"Backpacking"

Posting retroactively...

I am pretty sure I am writing you from the cheapest internet "cafe" in Nadi, but the fact that there is no air conditioning and Bollywood music is blasting from bad speakers makes me think that I should have dished out a little more than the $2 (Fijian) I am paying per hour. I don't know if I will be able to last the whole hour in here. But it is much better than the $8 (FJ) they are charging at the backpackers I am staying in, so I can't complain too much.

Let us back up a bit. Yesterday morning I woke up on Slow Dance to find out my flight with Air Pacific (also known as Air Pathetic) at 5:00 PM was cancelled. Sean and I went into town in Savusavu and sorted things, and it turned out I could get on a flight in a town an hour and a half away that very morning. We raced back to the boat so I could pack my bags and get the hell out, but relaxed a bit after realizing the clocks on the boat have been wrong for a few weeks now and we actually had an hour to spare. So a glass of champagne and a shower later, I was on my way.

I said a teary goodbye to Ron, BJ, Victoria and Sean. Man, I HATE goodbyes. I was feeling pretty blue as I got into the cab, but cheered up as the cab driver shared some of the fruits of his garden with me on the ride out to the airport. I will admit, I did not really want to leave Slow Dance - especially because if they were going to sit through a cyclone I wanted to be there for it (in a "good experience" kind of way). But a while after physically leaving the boat I felt a breath of fresh air and a freedom that I have not felt in a month. I will reflect more on my time on Slow Dance later, but want to get on with the story now.

The airport in Labasa is not really an airport, more of a shack with a runway. The plane was only two hours late, and minutes after it landed we were off for Nadi. The flight was fast and easy. When we arrived in Nadi it was pouring rain and the sky was dark even though it was only around 5:00 PM. I went to the tourist desk in the airport and got set up with two nights at a backpackers called Smuggler's Cove at the bargain rate of $56 (FJ) for two nights, or about $30 US - a continental breakfast and shuttle to and from the airport included.

Smuggler's Cove is more of a stop over for people arriving or departing Fiji, but seeing as how the weather was so bad it was packed with people who came in from the islands. It is a nice place right on the beach with a pool and bar out in front, but has been pretty well shut up since I have been here due to high winds and rain.

Last night I was exhausted from a long day of traveling, but managed to drink a few beers at the bar, drink kava and have a little jam session with "The Kavaholics" before passing out in a blissful, uninterrupted, fully air conditioned all night sleep - something I have not had in weeks. Granted, the mattress was lumpy, the bunk bed rickety, and in a room of 30+ beds, but it did not matter at all.

This morning I contemplated the weather as I drank my tea and watched the wind whipping through the palm trees and rain pelting the windows. A German guy sitting next to me said, "I hear it is going to be like this all week, ja." "Yup," I replied, "But I guess that is the rainy season for you... How long have you been here, anyway." "Oh ja, I got in yesterday and I am here for a week before I go to Australia." Bummer, dude. To come all that way for a week in the rain and winds really sucks.

I, however, was not to be deterred by the weather. Well - that and while Smuggler's is a cheap place to sleep, it is not a cheap to eat, drink or do internet. I hopped on the bus with a bunch of other tourists and headed into Nadi, a place that I have spent a little bit of time and somewhat have my bearings of.

I asked the bus driver where his favorite place to eat was and he said, "Ohhhh, Bo Hai. Go down the street, up the stairs, and there you go." I followed his advice and when I saw a very shady looking staircase I went up. There was a dark door at the end of the hall that seemed slightly horror-esque but when I opened it I entered a restaurant full of Chinese families eating lunch. Perfect. I got a beer and a delicious meal which will also be my dinner for under $20 (FJ). As long as you are not staying in 5 star resorts and drinking imported champagne, Fiji is very reasonable.

In fact, I really like Fiji. And one month here has just been a tease - a taste of what is yet to come. I leave here tomorrow morning and am already looking forward to coming back