Fiji Days part 1, by Phil

We arrived in Nadi, Fiji about 3Pm local time on Mon, 4/7. It is hot and humid here in the tropics, very different from New Zealand. A small Fijian band welcomes us with song and shouts of "Bula". It is time to say goodbye to our wonderful traveling buddies, Ed and Colleen. We feel so fortunate to have had this time together, sharing great times and really getting along so well. After hugs and a pledge to get together soon, we find ourselves near the end of the long line at customs. As we get near our turn, a group of Japanese missionaries ahead of us is getting a hard time , being told " You can't just come here and start preaching, you need a work permit". This made us wonder what the government of the day was and which general was in charge. Anyway after that they just waved us boring Americans through.

As our luggage is being X-Rayed, we're asked "What's in the box?" We start to explain about TimTams and Milo, and are quickly waved through again and pointed in the direction of ground transportation. Here we wait with other groups of travelers, most quite a bit younger than us and weighted with heavy backpacks. We wait and sweat until our van arrives and then travel about 8 Km over bad road to our hotel .(We had earlier learned that a major flood In January caused serious infrastructure, road and property damage to Nadi). Our destination,"Smuggler's Cove" is a former hostel which was bought by an Australian entrepreneur in 2003 and rehabbed to it's current state as a highly rated backpacker which also has olceanview ensuites for the "independent traveler". I found it on the Internet and took a chance.

We arrive hot and sticky, wearing jeans which we can't wait to change out of. We are given electronic room keys which don't work so someone from the front desk will be letting us into our room during our stay. oh well. The room is large and clean with a great ocean view over the pool and patio area. Thank God it has AC as well. On the negative side, the room is not quiet. We are above the patio where bar patrons congregate and a loud Fiji radio station is playing hits from the 90's and some reggae. It helps when we close the patio door which also keeps the place cooler.

The food at Smuggler's Cove is unusual and overpriced . We order veggie pizza which arrives covered with an unidentified cheese oozing grease. We are hungry enough to eat the whole thing. We watch a beautiful sunset from the open air restaurant and we mellow out with a drink. Back to the room a security guard opens our door with his key, but only after forcefully jamming the electronic key in and out to no avail. We take another cold shower before going to bed with the AC blowing over us.

Tues morning Dianne is up first and opens the curtain to see three horses lazily walking down the beach in lovely morning light. We go down for the complementary breakfast of juice ,cereal ,coffee and toast. A brazen bird takes the opportunity to steal a raisin from my Raisin Bran when I'm not looking. Over breakfast, Dianne and I plan our first vacation day of no planned activity, a total loafing day. The hotel has some hammocks, chaises and straw covered cabanas. We will play cribbage, read our trashy novels and take naps. If we're ambitious we'll step into the ocean or take a short beach walk. A group of Fijians on the beach next to the hotel is having a great time singing songs, shouting "Bula" and drinking lots of beer. We speculate that they may have been hired by hotel management to add a dash of Fijian culture to the guests stay, but they probably were just unemployed locals. Lunch at Smuggler's Cove is disappointing again and we decide we'll look elsewhere for our remaining meals. As it gets hotter, we retreat to the room for another cold shower. About this time was when we realized there was no hot water. It seems management had neglected to flip the necessary switch when we checked in. The situation is soon corrected. oh well.

The sunset that day is truly gorgeous with lighting unlike anything I can remember seeing. Blues, pinks and golds mixed in the sky, making the air seem to glow and foliage to appear luminous. We walk a short distance down the street and notice several other backpackers, all with menu boards announcing meal choices. We select a place with interesting veggie curry choices and prices about half that of Smuggler's Cove. The food is great, it's quiet and we have our place to eat locked in.