Fiji! - Show Me the Way to go Home

Fiji! - Show Me the Way to Go Home March 31, 2012 8:45 pm (March 31, 2012 2:45 am) Breakfast - apple pancakes, lunch - swordfish kebabs w/fried rice, dinner - potato gnocchi w/melted tomato We are over it. Spent the day waiting. Waiting to hear what was going on on the mainland. Waiting for the rain to stop. Waiting to hear if flights were getting out. Waiting to find out how we would get to Nadi. Waiting for websites and emails to load. The news just kept getting worse. No flights coming in. Looting and a curfew in Nadi. Flooding deaths on the mainland. Queens Road still closed and now a bridge washed out.  And yet, other than the rain, things here are fine. Some people kayaked today, some snorkeled. The spa was half price. We have power and Internet, albeit abominably slow Internet, but Internet nonetheless. Plenty of food and drink. Just lots of uncertainty.  I spent a lot of time online trying to get info and then Kim and I watched Today's Special, one of the movies I rented from iTunes. Did some crossword puzzles. And ate. And then ate again.  And again. Kim was way more active than me, going out to collect litter and then working out to an exercise DVD.  I couldn't bear to go out in the rain. We're both so tired of being wet. The plan now is to take the boat at 7 am to Pacific Harbor where we will get a bus or van shuttle to Suva where we will get a flight to Nadi where we will get a flight to LA. The obstacles are that all the flights from Suva to Nadi are booked so they are trying to arrange a charter but, as of now, still do not have one confirmed; it's still raining so who knows how long the road to Suva will stay open; and there's a moderate to high chance that this storm will develop into a cyclone (read hurricane) so we might get stranded anywhere along the way or might not even leave Beqa. We're not sure which would be worse. One of our group is planning to email the State Department to let them know we're here and ask their advice on a recommended course of action. I'm skeptical that they'll have anything useful to tell us.  Kim did arrange a little birthday celebration for me this evening after dinner which I almost spoiled by leaving early. There was a little band serenading me and a cake with a candle and a silly hat. It was very nice.  Happy Birthday to me. I guess I won't be forgetting how I spent my 50th anytime soon. 

Fiji! - Stranded?

Fiji! - Stranded? March 30, 2012 21:09 pm (March 30, 2012 3:09 am in Aspen) Breakfast - French toast, lunch - veggie frittata, dinner - veggie crepe Well, things are getting interesting. It rained again all night. We woke up at 4:30 am to get ready for rafting but after breakfast, as we were waiting to be told to board the boats to take us to Viti Levu (the mainland), we were told that the rafting company had called to say that the trip was canceled because the road was impassable. We were not terribly disappointed as we had spent the morning questioning why we were doing this. What we didn't fully comprehend was what an omen this was to turn out to be. I did mention that it was possible that if it kept raining the road to the airport might also close but I didn't really believe it would happen.  Silly me. After rescheduling our massages for an hour earlier, we went back to our bure and went back to sleep awaking again at about 9:45 am to pouring rain, the import of which was still failing to register. We read for a bit and then watched Hugo, by which time it was time for lunch so we headed over to the dining room. It was there that we got our first inkling that things were going awry, upon being informed that the road to the airport was out and that some of our fellow travelers who had left this morning were still stuck on this side of the flooding trying to get to Nadi. Hmmm.  Realizing that there was nothing to be done, we watched the cooking demonstration after lunch and then took short naps before our massages. The massages were the bright point of the day. I am still sore from my jet ski ride yesterday so welcomed the chance to have my sore muscles worked over. After massages, a quick shower and then dinner, preceded by a Fijian dance performance. The performance was fun but once again, the trip to the dining room brought more bad news. Now, the roads AND bridges were reported to be impassable. All incoming Air Pacific flights have been cancelled and it's forecasted to continue raining. So at this point, we really have no idea when we'll be able to leave. To top it off, the internet is abominably slow and I can't tell if any of my outgoing emails are being received. We have no phones so don't know how we're going to deal with our United flight on Sunday. Who would have thought that travel difficulties would arise, not on the Aspen end but on the Fiji end? Although I was trying mightily to have a relaxed attitude, it all became just a bit too much when I went to leave the dining room in the rain only to discover that someone had helped him or herself to my umbrella which was clearly marked with my bure number. Not wanting to compound one wrong with another, rather than taking someone else's umbrella (even though Kim and I were about the last ones there), I walked back in the rain. Could be a problem in the morning if it's still raining when it's time for breakfast. It's looking like we're going to miss the Cirque du Soleil show that we have tickets for in LA. Kim and I are ready to be home. But, hey, it's shaping up to be a memorable 50th birthday . . .

