Nadi to Labasa to Savu Savu

just a note out to you folks who might be wondering if and how i made it to SavuSavu

I slept the entire 9 hours on the flight to Fiji, and hoped a little plane to Labasa. Cathy and Peter met me there and after the most delicious Indian curry lunch (the town is mostly indian you see) we got on a very crowded open air bus and jostled for 3 hours across Vanua Levi to SS. The town here is just lovely. Leto, our worthy vessel is just a stones throw from the shore. The main street (indeed the ONLY street) is lined with little merchant shops, general stores, and various Indian and Fijian restaurants. THe weather is just amazing, with big fluffy clouds sometimes shading us from a good 85 degree sun, with a nice prevailing breeze from the west.

Plan is to stay in SS for the weekend. We are hoping that a front coming through will change the winds in favor of the east, which would give us an opportunity to go out to the Lao group. So that is the plan for now. Much is going on this weekend in SS, as a HUUUUGE cruise ship made it into the harbor and flooded the town with "newly weds and nearly deads" as Cathy so eloquently put them. THe locals endure the tourists quite amicably, as they bring in quite a bit of money to the local economy. The locals themselves are just WONDERFUL. Everyone smiles at you and shakes your hand and wants to talk to you, even the children. I've had some people take pictures of me with their cell phones!!!

Cathy and peter have been just remarkable hosts; last night we had amazing seafood at a restaurant called Bula-Re, owned by a German lady that makes the BEST coffee in town, has an amazing water filtration system, and serves up the most delicious fish soup I've ever had. I had a GREAT night's sleep on the boat (unfortunately dreamed of working at Houston's, twice in a row now, cathy says its Post traumatic Work Syndrome), but woke happily at 6 am to the sun rising over the jagged lush green peaks of the surrounding Islands. We ate mango and papaya for breakfast followed by pancakes and strong coffee. A morning swim off the side of hte boat and i was ready for a leisurely day of reading, exploring the town, and mocking the silly tourists that have embarked from the cruise ship. THis weekend should be a busy one for this normally small town. Bands will be playing music at the yaught club and i'm sure people from all over the world will be there to mingle with.

So for now We'll stay in SS with hopes of makign for the Lao group, and/or Taveuni on monday and then perhaps going counter clockwise around the North Island. If the winds refuse to change however we'll make for Ovalu, i think. The email in SS is superb, so i'm sure to send out another transmission before we leave SS.