mounds large enough to become their own landforms, here called the Loess Hills. There are only two places in the world where this topography exists: the region where I was camping, and the Yellow River valley in China. Driving into Waubonsie was like entering a hidden kingdom. Tall oak trees, their leaves gold and green in the fading sun, lined the main road. Trails circled along steep gorges thick with birds flitting in a temperate jungle environment. Mist curled along the tree line, and in the eerie stillness I felt the presence of something ancient. In a mad rush to investigate further, I bolted down a dinner of potato chips and cold coffee, pitched my tent, and spent the next two hours hiking through this fantasy of forested badlands. Every so often I came across hiking shelters built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps that looked like giant mushrooms.

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The fan base grows Not all state parks came out of nowhere like Waubonsie, but they are all rich with surprises, secrets and authenticity. Generally, they were off the beaten track, which made them all the more interesting. This was certainly the case in the first half of 2018, when I visited Eastern state parks. Another part of their intrigue is that state parks come in all shapes and sizes. They don’t have that much in common, which makes a visit unpredictable. In 2002, total attendance at state parks was 758 million people. By 2017, that number had risen to 807 million. In the second half of the year, as I headed west, I was curious about the state parks near our best-known national parks. Due west of Yellowstone, Bannack is one part idyllic campground alongside a river, two parts ghost town. It thrived in the 19thcentury as the site of a gold rush as well as Montana’s first territorial capital, but when the 20th century came around, it fell into a long, slow decline. Today, “Bannack is the best preserved of all Montana ghost towns,” according to the Montana State Parks website. When my friend Chris and I arrived this past September, Bannack was a very busy ghost town. State park rangers conferred with arriving pickup trucks and pointed out places to set up. They were preparing for a four-day living history event, during which historical re-enactors would occupy the abandoned, one-street town and pretend it was 1862. Schoolchildren from the area were bused in and the town was filled with tourists watching re-enactors performing at the blacksmith camp, saloon, boardinghouse, butcher shop, school and church. Bannack’s buildings are maintained in a state of “arrested decay,” meaning they are prevented from deteriorating further, but are not improved in any way. It provided an unusual, still-life view of the town. Grass covered a low-slung rectangular jail. Insulation was cardboard packing boxes, a testament to the area’s cold isolation. The entire short history of Bannack lay in front of us, from the raw log cabins on the outskirts of town to the cracked linoleum floors of the last occupied houses. Bannack’s last inhabitant left in the 1970s. Just outside town lies the campground, where we spent the night. It occupies a small area alongside a creek, nothing more

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than a few curlicues of fire rings and grass protected by towering cottonwood trees. We gathered next to the fire as evening drew to a close, listening to the wind through the trees, the gurgle of the creek, and our campground neighbors reading books to each other. The Bannack campground was like so many I had been to during my year of visiting state parks. There was the crackle of wood in the fire, distant voices in the background, the sounds of nature and a palpable absence of stress. Chris and I huddled next to the flames and talked about everything and anything, what will never be, what just was. The creek rushed past, the stars shone, and I felt whole. A night in a yurt The next day we drove to Harriman State Park in Idaho. Before it was given to the state, it was a working cattle ranch and retreat owned by the Harriman and Guggenheim families. The centrepiece is a series of ranch buildings alongside Henrys Fork, a tributary of the Snake River. When we visited, it echoed with the cheers and yells of a high school cross-country meet. During the winter, trails are groomed for skate and classic cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and fat bikes. I hiked through a sprawling meadow that spanned both sides of the river. Birds darted through the tall grass and the sounds of the cross-country meet slowly fell away until all I heard was the wind and the water. Over the year, many people happily described to me their relationships with local state parks, whether it was a winter weekend in a Harriman yurt or Chicago friends reminiscing about their first time camping in Midwest state parks. These places are often beloved by nearby communities. This was the case even in a city surrounded by internationally renowned wilderness: Alaska’s capital, Juneau. With Glacier Bay National Park and the Tongass National Forest as neighbors, Juneau is a favoured destination for cruise ships and adventure tourists alike. But it is also a city of 32,000 people, and nearby state parks cater to them. Among the most prominent is Point Bridget State Park, an expanse of 2,850 acres about 40 miles from Juneau, near the terminus of the city’s road system. According to the Alaska State Parks website, Point Bridget was founded in 1988, the result of a push by the citizens of Juneau “to have a state park for the state capitol.”

The park is a mix of temperate rainforest and meadow along a stretch of Lynn Canal coastline, the deepest fjord in North America. After parking near the entrance early one morning, Chris and I hiked through muskeg and then into a field of fireweed rising to an immense vista: miles of coastline, a fierce wind, and mountains ringing the horizon. We passed by affable hikers who spoke of “brownie” sightings; a weirdly cute way of referring to grizzly bears. Soon we were at our destination, a basic cabin called Blue Mussel within a stone’s throw of the seashore. It was well loved, judging by the painted signs, rocks and seashells in the vicinity. Even in mid-September, well into autumn this far north, reservations had been difficult to get. It was so peaceful and wonderful that even my inner thoughts quieted down. When I turned to face Blue Mussel, darkness was falling and the cabin’s bright lantern in the window shone ever brighter, like a benevolent gaze. In Hawaii, a relaxed vibe Even farther west, in Hawaii, I didn’t find any rope swings. Still, it’s no slouch when it comes to recreation. Hawaii state parks drew a mix of people, but judging from the many conversations about being off from work, visitors were mainly local. The beach at Kekaha Kai was perfect and the banyan tree at Wailuku River could have been the setting of a Guillermo del Toro movie, but Mahukona State Park was my favorite. It was rough around the edges; posted signs warned against abandoning animals and there was a fair amount of broken concrete. But the relaxed, Friday evening vibe was amazing. People sat on old lawn chairs along the break wall and shared food from their grills. The backdrop was untamed vegetation, a rusted dock and railroad tracks. A faucet jutting out of a wall served as the communal shower. Plus, the snorkelling was the best of my time in Hawaii. I swam into a small but deep bay, dove underwater and glided through hundreds of yellow triggerfish. They scattered like windblown leaves in the peak of fall colour. In the distance I saw shadows of larger fish, but didn’t dare seek them out. In December, the winter of my state park year, I cheated and visited Yosemite National Park. I had been thinking about it for a long time, and my rationale was simple: it’s originally a state park. In fact, after Lincoln deeded Yosemite to California, it was America’s first state park, until California transferred it back to federal control, becoming a national park in 1890. Of course, Yosemite was amazing. I pitched my tent in Camp 4, the traditional hub of climbing in the park and one of only a few campgrounds listed on the National Register of Historic Places. I hiked for miles through the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias. Like the hordes of tourists before me, I took pictures of the massive trees and wondered why I couldn’t ever capture their grandeur. I was thrilled to visit Yosemite, but it’s not like it was a surprise. After all, it’s the default picture on my laptop. But I am grateful for its ability to move people to do great things. The tag team of Yosemite and Lincoln led to pockets of wilderness springing up everywhere across the United States; places where we jump into hidden coves, discover primeval forests in the middle of cornfields, and come upon a rope swing on a deserted island. I will never visit all 8,565 state parks, but that’s OK. Each one I visit will be a gift.

