Friday, October 10, 2008
Fiji
Bula! We're finishing up a week in Fiji, mostly spent at the Musket Cove resort on Malolo Lailai in the Mamanuca islands. After a long trip we got into our room on Saturday about 30 hours after leaving home. Sunday we took an island hopping tour and did some snorkeling, which was a nice way to see the area. That's actually all the snorkeling we did, because the cove at our resort was very shallow and didn't have much in it to see. Monday and Tuesday we went diving. No dive pictures, because the seal on the underwater camera failed right off the bat on Monday and it's dead. We bought a new camera and underwater housing today in Nadi, so hopefully we'll get some good pictures in PNG. We planned to do more diving in Fiji, but Andrea got an ear infection so we stopped to try and get that cleared up. Of the four dives we did three were fantastic, and one had us swimming against such a strong current that I never got anywhere. All of the dives had much stronger currents than anything we did last year in Morrea. Saw some great reef walls, a few turtles, and a lobster. The rest of the week we stayed above water, rented a Hobie Cat and sailed around one afternoon and kayaked across to the bigger Malolo island on another.
We've met some really nice people here. A family from Auckland that we saw at dinner several times, a couple from the Netherlands that have been sailing around the world for the last 4 ½ years (Musket Cove looks to at one time been primarily a yacht club and marina) and had just celebrated their 42 anniversary, a young couple from England who spent most of their days sitting on the beach. It's kind of strange to be surrounded by tourists but to be the only Americans, Fiji is just full of Australians and New Zealanders. It was kind of a mix with the Fijian staff at the resort. Some were fantastic, but I was surprised at how often we'd run into a situation where someone just didn't care enough to be helpful, I'd think customer service would be a bigger deal in a tourist economy.
Today we moved to a hotel in Nadi, because we've got an early flight to PNG tomorrow. That means that yesterday we started on the anti-malarial drugs :) We caught the earliest ferry, then got a taxi to drive us around Nadi for the morning. Visited the largest Hindu temple in Fiji (not all the large) and a lovely public garden. Then spent the afternoon in our room, which is the first air-conditioned place we've been in almost a week.
We've met some really nice people here. A family from Auckland that we saw at dinner several times, a couple from the Netherlands that have been sailing around the world for the last 4 ½ years (Musket Cove looks to at one time been primarily a yacht club and marina) and had just celebrated their 42 anniversary, a young couple from England who spent most of their days sitting on the beach. It's kind of strange to be surrounded by tourists but to be the only Americans, Fiji is just full of Australians and New Zealanders. It was kind of a mix with the Fijian staff at the resort. Some were fantastic, but I was surprised at how often we'd run into a situation where someone just didn't care enough to be helpful, I'd think customer service would be a bigger deal in a tourist economy.
Today we moved to a hotel in Nadi, because we've got an early flight to PNG tomorrow. That means that yesterday we started on the anti-malarial drugs :) We caught the earliest ferry, then got a taxi to drive us around Nadi for the morning. Visited the largest Hindu temple in Fiji (not all the large) and a lovely public garden. Then spent the afternoon in our room, which is the first air-conditioned place we've been in almost a week.
Fiji
Today is Fiji day. We left Musket cover resort and came back to the mainland. The resort was nice, but I think if I was to come back to Fiji, I would stay on the mainland. The people are nice everywhere and there are many things to see and do. We went to the Hindu temple. I was surprised just how bright everything was painted. They let us take pictures from the outside and we have posted some. Our driver explained some of the paintings to us. It is a shame we didn't come a day earlier. They just finished a celebration.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Fiji
I got an ear infection and had to put the diving on hold. We are hoping it clears up before PNG (Papua New Guinea) since there will be little else to do but dive there. Instead we sailed the Hobe Cat yesterday and took a sea kayak out today. I think the sea kayak may be one of the more enjoyable things we have done. Instead of staying withing the little cove by the resort, we ventured out and paddled to a nearby island (the water was calm and rarely more than a couple feet deep).
There is something different that happens when you paddle a boat than when you ride by aid of a motor. Animals seem to ignore you somewhat and come out to play. We saw some fish jump out of the water next to our boat and skim along the top of the surface for 15 feet. At one point we stopped paddling over some coral and saw fish darting in and out of the colored patches below us. Before us 25 small minnows jumped out of the water an inch and dived back in. I felt part of things in a different way than we we dive, but it was still special.
I just wish we didn't have to work for an hour and a half to get to that point. I was hoping that we would manage to skirt the island next to us, but we got tired too fast and had to turn back. The end result was that I was hungry for dinner that night and roast pig had never tasted so good.
There is something different that happens when you paddle a boat than when you ride by aid of a motor. Animals seem to ignore you somewhat and come out to play. We saw some fish jump out of the water next to our boat and skim along the top of the surface for 15 feet. At one point we stopped paddling over some coral and saw fish darting in and out of the colored patches below us. Before us 25 small minnows jumped out of the water an inch and dived back in. I felt part of things in a different way than we we dive, but it was still special.
I just wish we didn't have to work for an hour and a half to get to that point. I was hoping that we would manage to skirt the island next to us, but we got tired too fast and had to turn back. The end result was that I was hungry for dinner that night and roast pig had never tasted so good.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Fiji
I have been sick so it took a few days before we were able to go diving. I had forgotten both the beauty and terror of the endeavor. In that first few seconds beneath the water, my brain forgot that I was connected to a tank of air. All I knew was panic that I was drowning. It took an extra weight and a few minutes time to calm my panic before I could sink beneath the waves and remember what I liked about the sport.
There is a quiet tranquility beneath the water. When things work out well (ears pop and air is flowing) the clear expanse opens up before me into a wonderland of fish that pass inches from my fingertips. I had forgotten how much more vivid the colors were and how snug the clown fish looked snuggled in in their anemone. We saw the usual suspects: bright yellow butterfly fish, and pastel fish that eat coral. We also noted a few new things: purple starfish. Once I relaxed, it was great.
There is a quiet tranquility beneath the water. When things work out well (ears pop and air is flowing) the clear expanse opens up before me into a wonderland of fish that pass inches from my fingertips. I had forgotten how much more vivid the colors were and how snug the clown fish looked snuggled in in their anemone. We saw the usual suspects: bright yellow butterfly fish, and pastel fish that eat coral. We also noted a few new things: purple starfish. Once I relaxed, it was great.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Fiji
When I looked at pictures of Fiji, it seemed impossible that the sky was that clear and the water that blue. As we flew across the wafer in out flat bottomed boat, I could see it was reality. The water was like some rare gem that I had no good description for. I spent 20 minutes trying to discern what I would call the color. In the end I wound up with azure, which was unfortunately too boring for me. Hadn't the water been described by thousands before as that color? I wanted a new exciting color to match the beauty that I was seeing, but there was nothing new. Only tired words to match a matchless landscape that faded out in every direction into tiny points of mountains that pointed up impossibly from the ocean.
I wondered how it was that these islands were ever found out in the middle of no where. Did some unfortunate person get lost in a storm, was he or she cast out from their home, or was it something I could not have imagined out here in the ocean? No matter, the answer is lost to me for I have no ability to speak the native language. I only know English, the official language, but clearly not people's first language.
I wondered how it was that these islands were ever found out in the middle of no where. Did some unfortunate person get lost in a storm, was he or she cast out from their home, or was it something I could not have imagined out here in the ocean? No matter, the answer is lost to me for I have no ability to speak the native language. I only know English, the official language, but clearly not people's first language.
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