Cherry Blossom Candy Leaf

On our wedding night, after staying back at the restaurant to clean up, a few people joined us at the hotel. My cousin Olga and her boyfriend Michael, Jo Ellen, Alyssa, and Tammy came over to celebrate. Good times.

The next day, Ben and I met Sasha, Eric, and his two dogs, Rosco and Frank, at the beach. Check out Frank! He's the bundle in my arms. What a cutie!

So Bula is an adorable creature who is getting quite comfortable in his new home. His puppyisms are starting to come out. He likes to dig holes in the carpet and the couch. We are still trying to train him, but because he is 5 months old, it is very challenging. But then again, we have nothing to compare it to.

On Sunday, we brought Bula to the beach which completely reversed all "potty training" that we have tried to do. Our dirty beige carpet resembles the sand and for a couple days Bula was unsure where outside was. We are back on track these last few days.

When we got home, he got his first bath.
Bula is currently getting to know his older brother Fred. The first day that they met, all Bula wanted to do was lay next to him. Fred didn't care for Bula too much, but I have noticed that lately Fred is exploring unusual places just to be close to his little brother.
Is Bula sweet or what?

This may come as a surprise to you as it did to me, but today we got a new puppy. My friend Kari has a beautiful daughter named Megan. Megan's aunt promised her a puppy for her birthday coming up in a few months. Today, they drove to pick up the puppy she's always wanted, a long haired chihuahua that she named Bella. When they arrived, Bella and her brother were the only ones left. Megan and her aunt decided that they couldn't leave Bella's brother there and decided to buy him as well and look for a home for him.

Well, while we were at work today discussing classroom numbers (which are not so good with little relief coming anytime soon), Kari decided to bring the little black puppy in to see if Ben and I might like to keep him. I was hesitant because I like to pick up and go as I please and it's hard enough to find a sitter for Fred. But then I thought about Sasha who is on the road quite a bit for both "business" meaning chemo and social work on the coastal islands of Alaska, and pleasure and she has two dogs that she could not live without. I thought of Ben who dragged me to the shelter where I cried and vowed not to return until we were certain and serious about adopting a dog.

Kari said that there was no pressure and that I could return him if I felt the responsibility was too great. So little Bula came home with me today. I had this great plan that I would open the door and let Bula into the house and hopefully get to see the shock and joy on Ben's face when he saw his boy. Well, it didn't quite work out that way. When I pulled up in our alley, Ben was heading back to the house from the mailbox. It didn't look like he could see the dog as it was camouflaged in my black shirt. But I thought he might notice it so I had to think fast. As I drove by, I rolled down the window and placed Bula in his arms and said, "Here's your dog." (Yeah, I know, creative thinking.)

Ben was definitely surprised. He said, "Are you serious?" A pause. "Romy, whose dog is this?" A pause. "Is he really mine?" A pause. "Are you serious?" I never spoke, but I thought I might cry, he was so happy. So we took Bula home and then off to the vet to make it official. Bula was surprisingly happy to have the thermometer in his butt. When the vet left the room for a moment, I heard Ben say to Bula, "You're not supposed to like that, dude." (I'm sure you can picture Ben saying that.)

Anyways, Bula is fine. He will have some vaccinations this week and be neutered next month. Right now we are in the process of crate training him which is horrible for me. It is almost 3 in the morning and he has momentarily stopped crying. I just took him out to do his business, but all he wanted to do was play. The vet urged us not to play with him at this time or we will always have problems and the older he gets, the harder it will be for him to learn new ways of behaving. I guess that's why they say, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks."

He is just adorable, though, and we have had many offers for a babysitter if and when we need one. Megan also would like to arrange play dates for the siblings. I am attaching a picture of our new baby. He is a little over 4 pounds. His dad weighed 4 pounds and his mom weighed 8, so he probably won't get much bigger. He is a doll. He is black with white socks and a white tie on his chest and a little sprig of white hair on his head. (I have never used the word "sprig" in my life. Is that a word? If not, it should be.)