Getting there: Fiji Airways flies direct to Los Angeles and San Francisco with onward connections throughout the United States on partner American Airlines. 2019 ISSUE 36 | FIJITIME

kiribati fOr travellers hat motivates people to take trips, holidays and memorable vacations vary across destinations all over the world. Whatever the reason, travelling and visits to different destinations have the power to influence perspectives in the way people view the world but more importantly establish a deeper appreciation of this place which we all share. The island nation of the Republic of Kiribati (pronounced Kiri - bas), located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and spread across the four hemispheres of the globe takes the idea of enlightening destination perceptions to a whole new level. Combined, Kiribati is made up of 32 atolls and one raised island and are scattered over 3.5 million square kilometers, with a population of a little over 100,000 people. Kiribati is grouped into 3 island archipelagos: The Gilbert Islands in the West; the Phoenix Islands Protected Area in the center; and the Line Islands in the East and is part of the Micronesia group of Pacific Islands. Its status as one of the least travelled country in the world with very few people having never heard of it, let alone pronounce its name correctly is what makes this tropical island destination special. Kiribati is what some would consider the ‘Off the Beaten Track’ destination. To visit Kiribati is to travel with a great sense of adventure and be open to embracing a different way of life that will be savoured long after the tan have disappeared. Swim up pool bars, cocktails and fluffy towels may not be on the menu but these is easily replaced with picturesque lagoons, refreshing coconut beverages and genuinely warm Pacific Island hospitality. An Anglers Paradise Kiribati is synonymous for Fishing and Kiritimati (Christmas Island), located on the far east of Kiribati is the world’s largest coral atoll and is a paradise for stalking bonefish. Fishing operators around the world often refer to Kiritimati as undoubtedly the best known international bonefishing destination on the planet. Fish species here range from marlin, sailfish, wahoo, barracuda and huge schools of tuna. The real jewel however are the pristine saltwater flats perfect for

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wading and fly-fishing for trevally, milkfish, triggerfish including the giant trevally (GT). These foreign species hunt on the flats for prey and are known for their speed, weight (upwards of approximately 40kgs) and for being very violent when one tries to catch it. Giant trevally is difficult to hook and even more difficult to land. They often snap both lines and rods. Fishing for one can be quite an experience - one that will give you a deeper respect for this bully of the saltwater flats. Fishing tours are run from several self-contained lodges that provide board, boats and guides. The local guides are proud of their island’s rich and diverse marine life and conservation is one important aspect they have at the back of their minds when having a catch. Anglers who catch tuna are are always welcome to use them for a feast of sashimi that same night/day in the lodge. The Uncrowded Waves Surfing in Kiribati is recommended for those in search for uncrowded waves on a remote tropical island. Kiribati in fact is for that surfer who dreams of travelling back in time to first discover a new surfing destination, and then surfing endless waves, alone with dolphins. Tabuaren (Fanning Island) north of Kiritimati is Kiribati’s most sought after surfing spot and is characterised by crystal clear translucent waters and is also one of the Best Lefts in the World. The most consistent time is from October to April Kiritimati gets the same swell as Oahu’s North Shore, only smaller, a even longer period. Most of the waves fire up to a solid 6 ft (12 ft face). There are some set-ups which hold 7 ft plus, but the ideal size is in the 3 to 6 ft range. Christmas Island is blessed with offshore wind all day every day. Aesthetically, the surf spots in Kiribati are truly breathtaking.

Birdwatcher by Nature As a nation of islands in the middle of a vast expanse of ocean, Kiribati is home to a thriving bird population. Here you can spot seabirds, frigate birds, boobies, shearwaters, petrels and gulls just to name a few that are hard to miss. But bird lovers may be surprised by the land-based birds found in Kiribati. The islands are confirmed to have 15 percent regenerated forest cover today which is a great habitat to species like the Kuhl’s lorikeet, Pacific long-tailed cuckoo, and the endemic Christmas Island warbler. For those that are not inclined to cramp, the many species of birdcall is probably best enjoyed in a hammock with a cold drink or beer.

Spectacular Marine Life – Dive Kiribati Scuba diving is a relatively a new niche segment to Kiribati – but growing in popularity as the islands realized the potential that divers can see over 200 species of coral that host a diverse range of marine animals including colourful reef fish, sharks, manta rays, spinner dolphins and turtles and aquarium fish in Kiritimati Island. The main dive shops and tours are run from Christmas Island and in the capital Tarawa. This is done using outrigger canoes, aluminium and galvanized boat with well-trained divers on board. On Tarawa atoll, a diving operator offers WWII-wreck diving with its reminders of the American and Japanese battle for the Pacific and other shipwrecks dumped into the ocean and are now artificial reefs.

