Shopping in Fiji

One of the things I love about travelling is going to the market and the local shops. I enjoy seeing what the locals buy and what the prices are like. So when I was in Fiji just recently that’s exactly what I did.

I also have many blue sea and white sand photos to wave in front of you, I wanted to take you to a tour of the markets first.

Fiji’s allure is completely dependent on it’s climate and beaches. It doesn’t have much of a reputation for food.  It is a little hard to find the type of food you might find in Asia- you know, the grilling over coals on the street or a noodle soup thrown together in a small movable van. There is not a lot of street food and no smells of cooking when you walk around, not even in the markets. They don’t stir fry their abundance of ingredients. Processed food is sadly becoming more popular as supermarkets appear.  But there is fresh seafood, coconut, root vegetables pineapples, plantains, herbs and spices a beautiful marriage of Indian and pacific flavours. Cooking over a fire is common in the villages and root vegetables are eaten simply boiled and sometimes curried. The “Lovo” is food cooked in a hot pit much like the New Zealand Maoris practice, but this is a special occasion dish.

Lots of food is frozen so that it can be carried back to small villages on the bus. Bus is the way most people travel here, there aren’t many cars, or motor bikes or even push bikes.  In the butcher shop I discovered there was a butcher boy cutting meat and he had time to smile, while on the other counter the guys were flat out dispensing frozen meat.

Fijians are a laid back bunch and it’s easy to fall in love with their gentle happy nature. Before long you’ll be replying to their enthusiastic greetings….Bulla!

on the buses

There was a kitchen in the place I was staying, so I got to cook here. There was a lot to choose from in the markets and we skipped the frozen meat and chickens and bought a big fresh fish. Shopping in Fiji is fun and easy, all Fijians speak English and they aren’t into overcharging nor do they chase you to buy.

Bananas and Plantains are at every stall

There is virtually no rubbish, no plastic laying around and no pollution. These traditionally woven disposable baskets are still common. This small village is a bus and shopping stop between villages on the east coast

Waiting for the bus back to the village with shopping and kids in tow

Fresh vegetables on the side of the road in Suva

Sweet potato

Chillis everywhere but on my plate

Fish 4 sale

Mussels

Fish man

Comedic fish

Take away parcels full of a type of boiled nut

The lady at the fish shop

Market activity in the rain

Dalo an absolute Fijian staple . Grown and sold everywhere

Cassava

Highly popular cassava and Dalo cooked by boiling

The colour of the markets

The loaf shop

White bread is the order of the day in Fiji. There is an interesting bread that’s yellow, called custard bread. It sounds exotic but it is just white bread made with custard powder.

One stop shop for funerals

If you like to travel like me or you just want to compare prices from one city to the next in Australia and overseas I have come across this amazing link that compares prices and costs in real time. Have a look HERE at the cost of living comparison tool. I love it! .

I can’t wait to take you to a few more places in Fiji. Visiting Dolphins at Moon Reef and staying in heaven at Voli Voli.  See you soon!