Suva Municipal Market, Suva (must see)

When you come to Suva — either by sea, via the Queen’s Road along the coast, or on Rodwell Road on your way in from the airport at Nausori — the Suva Municipal Market is one of the first reminders that this is, indeed, a cosmopolitan town. On the market’s ground floor you’ll see Polynesian, Chinese, Indian and Fijian vendors hawking everything a local household might need.

Choose your food: Fish? Freshwater prawns? Goat meat? Crab? Passion fruit? Taro? Cassava? Eggplant (also called “baigan” in Hindi or “baigani” in Fijian, depending on the language of the seller)?

Other merchants sell spices, freshly gathered shellfish, coconut oil and bundles of dalo (taro root). A section of new kiosks, toward the bus station, is the place to purchase “Indian sweets,” which range from overly sugary to savory. The variety of produce and seafood is boundless. You can easily spend an hour or more wandering the dimly lit corridors of this massive expanse of a market.

If you’re interested in purchasing souvenirs, you may want to segue over to the recently rebuilt Suva Flea Market (a block up Rodwell Road) directly across the street from the bus stand. The market has 160 shops in a streamlined, modern setting, more akin to a mall rather than the bazaar that characterized the earlier incarnation. There are also inexpensive but decent eateries inside the Suva Flea Market.