A Living Culture Isolation comes with greater ability to preserve one’s rich and authentic cultural lifestyle and Kiribati is an excellent example of this. Each island has it’s own stories of history, and its inhabitants remain true to century-old traditions and practices that define what it means to be iKiribati. Photo by Luciano Napolitano Photo by Solomon Hutchinson

Visitors to Kiribati can engage in various traditional activities including storytelling, weaving, dancing, coconut husking and toddy cutting, just to name a few. Travel Adventurer Robert Louis Stevenson best sums up Kiribati culture when he said “of all they call dance in the Pacific, the Gilbertese dance appeals to the soul; it makes one thrill with emotion, it uplifts one, it conquers one: it has the essence of all great art, an immediate and far from exhausted appeal”.

Photo by Chris Burkhard

Be a Traveller Kiribati by no means is your flop and drop holiday destination. Neither does it desire to be identified alongside destinations that cater to the masses. It is a tropical island destination that is free of crowded beaches and congested roads and promises visitors an experience worthy of your bucket list. Kiribati truly is for the discerning traveller seeking to travel to a place that on one else has ever been before in the heart of the Pacific. Visit: www.visitkiribati.travel

Photo by Widescenes Photography

Photo by Brian Skerry

Getting there: Fiji Airways flies direct from Nadi to Tarawa three times a week and Kiritimati (Christmas Island) once a week. 2019 ISSUE 36 | FIJITIME

Photo by David Kirkland

raise tHe bar Story and Photos: Singapore Tourism Board

A burgeoning bar scene served up by some of the world’s most innovative bartenders is putting Singapore on many coveted lists. After a long day of sightseeing across Singapore, a great way to wind down is with a stunning view and a delicious drink in hand. What better place to do this than in Singapore’s lively multifaceted city centre, where some of the world’s most innovative bars and bartenders roll out inventive cocktails.

TIPPLING CLUB

One of the Singapore cocktail scene’s most esteemed establishments, Tippling Club just oﬀ Chinatown is always inventing new ways to amuse its discerning clients. This unorthodox establishment recently commenced a new way of introducing cocktails to its customers—guests will first sample 12 unique emotion-themed gummy bears created by the bartenders, before picking the flavour of their cocktail from the earlier experience. Find them at: 38 Tanjong Pagar Road

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2 MR STORK Perched atop the brand new Andaz Singapore, Mr Stork is a lofty bar that overlooks the Civic District’s vibrant skyline. Inspired by stork nests, which signify that a place is habitable and desirable, Mr Stork has ten teepee huts surrounded by flora and fauna, where you can lounge and enjoy majestic vistas while sipping on in-house cocktails and draft beer. Find them at: 39/F, 5 Fraser Street

Getting there: Fiji Airways flies direct to Singapore up to three times a week.

1 3 NUTMEG & CLOVE One of Singapore’s most decorated bars, Nutmeg & Clove is at the forefront of Singapore’s acclaimed mixology scene. Taste unique cocktails that combine Singapore’s history with innovative flavours—all with a local twist on the classics. The space will also be able to accommodate big groups of visitors with its two storeys of historically inspired decor. Find them at: 10 Ann Siang Hill

ATLAS BAR

Welcome to the Atlas Bar, a grand art-deco establishment that is perfect for visitors seeking a luxurious experience in a totally unique setting. Here, champagne-hued tapestries line the ceiling and intricate gold and bronze balconies surround a massive tower of the world’s largest collection of gin. Atlas Bar has over 1,000 bottles of gin and made its debut into the World’s 50 Best Bars 2017 list at number 15. For a chance to experience this newcomer that is making waves in the bar scene, head to North Bridge Road’s unmistakable Parkview Square building. Find them at: Parkview Square, 600 North Bridge Road

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tHe sOuth seas hotel managed by monks Story and Photos by: Ben Mack

weekend.

o evil spirits needed casting out that evening – at least as far as I knew. I was a bit relieved, to be honest; I assumed such a sight would be quite frightening to witness. Plus it was the night before Easter – it wouldn’t exactly be polite of those evil spirits to ruin the holiday

Casting out evil spirits is something members of the Melanesian Brotherhood can on occasion be requested to do – sometimes long after midnight when someone bangs on their door and tells them a friend or family member needs help urgently. Like firefighters off to save the day, the Brothers are expected to leap out of bed and spring into action the moment they’re called – sometimes travelling to villages so far away that they won’t return for several days. Up on a quiet hill in the Solomon Islands capital of Honiara, barely a hundred metres from the Parliament building is the Chester Rest House. It is where I first met members of this Christian religious order – and where anyone else can, too. The long, wooden building with a metal roof seems unassuming, but it’s far more than just an affordable place to stay with a million-dollar view of the green palm tree-dotted city centre, bustling port and glistening waters of the South Pacific below. Chester Rest House is managed by members of the Melanesian Brotherhood. The Anglican religious order was formed in 1925 by Ini Kopuri, a police officer from the northwest corner of the main island in the Solomons, Guadalcanal. (History buffs may know it for the battle in the Second World War of the same name). Kopuri teamed up with the Bishop of Melanesia to bring Christianity to areas European missionaries had not yet been, and today the Brotherhood is active in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea.

But that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Members of the Brotherhood, who usually wear plain black clothes and a special white belt with a brown stripe that makes them identifiable as Brothers, are often greatly influential in their local communities; for example, they played a key role in helping to restore peace during a period of tension in the Solomon Islands about two decades ago.

To join the Brotherhood men must take vows, such as living simply, helping others, remaining celibate, and not drinking alcohol or chewing betel nut (as some people in the region do). Driving out evil spirits isn’t all they do, either. Sometimes they’re called upon to provide marriage counselling, settle disputes between neighbours or provide guidance for young people. Another thing to understand about the Chester Rest House is that it not only makes a great base of operations from which to have all sorts of adventures in Honiara and the surrounding area, but it’s also where a person can fast make friends for life.

