FIJI!!

The view from the Club Fiji Resort Beach front and bar/restaurant













My "Bure" and another view from the property.

















BULA!!! I had planned on doing a daily update of my Fijian adventure, but I couldn't connect my computer to the internet. So, here is the journal in it's entirety. Please stroll through at your leisure ("Fiji time!") and/or come back whenever you want to. See http://dantzigphotography.com/?page_id=184 for the complete galley of images.

(6/14/09 Fiji) I was a little more nervous about this first visit to the South Seas. I booked my trip to Fiji last year and it seemed like a far off dream. It still did not seem a reality even as the date rapidly approached. I met with my buddy Max for a couple of beers on Thursday night—everything was packed and ready to go. It was a quiet night and I was home by 9:30 and in bed by 10:00. The alarm was set for 3:00 AM because I had a 7:10 flight. I ignored the advice to arrive at the airport 3 hours early for an international flight and opted to arrive at a much more reasonable 5:00 AM. Sleep did not come easily so I was ready when the alarm rang. Max arrived at 4:00 and we were on our way. It was a wise choice to arrive later because the gate attendants did not get there until 5:30! A gentleman who I assume was returning to Fiji assisted me to the desk where we heard the words that every traveler dreads: “your flight is delayed and is now leaving at 10:15.” The thought of three more hours of sleep danced in my head! My 6 hour flight to Fiji now resembled the 10 to 11 hour ride back to NY!

I settled in for the long wait as neighbors took turns watching each others bags during restroom visits or food searches. I was pleased that I had packed a few extra peanut breakfast bars. We were at last on the plane on the way to Fiji. The flight crew was very pleasant and I partook of the bar cart on two occasions. I started reading the Twilight series a few weeks earlier so the three hour delay and the six hour flight allowed plenty of time to finish the first novel in the series. I could use a break from the adventures of Bella and Edward, so I dug into Don Felder’s Heaven and Hell: My Life with the Eagles. In time we landed and I excitedly awaited first sight of Fiji. I left Hawaiii on Friday morning and arrived in Fiji on Saturday morning because we crossed the International Date Line. I wasn’t disappointed despite a heavy cloud cover. I did not see much, but it was green and the mountains were pretty and somehow, initially at least, different than Hawaii. They looked more like the back side of Maui than anything resembling the Waianae or Koolau ranges from my so far limited perspective.

I received some assistance through the airport and had exchanged some money and cleared customs in no time. The ride from the airport to the Club Fiji Resort was not long—but I was glad that I was not driving on the left side of the road. The resort was down a long dirt and bumpy road. I was greeted by “Bula” by each of the so far very friendly staff. The resort is very laid back with a rustic wooden decor. I am in a small cottage that instantly reminded me of my visits to see my dear friend Nikki on Kauai. I love Kauai, so I immediately felt at home.

The wonderful hospitality continued as I sampled Fijian beer and cuisine for the first time. The Fiji Bitter is quite good, but I’ll pass on Fiji Gold. I had a plate of prawns and pork (the prawns were more like shrimp) that was VERY tasty!


I was sitting at the beach side bar having a beer when a guy wearing a New Jersey Devils shirt. Here I am, literally a half a world from where I grew up and I bump into a guy from Jersey! Russ turned out to be a really nice guy even though I am an old Islander fan! He’s on extended “holiday,” working for a year in Australia.

I was done by 8:00. It was extremely hot and muggy when I arrived but cooled down nicely at night. It rained a lot so I was periodically aware of the water hitting the roof of my cabin. I was wakened by the crowing of roosters and the (loud) singing of geckos. However the cacophony of nature would begin a little later! I’m not sure what kind of birds they were (mynah birds?) but they were sure happy to see the sun rise!

