1-29-10

BULA!! (This is the Fijian greeting and general statement of well-wishing).

I arrived in Fiji on Wednesday morning and was picked up the lodge staff. I was pretty excited that the exchange rate was 52 cents to the dollar when I went for cash. The lodge is really nice, airy and clean, and the people running it are a very nice British couple. The pool and deck area are really relaxing and there are goats and horses hanging in the field next door. There were two other girls staying in the dorm room with me but they were off for the day and I had my first really lonesome moment since I left home. I had flown 20 hours because of the ridiculous and neverending Korea routing that I will have to endure anytime I travel to a new destination in the south pacific. So I did spend an hour or so journaling and feeling sorry for myself before I changed into a bathing suit and going out to the pool. Luckily I met a friend right away named Josh from the UK, and another guy, Guy who is also British. Josh and I hit it off right away and spent most of the time since then laughing it up. We have the same sort of humor and really connected. He seems to be really entertained by my Americanisms and he has been entertaining me as well with his Brit humor.

The girls I was rooming with were very nice, one from Canada and one from DC that now lives in Sydney. Its really interesting to be introduced to this whole culture of travelers, some that have been traveling for months and months or even years. One of the best parts of the experience is this culture and how it lends itself to people really showing an interest in getting to know you and one another, even if just for a short time. A far cry from the individualist attitudes of the east coast for sure.

Nadi is not a lovely place, the beaches are dark and muddy looking and the water is a bit stagnant. The weather has been incredible though. There are frogs hopping around everywhere and lizards all over the walls. I really like the lizards though. The lodge I am staying at is along a strip with about 5 other hostels, the biggest being Smuggler’s Cove. This is where the 20 somethings party it up at night, everyone sort of congregates there when it gets dark.

On Wednesday night there was a traditional Fijian fire dancing show down the road that we went to, and it was incredible. The hula girls were amazing and were shaking those booties something fierce! It was really impressive how they can move those hips like lightning! The music was good too. The guys dance with one or 2 batons that are flaming on both ends and do incredible things with them including fire breathing and lighting various body parts on fire. The girls dance with flaming balls on chains which I know have a name that I can’t recall right now.

The first day Josh, Guy and I went into town for a few things. Its really kind of ghetto there but with some nicer shops selling handmade Fijian items and whatnot. We needed sunscreen which costs between 20-40$ a bottle here depending on the size!

The driving on the other side of the road bit took a little getting used to for me. There’s also a lot of stray animals lurking around which is sad, I want to rescue all of them. Apparently I am going to have to get over that! Since I’ve been here I have witnessed one major dog fight which took place in the driveway of the lodge (and went on for about 10 min! scary) and just today a European guy that’s staying here got attacked by 2 dogs as he was walking on the street in front of the lodge and one dog bit into the back of his leg. He is off to the hospital.

I ran into a local guy hanging out in a field next to the lodge with his horse. I asked him about it and he told me I could rent one from him and take it out on my own if I know how to ride. So yesterday I went out to the beach and took his horse out. It was nice to be back on a horse, even though it hurt my feelings that the horse had a chain around its neck. The man has about 5 horses including one baby which he herds around. They mostly just seem to stay along with him but they have chains or ropes (permanently?) around their necks which are attached to long leashes that drag behind. The horses don’t look too thin because there’s lots of green grass but they probably have not ever see a brush and they have some pretty knarly looking branding scars all the way across the hindquarters. The one I rode had a ton of burrs in his mane and tail. I let him gallop down one length of the beach and he seemed to really enjoy it, it was hard to pull him in! Afterwards I took him for a swim to cool both of us down. I got off with a bloody raw sore on my calf from the stirrup leather (made of rope) which I made sure to clean out really well because the tack was filthy. One of my dorm mates took some pictures of me galloping the horse, but I never got them from her and she’s gone now.

I went into town by myself to poke around in the shops, which turned out to be a whole different experience when I wasn’t with the boys. The folks down there will do just about anything to sell you something and its really intense. There were several men that approached me on the street, asking where I’m from etc. and then just would not get lost until I was downright rude. I was going into stores and then 15-20 min later they were lurking and waiting to start right back up with harassing me when I came out. Store after store!

I went into one family run place that had local artwork, carvings, and handmade jewelry which comes from a village inland of Nadi, and was asked to sit down and participate in a kava ceremony. I wasn’t dying to drink kava but it was an interesting experience to see them make it, bless it, and perform the rituals of the ceremony. It tastes the way I would imagine puddle water to taste but it does leave you with a mellow sort of buzz.