Fiji! - Around the Island

Fiji! - Around the Island March 29, 2012 9:21 pm (March 29, 2012 3:21 am in Aspen) Breakfast - coconut pancakes, lunch - salad with grilled fish, dinner - grilled fish with a fruit/citrus chutney. (We pre-order lunch and dinner at breakfast and it's been really hard to remember what I ordered by the time dinner rolls around.) It rained all night and we awoke to clouds and wind but no rain. It was really choppy out so I wasn't sure if we were going to go out on the jet skis. I waited a bit and one of the staff, Vasiti Ratulevu, who had said last night that she wanted to go with us showed up and shortly after, Kelly (his nickname - Fijian names are impossibly long)showed up with some paperwork, two life vests and two jet skis. Kelly and Va climbed on one and I climbed on the other and we were off.  We headed around the island clockwise and for the first quarter of the loop, it was extremely choppy with rather large waves. I was exhilarated and concerned at the same time.  What had I gotten myself into and was I going to be able to pilot this thing all the way around the island? It was tough holding on and steering in the chop, not to mention the fact that the majority of time there was so much spray in my face I was functionally blind. But we stopped for a short rest just past the northerly point and Kelly said the worst was over. Suddenly I'm thinking, "Oh! That wasn't that bad!" We headed off again and after a little Keystone Cops moment where Kelly and Va were switching drivers and both ended up in the drink with the emergency stop lanyard still attached to the waverunner, we headed on with no incident. We circumnavigated a small island in an inlet, motored through some relatively calm water, ventured out into a bit more challenging stuff and then stopped for another, longer rest and a snack, at which point we encountered a a few from our group, taking a counterclockwise boat tour around the island.  After a bit, we headed out again, detouring though a small bay and stopping to drop Va off at her village. Kelly and I then proceeded back to the resort, stopping to do what I called donuts in the parking lot on the way.  Excellent way to spend the morning.  After lunch, we visited the largest village on the island and had an audience with the chief. They took advantage of the tourists, parting us from our money, but it was still interesting seeing their homes. Pigs, goats, dogs, a fair amount of litter and small one story buildings except for the three churches in this little village. Aki, our tour guide, keeps joking about how they're Christians now, so they're no longer cannibals.  Another beautifully subtle sunset with the colors peaking through the breaks in the clouds. Cloudy all day but no rain which was actually kinda of nice since it cut the temperature a bit. Tomorrow up at 4 am to take a boat to the "mainland" to go rafting.  We had a bit of a debate about whether we just stayed over on the mainland for our flight on Saturday, rather than making the crossing two more times in less than 24 hours but finally opted to schedule massages tomorrow evening here instead of spending the money on a hotel room in Nadi.

Foji! - Firewalking in the Rain

Fiji! - Firewalking in the rain March 28, 2012 9:12 pm (March 28, 2012 3:12 am in Aspen) Breakfast - raisin pancakes, lunch - fusili pasta with vegetables, dinner- ceviche (although they didn't call it that) and yellow-fin tuna. Today, it pretty much rained all day, alternating between drizzle and downpours.I got a pedicure this morning and then read until lunch. After lunch, I got a massage (the back and mini facial special) and then showered in time to see the firewalking demonstration. Six villagers actually walked across and stood still on hot rocks which had been in a fire pit most of the day. As the guys were standing on the rocks, we could see the flames shooting up between the rocks.  Watched an atmospheric sunset where we couldn't see the actual sunset but could see the colors of the sunset breaking through a small opening in the clouds.  Also saw the fruit bats which are larger than the magpies (not an exaggeration) back home flying around and alighting on or really under branches where they then literally hung out before flying around some more. Two of them got in a little fight, screeching at each other and flapping around while hanging from a branch until one of them got tired of it and flew off. After dinner, Aki (the local who did the coconut weaving demonstrationa nd who emceed the firewalking demonstration) performed a kava ceremony, explaining the hierarchy of the village and passing the bowl around for every one to sample. It's a bizarre watery silty drink which does make your tongue slightly furry and numb. Kim and I snuck away as Aki was starting a second round. Once was enough for us. Glad I tried it, don't need to do it twice.  Tomorrow for the first time since I arrived, I'm actually going to need an alarm set as I'm doing a jet ski tour around the island. We leave at 8 am and will be back in time for the village tour at 2:45 pm. Hopefully, I'll still think this was a good idea in the morning.