6/14/09 Fiji
I was able to confirm later that the noisy buggers were, in fact, mynah birds! I saw one and thought that the volume of it’s “chirp” far out bid it’s size! The day started slow. I called Verizon a month ago and learned that my cell phone would not work here. I felt a strange excitement when I thought of not being tied to a phone for a week. I realized yesterday (two days ago???) as I was waiting for the elevator at 4:15 AM that my WATCH was my phone! Shoots, I’d have to get a watch in Fiji. Oh well. Besides, my computer has a clock—good thing because my room doesn’t! I’d need to get an adapter because the electrical sockets in Fiji are different than in the U.S. Much to my dismay, the hotel didn’t have any adapters and my battery on the computer was shot (so no journal and no clock!). A resort worker named Ben offered to go into Nadi (pronounced Nandi) to buy me a watch (the people at this hotel are super nice), but Fai in the internet cafe came to the rescue and found an adapter that someone had left behind and lent it to me for the week.

I had a leisurely breakfast and came back for a shower. The weather was still iffy at best with a thick cloud cover. I booked an hour long massage on the beach ($20.00 US including tip) which was very pleasant. I took my spot at the bar and tried a couple more “local” beers (my buddy Max’ favorite beer is Victorian Bitter, so I’ll have to find that while I am here) and got back into Felder’s memoir of his time in my favorite band. I was talking to one of the bartenders about the surfing here. He said that the big surf could come all year. There is a clan on one of the outer islands that still has the power to invite the waves. He’s seen it happen. The next three hours were harrowing: I laid in a tope hanger under palm trees and clearing skies reading. I got caught up in battle with a rope hammock—trying to read and keep balanced is tough! The rat fink dumped me at one point! I wondered why I wasn’t doing this in Hawaii.

The weather was now quite nice so I grabbed the camera and got some shots of the palm trees before returning to the bar/restaurant for some eats and drinks. I ordered a mai tai. Let me tell you: they make them differently down here! One was plenty. I ran into my Jersey friend and continued a very pleasant conversation. A very good two-man band played in the background. They played mostly American and English classic rock. They introduced a Fijian song that I would swear was Kenny Rogers’ “Lucille” (You know the one—“You picked a fine time to leave me Lucille…with four hungry children and a crop in the field.”) Hysterical. Good, but funny.







The coconuts are free...so, apparently are the head injuries!

6/15/09 Fiji
Ugh. What is it with the second night after traveling? I slept long and hard on night one, but tossed and turned all night last night. The girls in the next bungalow obviously had a good night? There was the shadow of a critter on the wall as I went to the bathroom but it was gone too fast for me to really see what it was. There was a bit of noise after I returned to bed, so I’m guessing it was either a gecko, or the gecko got whatever it was. Welcome to the tropics.

I requested a 6:00AM wake-up call—this is great—there was a knock on my door at 6:00! They literally come and wake you up! The people at this out of the way resort are amazing. I was waiting for my pick up for a day cruise to what turned out to be a very small but gorgeous island when I began having second thoughts about leaving my passport and wallet in my room unattended. Ben to the rescue again! He went back to my room at retrieved my documents while I waited for the pickup. My passport was safely locked away as I piled into the front seat with Inia driving. I was still freaked about driving on the left. I snapped photos out the window of all the stores, etc. to get a feel for this side of this island. The feel was instantly different when we crossed a small “river” to Demarau. We were in “resort” territory. I think I like the Nadi side better.














Views from the car on the way to Denarau and our ship at sea.













Crossing over to Denarau

The boat ride to Tivau was a little subdued but pleasant. The water and surrounding islands were serenely beautiful. Everyone kept to themselves despite the encouragement of the crew.



One of the islands on the way to Mystery Island.












Mixing the Kava. I tried Kawa after a demonstration of the welcoming ceremony. It tasted like wood. The lead guy of the crew was named Lee. He was extremely professional and pleasant, but I know that boat crews don’t know what to do with or about me. They always try to offer too much help. Lee was great. I think he was secretly relieved when I passed on the first snorkeling trip-I wanted to take photos of this amazing place. I did and I hope that my photos do it justice. I put the camera down and ventured into the turquoise shallow water and laid there for 20 minutes or so…until I heard “LUNCH AND BAR’S OPEN!!!” Food and beer trump beautiful water!
Some of the sights (and me!) on Mystery Island!

