Basics - Rough Guide to Fiji - page 71

CALLING HOME FROM FIJI
Note that the initial zero is omitted from the area code when dialling the UK, Ireland, Aus-
tralia and New Zealand from abroad.
Australia 00 + 61 + city code.
New Zealand 00 + 64 + city code.
Republic of Ireland 00 + 353 + city code.
South Africa 00 + 27 + city code.
UK 00 + 44 + city code.
US & Canada 00 + 1 + area code.
Public phones and phone cards
Public phones remain a good option for calling, with over 1500 distinctly styled drua phone
booths around the country operated by TeleCard . Cards, available in F$3, F$5, F$10, F$20
and F$50 denominations, can be purchased from all post offices and many retail outlets, and
can be used from private landlines, although they are often barred from being used in hotel
rooms.
Local calls have become substantially cheaper in recent years. If calling overseas, landline
costs remain prohibitive, with most destinations costing 75¢ per minute, often with a hefty
surcharge billed when calling from hotel rooms. Consider buying a telephone charge card
from your phone company back home. Using a PIN number, you can make calls from most
hotel, public and private phones that will be charged to your account, but check to see Fiji
is covered and bear in mind that rates aren't necessarily cheaper than calling from a public
phone.
Photography
Fiji is a photographer's paradise, with wonderful scenery and vivid colours. If in a village, it's
polite to ask before taking photographs. As Fijians tend to pose for the camera it can be dif-
ficult to get natural and spontaneous expressions - after snapping a few posed pictures, wait
until the scene becomes more natural before shooting again. The most dramatic light is ex-
perienced early in the morning and late in the afternoon, although taking pictures of beaches
and lagoons is good when the sun is high in the sky and the blues are pronounced. Film and
memory cards are available in Nadi, Lautoka and Suva, although at higher prices than in the
US or Europe.