September 14-27: Singapore and Fiji

Switching from the jungle in Malaysian Borneo to modern Singapore was about as drastic a contrast as one can imagine. We spent our five days here with Gen, Sami (friends from university) and their beautiful, ever-smiling newborn daughter Liya. We went for a few walks around the city, feasted on a great variety of fantastic food (from the famous hawker stalls, to yummy dumplings, to some of the best Thai we’ve had in years), hung out in the shopping mall (or as Sami would call it, a “lifestyle hub”) for an afternoon (it’s surprising how much we enjoyed this, probably because it felt a bit like home), and even got to do a tour of the Google offices where Sami works – yes, they are as cool as one would expect, with karaoke and game rooms, free cafeterias and even Tuk-Tuks converted into conference rooms.

As one of the most technologically advanced cities in the world, what we found most impressive in Singapore is how they have managed to build such an attractive, clean city. Contrary to North American standards, concrete high rises don’t have to be an eyesore, and can actually be quite beautiful.

The second part of this lag of the trip was Fiji, where we went to visit Ace’s dad who has been living there for the past few years. We were spoiled once again, with him treating us to a few days at this little peace of paradise called Taveuni Island Resort. We had our own luxury cabin on top of a cliff, overlooking the ocean and reef below. Once again, not quite the level of accommodation we expected to be enjoying on a backpacking trip around the world! The scuba diving in the area is amazing – we went to 2 spots called rainbow reef and the white wall, where we did our first cave dive and swam down a huge drop-off with beautiful white coral, which looked a bit like vegetation covered in snow, but in the bright blue ocean. The Fijian islands and reefs are magnificent; even the turbo prop plan ride to get there was a highlight.

We also spent a few days at an eco surf camp called Maqai, on an extremely remote island, where we stayed in tent cabins no more than 5 feet from the water (the sound of the waves was actually TOO loud, and made it difficult to sleep at night). Although the accommodation was a little bit basic for our liking, it was a fantastic Fijian cultural experience – the group that runs the place felt like a real Fijian family, and stayed up all night playing the guitar, singing, and drinking cava (very different from Spanish cava – Fijian cava is made from a root and tastes like a mixture of water and dirt, and the only effect is a numb tongue and a hangover). The Fijians are some of the nicest people in the world (or at least that we have encountered), constantly smiling and going out of their way to make your vacation a memorable one. It is a nice reminder that you don’t need wealth to be happy.

Fiji was another place that we wished we had more time to visit more extensively. That said, after 10 years of waiting, we are finally returning to Gen’s favorite destination in the world – Australia! J

Photos - September 14-27: Singapore and Fiji