The second snorkel trip was after lunch. Lee wasn’t sure about me but had the respect to ask if I could do it. I wound up holding on to him as we swam back to shore from the entry point. He was clearly impressed with me even though I drank half of the South Pacific Ocean and almost fed the fish! I prefer scuba diving—I can’t tuck my head too low and inhale the Ocean with a regulator in my mouth. Lee kept commenting to his friends that “This guy’s good!” He confessed with obvious respect that he had never been scuba diving. He was impressed with my 11 dives. I hate to admit this, but sometimes I still get a kick out of surprising people.

Lee acting ferocious and pounding a coconut!!!













The boat ride back was fun. People’s guards were let down a bit and conversations began to sprout. Lee and his gang weren’t through and performed a slightly different version of how to shear a coconut. Mind you, I’ve hated coconuts my whole life but J decided to try a little of the actual nut. It was not awful and truth be told, it was good—sort of like an almond. I don’t understand how I can hate the juice and extracts, but like the nut itself. The crew was entertaining us with guitars and ukulele and a few numbers from around the world. The Australian entry was, of course, “Waltzing Matilda!” The US was represented by…are you ready?...”She’ll Be Coming Around the Mountain When She Comes!”

The crew at the hotel was characteristically wonderful. I was warned no less the three times when I ordered the hot shrimp curry! The first bite was “holy crap!” but it was tasty after that—I think!

6/16/09 Fiji



















Today had a frustrating start. I got up at 5:30 for a 7:00 pick up for what was going to be a full day canoe, hike (short hike) and slow raft trip. The lady from my hotel called at 7:30 and was told that the trip was cancelled. She was able to book me on a later ½ day island cruise so all was not lost, but I now had three hours to kill. I tried to call mom to let her know that I was alive and well, but the line was busy each time. So off I went to South Sea Island. This tour company was not as personal as Captain Cook was yesterday—It was more of a well oiled machine with several boats doing pick ups and drop offs around the islands. The staff was helpful, but it did not have the charm of yesterday’s crew.

We arrived on the island in time for lunch and a show of Fijian tribal dances. It was a good show. I saw two guys playing a board game that look like a cross between shuffle board and billiards. I wanted to get back to them and see how it was played, but never had the chance. There was a pretty young lady sitting alone at the table next to mine so I invited her over. Clare was a flight attendant from Hong Kong. There was a familiar face from yesterday’s trip and she came over to ask a question about her camera. We started talking and Clare took her leave. Julia was on an extended holiday from Germany. She was also probably in her early twenties and quite pretty. We talked for a good 40 minutes or so about career goals and finding and pursuing your passion—it was a topic that would repeat itself a few more times with other people over the day. She was also curious about my canes, so I launched into a familiar (and by now boring) story—but she meant well and was interested, so why not? I thought that we’d be buddies for the day, but that never materialized. I went in a semi-submerged submarine for a ride among the coral. I still prefer scuba over snorkeling or these glass lined vehicles. There were some pretty interesting coral configurations (some looked like huge mushrooms) and the starfish were cool. I met up with the two party girls from South Carolina back at the hotel bar/restaurant. They were heading back to Australia the next day and called it an early evening. I’m not sure what they did at night, but they had fun! I met another guy from New Jersey! What are the odds of that? He was also on an extended trip through Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. I’d love to figure out how to take three week to three month “holidays!” Instead I’m going back to a crazy schedule where I’ll be working and teaching three nights for the next six weeks. Gotta pay to play!

Fijian flag at sunset.

The masseuse from yesterday’s cruise was on this charter too and we got into a conversation. I mentioned that I wanted to learn about FIJI, not just see some “made for tourist” adventures. She said she had some friends who could show me around and suggested that we meet before my cruise tomorrow.

