Bula from Fiji - Day 20

Tomorrow ends our adventure.  I will make one more post when we arrive home.  Many of us travelers are becoming a bit weary.  We have been on the go constantly for almost three weeks now.

This morning I headed out with the group to the Kula Eco Park. About a third of the group, including Bonnie, opted to take the morning off.  The park is trying to bring back the endangered iguana and peregrine falcon population.  Local plants and animals can also be found on the grounds of the park. It also serves as a place for school children to learn about their environment.

The park is named after this Kula bird

The Fijian Crested Iguana on my head is endangered. The one on my shoulder is the Fijian Banded Iguana

We saw the flying fox, or the fruit bat, in both Australia and here in Fiji.  At night you see them flying around, but during the day they are hanging from the trees.  We saw them up close and personal at the Eco Park, but here they are hanging from the trees at our hotel.

Flying foxes at Kula Eco Park

A few words about Fiji… It is definitely a third world country.  There are many poor people here with an unstable government.  The Shangri-La Resort is beautiful on its 50 acres, but once out of the resort area you see the poverty. There are few paved roads, except for the main roads; and the homes range from cinder block with tin roofs to simple tin houses.  While riding to the Eco Park, we saw men plowing their fields with oxen.  A bridge in town is washed out and not repaired.  But the attitude of the people is carefree and “senga na lenga” - no worries.