Our last day of freedom

Yesterday morning began with a nice long time at an internet cafe. I talked with Amy for a while-not long enough, but better than nothing-and we left for the town of Nadi (pronounced Nandy). Upon arrival, we immediately ran into four coworkers. Our supervisor, Ann, was one of them and offered to drive us to a hostel. We agreed and she dropped us off at the hostel. We stayed at one of four or five hostels lining the water. Phil and I hung out her for a bit, playing some frisbee and reading and watching a drunk older man burp, fart, sing, "play" the guitar, and hit on the waitress. Then we met up with Ann and some other coworkers for dinner. We went to a pizza place and it was surprisingly good. Phil and I returned to the hostel, expecting a wild party, and found mostly silence.

Phil and I each grabbed a beer and walked along the beach to check out the other hostels. While wandering, we ran into a small group of local men who invited us to hang out with them. We did, for a while. They shared their rum, which I politely declined, and talked with us. One of the men, the oldest, was stumbling drunk and kept telling us how much both he, and god, loved us. I began to feel uncomfortable with the situation. I killed my beer and told Phil I needed another. We left the group, telling them we would return. We did not. The rum they had was 58% alcohol and I imagine their intentions were a bit more than simply chatting, and sharing, with us.

I left Phil chatting with another traveler and went to bed. I woke up, read a bit, then the two of us went back into town. That brings me to now. We are waiting to meet up with other staff for a ride to our new home for the summer.

I am looking forward to meeting new people tomorrow and beginning staff training. I am also looking forward to the kids getting here. Having this little holiday was nice and all, but I spent plenty of time lounging while I was laid off. I'm ready to be busy.

Indiana Jones and the Fijian Prostitute

(EDIT 8/20/2013: No, this blog post will not tell you how to find prostitutes in Fiji or show you pictures of them. I can, however, see what you searched for on Bing and Google to get here. I do have to thank all of you looking for Fijian prostitutes--you have made this post so popular it's now on the first page on google if you search for fijian prostitute. Thank you for giving me my claim to fame.)

We reached the town of Lautoka shortly after leaving Ba. There wasn't much to do there-the beaches were a trash dump and the mountains were too far away. So, we settled for indoor pursuits. Phil and I found our way to the movie theater and saw the new Indiana Jones movie. It was a pretty good movie. Weak plot, but a fun flick. We left the cinema for our hostel, where I had my first (I think) encounter with prostitutes.

I wanted to get a taxi, but Phil thought that the roads were populated enough to be safe. They were, except for the last two blocks to the hostel. We walked quickly and confidently and encountered no problems. Just before crossing the last intersection before our hostel, I noticed a small group of woman standing on the opposite corner with a man among them, leaning against a street sign. A woman broke off the from the crowd and met us as we crossed the road.
"You want massage?" she said.
"No thanks," I said, just before Phil said:
"Well, I don't, but he does." Thanks, Phil
She got the hint, though and returned to her street corner.

We then went out for burgers (you occasionally need a taste of home) and followed this with a trip to an indian night club. We stayed there only for a brief period of time. The bartender (a woman) asked to dance with me, but I politely declined. I wanted to leave the club. In all honesty, and as cheesy as it sounds, there's only one person I wanted to dance with, and it wasn't Phil or the bartender. But, she wasn't there and people watching is only so interesting. We let and I went to bed.

Machetes, Church Songs, and Hitchhiking with Police

The last day was as interesting as the title suggests. Phil and I caught a bus from Tavua to Ba yesterday, intending to head to the village of Navala. Navala is the only village left in Fiji that still sticks mostly to the traditional thatch hut for living quarters. During the bus ride there, I put on my headphones and listened to my mp3 player. I listened to about two songs until it hit me that I was basically flaunting with the villagers did not have. From that point on, I listened to loud indian music and watched the sights. The ride took us further into the interior of the island and into the mountainous regions. It was incredibly beautiful. Even more cliffs and mountains than before.

Towards the end of the ride to the village, people began to get on the bus with all their locally grown produce and goods to bring to the market to sell. During this time, a woman got on the bus carrying a machete, sat down next to me and said "Bula!" (hello). We shook hands and this was normal. I don't think it would have been taken in stride if someone boarded a bus with a machete in the states.

We arrived at the village, then took a truck to the hostel where we were staying. It was a nice, small place. We all had tea, then hiked back to the village. Walking through the village for me felt awkward. This was a place where people have been living in huts since long before tourists started showing up. We were walking through where they lived. I stopped taking pictures after the first few minutes. After walking through the village with our guide, we walked up a hill to see it from above. It was very nice. About 600 people live in the village, so there are a lot of huts.

We got back to the hostel for some kava and dinner. Kava is a root that people grind up and soak in water. They then drink the brew. It is supposedly a mild narcotic, but this was very watered down. I think it was supposed to be thicker. There is a small ceremony involved, with everyone sitting around a big bowl. Compare this to a bunch of guys in america sitting around chatting over beers. Same thing. Dinner was good, some traditional food. I went to bed shortly after.

