Blog posting February 21 / 22 / 23
In flight. Delayed over two hours leaving Victoria as my plane had been held up in San Francisco due to fog. I was pleased to see neighbours Peter & Joan Maytom at the airport as they were seeing their granddaughter, Claire, off on the same flight to San Francisco. Claire would then go on to Auckland and Brisbane. United Air clerks thought that the flight to Auckland then Fiji might be my “plan B” if flights were any further delayed.
Upon arrival in San Francisco, I had missed my connection to Los Angeles but was able to catch a later flight and just made the flight to Fiji on Air Pacific after a rapid walk to change terminals. Once a fellow next to me who had the window seat with his wife between us just seemed to want to complain about everything including the entertainment apparatus. He made a fuss to the steward, but he refused to move. I offered him my seat because my equipment worked. I did not think the programs were any good anyway and I was about to turn it off. I seized the opportunity and insisted he have my seat on the other side of his wife, no problem for me to move. Truth was I was glad to move. The fellow ahead was cramping me with his seat. So I got a bulkhead seat with lots of legroom and an empty seat beside me to pile my stuff. I lucked out. And when the 8 month old baby across the aisle started to fuss, I showed her my Carter screensaver and she calmed right down!
No fog now in Frisco or LA and the view of the city at night was amazing. The freeways were streams of red and white corpuscles flowing through the arteries of the city. Side roads were lit in an orange glow and few moving lights could be seen.
Chicken dinner served at 11:00 pm (my time). The flight was 10 hours and 15 and we are to land on time at 5:15 am Nadir time, already Thursday. Good flight, dozed a bit but some rough spots like driving a pot-holed Fijian road at break neck speed. But that would come later. At home you are 4 hours ahead of me. Noon here is your 4 pm. But I am a whole day ahead of you. Your Wednesday is my Thursday. So when I talk of the days of the week from now on it will be in Fiji days.
On the Ground:- The 4 hour air conditioned bus ride was a small commuter bus which picked up and dropped off passengers at designated points starting at the airport. Upon asking, after clearing Fiji Customs, where to find a bus to Suva, I was escorted to the air conditioned office of a travel agent. It may have cost more but I was well treated. A young lady named Erin, a biology researcher and diver, appeared at the same time and we were told we had the last two seats. Good to have a bus buddy for part of the trip and as we waited for departure we could each watch the others luggage for such basic things as washroom breaks.
As the countryside rolled by, I was reminded of Mexico. Some poor housing, people living very simply and close to the ground (actually most are up on 18” stilts). Short palm trees and some beautiful ocean vistas with breakers crashing off-shore on reefs. Sure do not want to hit any of those reefs while sailing.
By noon the bus arrived in Suva at its one stop, not far from this middle of the road hotel, Southern Cross Hotel. While not far to my hotel, I hired a cab so I could get a rest from the heavy luggage, find a bank machine, get to the pier to buy my ticket for the afternoon / overnight ferry to Savusavu. That done, I checked in to get the chocolate bars and myself out of the humid heat. The hotel tried to give me a hard time about the reservation I made with the agent at the airport, a different person from the bus finding lady. Seems there was no record that he took a $30 deposit from me except that buried in my bag, I had the receipt I requested. My room has varnished fir floors and air conditioning. I can buy internet time but I opted for just a half hour.
Time for a nap, then go walk the town and find some dinner.
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