Hello all! Internet is very sketchy in paradise…nearly nonexistent which is frustrating but after about 50 tries I finally gave up and began to relax…should have done that after the 2nd attempt:)
All is well in Fiji. Stunning here! So I had my first dorm/hostel experience. I survived! Very nice young people that made this old lady feel very welcome. We sat up talking until midnight…It was like a slumber party. Of course I still got up early while they slept on the next day.
When I first arrived I was speechless. The most beautiful blue water you have ever seen and people singing on the sand to greet you and then yelling Bula offering a drink with a hibiscus flower to welcome me! My elation lasted about three hours…then…. bathroom not working, no internet and I couldn’t open my lock on the container that had my passport in it. Paradise soured quickly. I started to get very frustrated;). Mostly because I told Robert I would face time him when I got here. As it turns out they are having a horrible water shortage here and turn the water off mid day, yesterday the Internet was just not accessible and I had put my lock on backwards (DUH). It amazed me how fast I could go from over the moon gaga to WTF mode and then back in a heart beat.
The kids (I don’t call them that to their faces) tell me this is the nicest dorm they have ever stayed in and some have been traveling for over a year…I guess it will be all downhill from here;).
So back to Octopus…Beautiful here, just amazing. The water is so blue it looks like a pool. The food is to die for…3 meals a day, So much for the previous lost 5 pounds. I went to the village also where all the workers live. They are so warm and welcoming, always smiling and always shouting Bula (hello)! The children, like children everywhere are adorable.
In a short time I have met the most amazing people. I’ve learned traveling alone can have it’s perks. Every where I have stayed so far (both Places:) I always feel the eyes of the staff watching me making sure that I am okay. I’m not sure if they feel sorry for me or what, but they have gone out of their way to take care of me. I have also met other solo travelers. It’s almost as if we form our own little band of misfits. My first encounter was a beautiful young woman named Charlie. She had been traveling for 14 months already and getting ready to head back to England. The thing that most surprised me was that she was conflicted about heading home and wanted more time on the road. She left the next day. In a few months she’ll be in LA for 3 days. I told her I would put a shout out on facebook to see if I could hook her up with accommodations. Whoever says yes will be very lucky..she was great. Then I met a woman from Sweden. Talk about balls…she had sold her home and had some things in storage. She didn’t know where she would end up living or what job she would do but she would continue traveling for about 6 more months. She was an economist and said her skills would easily transfer. She was not worried at all. At the previous island she had fallen for a young man and was heart broken she had to leave. He would be coming to Octopus the day she left…they would pass each other in the boat:( It ended up she changed her flight and stayed a few extra days. When you saw them together they were both glowing:). Then I met Nicole. Our scuba diving queen. She had just spent three months studying in Australia…she too was not quite ready to go home. At 19 she had so much poise and was so sweet. Her plan is to be a doctor and I know she will succeed at whatever she does. Next was Warren. He was one of those ageless people that you didn’t know if he was 25 or 52. We talked about it and he said whoever he was speaking to, thought he was their age…I think that qualifies for an almost super power:) Warren is what I call a speed traveller. For instance on the way to Fiji he had an eight hour stop over in Paris and saw the eiffel tower, the Louvre and something else? Crazy. He is also an expert travel hacker. I embarrassingly started taking notes on my iphone whenever he would talk. There was not a thing or a place that you could mention that he didn’t either know something about it or had been there. He’s thinking of doing a travel blog switching from his current work as a stock trader. If he does…look out Nomadic Matt…it will be awesome. There was also Palo, the van driver in Nadi who took me and a lot of other people back to their resorts. He was a huge burly guy with a gentle souI. I was the last one who boarded…because honestly, I did not know I was supposed to get on. Since I was a single I asked him if I could sit up front. I asked him a couple of questions but for the most part we drove in silence. I was the last passenger to be dropped off and when he pulled up to Bamboo hostel where I was staying he asked me if I wanted a quick tour of town. How could I say no;)? We got to talking and I found out he was 34, married with 3 small children. He told me he had never spoken to one of the tourist before. I was flabbergasted and asked him why not. I could tell he was kind of shy. Palo told me he was scared…I couldn’t imagine this big burly man being scared of anything. He said he had no education and that his English wasn’t good. I told him his English was great, and it really was. I also told him most of the tourist would love to talk to him…can you imagine? We all need to reach out more. And finally..I promise the last human story…was the young French couple I met a few hours before leaving. I can’t remember how long they had been traveling but it was at least a year and a half. They have been living and working in New Zealand the last year and gave me several great tips, invited me to stay with them in France…if they have a house by then. They also helped me buy an airline ticket to Christchurch. That was just in a couple of hours.
I guess the moral of these stories are that people are amazing and kind for the most part. While traveling connections are made fast, I guess because you leave so soon. In some ways it reminds me of Real Estate…you get so caught up with people and spend so much time together looking at homes or counseling and strategizing with Sellers and then poof, they’re gone.
Of course I have to hug everyone good bye and it feels sad to say good bye but maybe it’s because I miss all of you;)
Okay…that’s it for now until the next internet connection;)
Love you all! On to Auckland:)
From Fiji…be kind, be bold!
Wine!