Lautoka, Fiji
With a population of 53,000, Fiji’s second-largest city derives its name from a battle cry that means ‘spear-hit’. The story goes that when an argument erupted between two local chiefs, one cried out the words 'Lau toka!' as he killed the other by spearing him through the chest. Anthropologists believe that Fiji's original inhabitants came from Southeast Asia via the Malay penninsula mre than 3,500 years ago.
Lautoka’s recent history is entwined with the fortunes of sugar. The mill here has been operating since 1903 having been built by the Colonial Sugar Refining Company of Australia. During the cutting season, sugar trains run along the main street. In September, the city crowns a Sugar Queen at the annual Sugar Festival.
Debbe wanted to see orchids so we opted take a local bus to the Garden of the Sleeping Giants - - about 40 minutes out of Lautoka. Founded by Raymond Burr in 1977 to house his own orchids, the Garden now displays Fiji's largest orchid collection.
We made the trek to the gardens from Lautoka's central bus station. This required local knowledge involving, exhanging money to get Fiji dollars, getting a bus card from Vodafone (the local cell phone carrier), locating the right bus, and the place to get off. On the way to town, one mile walk from the port, we stopped at the Tanoa Waterfront Hotel and Meme, a young Fijian woman at the travel desk, wrote out detailed instructions. Taking the local bus was an adventure itself.
Once we got off the bus at the Sabeto stop, we realized there was about a mile walk on a dirt road to the entrance. A van driver oferred a ride and we gladly took it as the mid-day sun was searingly hot. Upon arrival, we were offered ice-cold tropical fruit drinks. After viewing the orchids, we strolled among an array of gardens, across lily ponds, and through a tropical jungle with an abundance of birds.
Lautoka’s recent history is entwined with the fortunes of sugar. The mill here has been operating since 1903 having been built by the Colonial Sugar Refining Company of Australia. During the cutting season, sugar trains run along the main street. In September, the city crowns a Sugar Queen at the annual Sugar Festival.
Debbe wanted to see orchids so we opted take a local bus to the Garden of the Sleeping Giants - - about 40 minutes out of Lautoka. Founded by Raymond Burr in 1977 to house his own orchids, the Garden now displays Fiji's largest orchid collection.
We made the trek to the gardens from Lautoka's central bus station. This required local knowledge involving, exhanging money to get Fiji dollars, getting a bus card from Vodafone (the local cell phone carrier), locating the right bus, and the place to get off. On the way to town, one mile walk from the port, we stopped at the Tanoa Waterfront Hotel and Meme, a young Fijian woman at the travel desk, wrote out detailed instructions. Taking the local bus was an adventure itself.
Once we got off the bus at the Sabeto stop, we realized there was about a mile walk on a dirt road to the entrance. A van driver oferred a ride and we gladly took it as the mid-day sun was searingly hot. Upon arrival, we were offered ice-cold tropical fruit drinks. After viewing the orchids, we strolled among an array of gardens, across lily ponds, and through a tropical jungle with an abundance of birds.
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