Fiji Update

***Check back later for more photos- I can't use my own computer here except to type and then use it to upload the text to the $24 an hour internet laptop. The following is the entris from the past several days.***

December 5th-
All in all, my flight to Fiji went well. I got in at 5 in the morning yesterday. The flight was good except that I was in the last row and my seat didn't recline. It was a trade off though, because I could kinda stretch out with additional space between my seat and the window. I sat next to a guy from Scotland and met a guy from New Zealand. My first Kiwi experience was a very good one- the Kiwi guy invited to show me arround Auckland within 5 minutes of meeting him. Too bad there was a problem with his ticket and he had to move seats and I never saw him again. The guy from Scotland was nice- a 22 year old merchant marine traveling around the world as well. Since getting in I have had a good time. I'm staying in a room at the Blue Water Lodge with Ben from the Netherlands. There are 4 people from my flight all staying in hostels/lodges on the same street- Kat from Manchester, England, Ben from the Netherlands, Kevin from New York and myself. the four of us hung out yesterday and went out to dinner at a place called Mamas. A woman in her 60s runs the place. She was our host, server, and chef and she made some damn good stir fry.

When I got back to the lodge I inadvertently walked into the staff Christmas party. There are only 6 staff at the lodge, and they are all related to each other in some way- siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles. They had invited several other family members and friends to stop by, and as I was walking in they insisted that I stay and celebrate with them. One of the staff invited his uncle Mel who is an excellent guitar player and singer. Turns out that Fijians are naturally good at singing. Everyone sang together and expected me to join in. We spent hours singing John Denver, the Eagles, Bob Marley, and many songs in Fijian while drinking lots of Kava. I had been told that Kava doesn't do much, which I'm sure it doesn't unless you drink it for hours and hours on end. Kava is made with a dried root (sailors and pirates called it grog) and has no alcohol, but it does have a small amount of a drug that acts as a sedative and can have mild hallucinogenic properties if consumed in very large amounts. By the 12th round or so I was feeling pretty good and my mouth was kinda numb. No hallucinations though!

The party when on late into the night with endless singing and guitar playing, kava, and later beer drinking. I was explained how the communal ways of Fijian culture spill over into pretty much everything- everyone drinks Kava from the same bowl and beer from the same glass. I was also told how there are at least three ethnic groups of Fijian natives- Polynesians (like the Hawaiians and Maori), Micronesians (like the people of Papau New Guinea) and the Melonesians (like the people who once lived on Easter Island). The night culminated with a feast of roasted pork, lamb, fried fish (yes I ate fish) and taro, a root similar to potato. Everyone did their best to explain meanings of the tribal songs. It was great that the party was not for show for tourists, but simply a gathering of Fijians celebrating together and sharing their culture.

Today I woke up to a wonderful breakfast of fresh mango and papaya picked right from the backyard this morning. What a wonderful first day in Fiji.

December 6th-
Nadi- My second day I went into Nadi with Ben (the only other person staying in the lodge that first night- he ended up joining in on the Christmas party too) and woman named Karen from St. Louis. To be honest, Nadi isn't a very great place to visit. Yes, it is a town that primarily caters to the locals going about their day to day business, and there aren't many tourists who make it there, but the tourist economy still looms as the primary means of income for many residents. Unfortunately, Karen got us suckered into walking (big surprise- everyone around town wants to “walk with you” and help you out so that they can sell you something) around town with a guy who steered us into this back alley shop to sell us stuff. I wouldn't have gone, but I didn't wan't to leave Karen and Ben alone there.

We ended up leaving without too much hastel since Ben actually bought something and I firmly expressed my disinterest. Afterwards, we went to the Hindi temple in town (a large part of the Fijian population is actually Indian Hindus who came over a indentured workers under British rule- more photos of this later) and to the market to buy some food.

We finished off the day hanging out with new people at the lodge and eating Fiona's (the lodge owner) excellent cooking. Lemon chicken in cream sauce...mmmmmmmm.

December 7th-
Yesterday I got picked up and transfered to the Octopus Resort, which is really a remarkable place. There are so many people here from all over the world- England, Scottland, Germany, Canada, Australia, the US. The beach is incredible, with a reef about 30 feet offshore and excellent snorkeling. I spent much of yesterday chasing fish around the reef. The food is incredible and everyone eats together whether they are staying in the $20 a night dorms or the $300 a night bungalo style houses. Its a good mix of people from all ages and stages of life who are interested in travel and seeing the world. The food here is INCREDIBLE. Dozens of choices of curry, rice dishes, burgers, steak, marlin walu, on and on- all made with local ingredients.

Besides eating together, there are lots of activities that everyone joins in on. Last night was games night with lots of half hearterd competitions and free drinks. Free drinks led to a dance party and then to people dancing on the bar. The night culminated with about 15 people (most of whom between the ages of 19 and 24 with a few older people) and myself jumping into the ocean for a night skinny dip under the stars. The water was great, except for the sea lice that for some reason only targeted the guys-see lice live in the seaweed/seagrass and their bites feel just like misquito bite except more intense instant itching and they go away faster.

I'm now sitting next to the beach writing this and about to head off and go snorkeling. Cheers!