Survivor: Fiji

20 November 2009


Twenty-four nations and counting, plus Tibet which technically isn't it's own country these days (thanks, China). Arrived in Fiji last night after a surprisingly non-miserable 4-hour flight from Sydney. Air Pacific is the Air Tran of international carriers, cheaper and without such great reviews. But cheaper. And we like cheaper. Anyway, expecting Aeroflot or equivalent, instead we got a nice clean 747, decent food, full-size cans of beer and coke (I think more things in this world ought to be held to the coke standard), and a choice of movies. Said movies may have been out for 7 months for all I know, but they're all new to us. The Time Traveller's Wife I found much easier to get through in movie form— the book was self-consciously whiny, but Eric Bana does make it go down easier.

Sydney airport is crap, as it is being renovated, and the only reasonable places to eat are pre-security, though there is nothing to tell you this until it's too late. At which point you can watch other people eating through the giant glass wall from post-security. There is sushi for $16 a California roll, but that is not reasonable. At least to people who until recently lived in a van. Otherwise it's shiny and nice. There is a whole Lonely Planet shop which we killed some time in.

We're only in Fiji for a few days, so we're staying on the main island, Viti Levu. Really what you should do is go off to one of the many stunning smaller islands, but we're trying to not be picky, as we are cognizant that we have been on vacation for 7 months. We're down on the Coral Coast, a place called the Beachhouse, near Navola village. Shared bathrooms, but our own spacious and decently-decorated bungalow, free breakfast and afternoon tea for $55 a night. Can hear the sea crashing from our hut, have eaten gorgeous fish poached in coconut, and beer is like $4. Spent the entire day lounging in hammocks abut 5 feet from the water, reading, and having yet another vacation from the vacation.

We did rouse ourselves one day for a jungle trek, which I was told took half and hour and in harsh reality takes three hours. That was two days ago, and I am still sore. Stupid lack of sedan chairs. With a Fijian named Jiuta and a French/Turkish girl called Melissa, we walked down through the local college, provided by the Korean Methodist Church to Navola village in 1995, and into the jungle. Over several raging rivers and up dangerously steep inclines and treacherous canyons, braving the giant centipedes and baby pineapples. Arriving at the promised waterfall we stripped down and swam around for a while, before being urged up the rock face by the guide to be photographed.

On the arduous trek back, we were ordered to hold hands to cross the last stream. David, being David, let go of me, and I slipped and tripped on a huge log and now am bruised and cut and probably dying.

So we came back and have spent the last two days lying about. Jiuta invited us to his church today, being Sunday, but we have opted for some more intensive lying about instead. He was very enthusiastic about the luck of his village in being selected by white Methodist missionaries in the 1840s to be converted to Christianity from the satan worship and cannibalism previously practiced here. I didn't think anyone actually talked like this anymore.

Have had an hour-long coconut oil massage for $10 US, which is nice. I smell delicious. And I have frangipani flowers in my hair.

Anyway, the food is good, the wifi is good, it's only rained once. There is a new herd of British kids who are returning from 2 months building wells or houses for the poor or some such hippie thing and who clearly think they're hardcore travellers. Pshaw. If I was willing to speak to any of them, the stories I could tell...what I really need is some of our Odyssey mates for backup. Gang fight in Fiji-- Backgammon versus humanitarianism!

We leave tonight from Nadi airport, en route to Los Angeles and the land of the free and the home of the brave. Flight is at 11pm Sunday, 22 November...and we arrive at 1pm Sunday, 22 November. That's the magic of the international date line. While you're all working, we'll be traveling back in time. Travel has been good for us, look at all the new skills we've acquired.