Mum and I decided to hire a car for the day and go along the road and through some towns to take photos of what life in Fiji is really like outside of these glamorous resorts. During our stay in Fiji, we have been told by a few of the locals that their hourly wage is incredibly low, they earn on average about $2.50 an hour. Many of these homes have bars over their windows and their doors, if they are even fortunate enough to have a door, because they can't rely on the police to protect them if people break in. Some of the homes are made from concrete while others are simply put together with sheets of scrap tin.

From what I saw driving by, these homes don't seem to have any form of carpet or tile flooring, it appears to just be concrete and there are many little fruit stalls along the main road with people hoping to make some extra money. Many properties don't have fencing so they have to tie their cows, goats and horses on ropes to prevent them from straying onto the busy roads, unfortunately we passed by a deceased horse on the side of the road.

If you get the opportunity, I encourage you to step outside the comfort of your resort and immerse yourself in the real Fiji way of life, we were lucky if we even came across another tourist walking along the shops and streets. Purchase from shops, not the resorts, you will find products are much cheaper and you will be supporting the local community and not the big resort chains.

WHEN WE LANDED INTO NADI, WE HAD NO IDEA OF THE REALITY OF FIJI. WATCHING TV SHOWS LIKE GETAWAY AND LOOKING THROUGH MAGAZINES AND BROCHURES OF PHOTOS ABOUT FIJI BACK HOME IN AUSTRALIA AND EVEN INTERNET SEARCHES, ALL I SEE IS THE LUXURIOUS 5 STAR RESORTS WITH WHITE SANDY BEACHES AND AMAZING BLUE WATER, SO I WAS REALLY SURPRISED TO SEE WHAT FIJI REALLY IS.