Fiji! - Starfish Blue

(again with the formatting issue. To be fixed later) Fiji! - Starfish Blue March 28, 2012 8:53 am (March 27, 2012 2:53 pm in Aspen) Tuesday meals - French toast for breakfast, swordfish vermicelli noodle salad with chili dressing for lunch and wahoo with Provençal sauce and parmesan risotto for dinner Another day of sun worship with a couple of breaks for rain. Read Vanity Fair cover to cover before lunch. I brought a bunch of magazines, People, Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair, and on the first day, one of the staff asked me if she could have the one I was discarding so as I finish each one, I leave it on the table for her to take.  After lunch, Kim and I want for a short kayak and saw a blue starfish, some pink coral and a half dozen flying fish. They were all very cool but the last made me laugh out loud in delight. I had seen a couple of solo ones on Monday where I'd be paddling along and all of the sudden a fish would appear on the surface of the water in front of me, bouncing along like someone was skipping rocks. But yesterday, Kim must have disturbed a school of them because all of the sudden there were six or more dancing atop the water from all different directions. It was as is they were putting a show on for us. It's amazing how far they can travel on the surface and how many hops they can take. I am still having trouble paddling in a straight line and am still not sure if it's the kayak or the conditions which are giving me trouble. There were times yesterday when I was paddling on my left and the boat, rather than turning right, was making counterclockwise circles. It was confounding. As we were returning, it started to rain again which was an awesome feeling, the warm rainwater rinse.  What's nice about the rain and clouds is how quickly they pass and then it's sunny again. Not getting shortchanged in that account.  After a shower, watched another glorious sunset while enjoying a glass of wine and listening to the Bula Band at the Bula Bar before dinner. I definitely can't say that I'm not getting enough sleep as we're going to bed around 9ish each night and I'm getting up around 8 each morning.

Fiji! - Coconuts & Kayaks

(Still having formatting issues with paragraph breaks which will be fixed upon my return) Fiji! - Coconuts & Kayaks March 26, 2012 9:44 pm (March 26, 2012 3:44 am in Aspen) Apple pancakes for breakfast, ordered roti for lunch but switched with Victoria (?) for her fish taco since she didn't want the fried fish (tried both but liked the taco better) and mahi mahi for dinner.  Another excellent day in paradise. Went kayaking (after a brief rain shower after breakfast) which was awesomely difficult. Awesome because it was gorgeous (wow, that word looks funny) and difficult because I have never had such a hard time paddling a kayak in a straight line. I don't know if it was the wind or the currents or the tide but I was going in every direction but the one I wanted to.  I've kayaked in California, Mexico, and Hawaii and I've never had to work as hard at reaching my destination. More strokes were spent on course correction than on forward motion. But I'm still planning on going out again tomorrow and it'll be interesting to see if I run into the same phenomenon.  Sat in the sun for a hot second before it rained again by which time it was time for lunch. The dive boat wasn't back yet so the non-divers started without the divers who rolled in just as we were finishing. Everyone got caught up on everyone else's day and then we attended a coconut/weaving demonstration.  There is some sort of borderline cheesy tourist local event scheduled for each day and the cynic in me rolls my eyes but the coconut thing was actually very cool. The local guy showed us how to open both a brown and a green coconut to drink the coconut water and then how to split it to get at the meat. First time I've ever eaten coconut meat straight out of a coconut. Yum. He also wove a "men's" basket right before our eyes. Incredibly complicated and skilled.  Next, Kim went to her Wilderness Medicine session and I went to my spa session. After a sugar scrub and a lomi-lomi massage while listening to the wind and the third brief rain shower of the day, I had just enough time to shower and change before dinner. Tomorrow, Kim's getting up early to do a mountain hike, but I just can't get motivated to venture into the hot, muggy, buggy so I'm skipping that. There is a school visit in the afternoon that I might venture out on.

Fiji! - Bula!