2019 ISSUE 36 | FIJITIME

It began with a simple meal. Or, rather, the offer of a meal. I had just awoken from a short nap to help beat the jet lag following a marathon journey. It had begun the day before at the very bottom of New Zealand’s South Island where the icy tendrils of winter were already fast-approaching, leaving a dusting of frost that made the grass as crunchy as a bag of potato chips. Now my stomach was growling like an angry tiger. I’d already exhausted my meagre supply of snacks, and didn’t have any idea where to go to get food. What to do?

I’m normally rather a shy person, at least when it comes to asking things of people I don’t know. Perhaps I was still too tired to think about that and so approached one of the Brothers to ask if he knew of a place to eat.

“The market has the most things,” Brother Junior said with a smile.

What happened next is a bit of a blur. A few minutes later, we were weaving our way through the busy Central Market, the salty-smelling sea breeze carrying on it the low din of countless seagulls and other birds mixing with the buzz of hundreds of people buying, selling and haggling over the price of all manner of foods and other goods. An explosion of colour was all around; here was a watermelon greener than emerald, there was a bunch of bananas more yellow than a sunflower, over there was a woman with a shirt more red than a strawberry and the nearby ocean rolled more blue than a blueberry. Old and young came up to say hello as we made our way through a throng that seemed more crowded than the London Underground at rush hour on a business day.

A large fish, bread, potatoes and various vegetables were bought and the next thing I knew I was sitting down at a long table on the bottom level of the Chester Rest House with Brother Junior, Brother Daniel, Brother Eddie and the head, Brother Simon. As a brilliant sunset flamed the sky with brilliant orange, pink and red we shared a meal, one of the best I’ve ever had anywhere and far more memorable than any at a fancy restaurant.

We talked long into the night, sharing stories of our lives and the differences between our homes – but also the similarities. Next day we woke at break of dawn to head to church together to celebrate Easter Sunday. That, too, was unforgettable.

The down side of the stay was that eventually I had to leave. Fair warning to anyone else who decides to visit and learn from the Brothers.

Getting there: Fiji Airways flies direct from Nadi to Honiara in the Solomon Islands on Saturdays, and on Tuesdays with a stopover in Port Vila, Vanuatu.

FIJITIME | ISSUE 36 2019

enjOy Enjoy movies, music and television for your inflight entertainment

Godzilla collides with Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah.

2019 ISSUE 36 | FIJITIME

mOtHra: yin to godzilla’s yang Story: Robert Ito/C.2019 New York Times News Service

Of all the legendary Japanese beasts in the new film “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” from Warner Bros., Mothra is perhaps the unlikeliest of terrors. There’s Godzilla, of course, a T. rex-like creature with atomic breath, and Rodan, a turbocharged pterodactyl. King Ghidorah, the villain of the piece, is an enormous dragon with batlike wings and three flame-throwing heads. Mothra? At the beginning of the picture, she’s a newly hatched caterpillar. What Mothra might lack in apparent fierceness, however, she more than makes up for in fans, at least in her native Japan. Since her first appearance in the Toho Studios film “Mothra” in 1961, the supersized moth has appeared in 16 movies, including the 1964 classic “Mothra vs. Godzilla” (the first cinematic meeting of the two titans) and the 2001 “Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters AllOut Attack. Among the dozens of fearsome creatures in Toho’s 87-year history, Mothra is second only to Godzilla in appearances and starring roles. In addition to topping fan polls (most popular among female viewers; favorite Godzilla costar), she’s also been featured in more

than a dozen video games since the 1980s. “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” which debuts Friday, is surprisingly Mothra’s first appearance in a U.S. film. Although the movie boasts a strong human cast — Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Ken Watanabe and Zhang Ziyi — its main draw are all those promised battles royale: Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. Rodan vs. Mothra. King Ghidorah vs. everybody else. Mothra has always been a force for good, communicating with us puny humans through a telepathic link with two even punier beings, the foot-tall Shobijin, twin female fairies played in the original 1961 film by the Japanese pop duo the Peanuts. Unlike the capricious Godzilla, who goes from stomping Japan to bits in one movie to protecting it in another, Mothra is always a heroine, saving Japan from reptilian hotheads like Godzilla and protecting the cavedwelling residents of Infant Island, who worship her as a goddess.

Sometimes she’s an egg, sometimes she’s a caterpillar, her life cycle repeated over and over, as the old Mothra “dies” and a new one hatches. “There’s even this theme of Christian imagery associated with her,” © 2019 WBEI GODZILLA TM & © Toho Co., Ltd.

FIJITIME | ISSUE 36 2019

William Tsutsui, author of “Godzilla on My Mind: Fifty Years of the King of Monsters,” said. In his latest incarnation, Godzilla is about three times the size he was back in the 1950s, and the other monsters, it seems, have followed suit. How’s a moth, even a giant one, to compete? To keep the fights fair, the filmmakers created a fiercer, more weaponized Mothra, borrowing design elements from more intimidating members of the insect family (praying mantises, wasps). Even so, the director of the new film, Michael Dougherty, didn’t want to change the core elements that have made Mothra one of Toho’s most beloved monsters. “I really wanted to retain her beauty — her vibrant colors, and that very mystical quality that she has,” he said. “She isn’t just a giant moth.” “She’s a very benevolent character, whereas all the other kaiju are obviously a bit more prone to destruction,” he added, using the Japanese term for these movie monsters. “She’s the yin to Godzilla’s yang.” The task of tweaking the beast fell to creature character

designer Darnell Isom, whose first pass, coincidentally enough, resulted in a giant moth. “That was not what he wanted,” he laughed. “I even put the twins in the artwork, but they had modern clothes, and they were in New York, looking at this huge, very realistic-looking moth.” For two months, Isom worked to capture that elusive mix of fearsomeness and beauty, moving from “really furry” (not a hit with the director) to totally hairless and “armorlike,” to “a little more alien.” Little by little, he made Mothra’s blue eyes big and saucerlike, like the original, and added fur to the creature’s face. “The fur instantly softens things up,” he said. Isom also traded Mothra’s stubby legs for longer, more clawlike ones, much handier in a fight (in older films, Mothra did a lot of damage just by flapping her wings, which created gale-force winds able to capsize ships). To solidify her kinship to Godzilla as queen of the monsters, the designers added enormous eye spots to her wings that mirrored Godzilla’s own distinctive orange eyes.