6/17/09 Fiji Today was the “Whales Tale” cruise to yet another small island. The pick-up this time was a taxi to take me into town to catch the “bus” to the dock. The bus was a beat up beast that looked like a small old Volkswagon bus. The “automatic” door never quite closed properly which was of concern to me because I was sitting in the seat next to it! We did, however, arrive safely after several more pick-ups. One of my “bus mates” was a beautiful Chinese lady named Athena—more about Athena later. Several others from New Zealand were on board. The short trip to the Marina was a lot quieter than the return!

I quickly met with Va and her friend Peli before boarding and we agreed to meet at the hotel the next morning to discuss the trip details. I left them and got on board the large schooner and quickly realized that this was the party boat.

The initial offer was “coffee, tea, or champagne.” Guess which one I took. Cries of “more beer, more food” were heard all day. The leisurely cruise took an hour and 45 minutes passing along a gorgeous blue ocean with small islands and atolls dotting the scenery. The time was spent listening to music (no “Coming around the Mountain!) and making conversation with the other passengers…and of course, more beer and more food! I was dubbed “Stevie Wonder” by the time we got to the island.

We arrived on the island and were invited to the Kava Ceremony (my second of three that I would partake in during my stay). There is no alcohol in Kava, but it is exported as an anti-anxiety and soothing agent. It is said that it can have hallucinogenic properties in high dose. Kava is a ceremonial drink that was used in the old days. Only a chief and his bodyguard could partake. Any disrespect shown at these ceremonies was answered with death by clubbing. Now the ceremonies are customary events to welcome visitors and Kava is a social drink. No more clubbings!

I passed on the snorkeling and went around the very small island taking photographs until it was time to get in the water. I definitely need to get into the water more often at home. It was simply magnificent: Warm, calm and aqua blue. I spent about a half hour lounging and swimming in this serene environment until the call to lunch came. I got to try that board billiards game and got my butt kicked! It’s much harder than it looks. I was going to go on a fishing trip after lunch but found a hammock to spend the 15-to-20 minute ‘down time.’ Well, I don’t know how long I was ‘down,’ but I missed the fishing trip!








I came to in time to watch the volleyball match that had just begun. It was getting close to leaving time and the volleyball was the last scheduled activity. I went back to the lunch area as the second and final match was in progress. Athena was lying alone on a bench closer to the water so I went over and told her that I had a question for her. I told her that I was a professional photographer from Hawaii and asked if she’d like to take some photos on the boat on the way back. I was very pleasantly surprised when she responded very enthusiastically to my offer.

The first thing I did was ask the Captain for permission to photograph Athena on his boat. No problem. I then went about trying to find something to use as a reflector. We came up with a small piece of aluminum foil, but it proved to be pretty useless. I had spoken to a guy named Jason throughout the day. Jason was a photo buff as well so I asked him to help out with the shoot. He happily agreed.

We started with some shots on the back of the boat but the sun was still a bit high in the sky and our little reflector wasn’t do much to help—although it did bounce some light in a few of the shots. The main culprit on the back of the boat was the limited space and the wind. Athena’s hair was blowing uncontrollably. We did get a few usable shots though.












The bow of the ship was a different story. The light, while still tough on Athena’s eyes, was becoming much more flattering. We also had more room to work with, so we went to work with Jason relaying my instructions to her.

Athena was a great sport. She had never modeled before and took the helm with a bunch of friendly strangers watching—and did a super job. We had to use the “close your eyes until I count to two then open” trick because the sun was still quite bright. I would shoot as many frames as I could in a couple of seconds and then have her rest. I normally bring strobes with me but obviously did not have them. The freedom to shoot without waiting for the strobes to recycle helped. I also did not have my trusty light meter with me, so I (gasp) relied on the camera’s meter on Program mode! This worked because the sun was behind me and was illuminating the entire scene—including Athena—evenly.

I realized later that I was in “my zone” while photographing Athena. I was completely unaware of anyone else on the boat (except for Jason) or even my surroundings to a degree. I was, thankfully, aware enough to recognize that I had to find an anchor point to lean against or I’d be joining the MahiMahi in the ocean! It was interesting in hindsight to recognize how totally absorbed I am during a shoot.

