Savusavu is our nearest small town (although the largest on Vanua Levu) and we think it is probably very typical of a true Fijian small town. Everyone knows everyone else, we are always the only white people in town, and it’s very happy. All of the shops and supermarkets (ie tiny corner stores!) play loud music and sometimes it’s so loud we can’t actually hear each other speak. Mostly though the Fijians all just hang out sitting on the street or under the trees, and the Fijian Indians conduct the business. Everyone wears Bula, which means loud patterns and colours, (it seems the word ‘Bula’ can be used for lots of things – Bula for hello, Bulaaaa for wow, Bula clothes, bula for thank you, people say it for lots of reasons. It’s cool to have a word in a language that can mean almost anything!) The streets are hot and dusty, but everyone still wears their smiles and many people stop to introduce themselves and say hello.
