The Grand Pacific Hotel Fiji: A landmark hotel operating for over a century

I had just escaped a brief sun shower and turned the corner at the end of Rodwell Road in Fiji when the Grand Pacific Hotel, with its white columns, came into view. This colonial building, which was built in 1914, has become a landmark in Suva. The century-old teak floors gleam softly in the humid air, and the hibiscus flower on the waiter's temple seems to transport me into the frames of a silent film. This building is affectionately known as the "The Grand Old Lady" of Suva, a name that evokes a sense of warmth. The newly painted shutters stubbornly retain the etched patterns of wind and rain, and the revolving door, which once welcomed leaders from many countries, is now filtering the light and shadows of the 21st century into the moonlight of yesteryear. The ceiling fan in the lobby turns slowly, British colonial silverware and Fijian traditional tapa cloths are displayed side by side, and in the yellowed old photos in the corridor frames, gentlemen in top hats and grass-skirted girls watch the sea from the same terrace. As the waiter hands me an iced coconut, the hibiscus flower in her hair carries the warmth of the South Pacific. The sunny and rainy weather outside the terrace is very much like the temperament of this building. The raindrops on the cast iron railings are not yet dry, and the sunlight has gilded the coral reef coast. Unfortunately, the legend that you can stay in for just 400 Fijian dollars is too short, and the cruise ship's whistle is urging us to say goodbye. When I pressed the shutter, I deliberately chose a faded filter to create a subtle reconciliation between the cracks in the white columns and the bright colors of the hibiscus in the film grain. This stubborn "old lady" that has stood for a century has finally turned the vicissitudes of the Pacific Ocean into a vintage story in the creaking of the wooden stairs.