Fiji continued

I learned some bits of history from our guide as we travelled around the islands.  We actually were only on two large islands but there are over 300 islands that make up Fiji. Until the 1800s the Fijians were cannibals. Then the missionaries came and most of Fiji is Christian now, with a few Muslims and Buddists.  No hint of how many missionaries got eaten before the islands converted. Now the largest Christian denomination there is Methodist. This scenic view was from the beach at our hotel.

 During WWII the US built a large air field on Fiji which is right in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. This effectively kept the Japanese away and left the Fijians with 10 miles of air strips when the war was over. This opened the islands up to tourism in the 1960s.  In the 70s Raymond Burr (Perry Mason) founded an orchid garden
and built a home in Fiji.  We had a lovely walk through the garden but I don't remember the names of any of the flowers.

 We were taken to one of the earliest established villages in Fiji. No grass huts anymore.  This is a Methodist church in the village.

 We met one of the hotel cleaning ladies when she came to clean our room. We left a tip for her the next morning and when we came back to our room that evening found this lovely folded towel and flower arrngement with a thank you note. Very nice.