2019 ISSUE 36 | FIJITIME

MOVIES

GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS 132 MIN | PG13 | Action, Fantasy Director: Michael Dougherty Stars: Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown Language: ENG

Follows the heroic efforts of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch as its members face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah.

TOY STORY 4 100 MIN | G | Kids, Adventure Director: Josh Cooley Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts Language: ENG

When Bonnie takes the whole gang on her family’s road trip, Woody ends up on an unexpected detour that includes a reunion with his long-lost friend Bo Peep.

THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN

108 MIN | PG | Drama, Family Director: Simon Curtis Stars: Milo Ventimiglia, Amanda Seyfried, Kevin Costner Language: ENG

A dog named Enzo recalls the life lessons he has learned from his race car driving owner, Denny.

KEDARNATH

113 MIN | R| Hindi, Drama, Romance Director: Abhishek Kapoor Stars: Sushant Singh Rajput, Sara Ali Khan, Nitish Bharadwaj Language: HIN

Mandakini, the daughter of a local priest in Kedarnath, falls in love with Mansoor. While their forbidden romance creates a furore in town, no one anticipates the life changing event that is about to take the region by storm.

DETECTIVE CONAN: THE FIST OF BLUE SAPPHIRE 110 MIN | PG13 | Japanese, Action Director: Tomoka Nagaoka Stars: Minami Takayama, Kappa Yamaguchi, Yu Asakawa Language: JPN

The world ‘s largest sapphire, “The Fist of Blue Sapphire” was alleged to have been lost at sea along with a pirate vessel in the 19th century. When a billionaire appears with a plan to retrieve the sapphire, a murder occurs..

CLOUD IN THE WIND

124 MIN | PG13 | Chinese, Drama Director: Ye Lou Stars:Boran Jing, Songwen Zhang, Jia Song Language: MAN

The Chief of Construction Committee Tang Yi Jie falls to his death. Rookie cop Yang Jia Dong is in charge of the incident and begins investigating it.

Enjoy a greater selection of movies, TV and music onboard. Please check your inflight entertainment system for a full list of options. *Selection may vary depending on aircraft type and flight route/duration 80

FIJITIME | ISSUE 36 2019

TELEVISION

9-1-1

FRESH OFF THE BOAT

45 MIN | PG13 | Drama, Action Stars: Angela Bassett, Kenneth Choi, Jennifer Love Hewitt

23 MIN | PG | Comedy Stars: Randall Park, Constance Wu, Hudson Yang

Language: ENG

Look back at how Chimney joined Station 118 and became the firefighter and paramedic he is today.

Jessica drives Principal Hunter crazy at Evan’s school when she declares that she’s “shadow principal” and follows him around for a day to learn about his job.

VERONICA MARS

45 MIN | PG13 | Drama Language: ENG Stars: Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring, Enrico Colantoni Veronica and Keith launch their investigation. Their involvement puts Police Chief Langdon on edge. Penn goes public with his theory on who the bomber is. Meanwhile, Matty Ross begins her own search for her father’s killer.

GOLFING WORLD

BASKETS

THE WORLDS MOST FAMOUS TIGER

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER

60 MIN | PG | Hindi, Drama Language: HIN Patel, a successful jeweller falls in trouble when one of his employees gets murdered. The drama starts as Patel’s money lenders start threatening him. Days later, Rama, Patel’s wife, is also murdered.

23 MIN | PG | Documentary, Lifestyle, Travel Language: ENG Stars: Lenny Kravitz With 40 million albums sold there’s no doubt that Lenny Kravitz is an icon, but during his downtime he returns to his home in The Bahamas. In this episode Lenny reveals why the Caribbean archipelago is so important to him.

PG-13 R

General audience: suitable for audiences of all ages Parental guidance suggested: some material may not be suitable for children Parents strongly cautioned: some material may be inappropriate for children under 13 Restricted: viewers under 17 years of age should be accompanied by a parent or an adult

23 MIN | G | Kids Language: ENG Stars: Frank Welker, Grey Griffin, Kate Micucci The gang hits the ski slopes, although Daphne’s more focused on nailing Fred with a snowball. Their snowy fun is soon interrupted by the appearance of an evil Snowman Monster eager to scare all trespassers off his mountain.

CRIME PATROL DASTAK

TRAILBLAZERS

G PG

50 MIN | PG | Documentary, Wildlife, Adventure Language: ENG Stars: Ace Bhatti Known as the Queen of India’s Ranthambore National Park, Machli is probably the most famous tiger in the world. Now, threatened by her own offspring, this film follows Machli as she undertakes the final battles of her reign.

BE COOL SCOOBY DOO

23 MIN | PG13 | Comedy Language: ENG Stars: Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Cobie Smulders When Lily’s car breaks down on the way to a secret appointment, Ted postpones a very important date to come to Lily’s rescue.

PROGRAMME RATINGS

26 MIN | PG | Documentary, Sport Language: ENG Stars: Anna Whiteley We celebrate the past and the present of Scottish golf, teeing it up at the world¹s oldest course Musselburgh and unearthing the inspiration behind the Renaissance.

CONTENT RATINGS V S L D A SN H

Violence Sex or nudity Coarse language Drug references Adult/mature themes Supernatural themes Horror themes

LANGUAGES ENG English MAN Mandarin HIN Hindi CAN Cantonese JPN Japanese

2019 ISSUE 36 | FIJITIME

MUSIC

LOVER

THE LION KING: THE GIFT

Taylor Swift | Genre: Pop

Various Artists | Genre : Pop

’Seventh studio album from Pop Qeen Taylor Swift includes hit singles ‘The Archer’, ‘You Need to Calm Down’, ‘Lover’, ME! ft. Brendon Urie of Panic! At the Disco & more!....’

