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You'll hear that everywhere in Fiji. Means welcome or hello or 'buy stuff from me.' To reply to my 'anonymous' (cough cough LIZ M), I don't hate Fijian culture or the place. It's in fact quite beautiful and I'm just ignorant of what exactly their culture is. That's not the point, damn it. This is my VACATION. I've done trips up the ying-yang with Dana in Australia, I'm through with organizing and getting up before I'm ready to. Damn it.
Yesterday was nice, lounged like mad in air-con deluxe room (finally, finally not sweating like mad pig). Booked another night there for tonight, a dive trip, and a boat out to a resort on the Yasawa Islands. Where they have pre-arranged village visits, cultural etc etc etc, so I'll do my best to absorb something there, but no promises. What I want out of Fiji is simple: diving and beaches, preferably in that order.
Dove today with the DODGIEST dive operation. Is a miracle I'm not dead or suffering major decompression sickness. Everyone was doing a course, so I had to go along with the two doing their advanced open water for a multi-level dive. That's fine, but I had no idea how to calculate the surface interval I needed or my residual nitrogen time. And I'll be damned if they provided computers for this--this was a reeeeeeally cheap option for diving. You did roll offs the back, the dive master's suit was ripped, I had fins only just longer than my toes, not enough weight, my first tank I INSISTED they replaced because the O-ring was leaking (translation for the non-diver: no seal between tank and regulator = no air for me or else quick loss of air). At the safety stop, i had to keep swimming downwards to keep from floating to the top because I'd been laughed at when I said I needed 4 weights, not three.
Second dive was better, though I was the odd one out and the divemaster just meandered, didn't take us anywhere special. I had more fun losing the group and following a trio of Moorish Idols (beautiful fish, love 'em) and tempting clownfish to bite my finger (none did, but we saw plenty, lots of anemones). One yellow fish had some kind of death wish or blind hatred for my (borrowed) neon green mask (must remember own next time)--he kept running into it. Very relaxing my dives, cheap as, too.
Back to Nadi, which is just a sinkhole. Every guidebook says to avoid it, and I believe I know why. They want you to buy their everything. I can't make it one block without being offered a cab, handicrafts, a tour to the mountains (NO! BEACH-ONLY VACATION!!!). I'm going to duck into some clothes shops eventually, just because they're cheap, shoes prolly too 'cause mine got worn thin yesterday when I had to trek back from the wrong bus stop ('cause, like a dope, I just kept waiting for something I recognized, then got to the airport and knew I was too far away).
Tomorrow, off to the Yasawas, to a resort with supposedly fabulous beaches. Am looking forward to a slow day, then diving diving diving, possibly with a bit of culture or some crap like that. Honestly, Liz, what are you on about? (side note for Liz: I've managed to mention to my sister about this list of things you keep that I blatantly choose not to like or take interest in because those things kept popping up here and there--no, you can't add Fiji to it because I'm just aggravated by the tourism industry here, and if you were here, you'd understand--enough to drive me bananas...oooh fruit...)
Ciao!
Yesterday was nice, lounged like mad in air-con deluxe room (finally, finally not sweating like mad pig). Booked another night there for tonight, a dive trip, and a boat out to a resort on the Yasawa Islands. Where they have pre-arranged village visits, cultural etc etc etc, so I'll do my best to absorb something there, but no promises. What I want out of Fiji is simple: diving and beaches, preferably in that order.
Dove today with the DODGIEST dive operation. Is a miracle I'm not dead or suffering major decompression sickness. Everyone was doing a course, so I had to go along with the two doing their advanced open water for a multi-level dive. That's fine, but I had no idea how to calculate the surface interval I needed or my residual nitrogen time. And I'll be damned if they provided computers for this--this was a reeeeeeally cheap option for diving. You did roll offs the back, the dive master's suit was ripped, I had fins only just longer than my toes, not enough weight, my first tank I INSISTED they replaced because the O-ring was leaking (translation for the non-diver: no seal between tank and regulator = no air for me or else quick loss of air). At the safety stop, i had to keep swimming downwards to keep from floating to the top because I'd been laughed at when I said I needed 4 weights, not three.
Second dive was better, though I was the odd one out and the divemaster just meandered, didn't take us anywhere special. I had more fun losing the group and following a trio of Moorish Idols (beautiful fish, love 'em) and tempting clownfish to bite my finger (none did, but we saw plenty, lots of anemones). One yellow fish had some kind of death wish or blind hatred for my (borrowed) neon green mask (must remember own next time)--he kept running into it. Very relaxing my dives, cheap as, too.
Back to Nadi, which is just a sinkhole. Every guidebook says to avoid it, and I believe I know why. They want you to buy their everything. I can't make it one block without being offered a cab, handicrafts, a tour to the mountains (NO! BEACH-ONLY VACATION!!!). I'm going to duck into some clothes shops eventually, just because they're cheap, shoes prolly too 'cause mine got worn thin yesterday when I had to trek back from the wrong bus stop ('cause, like a dope, I just kept waiting for something I recognized, then got to the airport and knew I was too far away).
Tomorrow, off to the Yasawas, to a resort with supposedly fabulous beaches. Am looking forward to a slow day, then diving diving diving, possibly with a bit of culture or some crap like that. Honestly, Liz, what are you on about? (side note for Liz: I've managed to mention to my sister about this list of things you keep that I blatantly choose not to like or take interest in because those things kept popping up here and there--no, you can't add Fiji to it because I'm just aggravated by the tourism industry here, and if you were here, you'd understand--enough to drive me bananas...oooh fruit...)
Ciao!