(there are paragraph breaks in this that aren't showing up for some unknown reason. I'll have to fix it when I return and have better internet connectivity) Fiji! It's really 8:48 am Sunday, March 25, 2012 (the iPad still thinks it's 2:48 pm, Saturday, March 24, 2012). At least that's my understanding.  Jet lag from overseas travel seems to vary wildly, depending on how far you, where you go and when you travel. For this trip, we left LA at 11:30 pm and arrived in Nadi at 5 am. It was a 10+ hour flight and I was able to sleep a lot so didn't feel like I was up all night. Kim wasn't so lucky as there was some turbulence and her motion sickness worked against sleep.  The flight was almost full. It was a big-ass plane and we estimated there were between 500-600 people on board.  The seats were tiny which wasn't a problem for either of us since Kim offered me the aisle and I could straighten my legs enough. Getting from our seats on the plane to Beqa Lagoon took approximately 7+ hours. Immigration, baggage claim (even though we were basically traveling with carry-ons, we checked our bags from LA to Nadi), customs, waiting for the other travelers going to Beqa, bus ride, temple stop, tourist trap stop (betting the bus guy got a big commission for that), and finally a boat ride to another island and we arrived. Because of the impending boat ride, Kim and I both applied scopolamine patches which made the ride quite pleasant but the side effects were killer, exacerbating the exhaustion and giving me god-awful cottonmouth. So, my patch came off (purposefully as opposed to Kim's which fell off) right after lunch and right before my nap.  Before I go any further with Fiji and Beqa Lagoon Resort, let me backtrack to our day in LA. We had hoped to check our bags in for our Nadi flight before heading out of the airport but we got shut down on that. After we walked over to the international terminal at 9:30ish, we found out that the Air Pacific ticket counter didn't open until 6:30 pm (although later I did overhear some fellow travelers say that they were able to get rid of their bags at around 1pm. Not us!). So we hailed a cab and headed into LA, dragging our bags behind us. Our first stop was the Beverly Hot Springs in Koreatown for massages.  We're pretty sure that the cabbie ripped us off since the ride from the airport was $65 and the ride back to the airport was $40.  The ride from the airport took much longer even though there was way more traffic on the ride back. I do have what was purported to be the first cabbie's information so am still mulling over a possible complaint when we return to LA.  The spa was nice enough but certainly not 5 star. Definitely pales in comparison to the Spa Castle in Queens. We enjoyed the hot springs and both got body scrubs and bamboo massages. The body scrub was very similar to the one I had had in NY. No modesty allowed. Korean women in black bras and panties scrub practically every inch of your body with a loofah and some sort of scrub.  You're then bathed, head to toe. The best part is when they take a pail full of hot water and splash it over your entire body.  I laid there, thinking do it again. Again!  The bamboo massage was nice. It reminded both of us of a hot stone massage. Not the best massage i've had (thinking about it, I don'think I can identify the best massage I've had) but quite nice.   (break for cool down dip in pool) After another dip in the hot springs and a shower, Kim and I walked to Larchmont Village, schlepping our bags. We must have made quite a scene. Not only are pedestrians unusual in the not very nice neighborhood we were passing through, but to be pulling luggage on top of it? Yep, we got some looks. Larchmont is a really nice stretch with boutiques and nice little restaurants with tasty fare. We ended up eating outside at a little Italian trattoria whose name I'll have to look up on my credit card statement (Louise?).  Then back to the airport to find an outlet (in the relaxation lounge), wait in line to check in, go through security and then watch a movie (Happy. Eh.) while we waited to depart. Yesterday afternoon between my nap and dinner, Kim and I got jet lag massages.  Two massages in two days (or three if you factor in the time change), can't complain about that.  The jet lag massage was better then the bamboo massage, both because of the massage itself and because of the locale.  Here at Beqa, the massage "room" is an open air bure right on the water, so I was listening to the waves and the breeze during my massage. Definitely plan on doing that again.  Lunch yesterday was fish kabobs and dinner was polenta cakes with melted tomatoes.  French toast for breakfast and veggie stir fry for lunch. Lamb shank is on tap for dinner tonight.  Jet lag is working in our favor for the time being. Went to bed relatively early last might but fell asleep easily since it was something like 2 am at home. Got up early too, again because it was much later at home. I'm betting that the jet lag on our return will be much more challenging.  Spent the day today laying around the pool, looking at the ocean, writing this (when the iPad wasn't complaining about how hot it was) and reading about Fiji in the Lonely Planet guide.  The resort is very remote but very peaceful. Kim and I have a two bedroom suite with a living area and a porch/balcony with a view of the ocean. There are beautiful lily pad ponds and an abundance of hammocks strung between palm trees.    The staff is all very friendly and eager to please and the food is well prepared. There are activities planned for each day but almost everyone is here for the diving (except for me and a couple of others). I'm a bit intimidated by the thought of straying too far from the ocean into the interior of the island to do some of the suggested hiking.  Hot, muggy, muddy and buggy (which is how someone who's been on one of the hikes described it) isnt really my thing. Jet skiing, on the other hand, I'm totally down for! Maybe tomorrow. We are talking about rafting on Friday, even though that requires a boat trip back to  Viti Levu. Bula is used to say welcome and hello. It literally means life.    Signing off for today at 3:30 pm.