From Fiji to Bali

Lautoka is the second largest city of Fiji. Located on the western side of the island of Viti Levu, 24 kilometres north of Nadi. Lying in the heart of Fiji’s sugar cane growing region, it is known as the Sugar City. Lautoka is the gateway to Fiji’s “Sun coast” a land of abundant sunshine, azure skies and dramatic grass-covered peaks chequered with sugar-cane fields, rural villages and quaint market towns.

Port Vila is the harborside capital and main hub of Vanuatu, on Efate island. Its small downtown is home to colorful market stalls selling produce and local handicrafts. The National Museum of Vanuatu, inside the Vanuatu Cultural Centre, displays artifacts such as slit-gong drums and outrigger canoes.

Honiara, on the island of Guadalcanal, is the capital city of the Solomon Islands. Its buzzing Central Market sells local produce and handicrafts. Traditional frescoes adorn the conical National Parliament building. The National Museum has WWII relics and cultural artifacts. The Botanical Gardens includes an orchid house. Outside the city, the waters of the Mataniko Falls thunder down a rocky cliff into a canyon.

Alotau is the capital of Milne Bay Province, in the south-east of Papua New Guinea. It is located on the northern shore of Milne Bay. The town is located within Alotau Urban LLG. Alotau is also the annual forum for Australian and Papua New Guinean ministers.

Samarai is an island and former administrative capital in Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. The island is historically significant as the site of a trading port and stop-over between Australia and East Asia.

Dili is the capital city of Timor-Leste, or East Timor, on the country’s north coast. The large Cristo Rei de Dili statue is on a hilltop east of the city, with views of the bay. Landmarks in the city recall the nation’s struggles for independence from Portugal and then Indonesia. Exhibits on the conflicts feature at the Timorese Resistance Museum and the Chega! Exhibition, the latter of which is in a former prison.

If it’s a taste of exotic authenticity you’re after, prepare to be spell-bound by the island of Bali, tucked away in the heart of the Indonesian archipelago. The beauty and diversity of its landscapes, the depth and richness of its cultural heritage and the plethora of activities on offer here make Bali a little slice of heaven on Earth. The island’s southern coast enthrals with its white sand beaches, its picturesque little fishing villages such as Benoa, and its hills patchworked with terraced rice paddies further inland. Nicknamed ‘the Island of Gods’ for its sumptuous temples, Bali is the beating heart of Indonesian Hinduism.

If it’s a taste of exotic authenticity you’re after, prepare to be spell-bound by the island of Bali, tucked away in the heart of the Indonesian archipelago. The beauty and diversity of its landscapes, the depth and richness of its cultural heritage and the plethora of activities on offer here make Bali a little slice of heaven on Earth. The island’s southern coast enthrals with its white sand beaches, its picturesque little fishing villages such as Benoa, and its hills patchworked with terraced rice paddies further inland. Nicknamed ‘the Island of Gods’ for its sumptuous temples, Bali is the beating heart of Indonesian Hinduism.