We scrolled though the images downstairs in the dining area. I made sure to at least ask her if it was OK for me to use the photos for my websites and books/magazines, etc. She said yes (so here they are!) It was hard to see with the small display screen on my camera, but the shots looked good and Athena seemed very happy with her first experience modeling. Wait until she sees the images full size! I hope that she will be able to find an agency in New Zealand and can use these photos to start a new career. She’s a natural! There were at least 50 good shots with 25 making the second round of edits. It’s going to be tough to narrow it down!

The trip home was fun—we were all buddies and the bus was full of song—albeit the horrible “Wheels on the Bus” was sung twice, but is was all good fun. All in all it was an awesome day. It was a great cruise, peaceful swim, good food…and I was able to do a photo shoot with a beautiful girl on a cool ship in Fiji. Not a bad day!

6/18/09 Fiji
I met with Peli this morning. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy. We tentatively planned on an agenda and settled on what we both felt was a fair price and seid our farewells. Today was an off day. I just didn’t feel it today. It may have been a Whale’s Tale hangover (not literally, but it could have been!), but today was kind of a buzz kill. It was not due to the tour guide. He did a great job taking three of us around to three popular spots near Nadi.


We went to Vuda (pronounced Vunda Lookout for a vast view of this section of the island and the near islands in the sea; the original village of Fiji and a beautiful botanical garden where the rainforest seemed to begin. Our guide was great-very knowledgeable and open to share his world with us. But, the weather wasn’t great and I was probably a little tired—and as much as I hate to admit it, probably ready to home. Tomorrow and Saturday promise to be interesting. I have private tours booked both days. I have nothing going on Sunday, so maybe I’ll see about heading home on Saturday night.

Well, there are only flights out to Honolulu on Friday and Sunday. I’m close to being ready to go home, but not enough to pass on two full days in Fiji.





6/19/09 It poured down rain last night which did not help whatever this sleeping issue I’m having—that and the fact that someone had the wrong bure and tried to get into my hut last night! Ugh. I figured that my trip to the Coral Coast would be a washout and it sure looked that way at 7:30 this morning. I went to cancel the trip but it started to clear up as the morning progressed and the lady at the tour desk convinced me to give it a go. I’ve been here long enough that I’ve stopped thinking about the exchange rate and the thought of spending $250.00 on a rainy tour did not appeal to me. Then I remembered that it was $125.00 US for a personalized tour for 5 hours. I’m glad I went. I’m also glad that I brought my Visa card because my AMEX card was DECLINED when I went to pay for the trip! So much for “Member since 1986!” They had better have a good reason when I call them!

My guide for the day was a very personable local gentleman who was easy to talk to and laugh with. I couldn’t tell you where we went, but it was a lot of back (aka DIRT) roads through the countryside. Horses, goats, cows and bulls randomly dot the roadside—some tied up, some apparently not. The weather was still junk, but it did not rain much so it was OK—just lousy for pictures, so I didn’t take many. Fiji is very much like Hawaii. I haven't seen the large mountains, but the lower areas strongly resemble the lower grassy hills of Hawaii. We went through some areas that seemed like the transition from the East to North sides of Kauai—thick trees and lots of bamboo.

We passed several Fiji villages, each with a larger bure home for the chief and many smaller homes made from cinder or tin. The largest building in each village is the village church. Fiji is primarily made up of Native Fijians (who are believed to have come from Tanzania, not Asia and are considered Melanesian rather than Polynesian), Hindu Indians and Muslims. Muslim homes are painted blue and Hindu homes have a large pole with a red “flag” hanging. Tourism is the number one industry in Fiji with sugar cane following in second place. The cane is transported via a very slow train that can pull 80 cars with 5 tons of cane.

A street in Sigartoka and flood damage.

We went through Sigatoka, a town largely made up of farmers with a big and busy market. It is called the “Salad Bowl of Fiji.” Produce is available directly from the farmers here, eliminating the “middle man.” Fiji had a devastating flood in January that knocked out the train bridge in this town. There are no plans to rebuild the bridge. They will use trucks to transport the cane.