Ben and I got back from Fiji a few days ago and our trip was so incredible that I am experiencing a little sadness. Don't get me wrong, I am happy to be married and feel so lucky to have been able to go on this trip, but you have to agree that being on vacation is the best. So now I will have to begin thinking about our next trip. Ben suggested backpacking across Europe for a few weeks, so I better get on with the planning before he forgets how wonderful it is to get away and I have to spend time convincing him that it's a great idea.

About Fiji... We left Sunday night at 10:30 p.m. and arrived in Nadi (pronounced "Nandi") at 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday. The 10 and 1/2 hour flight wasn't too bad because our wonderful travel agent, Colette Levine at JourneyPacific.com, booked the red eye. In addition, she reserved the window seat for me and the aisle for Ben knowing that chances were good that no one would purchase the middle seat. She was right about that and luckily we were able to take turns sleeping the whole way. Upon our arrival, a bus was waiting for us. We were filled with anticipation as we stopped at hotels and resorts as people hopped off the bus to really begin their vacations. As more and more people got off the bus, we got more and more excited about being away from the big city and in our own tropical paradise. After about two hours, we arrived in Pacific Harbor. We got off the bus and the driver told us that a car was here to take us further. Apparently the bus could not travel the dirt road that lay ahead. Less than a mile later, we arrived at the Wellesley. This is a small resort with about 10 rooms. Only 5 or 6 rooms were occupied the entire time we were there. The hotel was under new management, a lovely and hard working couple from New Zealand. According to an article I read, the hotel was in bad shape due to mismanagement, but in less than two weeks time, the new managers turned things around. It was gorgeous. Aside from the managers, all the workers (3 for every guest)live in the neighboring village. They were friendly and offered to escort us into their village. We talked to the kids who were much more shy than most that we met later on, but they giggled a lot. We also talked to a man who had just returned from Iraq where he had done some building.

At the Wellesley, we spent our days kayaking along isolated shores,

collecting shells (I was in shell heaven), snorkeling, eating delicious food, talking with the Fijians, watching the village men play rugby on the beach at sunset, and relaxing and enjoying the scenery. After two nights at the Wellesley, we were off to our next destination. I was feeling a little uneasy because the Wellesley was such an incredible place. Everyone was so friendly and the place was so quiet that I felt like I was disturbing the trees by talking to Ben across the table. We had the beach mostly to ourselves, aside from the villagers fishing along the shore or collecting hermit crabs for bait. So early Thursday morning, 6 a.m. to be exact, we were picked up by our driver and were off to Port Denarau.

The driver was a Hindu Fijian, the second largest ethnicity group in Fiji, Fijians being the first. I spent the car ride asking him questions about life in Fiji. Apparently, due to drinking kava and smoking, the average life span for people in Fiji is in the late 50s, which is quite young. We discussed salaries, schooling, relationships among Hindu Fijians and Fijians, his family, etc. He said that the average worker makes less than $3 Fijian/hour. Hindu Fijians have a hard time finding jobs at the resorts and hotels because tourists prefer to be entertained by Fijians. So Hindu Fijians are accepted as drivers. Advanced education is expensive and not paid for by the government. In villages, children attend kindergarten and are later bussed to primary school. Any further education must be paid for. Students wear uniforms. The girls wear dresses that fall below the knee, have sleeves to the elbow, and a collar. The dresses are almost the same, but come in different colors. Clothes are expensive, so most people buy fabric and have a tailor sew the uniforms. Boys wear white collared shirts and sarongs. It was really nice to see all the men and boys in skirts. A breeze between the legs is something most American men know nothing about: what a shame!

