Linda's Walkabout: Australia’s Far from Everything aka “The Tyranny of Distance”

I’ve heard the saying “The Tyranny of Distance” many times in reference to any number of things (high prices for physical goods such as cars, early adopters of technology yet unnoticed, high propensity to take risks as outside the scrutiny of general populous) that are a result of the fact that Australia’s so geographically far from everything.

Little did I know the saying comes from the title of a book by Geoffrey Blainey which examines how Australia’s geographical remoteness has shaped the country’s history and cultural identity.

Yet while there’s close affiliation with its nearest neighbor New Zealand (ANZAC Day honors the Australian and New Zealand military troops) which is a 3 hour flight from Sydney there appears to be less affiliation with another near neighbor, Fiji, which is just a 4 hour flight from Sydney.

On my trip (Oct. 4-8, 2013), I found the Fijians to very warm and friendly people with a very distinct culture that relies on rituals and storytelling and a strong respect for gifts from nature. I enjoyed a beautiful Fijian dinner and cultural performance.

Fiji’s national drink - Kava - was served in the traditional manner where we had to clap once, clasp our hands, take the cup and drink the Kava in one sip before returning the cup. I found it to taste very bitter.

We also watch a Fire Walking Ceremony which was more about warriors preparing the pit with stones, branches and leaves for the Grand Priest to walk across than actually walking across hot coals.

Here’s a slide show and video of the Fijian cultural experience performed at my hotel, The Westin on Denarau Island:

Fiji’s made up of 332 islands, however, most are uninhabited. I flew into Viti Levu island’s Nadi Airport and from there took a 40 minute car ride to Denarau Island which is in the North. I was only staying 4-nights so to maximize my visit went to the closest, nicest place for scuba diving. If I had more time, I would have taken an hour-plane ride from Nadi Airport to Taveuni which is where scuba pioneer Jacques Cousteau’s son has a resort near the famous Somosomo Straight and the Rainbow Reef.

The drift diving and visibility on Denarau Island was so spectacular! So, when I hear from everyone that Taveuni is 10 times better, I’m certainly keen to check it out!

I didn’t capture it on video, but one of my most incredible memories was when we were heading to our next dive location, there was a pod of dolphins frolicking in the waves created by the front of the boat. The sun was out, the water an amazingly crystal-clear aqua blue and these squealing dolphins looked to be having such a fun, playful time as they dove in and out of the waves along the front of the boat. Absolutely amazing!

I dove with Dive Adrenalin Fiji which is right in front of The Sofitel Fiji Resort which is next to The Westin Resort, so very convenient. I give Dive Adrenalin Fiji very high marks for terrific Dive Masters who led us on the most amazing dives! My absolute favorite was a drift dive on my last day. We literally dove 3, almost 4, dive sites as we cruised by effortlessly in the current like we were on an amusement park ride. It was so exhilarating! You can bet I had my Canon G12 on “video” most of the time to capture the experience of moving at such a fast pace, past schools of fish, sharks, and fields of broccoli :)

Oct. 5, 2013 - Dive #185

Plantation Pinnacle on Denarau Island

26 degrees C, 100 meter visibility for 45 minutes at 23.8 meters.

Oct. 5, 2013 - Dive #186

Wilkes Passage and Fishmarket on Denarau Island

26 degrees C, 100 meter visibility for 57 minutes at 13.7 meters