I asked my guide if it was a tough life in Fiji. He said that no, in general it is a very peaceful life where the villages were primarily self-sufficient—although the neighboring towns do support the villages by buying the produce raised. The people in the towns have to pay for everything, but the villagers provide for each other.

People in the villages are born into a particular line and lines cannot be crossed. For example, if you are born into a line of storytellers then you cannot become a chief.

I had a couple conversations about the schools here. It is customary to bring a gift when entering a village. These gifts are often for the children to help cover the cost of going to school—there is no “Free and Appropriate Education” here. The families pay a lot in school fees—as much as a month’s wages or more and it gets more costly as the kids get older—wages are often $60-70.00 per week. About 70% of the kids go to primary school while only 40-50% goes to high school. I gather that this is primarily due to the cost. There are colleges and the University of Fiji, but this seems like a rare opportunity. Gifts such as pencils are apparently most welcome.

The route home took us through Nadi town. I was surprised to learn that half of the residents of the island lived around Nadi. It’s a huge contrast to Honolulu! There are many resorts and the airport here, so aside from Suva, the capitol, Nadi has the most to offer in terms of jobs.

I managed to (well, my tour guide managed to find) a six-pack of Victoria Bitter, so “Here’s to you Max!” I’ll have to buy a bottle opener tomorrow.

It’s time to brave the rain and get some dinner—and call American Express!

Trying to reach AMEX with a pre-paid calling card proved to be as frustrating as the reason for my call. I got through once and was then cut off—at the waste of a few bucks and over ½ hour. I asked Ava at the desk to run my outstanding restaurant/bar/internet/calling card tab through to see what would happen and it went through no problem. I have to suppose that the problem was with that particular card terminal. (I called AMEX when I got home and they had no record of an attempted charge--it must've been that store's terminal.)

I returned to the restaurant and ordered the Mongolian BBQ special for the night. Now, those of you who know me know that I can eat. Well, they brought out a plate that could choke a horse! I did my darndest, but I was bested! The resort owners were in town and were quite impressed with my attempts!

The owners are a very pleasant couple with a teenage boy from Australia. They are in town for a few months and part of there business is to reopen part of there resort that was badly damaged in the flood. They have a second restaurant that serves pizza and pasta. The “new” building will also house the boutique/coffee shop/internet cafe.

6/20/09 Fiji

Truth be told, the weather has been crap for the most part. It has rained for 5 of the 8 days I’ve been here. It’s pouring now as I write this. Fortunately it was gorgeous the three days I went on the cruises. Rain that is pouring down on a tin roof is not a noise that is conducive to sleeping. I awoke to what promised to be a dreary day—and this is the Leeward side of the Island during the dry season. I’m not sure I’d want to see it during typhoon season. The rain has come, as I alluded to before, during the days that I had planned road tours. I’m not so terribly disappointed in the lack of photo opportunities because the interior of Fiji that I have seen closely resembles Hawaii.

Today I was set for a private tour. I had a quick toast and coffee breakfast and waited for my guide. He was late—even by “Fiji time.” I was beginning to think about other plans and was heading back to my room to drop off my camera when he arrived. He apologized, stating that traffic was stopped for a walking competition in town (we saw some stragglers on the way out) and we were off. He had secured a cab driven by a gentleman named Jeb for our transport. The first stop was the bank so I could change more money (and pay Peli!) and then we were off in the opposite direction than yesterday’s trip. We headed to Lautoka, the heart of Fiji’s sugar trade and the second largest city in the country. 40,000 people live in Lautoka. The conversation was easy and interesting as we compared the folklore of Hawaii and Fiji. I can definitely see where some of the old Hawaiian stories came from. There were similarities between the worship of different gods and tabus on removing certain things from the different areas. Fijian gods, like Hawaiian gods, took the shape of different animals and other beings. Each tribe had its own god and that animal was sacred. The turtle, or fonu (as opposed to “honu” in Hawaiian) is similarly revered as a token of good luck. The whale is sacred, but the teeth from beached whales were used as dowries in exchange for a bride.

