Oct 2008

One of the strangest things about Taveuni, is that it will be a blindingly bright, hot, and sunny day, and next thing you know, it's misting-a nice soft light rain. You look up. You see blue sky. There isn't a cloud in sight. And yet it mists. and mists. Where does it come from!??

Very strange indeed.

I arrived Taveuni last Sunday and shared a Taxi ride with a LOVELY couple from England with whom I'd met on the ferry. We made it to Beverlies CampGround just a 15 minute walk from Matai. Bill, the owner is REALLLLY nice.

It POURED rain the first night, which was the test for my new tent and guess what!? I actually stayed dry! Yippeee! I visited the International Dateline and stood in both Today and Yesterday (pretty weird!) and also watched the locals slide down the water falls outside Weyevo. (looked like total suiside after 12 hours of rainfall...but the locals made it look easy!!)

The rain cleared up and I've gone on long walks from Weyevo to SomaSoma. The towns are really small and cute, it doesn't take long to see all there is to see here. And yet the charm is in talking to the locals, buying fruits and veg at the market everyday, and making friends with all the doggies that roam freely about the place.

The place is exceedingly buggie, might I add. I suppose much of the outdoors of Fiji is. There is a prepondernce of creepy crawlies that particularly like to live in the outdoor showers/bathrooms at Beverlies Campground. By day its mosquitos, spiders, and centipeds. By night, its usually the above, plus short fat orange lizards that look gecko like, plus huge moths the size of a small childs head. In Fiji there are ants everywhere. All over the tent, IN the tent, on your dinner, on the beach, in the woods, on the rocks, crawling up your leg, on your face etc etc et al infititum. or whatever. There is a particular spider that lives IN the toilet, which is really REALLY disconcerting. He likes to chill right in the bowl above the water line, and its not like i'm going to flush him or anything, cuz i'm not about to piss off the spider gods, in a place where spiders outnumber me 1 million to one. There is another spider that's made his web from my tent to the tree above, which i guess is okay cuz then he'll eat, well-other bugs.

There are also crabs EVERYWHERE. By night, shining one's flashlight over the sand, one can see 5 or 10 crabs at any one time scuttling this way and that. One crab lives underneith my tent right where my pillow is. It was really disconcerting hte first night hearing him (or her) scuttling and scraping this way and that, literally inches beneith my ear!! At first it really disturbed me, but now I"m quite use to it, and it doesn't bother me.

I still had a very slight ear ache so I went to the doctor here in Somo Somo. Bill, who owns Beverly Campground and who considers me "family" now (his Grandfather is Irish) told me that the doctor was only $20. Well, turns out it cost $50 for the consultation (special tourist price) and another $20 for the anti-biotics. 2 days later my ear feels back to normal, but dammit if that didn't blow my whole budget!! So I've been laying low, not really going anywhere or buying anything or doing anything.

I DID build a momumental sandcastle which got rained upon soon after its completion. Then a dog came and pooped on the remains. THen a small child came and pile drived the remains (both the dogs remains and my castles remains-so i had a good laugh about it) I did finish reading my book (sooo sad its over, have to find another). I Did make a mini-dinosaur bone repilca out of white coral i foudn on the beach, which another dog came and puked on, and then another dog came and peed on. (Whats with the dogs!?!?) I did memormize more Yeats. I Did go to Audrie's Cafe and eat chocolate cake and coffee and had a cup of her delicious homemade khalua (got the recipe too)- other than that I've been cooking very simply for myself and keeping my budget to under 20 / day to make up for the evil price gouging doctor.

(ps on this story: Bill feels really bad about me paying so much to the doctor: he actually went to town and let her know his indignation and informed her that he shall NOT be sending any more of his clients her way...so there. Aw, bill is SO nice)

I had planned on leaving on the Ferry to Suva Friday (tommrrow) but turns out its Fiji Day tommrrow, and the next Ferry doesn't leave til Sunday! FIE!!!

Good thing is, i can start spending somewhat more normally because thats 2 more days of regular budgeting to account for. So I think tommrrrow I'll see if i can find any local festivities to attend (there might not be any) and Saturday I'll go To Bouma National Park and hike to some waterfalls.

My plans for the next few days (modified

9 AM Sunday ferry leaves to SavuSavu. Arrives SavuSavu at noon and departs at 1PM and arrives Suva very frekkin late at night. (11 pm ish) THen early the next morning I'll get on a bus to Raki Raki via the Kings Road

My new friends, Helen and Charlie, will still be able to take the ferry back to SS tommrrow, and I shall miss them very much!! They were great neighbors and were just full of amazing stories about sailing from England, through the carrebian and into the pacific. They've been just inspirational, and now more than ever i want to learn to sail and do a round the world trip via sailboat. Oooh the possibilties are endless.

Once they're gone, I"ll still be in good company. A couple named Lucas and Peter (Peter is a girl) from Australia are here with their two children and are staying at Beverlies as well. They have a little bure to live in , and are staying in Fiji for 10 months! wow! They have lots of good advice and I feel very safe with them around> Furthermore, as aformentioned, Bill has been very good to me and keeps a close eye on me too. I've also come to know many of the people in his family, his neices, nephews, grandsons, and his wife, of course, who cooks a really good fish and taro dish! yum!

Anyways, I shall try to update before leaving Taveuni, but if not it shall be from the mainland of Viti Levu-Suva or possibly Raki Raki.

take care everyone!!! miss you tons!!

Hey everyone!

On the 2nd I hopped on a local bus and headed for Mumu's. The resort in a place to picturesque for words to do any true justice. I felt like it was situated at a volcano that was once on the bottom of the sea for sharp rocks were everywhere, from the size of pebbles to huge boulders that reached high over the head. Set amongst them were nice little dwellings for one to sleep in. The dorm was full, so mumu gave me a good deal on my very own place.

The building wasn't much more than a shack but I can't complain one bit! It had a shower (brrrr cold!), toilet, and lots of windows open to the sea and crashing surf.

My room was a insectophiles heaven. I had all sorts of company in there, ants, cochroaches, big ickky spiders, moths, but nooooooo mosquitos!! so again, NOTHING to complain about. The sheets were clean, the room was really cute, and the staff were soooo friendly and sweet. Rosie is a phillipino lady who runs the place and Lo is her local helper. Lo is 22 and single (rare here) and she seems to have a really good head on her shoulders (doesn't drink grog-go figure). SHe was more than happy to take me on walks over the rocks by the sea.

At one point we walked a narrow ledge by the crashing surf and made our way up through a cave which narrowed and slanted upwards til we found ourselves on the other side back in the gardens above the resort. Here are some pictures of me walking about:

as i said, i had great views of the sea from my room, and spent many hours at the "pool house" watching the surf break on the reef, which at one point was really impressive. Sea foam sprayed high high in the air, birds reels and swooped after fish, and little crabbies scuttled everywhere....

I returned to town for a fabulous BBQ dinner at the Copra Shed (my new home away from home) and went dancing with a new friend I made here. The place played pretty horrible music, but I didn't let that stop me from getting my groove on. My Dutch friend was quite the dancer too, and soon we had all the locals up and dancing. It was actually only our fellow Europians who wouldn't dance because they "couldn't get into the music"...didn't let it hold ME back!!

Its off to Taveuni tommrrow, so who knows when I'll update next. Lots of lub to everyone!

Croftee