Sunday, December 10, 2006
It's so cute when Frodo and Savannah hiss & growl while playing with each other. It's like they're using bad language they learned from Peaseblossom, but they don't know what it means.
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Here's my first installment on my Fiji trip, which writeup is my project for this week. We'll see how that works out... NOTE: Blogger photo upload is not working right now. Check back tomorrow; I'll try to upload them again.
Day 1 – Thursday
I order a taxi to the plenty early based on past experience, and sure enough it arrives half an hour late. I get to the airport in plenty of time anyway, since there’s no line inside at international checkin. No further glitches either on the first leg of the flight or the transfer at LAX, though I thought I remembered a pizza restaurant on the far side of security. (That might’ve been Air New Zealand – they depart from a different terminal.) Did you know that more people can fit into a 747-600 than into the departure lounge?
Day 2 – Saturday
We land in Nadi (pronounced "Nandi") and pour out of the plane onto a covered walkway that leads to Immigration as mynah birds cavort in the bougainvilleas. A quartet (2 guitars and 2 ukes) entertains us with trad Fijan songs as we wait in line. Then it’s out, a quick stop at the bank to cash some traveller’s checks, and a transfer to the Raffles (no relation) Gateway Hotel across the street.
The horseback riding outfit that’s supposed to pick me up for a half-day tour never shows, much to my non-surprise. They seemed rather flaky by email and were charging a huge “single supplement” surcharge. After sitting in the lobby staring at an ad for an ice cream bar saying “Bite Me” for over an hour, I bought myself an ice cream bar and spent the rest of the day reading and testing my snorkel in the pool. Not simultaneously. I wish I could remember the brand of ice cream bar; it was really good.
Day 3 – Sunday
Captain Cook Cruises picks me up early for a day cruise out to the tiny island of Tivua. On the ride to the docks at Denaru I make friends with Barbara, a woman about my age who’s finishing up a round-the-world tour.
The ship is the Lady Ra Marana, a tall ship that runs both on engine and sail. Tivua is the stereotypical “desert isle”, all white sand, that you can walk completely around in about half an hour. The only visitors are the day tours plus anyone staying at one of two cabins, but it’s still fairly close to civilization just outside Nadi Bay. The snorkeling is meh; there are some fish and live corals, but having dived in Fiji before I know it’s just an appetizer for what awaits in the Somosomo Straight. There’s a barbeque lunch, after which we lie around in the sand. On the trip back to Nadi the crew entertains with music (incl. a rather bizarre version of “When the Saints Come Marching In” that sounds like a cross with “The Quartermaster’s Hall”) and our guide demonstrates how to shuck a coconut with nothing but a pointed stick.
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Here's my first installment on my Fiji trip, which writeup is my project for this week. We'll see how that works out... NOTE: Blogger photo upload is not working right now. Check back tomorrow; I'll try to upload them again.
Day 1 – Thursday
I order a taxi to the plenty early based on past experience, and sure enough it arrives half an hour late. I get to the airport in plenty of time anyway, since there’s no line inside at international checkin. No further glitches either on the first leg of the flight or the transfer at LAX, though I thought I remembered a pizza restaurant on the far side of security. (That might’ve been Air New Zealand – they depart from a different terminal.) Did you know that more people can fit into a 747-600 than into the departure lounge?
Day 2 – Saturday
We land in Nadi (pronounced "Nandi") and pour out of the plane onto a covered walkway that leads to Immigration as mynah birds cavort in the bougainvilleas. A quartet (2 guitars and 2 ukes) entertains us with trad Fijan songs as we wait in line. Then it’s out, a quick stop at the bank to cash some traveller’s checks, and a transfer to the Raffles (no relation) Gateway Hotel across the street.
The horseback riding outfit that’s supposed to pick me up for a half-day tour never shows, much to my non-surprise. They seemed rather flaky by email and were charging a huge “single supplement” surcharge. After sitting in the lobby staring at an ad for an ice cream bar saying “Bite Me” for over an hour, I bought myself an ice cream bar and spent the rest of the day reading and testing my snorkel in the pool. Not simultaneously. I wish I could remember the brand of ice cream bar; it was really good.
Day 3 – Sunday
Captain Cook Cruises picks me up early for a day cruise out to the tiny island of Tivua. On the ride to the docks at Denaru I make friends with Barbara, a woman about my age who’s finishing up a round-the-world tour.
The ship is the Lady Ra Marana, a tall ship that runs both on engine and sail. Tivua is the stereotypical “desert isle”, all white sand, that you can walk completely around in about half an hour. The only visitors are the day tours plus anyone staying at one of two cabins, but it’s still fairly close to civilization just outside Nadi Bay. The snorkeling is meh; there are some fish and live corals, but having dived in Fiji before I know it’s just an appetizer for what awaits in the Somosomo Straight. There’s a barbeque lunch, after which we lie around in the sand. On the trip back to Nadi the crew entertains with music (incl. a rather bizarre version of “When the Saints Come Marching In” that sounds like a cross with “The Quartermaster’s Hall”) and our guide demonstrates how to shuck a coconut with nothing but a pointed stick.
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