"Sugar Town--Suatoka. Sugar Mill. Sautoka was an interesting town. It seemed to me to be the urban center of the Leeward Coast of Fiji. We passed the distillery/brewery, but it was closed (dang it-I was hoping for some samples!) The sugar mill was interesting even though we couldn’t go in it. The Indians were brought in as indentured servants to work the fields, just like the Filipinos, Japanese, Chinese and others were brought to Hawaii. I was quite surprised to see the size of the railroad cars…I had envisioned something much larger.

We spent some time at the port/dock (Lautoka is the largest commercial port in Fiji) and discussed local politics-not coup related stuff, but how it all works here. The best analogy I could come up with is that the village chiefs are like our mayors who are then subservient to the “district” (an area of villages) Rokkuu (sp?) (Governor) who in turn reports to the President.

We stopped for lunch in Lautoka at a corner “plate lunch” place. Lautoka has a couple of traffic lights—the first I’ve seen in Fiji! Peli and I ordered the Chicken Curry (HOT!!!!!) while Jed ordered another chicken dish. It was quite eye opening to be in the second largest city on Fiji. The streets were very similar to the ones you've seen from other towns--maybe a bit more crowded, but the same general look.

The ride back to Nadi was quiet. I was tired, talked out and just trying to soak it all in. The trip did have one more surprise: Jed is also a cane farmer! He stopped at his house and cut some cane for me to try. I thought I remembered from many years ago that the way to eat cane is to chewed and sucked for the juice and not eaten. Well, I didn’t have anything to spit the chewed cane out, so it went down the hatch THEN Jed gave me a plastic bag for the extra stuff. I stopped at a souvenir shop and then they took me back to the resort.

I’d been eyeing the pool table with the snooker sized balls and pockets all week and tried a game tonight. Ooof. Talk about a lickin’…and I actually hit the little balls better than I thought I would. The small pockets are unforgiving. I’ve always enjoyed watching snooker and now I have a new found respect for the players.

I met a very interesting young lady named Tracy. She’s Fijian but lives in New Zealand for now. She’ll return to Fiji in time to pursue he career in preventative health care. Not only was she born into the chiefs’ line, her village appointed HER chief after her grandfather passed away! Quite a fet since women still don’t have the same voice asmen in Fiji. She and her grandmother were good fun. Sherrie and her mom from Australia were fun too.

6/21/09 Fiji

Last day. The skies were changeable all day--sunny, cloudy then sunny again, but no rain. I ended the trip the same way it started--sitting by the beach reading about the Eagles. I spent the last two hours talking and having dinner with Tracy, her grandmother and some other friends. It was a very pleasant way to end a good week. I have a feeling that this trip will get even better in my memory as time passes. The tourist stuff was fun--and beautiful--and photographing Athena was a really pleasant bonus. I enjoyed the two “personal tours” because they were off the beaten track. I found the similarities between Fiji and Hawaii to be very interesting--but it makes sense because the original Hawaiians supposedly came from the other South Sea Islands. Ancient Hawaiians culture was probably a blend of the various places that they came from. I enjoyed comparing the folklore and talking about the pre-Christian religions.

6/21/09 Hawaii

Wow! I get to do Sunday all over again! I left tonight and arrived this morning! It’s really good to be home. Perhaps one of the most important things that I got from this trip was a new perspective and appreciation for my home. The mention of “Hawaii” holds the same mystique there as it does on the Mainland here in the States. I think I am beginning to have a better understanding of where Hawai came from. I am still interested in exploring more of he Islands of Polynesia, but I can enjoy the beautiful tropics in my own back yard. I learned that while I, along with many many people, struggle to make ends meet, I’m actually doing very well. We forget that in our day to day lives. We are often so caught up in paying the next bill that we forget to sit back and truly enjoy what we are working to pay for. Yes, I’ll have to get back on my crazy treadmill to pay for the honor of calling Hawaii home, but thanks to Fiji, perhaps I’ll take more time to enjoy it.

Thank you (“Mahalo” or “Vinaka”) for taking this ride with me!