’Beyoncé has curated a masterful recording, a robust soundscape bringing together some of her favourite artists, with the most talented and important African artists of the day, to both pay tribute to the iconic film and bring the authentic sounds of African music to the world.’

AUDIO ON DEMAND We have over 550 full length of albums from 12 different categories to choose from. Here are some of our favourites. For a full list see your onscreen menu. POP Chart-topping hits from today’s biggest music artists . ROCK From classic rock anthems to new rock hits, this is a selection of music videos that will definitely get you playing your Air Guitar.

ALTERNATIVE Check out some of the freshest new talent and music festival favourites with this indie music video mix. EASY LISTENING Enjoy some Fiji time and relax with this selection of smooth and cruisy tunes.

CHANNELS POP/ROCK The Vibe Jase Hawkins brings you the latest and greatest pop music and culture from around the globe. CHILDREN’S Kid’s Corner (120 mins) Hey kids, come on a midair adventure with lots of great, exciting music. It’s guaranteed to be fun.

CLASSICAL Concerto Let the power and art of classicaal music sweep you away on your journey. During this 2 hour show we present the latest and the best of the classical genre. HINDI Hindi Harmonium The most exciting and

FIJITIME | ISSUE 36 2019

entertaining hits will take you to Bollywood and beyond! LOUNGE The Lounge Sit back and relax with this carefully chosen selection of music designed to make you feel blissfully chilled out and laid back during your flight. FIJIAN HITS

Vude FM Join us on Vude FM for 2 hours full of iTaukei favorites, from Makare to Kabani.

CROSSWORD CONSTANT CONSONANTS

ACROSS 1 Socializes (with) 6 With 20-Across, fire the whole staff 11 Most exorbitant 19 Showing more craft 20 See 6-Across 21 Artillery 22 With 105-Across, “What walks on four dino legs in the morning, four dino legs at noon and four dino legs in the evening?” and other riddles? 24 Genre for “Rush Hour” and “Lethal Weapon” 25 Oversupplies 26 The band Ben Folds Five, oddly 27 The “A” of BART 28 Any nonzero number to the zeroth power 29 “Little Women” sister 30 Pioneering silent director Weber 31 Bitter 33 Shopping binge 35 Says “Quack” instead of “Buzz”? 39 Like Cinderella’s stepsisters 40 Like tennis player Anna Smashnova’s name 41 “High-five!” 42 Melodic opera passages 45 Something a new parent might take 47 Audio engineer’s device 51 Tables in an Old West saloon, e.g.? 55 “My Gal ____” 56 Admirer’s words 57 Source of hand-medowns 58 Unloading sign 60 The stuff of legends 61 Member of the Be Sharps, Homer Simpson’s barbershop quartet 62 Kerfuffle 64 Olympic powerhouse in boxing 65 Confuse “stem” with “stern,” e.g. 68 Claude ____, villain in “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame” 72 Some Dior dresses

74 Change to the Constitution first proposed in 1921, for short 75 Chess gambit employed by gangster Tony Montana? 78 Separate 80 Invite out for 81 Things that may be kicked 82 Verse, quaintly 84 English novelist McEwan 85 “Je t’____” 86 Claims that Louis XIV’s palace is better than all the other buildings in France combined? 93 In the middle of, old-style 94 Parishioner’s offering 95 Menaces to Indiana Jones 96 Really big show 98 Side in checkers 99 Not tread lightly 100 Advertising claim that usually has a catch 101 Animal with a flexible snout 102 “From my standpoint …” 105 See 22-Across 108 Most brave 109 Increase 110 Start to type? 111 Nickname for the capital of the Peach State 112 KFC order 113 Groups of stars DOWN 1 Site of a 1920s renaissance 2 Relative of a guinea pig 3 Last innings, typically 4 Figures out 5 Sign of theatrical success 6 Subject of a fund-raiser 7 Thelma’s road-trip partner 8 Currency with a “zone” 9 Tempe sch. 10 Old game console, for short 11 Nickname 12 Aligned 13 Icelandic literary work 14 Where a tunnel opens 15 “You’ll ____ for this!” 16 Extra couple of numbers? 17 Tea treats

19 22

81 84

88 94

99 103

104

45 52

27 31

30 35

102

100 105

106

92 97

101 107

108

109

110

111

112

113

18 Mobile home not much seen nowadays 19 Bygone N.Y.C. punk club 23 Informer 27 “____ longa, vita brevis” 30 Brings from outside with great effort 31 A in physics 32 Trig ratios 33 Pack rat 34 User of the Twitter handle @Pontifex 36 Target number 37 It’s a blessing 38 Person who helps with a crash, informally 42 Large wardrobe 43 Finds hilarious, perhaps 44 Deduce 46 A doctor might check them 48 Together 49 Full-bodied Argentine wines 50 Word often said with a drawn-out “e” sound 51 Took shots 52 Single squat or crunch 53 Small goofs 54 Craft in a close encounter 59 54-Down genre 61 ____-compliant 63 Doomed to fail, for short 66 Motorcade head

67 Tender feelings 69 Debonair 70 La-la interval 71 Sierra ____ 72 Friend of Athos and Porthos 73 Smear in print 76 “GoodFellas” co-star 77 Onetime fad item with replacement seeds 79 Culmination 83 Songs to be played at a concert 85 Gives the nod 86 Has because of 87 Portmanteau for a TV addict 88 Inc. relative 89 ____ to go 90 Some deals from dealerships 91 Whiz 92 Church toppers 93 Completely destroy 97 Approximately 99 Hammer part 100 Half-man/half-goat 101 “Toodle-oo!” 103 South, in Brazil 104 Texted question to someone who hasn’t shown up yet 105 Automotive initialism 106 Louis XIV, e.g. 107 Key in a corner PUZZLE BY WILL NEDIGER

2019 ISSUE 36 | FIJITIME

Fiji Airways Route Map and Fleet

Helsinki

London

Frankfurt Haneda

TOKYO

Osaka New Delhi

HONG KONG

Mumbai Chennai

Bangkok

SINGAPORE

Darwin

Cairns Townsville Rockhampton

BRISBANE

Perth

SYDNEY

Adelaide Canberra

ROUTE KEY Fiji Airways Routes

MELBOURNE Hobart

Codeshare Routes Fiji Link

Fiji Airways flights are available on Boeing and Airbus aircraft, ranging from the 122 seating capacity on the Boeing 737-700 series to the 334 seating capacity on the Airbus A350-900 XWB series. Our subsidiary Fiji Link is the official domestic carrier of Fiji with a fleet combination of ATR 72-600, ATR 42-600 and De Havilland Twin Otter aircraft.

