A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Airport

Less than 24 hours ago, we left Hawaii. We didn't know where we were going once we arrived in Fiji and we knew nothing of the local customs and mannerisms. In a last minute panic, we bought the Lonely Planet Guide and put it away to thumb through on the flight. But our first insight into this strange new country did not come from a book, it came from a men's room.

John simply asked Micheal where there was a good vegetarian place to eat. Micheal was a vegetarian. He knew just the place. Then, at the sink, their conversation shifted to our trip and the mention of our next stop, Fiji. Well, Micheal had been to Fiji. In fact Micheal was considering moving there. He was bubbling with information. Over a glass of water at Pesto's Pasta, he drew us a map, he told us about the big women to watch out for at the airport, he told us which islands to see and where to go. He even drafted a quick note to his good friend Josua here and asked us to deliver it. It was a ten minute whirlwind lesson on the island and it's culture. Not even the Lonely Planet can beat that.

I Will Take You to Best Hotel

The flight across the Pacific Ocean left us missing one day. November the 14th, lasted only two hours as we flew across the International Dateline. Six hours after we left, we arrived in Fiji. Micheal was right about the women at the airport. Just outside of customs a row of them, dressed in every color sulu imaginable, charged the arriving tourists.
"I will take you to the best hotel."
"Here, I show you cheapest accommodations on the island."
"Follow me, I know the best."

We were accosted by Fujians all vying for our patronism. Every hotel was the best, the cheapest, the most beautiful on the island. With less than four hours sleep, our heads were twirling.

We nodded, we waved our hands, exchanged hand-shakes, thank-you's, no thank-you's and finally made our way to the security lockers to deposit a bag of gear. The sweltering heat was spreading like a tidal wave over us and the thought of carrying even a light weight pack seemed overwhelming.

From there it was countless more hand-shakes and attempts at avoiding the standard introductory question of "Where are you from?" followed by "I Take you to cheapest hotel." Finally we settled on the Travelers Beach Resort, recommended by the Lonely Planet and of course by it's insistent owner. A free cab ride took us what seemed like miles down a maze of roads. "Only ten minutes walk from airport," the owner repeated. But a twenty minute cab ride left us doubtful.

We shared the ride, and, as it turned out our dorm room with Seana and Shane from Colorado and Boston. After a settling in period of a few hours we all hoped in the back of a pick-up truck and for $F.50 each, headed into Nadi.

Nadi, it seems exists mostly on the tourist trade. Tour agencies and duty-free shops line the main street. Indians and Fujians stand at the entrances biding their time until a tourist passes. Then they transform into flies. We were swarmed by questions: "Where are you from?" and "How long are you staying?". With arms extended toward their shops, they insisted we come in. "Whatever you want, I have cheapest in town."

Eventually we caught on to this ceremony and we avoided eye contact or, when avoidance was impossible, gave a mumbled response that we needed to find a bank, had no time or we were off to meet a friend. But despite everything, we found Fujians to be very helpful. They answered our questions, give directions and of course informed us where to get the best deals.

After walking through the streets, exploring some tour packages and buying two sulu's, which basically consist of two meters of cloth cut from a bolt and zigzag stitched around the edges, we were zonked. We bought some noodles from the grocery store, some fresh vegetables from the outdoor market, and headed back to the dorm room.

Tomorrow we would have the chore of sorting through the jumble of information that had been thrown at us and deciding what to do next. In the meantime "Can I get you the best coconut?"