9 INCREDIBLE COUNTRIES WHERE YOU CAN LIVE FOR UNDER $1,000 A MONTH

Life

3.Fiji

Local draft: $1.25, x2 since you're also buying one for your new buddy

What you'll save on: A bowl of kava is by donation, your call.

Why here? Unlike the many Polynesian islands in the midst of the Pacific Ocean, dark-skin-Melanesian Fiji's vibe resembles that of the chilled-out Caribbean. The 10-hour nonstop flight from Los Angeles springs you into a remote patch of the Tropicana ring around the Earth that welcomes backpack nomads, divers, and package-tour types. Fiji's largest and most populous island, Viti Levu, yields lush resorts and ferries and flights to dozens of other beach-rimmed islands that cater to chic travelers as well as the $20-a-night, thatched hut-dwelling beerchug contestants. Dandy.

If you really plan on living here for a while you'll have to truly go local -- earthen floors and all -- to live cheaply. Of Fiji's 325 islands only about 100 are "inhabited," and visitors rarely get to know more than a few after landing on Viti Levu. Everyone sees this large island's intimidating peaks but heads offshore to predictable resorts. Instead, ascend into Viti Levu's craggy mountain interior and take a hike on the wild side where an invitation from chiefs is required to enter most villages. Then, gather 'round the kava bowl and drink the elixir used for centuries to mend conflicts between warring tribes; a peaceful happy hour. Kava means to Fiji what football means to Green Bay, Wisconsin -- a marvelous trance. The buzz recalls a sort of earthy codeine canapé or a Native American mushroom blessing.

Affordable adventure: Get round-wound-sound by enjoying the stirring gospel singing in one of the many rustic Christian churches built in nearly every settlement. Waltz (like you own the place) into one of Fiji's many plush resorts, play a drinking game or enjoy the amenities. Freed indentured servants brought here from India by 19th-century British colonialists add plenty to these already-multicultural islands -- including killer Indian cuisine.

If you need a hedonistic binge: Fiji's two "cities," Nadi and Suva, have the usual tourist rundown of places to blow your money, but tighten your belt and you can survive on a budget that would make you cry back in the States.

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