FIJITIME | ISSUE 1 2020

BOEING 737-700 (1) SEATS BUSINESS 8 ECONOMY 114

BOEING 737-800 (4) SEATS BUSINESS 8 ECONOMY 156-162

BOEING 737-8 MAX (2) SEATS BUSINESS 8 ECONOMY 162

Anchorage

Toronto Vancouver Everett Seattle Portland Reno

SAN FRANCISCO

Chicago Indianapolis

Salt Lake City Kansas City

Sacramento St. Louise

Denver

Nashville

Boston

New York Albuquerque Philadelphia Charlotte Las Vegas Baltimore Phoenix Raleigh-Durham Atlanta Palm Springs Washington DC Dallas Oklahoma ANGELES Tucson Houston Orlando Austin Tampa Bay San Diego

San Jose Fresno Monterey Santa Barbara

LOS

HONOLULU

New Orleans Miami Kahului Kona

KIRITIMATI

TARAWA FUNAFUTI HONIARA PORT VILA NADI

APIA SUVA

VAVA’U NUKU’ALOFA

FIJI DESTINATIONS ROTUMA

AUCKLAND WELLINGTON CHRISTCHURCH

LABASA SAVUSAVU TAVEUNI

NADI

KORO SUVA

VANUABALAVU CICIA LAKEBA

KADAVU

AIRBUS 330-200 (5) SEATS BUSINESS 18-24 ECONOMY 236-249

AIRBUS 330-300 (1) SEATS BUSINESS 24 ECONOMY 289

DHC6-400 (1) SEATS BUSINESS N/A ECONOMY 19

ATR 42-600 (1) SEATS BUSINESS N/A ECONOMY 48

ATR 72-600 (2) SEATS BUSINESS 8 ECONOMY 60

2020 ISSUE 1 | FIJITIME

new

airbus a350 xwb Fly the most modern and most comfortable aircraft from Fiji to Los Angeles and Australia

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FIJITIME | ISSUE 36 2019

THE FIJI AIRWAYS EXPERIENCE

Check-in times International flights: we welcome check-in three hours prior to flight departure time, with check-in closing one hour prior to departure. Some airports may offer early check-in prior to three hours. Domestic Fiji flights: check-in counters for domestic flights open at least 90 minutes prior to your flight departure time, and closes 30 minutes prior to departure. Security and Baggage -Pack your own bags. -Do not carry items for another person. -Carry valuables and approved medication in your carry-on baggage. -Items such as knives and any sharp object must be placed in your checked-in baggage. -Carry-on and checked-in baggage allowances and dimensions vary between international and domestic flights, and Business and Economy Class. Please double check your ticket for your baggage allowances. -For passengers travelling to/from Fiji Airways international flights and connecting to/from Fiji Link domestic flights, the following rule will apply: a) If FJ international & FJ domestic sectors are ticketed on the same ticket (FJ/260 paper), FJ's international baggage allowance will apply. b) If FJ international and FJ domestic are ticketed separately, baggage allowance shown on each ticket will apply. -If part of journey includes code share flights: a) the marketing carrier (the airline you bought your ticket from) baggage rule will apply throughout the entire journey. b) For all other destinations, the U.S Departments of Transport and MSC (Most significant carrier) baggage rules applies throughout the entire journey. Baggage allowances will be honoured according to ticket. -Prepaid Excess Baggage rates per 23kg piece (maximum 2 extra pieces) are available at lower than airport excess baggage rates. These are available up to four hours prior to flight departure and available for purchase from any Fiji Airways Sales Office, or through

For more information, please visit www.fijiwairways.com

our 24/7 Reservations Centre. *Not available for codeshare flights. -Security and immigration at some airports may require considerable time to clear so once checked-in we kindly request you proceed directly to security and immigration then through to your boarding gate. Failure to check-in prior to flight closure may result in refused boarding and forfeiting of your ticket. -Security screening is subject to the laws of the country of operation. Restrictions on powders, liquids, aerosols and gels (PLAGS) On all international flights to and from Fiji -Each container of powder in carry-on must be less than 350ml/g, and each container of LAGs in carry-on bags must less than 100mls and placed in a clear sealable plastic bag. -You may still carry prescription medicines or baby food/products necessary for the flight. -PLAGs bought in Airport Departure areas can be carried onboard the aircraft between your port of departure and your first arrival port. -No PLAGs are permitted through transit points at any airport. Carriage of Lithium Batteries -Passengers are permitted in their carry-on baggage any portable electronic devices (PED) containing lithium metal or lithium ion cells or batteries for personal use. -The batteries which are in these portable electronic devices must not exceed 2g for lithium metal batteries and 100wh for lithium ion batteries. -Passengers are only permitted maximum of 2 spare batteries as part of their personal baggage but it may only be carried in or as cabin baggage. -Customers wishing to carry portable medical devices, like portable oxygen concentrators (POC), must contact Reservations to determine if the portable medical device is an approved device or not.

2019 ISSUE 36 | FIJITIME

THE FIJI AIRWAYS EXPERIENCE

Economy Class Our Economy Class offers elegant, yet relaxed cabin dĂŠcor so guests can sit back and enjoy the hospitality of one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most welcoming cultures. Guests can enjoy complimentary in-flight entertainment onboard Fiji Airways international services. From the classics to comedies, customers can enjoy a selection of movies and TV programs alongside a range of audio channels from Top 40 hits to Hindi hits, including a dedicated channel for children. *Inflight entertainment options and devices differ depending on aircraft in use.

