A cheerful chap delicately lops the top off a coconut and hands it to me. Along with the sweetest of bananas, this simple roadside lunch is exactly what I was looking for. It’s a quick pit stop on a whirlwind scouting tour of Viti Levu, Fiji’s largest island. I’m traveling from Nadi (pronounced locally as Nandi) on the west coast of Viti Levu to the capital of Fiji, Suva. I’m interested in the Fiji outside of the big resorts and away from the backpackers and honeymooners. You’ll find long-term expats scattered across the 330-island archipelago that makes up this nation, with many concentrated in Savusavu on the country’s second-largest island Vanua Levu. Savusavu is known as Fiji’s hidden paradise and I hope to have time to make it there. But to really understand the country and what it offers foreign retirees, it’s a good idea to first explore the capital. I want to talk to some of the real estate agents there and I have a few expat interviews lined up…back on the road.
Stay tuned for Eoin’s full report on what he finds in Fiji in upcoming issues.