Life in Fiji

As promised in my last post here is the report in my husband's own words of his experiences thus far in Fiji.

The People:

Fiji has a unique mix of culture, comprised mainly of Fiji Nationals, Indians, Chinese, Koreans, Australians and Kiwis.  Everyone seems to be very relaxed and friendly, almost to a fault.  They have adopted a philosophy here known as “Fiji time”, which is another way of saying lousy service.  It’s a little irritating at times, especially when you have kids, but I’m getting used to it.  For the most part though, people here seem to be reasonably competent, easy to deal with and have a sense of humor, which is refreshing.

I do have to say that the heavy Indian influence has robbed this place of some of its charm.  The first night we got here was a few days before Diwali, so we had fireworks and music going all hours of the night.  Which of course continued for about a month.  Also, most of the local shop owners are Indian, so the general look and feel of the common shops are similar to those found in India.  That is, they have adopted the marketing strategy of paying no heed to the general appearance of the shop and instead lure in customers by blasting obnoxious music and having their family members loiter out front.  However, there are plenty of “proper” stores that help to keep things in balance.  One more thing about the people here that I feel is worth mentioning.  This is the most un-consumer oriented culture that I have ever observed.  I’ll leave it at that.  

The Town:

We live in Nadi (pronounced Nandi), which is on the west coast of the island, home of the international airport and the main launch point for tourists.  There are tons of resorts nearby that have no problem with people like us showing up and using their beaches, swimming pools and restaurants.  In fact, “locals” often get discounts.  It’s like being on vacation here all the time.  Craig (for those who know him) has his boat docked right in front of one of the neatest resorts I’ve ever been to and they aren’t even charging him!  They just like having us around.   Kira and Doug are always well received by the wait staff; in fact, the band dedicated a song to Kira the other night.  She’s known for her exceptional ability to catch frogs and talk really loud.

I would describe the general feel of this place to be somewhere between Goa and Phuket.  The roads are bad in some areas and quite good in others (like the highways).  Some of the local beaches are a bit polluted and unappealing but the ones found at the resorts and nearby islands are tropical paradises.  The shops lining the roads have that slummy look you see in places like PNG and India, but once you go inside you are often pleasantly surprised.  In contrast, there are parts of town that are very upscale and geared specifically for tourism with golf courses, resorts, high-end retail and restaurants.  The main road through town is crowded but people are not blaring on their horns and they will stop to let you cross with a polite wave.  It’s weird.

Cost of Living:

Cost of living is low.  Nadi is the most expensive place on the main island and you can still get a great apartment for a good price.  There is a huge variation in the quality of housing so it does take a while to find a good place.  We found an awesome two bedroom flat that is over looking a marina, has a pool, nice kitchen, two bathrooms with a tub, washer and dryer, is in a good part of town and has cable and maid service included in the price for 1500 FJD per month.  It’s also two minutes from the airport and walking distance to Kira’s school.  We plan to move once a unit comes available.  Our current apartment is substantially less desirable and the price is the same.

Food is cheap if you eat the local fruits, vegetables and meat.  Which is the way to go.  It’s funny; you can go to the local market and get super fresh locally grown produce for next to nothing, or you can buy wilted old vegetables imported from New Zealand for twenty times the price (no joke).  A lot of the imported food is cheap and I have not been able to figure out why.  We just bought a huge bag of Kirkland Signature tortilla chips that were not smashed and still fresh for the same price as they are back home.  Also, imported wine is not taxed here.  So wine is cheaper here than anywhere I’ve ever been.  That being said, some things are incredibly expensive like asparagus, broccoli, imported cereal, coffee and so on.  All in all, I would say that our grocery bill is about the same as what we had back in the States.

Cars are expensive.  We just bought a 2004 Nissan Cube with 125,000K for 17,000 FJD, and that was a good deal.  A brand new entry level Toyota Hilux is 90,000 FJD.  On the bright side, resale is very strong and cars tend to hold their value.  Taxis are very cheap, reliable and they use the meter every time, but in my opinion a car is an absolute must.  There is just too much to see and do around here.  It was explained to me by some locals that a boat is also a must, and I’m starting to agree.  Fiji exists offshore.

The Job:

Flying here is fun.  It’s technical because of the non-radar, bizarre approaches, ETOPS and so on, but you also get to do some sporty landings into short strips and fun visual approaches through mountain valleys.  It’s a lot like flying in PNG but with better ATC communications, I like it.  Plus the first officers are pretty experienced and have good stick and rudder skills having come off of the twin otter.  The weather isn’t that great because of the thunderstorms and heavy rain but I’m told that will clear up in a few months.

The training was thorough.  After about a month of various ground schools and SIM, captains require 30 hours of line training.  It is a bit excessive, but the training is valuable because the flights we do are a bit unusual.  For example, I just operated an ETOPS flight to Funafuti atoll (which is just a strip of sand in the middle of the Pacific), the ceiling was low (not in the forecast, of course) and we had to do a go-around because of a dog on the runway.  Usually this would not be worth mentioning but we were well beyond our PNR and there is no destination alternate for Funafuti, just “island hold” reserves.  It’s a weird feeling knowing that you have no option but to land at an airport that is proving to be troublesome.  I was grateful for the training because I knew this type of thing was to be expected and how to handle it.  It seems that all of the airports around here have similar esoteric qualities that the training focuses on.  Plus, we don’t use CFP’s so it is up to the crews to do all of the flight planning, including the calculation of ETP’s and PNR’s.  So, I guess they want to make sure you have it dialed in before they set you free.

It’s hard to say what the future holds because everything here is in a state of flux right now.  The company is changing its name, getting new 72-600’s, changing its whole SOP and training department, new pay (pilots should be getting a pretty good raise), new routes and even a new paint job.  So, we’ll see what remains when the dust settles.

The best part about this gig is the schedule.  I’m home all the time!  This is the only airline I know of that provides this good of a quality of life.   My schedule right now has me flying about three days a week.  When I do work, the duty day is typically pleasurable and short.  Hopefully the changes coming down the pipeline don’t screw it all up.