I wandered around one of the open markets and bought a few really beautiful items for cheap, although my sunglasses were promptly stolen after I had secured them to the zipper on my bag.

I visited a Hindu temple which was absolutely stunning. The murals covering the ceilings were beautiful! I took a few pictures before someone communicated to me that it was against the rules… A little embarrassing. The detail of the structure itself and the art inside really just cant be described.

Today is day 3. Josh left this afternoon which was sad but I really think we will stay in touch. He is from Yorkshire and we’ve invited each other to visit in the future. I’m in a new room with a new girl that has just finished touring Thailand and Indonesia. I am leaving tomorrow morning for the island of Mana where I’ve booked a hostel for 4 nights. This island is known for its white sand and see-to-the-bottom turquoise waters which are amazing for snorkeling. The food is supposed to be primarily Fijian and there are kayaks there for guests to use. It will take me about an hour to get there by boat. There are several villages of native Fijians on this island living pretty rustically, and I am hoping to get a glimpse of their everyday if possible.

After Mana I still have 5 days to plan and I have found a surf school that I want to go to… Its an all day affair where they teach you for 4 hours, feed you barbeque and guarantee you will stand up and ride a wave by the end of the day. This happens on the Coral Coast which has a few really nice hostels so I will probably finish Fiji around there.

It’s a little scary to be without phone and internet and trying to sort of my arrangements for my next stop using very limited and expensive internet down the road. Still trying to choose between two horse farms for WWOOFing sites in Australia, but don’t know much about either one except for that one is near the ocean and the other is not, but has a situation that is more appealing in general. Hmmmmm.

xoxoxoxox

1-25-10 (2)

I am presently aboard a 10 hour flight from Honolulu to Seoul, Korea. I am quite literally one of 2 Caucasian people on this enormous 747, but lucky enough to sit next to a nice young guy who is finishing his round-the-world journey and is a good conversationalist. Factoid: Korean Air serves free drinks on their flights. Too bad I wont be having one because when I get to Korea I am boarding another 10 hour flight bound for Fiji, so I am trying to stay awake for this one. We are only an hour in and it feels like 5!! I won’t complain though. I am excited to see where I am staying in Fiji that got such nice reviews on all the travel websites and sells for $17 a night… will be interesting I’m sure.

1-25-10

On Saturday Lauren and I traveled to Polihale Beach on the west side of the island. It was a long drive and lots of dirt roads but totally worth it. Extremely beautiful, even though it rained quite a bit on us. Looking west you see a succession of rock walled cliffs jutting out to the ocean, each one framing the next. There are pavilions scattered along the dune line, filled with small parties of campers and families.

In Hawaii one year birthdays are a big deal and parties are usually held. We were invited to Kainoa’s niece’s celebration in Anahola. It was a really local scene with lots of traditional yummy Hawaiian food, beer, and music. Lauren initiated a game of ‘flip cup’ which had to be taught to everyone involved and brought with it the expected hilarity. All of the family referred to themselves as “auntie” and “uncle,” even to a stranger like myself. Lots of guys from the Kauai softball team (The Cocks) showed up, and their leader, “Father Cock”- an older man that actually goes by “Father” which I really liked, especially when they joined in for some flip cup and I got to yell “go Father”! Haha everyone was getting pretty wild.

There were tons of little dogs running around looking for scraps and I heard that there were some puppies hidden away somewhere on the property. There were several Mama dogs lurking around that looked like they were still nursing and I fed them lots of steak and chicken. Eventually someone let us behind the iron curtain and there were 3 of the sweetest-faced pups you could want to see.

On Sunday Lauren babysat Kainoa’s 3 month old niece which was lovely because I realllly miss the twinsies. That baby girl was so sweet and looked like a little woman with great big cheeks and lots of straight, shiny black hair.

After her grandmother came to get her we spent the afternoon on the beach in Anahola with some of Kainoa’s relatives. It was a little overcast and chilly as it got later, so we made a beach fire. There is tons of driftwood all over the beach which was perfect. There was a baby whale breaching offshore. One of the guys pulled their truck up to the beach and put on some good reggae too.