The next day we ate an early dinner and left around 7:30 to catch the bus back. By 9:00, the bus had still yet to arrive. It was around this point that our guide told us that it was a holiday and the bus may not run. Phil and I decided to wait for a truck and grab a ride back to Ba. By 10:30, there had been no trucks. During this time, some local kids hung out with us on the side of the dirt road. Apparently, in villages in the Fijian highlands, kids really do not have personal boundaries like we do. One said he was my friend, sat directly next to me, and leaned up against me. I slid over a little bit. The kids also seemed very interested in my bracelets and played with them a lot. Two young boys, probably brothers, spontaneously started singing their favorite church songs for Phil and I. It was very cute.

Our guide had walked away for about an hour or so and, when he came back, we just asked him if he could drive us to Ba. He said yes, for 25 dollars. When went back to his mom's house to get gas. He filled up, then promptly disappeared. "Tui, he lost." The mother said to us, after raising the price to 35 dollars. We heard a truck coming up the road and Phil raced out to wave it down. It was the police. We asked for a ride and they agreed, refusing to accept payment. We rode in the bed of the truck. If this wasn't odd enough, they stopped after a few minutes and got out. Bathroom break. They all walked to the side of the road and peed in the bushes. Coming from america, I viewed this as all being quite strange. It was, however, a good story.

The Experience Continues

Yesterday was pretty good. I took a buses and felt much safer. There was a lot less swerving between lanes and I had more knee room. I took a bus through a bit of the island's interior, and found it to be amazing. The road, much of it dirt, wound down through valleys, cut into the sides of hills, and gave me fantastic views of the mountains and cliffs and jungles of Fiji. The trees are amazing, as well. They are unlike trees I have seen back home. Some of them are very narrow and very tall, others have massive limbs that go out in all directions, starting at the ground. Still others form what seem to be huge domes. I want to climb them all.
I got off the bus at a place called Ellington Wharf and found a hostel to spend the night at. A 15 minute boat ride brought me to the island of Nananu-i-Ra where I met up with my new friend Phil. We spent the night there, snorkeled in the morning, and left around three in the afternoon today. I am now in a town called Rakiraki, getting ready to plan the next step.

I'm doing better with the keeping-my-guard-up-always thing. I had a good conversation with the man driving the boat to the island yesterday. He was very happy I was here to help people. As it turns out, most of my guard needs to be up when it comes to theft. Apparently, backpackers will steal from other backpackers in hostels. I have a lot to learn about travel backpacking. Everyone I've met so far has been really nice, though, and I'm not worried. I'm also an idealist. Either way, Phil is going to teach me the way of backpacking so nothing goes missing.

I have finished my first book since arriving. It was The Kite Runner. Very good book that I found abandoned on a bunk in my first hostel. I have decided that a good book can sometimes seem like a little companion. One that only talks when you want it to, never complains, and always entertains.

Now it's time to find another book. In english. Could prove to be difficult.

Bula!

I am on the other side of the world. No exaggeration. The most direct way to get home would be through the center of the earth. I have also crossed the international dateline, so for all you folks in the USA reading this right now, it's tomorrow here. The future isn't too bad, don't worry.
Fiji is great. The landscape is beautiful and the water is blue. I am spending tonight at a place called The Uprising, right on the water. The dorm building (actually a big room with a bunch of bunk beds) is a traditional thatch-style structure with a big balcony overlooking trees and the ocean.
The way out here was interesting, to say the least. I rode in a mini-bus or big van, whichever you'd like to call it with a bunch of Fijians. We listened to the same fiji christian praise cd on repeat the whole way out. I heard the same song four times. The driver did not pay much heed to the Rules Of The Road, or at least what my sense of self-preservation interprets the rules to be. In Fiji, drivers are supposed to drive on the left side of the road. This man, however, drove on either side indiscriminately. Also, he tailgated other vehicles so closely I could have reached out and touched them. He also passed slower vehicles without regard to whether or not he could see the opposite lane before going into it. He passed on blind turns. Occasionally, he swerved back into the left lane just in time to avoid certain death. I made it in one piece to my destination, but I would be lying if I said I did not wonder if I would make it.
Fijian people are very nice, and greet people warmly. I have heard nothing but praise for these people before arriving. However, my guard remains up pretty high. I hope it does not remain like that. Today a man asked me (with genuine interest) my reason for being in the country and where I was staying. I was suspicious, but I don't think my suspicion was warranted. He just wanted to chat. I think it is headlines I read in the states that has me in this train of thought. I know I should never completely take my guard down with people I don't know, but I think relaxing about it would do me good.
Well, that about brings me to where I am now. I'll update as the adventure progresses. I'm excited to see what happens next.

Vinaka