Business Class Our Business Class offers discerning travellers a unique and exclusive class of travel. On the ground, customers can enjoy dedicated check-in, increased baggage allowance, express airport lanes and access to lounge facilities at selected airports. In the air, Business Class customers enjoy three course fine dining, a range of wines, spirits and liqueurs. With individual screens, Business Class customers can select from a full range of in-flight entertainment.

*Inflight entertainment devices differ depending on aircraft in use. 88

FIJITIME | ISSUE 36 2019

THE FIJI AIRWAYS EXPERIENCE

Our Premier Lounge in Nadi

Our baristas and bartenders will serve up coffee, cocktails and

Our flagship Fiji Airways Premier Lounge at Nadi International

mocktails, from old favourites to custom requests. Tell them what you

Airport offers our guests a world-class lounge experience complete

like and wait to be surprised with your own customised cocktail.

with unique features, and topped only by our Fijian hospitality. Entertainment A live greenery wall forms the backdrop of the main seating area, while

TV screens are spread out around the various lounge seating zones

the ceiling above features constellation lighting representing the Fijian

with various news, sports and entertainment channels available,

summer and winter skies.

including a giant screen in the main dining area. For those who would like to watch a game without restraint, our Media

Whether you’re flying solo, as a couple, parents with children in tow, a

Room is open for guests to use with full sound, and cheering on.

business person, or travelling in a group, our spacious and dedicated

Please note the Media Room is also available for exclusive bookings for

spaces caters for all travellers.

groups up to 8. We apologise if the room is booked out. Please see our lounge staff should you wish to reserve this room.

Facilities include comfortable seating, Business Centre, Wi-Fi, shower rooms, media room, buffet station offering international cuisine and signature dishes, bar and café, children’s room with complimentary nanny, and pay-for-use spa. Entry and Access The Fiji Airways Premier Lounge is available to Fiji Airways’ Business Class guests, Tabua Club and Tabua Club Plus members, premier

Wi-Fi, Technology and Charging stations -The Business Centre with iMacs, internet access, and a printer is open for complimentary use of guests. -The Premier Lounge has a generous number of power-points and USB-enabled charging stations. -The Lounge offers complimentary Wi-Fi.

guests of our partner airlines and pay-for-use customers. Pay-for-use guests can purchase a pass online under Manage Your Booking, or

Lailai Land (Children’s Area)

directly at the Lounge reception counter.

Children can spend their time in ‘Lailai Land’, our dedicated children’s

Location: Airside, Ground Floor, Nadi International Airport Departures

room with a fully qualified Fijian nanny to keep them entertained and

Terminal

occupied while parents grab a bite or a spa treatment before the flight.

Opening Hours: 5.00am – 11pm daily *Hours may vary according to flight schedules

Spa

Entry: Casual entry F$99pp

Rejuvenate with a refreshing massage or revitalise with spa treatment

Seating General seating zone for smaller and larger groups, Quiet Zone, secluded nooks, Family Area, Dining Area

at the pay-for-use Spa@TheGate directly accessible from the Lounge. Choose from an exclusive spa menu designed with the traveller in mind. Shower and restrooms

Food & Beverage

-Restrooms and shower facilities with full amenities

Explore culinary delights from chef-inspired menus, salads, healthy

-Wheelchair accessible restrooms

options and delicious desserts at the buffet stations. Our lounge attend-

-Baby change room

ants also offer special menu items during our tray-rounds. The dining experience is completed by the exclusive “Fiji Bean Cart” – serving

Flight Information Screens

traditional Fijian-Indian sweets and savouries.

-Flight information screen to keep you updated on your flight 2019 ISSUE 36 | FIJITIME

fly well YOGA FOR AIRPLANES Airplanes and yoga don’t often mix. There’s nothing like a few hours in a restricted space to make your body feel tight and blocked. If you’re on a long haul flight, stretching out and relaxing is even more challenging. Try this in-flight yoga routine to help your body feel restored and rejuvenated during the flight. This way you’ll land with a relaxed body and mind.

MEDITATION Assume any comfortable seated position and straighten your spine. If you’re in a regular seat, scoot slightly forward to avoid rounding your back. Pivot into the hips and engage the pelvic floor. Close your eyes, bring your attention to your breath. Count your breath backward from ten. Repeat a few times. Then let your attention rest on the heart centre. Open your eyes.

SEATED SPINAL TWIST Keeping both sitting bones planted, pivot slightly forward into the hips. Inhale as you maximize the space between the vertebrae, exhale as you gently twist towards the right. Don’t over do it, just allow your spine to elongate. Use the hands to guide and support the movement. Gaze to the right. Stay for five breaths and repeat on the other wise.

SEATED LEG LIFTS Pivot slightly forward into your hips. Draw your right knee up into your chest and wrap your arms around your shin. Exhale as you extend your left leg as much as possible. Stay for five breaths. Reach under your thigh and wrap your arms around. Inhale as you suck in the lower abdomen. Exhale as you straighten the leg as much as accessible. Stay for five breaths, then repeat on the other aide. Next try both legs. Lean back on your sacrum and hug both knees into your chest. Tuck the head under and exhale as you round the back. Stay for five breaths. Either wrap the arms around your thighs or hold the feet. Inhale as your straighten the legs as much as accessible. Be aware of overhead space. Stay for five breaths.

TREE POSE From any standing position, Tree Pose is a great way to relieve pressure on your feet and work your balance. Try it while waiting in line or get up at any time and work your legs! Start off with you feet together. Inhale as you externally rotate your right hip joint and draw the right foot as close to your pelvis as possible. If the foot does not rise up above the knee, then keep it below the knee to avoid applying pressure on the knee. Activate your left leg and feel your balance from the pelvic floor. Either place your hands in prayer or place one hand on the wall to assist your balance. Gaze at the 90

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nose. Stay for five breaths and then repeat on the other side.

2019 ISSUE 36 | FIJITIME