Something really sweet that I noticed pretty much everywhere I went on Kauai from the airport, to the grocery store, a party, and the beach is that fathers seem to play a major care giving role to children here and just seem to be everywhere with a toddler on the hip. There is a lot of differences around children and parenting actually. Lauren is the DA here, (which they refer to as “the prosecutor”) so in the interest of social work I harassed her daily by picking her brain about the social problems she sees here. Something really interesting is that there is a TON of teen pregnancy (young teens too!) and this is not really seen by locals as a social ‘problem‘ per say. There is hardly any emphasis on higher education and the value system around reproduction is centered around a celebratory attitude of any new life that’s brought into the family. It seems that families tend to be connected in a more extended manner in general, probably due in part to the close proximity of the small island lifestyle. There is a lot of contrast with the community energy of the East Coast.

On the other hand, I did see some pretty severe spankings take place in the Walmart lines and about town parents take a different approach to discipline for sure. Seems to be socially accepted for the most part. There are a lot of children that have clearly had little or poor dental care, and in general the amount of local people that are missing teeth reflects that.

All of the Kauaiians that I met were beautiful, generous, kind, and family oriented people. After a week spent on the island I can by no means claim to know every difference or sameness that exists, but I definitely learned some things. And the landscape definitely competes with the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Aloha and Mahalo Hawaii!

1-29-10

Hello!
I have been without internet since I arrived in Fiji, but I have been writing blogs on my laptop in hopes that at some point I would be able to get online. I am at an internet cafe thingy but can only use the computers they have set up here, and no flash drive with me so I cant post them just yet. Nadi is definitely not where its at, but I am leaving tomorrow to head for the island of Mana which is the "real" Fiji. I have made a really nice British friend, Josh that has entertained me to no end thank God. He finds me to be loud, hilarious and somewhat bossy which he attributes to my American-ness hahaha. Cant write to much as the minutes are expensive, but promise there are updates coming. In breif, I have rented a horse and ridden out alone on the beach, seen a traditional fire dancing show, visited an amazing Hindu temple, and gotten tannnnnn :). I have met loads of people from all over. Love love love you all and be posting the real deal soon xoxo

1-22-10

Today I went to see the Opaekaa waterfall and the Wailua river. The waterfall was good because of the rain on Wednesday. We then headed to the Kealia lookout and saw the whales breaching offshore. I tried to get pictures but I only caught the splashes. Kainoa took me down a side road that heads towards the middle of the island, but we were turned back because somehow… an excavator had flipped onto its side ands smashed on top of a tourist’s sedan. It was really strange and I took pictures. The govt workers that were managing the scene (and operating the excavator) were looking pretty nervous and embarrassed.

We went to a few other beaches and one that was completely covered in coral in tons of colors. There were a lot of surfers in the water and people have been really friendly.


I missed yoga but came back to the house and laid out at the pool for a few hours, then walked Coco on the beach across the street. Don’t know what we’re doing tonight but hopefully tomorrow we are going to take the surfboards to Polihale and have a beach day or go hiking somewhere cool.

PS McDonalds has a different menu here which includes a lot of spam.

Xoxox -K

1-21-10

Today I explored the south side of Kauai. I drove to the Po’ipu area and stopped at Spouting Horn. The waves hit the rocky coastline and water shoots through holes in the rock closer to shore. There was a sea turtle hanging around in the water. I had Coco, Lauren’s dog with me and I was surprised that she didn’t blink an eye at any of the feral roosters hanging around, which are EVERYWHERE. Its really strange. Lauren explained to me that during hurricane Iniki they got loose and have been living wild and multiplying since. They are all over the island beaches, roads, and residential areas. They get removed from the tourism areas to avoid annoyance by their constant crowing at inappropriate hours.

The weather was amazing and I got a lot of sun on Po’ipu Beach. I had set up an umbrella for the dog which blew away from me- I had to climb through piles of volcanic rock to retrieve it. Lots of people were boogie boarding and the waves were pretty big.

I left after a few hours and headed further along the south coast. I pulled down a road that had a sign for a horse establishment, and when I got to the end I saw the most amazing beach below. I decided to find how to get there. I drove a few miles down a dirt road and then came to a parking lot with a path that led through a wooded area and out onto the beach. Coco and I walked the whole beach and went for a swim. There were areas on the shore that looked like rippled sand but were rock when you walked on them. The water was bright light blue and there was hardly anyone on the beach. There is tons of coral and driftwood, and the beach wrapped around to a little bay surrounded on one side by a huge rock cliff.

When I returned to the car I looked at the map and figured I must have been on Gillin’s Beach.

Tomorrow I am going to go to a Bikram Yoga class next door to Lauren’s and then go see the National Tropical Botanical Garden. It’s on the way to the South West side of the island which is home to Polihale Beach which I really want to see. It will take m e a few hours in all but will be worth it. I have been waking up at 8am which is pretty good and gives me lots of time to do what I want.

I spent 20 bucks on a 21 inch carry on suitcase with wheels at Walmart. I had a really hard time jamming the backpack into the overheads on the first few flights so I figured it was time to give up my vision of backpack only travel and play it safe. I spent a few hours at the coffee shop down the street using the internet and finally heard back from the place I was trying to make reservations with in Fiji. I have 3 days books in NadI which eases my mind a little. I can find my way after that if I want to travel to the more remote islands that have the better beaches. Hopefully I will meet some people that I can tag along with.

I am missing my guy a lot and especially after seeing his face via Skype earlier tonight. I am trying to remember to enjoy every last minute of this trip and not be too anxious to get to NZ and see him again.

Its been nice staying here with Lauren and chilling out, as she is in work mode and not looking to party too much. Its giving me a chance to recharge the batteries and have alone time during the days to explore and unwind. We have been having yummy home cooked grilled meals and not wasting any money on touristy shit.

Xoxox -K

1-20-10

I got into Kaua'i last night. The flights weren't bad besides the fact that there was a screaming baby on board from Bos to SLC, that also ended up being on my next flight to HI (still screaming). The poor thing must have had earaches.

Lauren picked me up with an authentic lei made of orchids- amazing! We relaxed at her place and her boyfriend brought us some ahi nachos, which I have never had before. Yum.

I got up this morning around 8 HI time, lucky me Lauren left me her car to use while she's at work! I took her little lapdog Coco with me and drove along the coast towards the north side of the island. For those of you that know I have no sense of direction, this island is nice because there is only one highway and it wraps around the coast of the island like a 3/4s moon, with a stretch of impassable land along the North West side called the Na Pali Coast. The only possible way to get to that part of the island is hiking or by water.

Lauren lives in the middle of the highway on the East side. I headed north for Kalihiwai Beach. It was raining, and I was hoping it would pass by the time I got to the north side, but it kept on so I continued north past that beach and went through Hanalei Bay. There are a lot of 1 lane bridges and little pull offs at overlooks or beaches.

There are yellow and red flowers in the street because they fall from the trees. I saw a lot of fruit stands and shacks along the inland side of the highway, and quite a few fields full of horses. I got out and walked the dog at Kilauea Lighthouse which was amazing, because there is a lookout and beneath it a U shaped cove that the waves roar into and smash against the rock cliffs. The water is bright blue. A pretty good day for a rainy one. I can get tan tomorrow ;).

There is no internet access at Lauren’s place, but there is a computer available at the office of her complex. Right now there is no internet or phone even there because a tree worker cut a cable. (I heard that on the only radio station that came in today). It's a little weird to have such limited access to phone or internet but I'm dealing.

Lauren's boyfriend is a local guy, his name is Kainoa. He grew up on the island so he has been educating me on the culture here. I've asked him a lot of questions hehe. I asked him about the word "haole" which I have heard before at home and debated with various people about whether or not it is a pejorative term towards whites. He explained to me that it is not used pejoratively and that it is just another word for Caucasian. (You were right Jas!).

This led to a conversation about the history of Hawaii and his understanding of the ways that racial relations were effected by the influx of non-native peoples. Such as the way that native Hawaiians no longer have the freedom to use land that has now become private property. Before the English came the Hawaiians did not really conceive of ownership around land, it was just sort of free to use. They lost use of hunting, fishing, and leisure lands, the traditional structure of monarchy was disassembled, and disease was introduced. It's interesting from a social work point of view.

There is a lot of poverty here and a huge meth problem. Affordable housing is nonexistant and a lot of people are out of work. However, the tourism business lives on and seems to keep the place going. I am hoping that because I have access to a local friend I might be able to get in on some of the cultural events that are authentic and not contrived for tourism. I want to see some of the culture in its natural state. Kainoa said that they usually have barbeques and sometimes family lauoaus (sp?) on the weekends which would be really fun. (The ones at the Hyatt are $130 per person!)

Lauren has a few beginners surf boards and we are going to take them out for a try. She told me her last friend that visited went swimming at the beach I tried to got to today, and she was surrounded by dolphins that were playing with her! Missing everyone, but gotta admit I that prefer this tropical rainstorm over any Cape Cod Wednesday in January. Muah!