So we talked for the two hour drive back to Nadi. He took us to the grocery store so we could stock up on snacks, water, beer, and anything else we needed because it would be much more expensive at the resorts. I bought Macadamia nut shampoo, Fiji water, some funny looking snacks (Unidentified Flavored Objects in burger flavor and hot chicken twisties), Cadbury chocolate, and postcards. Ben also bought water, peanuts, chips and headed for the beer, which is bought individually by the can or bottle and is quite expensive. The cheapest we found was at this store, $1.50 Fijian. The beer and alcohol is in a locked room in the store and must be paid for separately. There were 3-4 varieties and when Ben asked the lady if one type was better than the other, the woman replied, "I would not know how it tastes." I noticed throughout the trip that women do not drink beer, are not invited to drink kava and do not join in, and do not smoke cigarettes. I didn't see men drinking beer, other than the tourists, but they drank a ton of kava and smoked cigarettes. I think beer is too expensive for most Fijian people and at every resort/hotel we stayed at, all guests were told to never invite Fijian staff for a drink and to never bring alcohol to the village.

We arrived at Port Denarau around 9:00 a.m. and our ship was set to leave at 9:30. We had no idea what we were in for. We didn't know how much time would be spent on the boat. I was worried about Ben. I knew I would be fine with some bonine, but Ben who went on a fishing trip for his bachelor party and was sick the entire time, I was not so sure about. We both took generic bonine the night before and in the morning. Ben also wore a motion sickness patch behind his ear. Needless to say, we followed this throughout the trip, and were not sick at all. We actually had to give out some of our medicine, specifically to Dion from Australia, who was so sick that first day that he had to be hosed down.

When we boarded the Spirit of the Pacific, everyone was excited and nervous. I knew that we would be sailing together for 4 days, and I wondered how long it would be before we knew each other. There were Jess and Peter from England on their honeymoon(who we really enjoyed), two couples from Italy also on their honeymoons, Danielle and Dion from Australia on vacation, a German couple on their honeymoon, two Austrian guys (one was named Gerhard and I could not stop saying it. It's just fun to say. Try it. GEEER-HARD), Trevor and his girlfriend from New Zealand (I also could not stop saying Trevor because everyone from England, Australia, and New Zealand, said, "Trevuh"), and Janet who was born in New Zealand but living in the U.S. for over 20 years(also a teacher and lovely person). So there were 17 of us and the crew made up of 6 sailors, one captain, and two chefs. It was really nice being the only Americans on the trip. You never know how other people view Americans with the current political climate and the way many Americans behave in foreign countries. Ben and I were very happy to represent.
So we sailed for hours. It was calm and still for about 4 hours. We stopped to snorkel at the most incredible little island. The reef was really sensational, even more memorable than the fish to tell you the truth. It was amazing the way we were snorkeling over the reef that was about 25 feet from the shore, but then it dropped into deep, sapphire blue water. You couldn't see the bottom. After about 25 minutes, we continued on the journey, which suddenly became much windier and more rough. We were only half way through the sail at this point. We had lunch and afternoon tea and the boys from the crew sang and played guitars and ukeleles.



They were very talented. Their instruments were not in the best condition but you would not have known it from listening to them. (In fact, I wrote to Captain Cook Cruises and suggested that they provide new instruments for such a wonderful crew of people who went above and beyond to keep everyone happy.) I made a video of one of their songs. Unfortunately, you hear more of the wind (which can also be nice). But you can hear Bio's beautiful voice as well. With about two hours left in the trip, Dion and one of the Italian girls disappeared. They were too sick and did not resurface until we arrived at Drawaqa Island, a.k.a. Barefoot Island.

This island has 20 bures with the building of more bures in progress. There is no electricity to the rooms. The only room with electricity is the main bure that is powered by a generator. The main bure is where we eat, have tea, have cocktails, enjoy Fijian music and dance, and drink kava every night. There is no hot water on the island. Showers are fresh, cool water. When we finally arrived, the sun was setting. We got in our room, the last one on the sunrise side, and Ben and I just looked at each other in the dark. We had no idea what the next four days had in store for us. It turned out to be like luxury camping. The bed was perfect with a firm mattress. Our bure was awesome, with 5 small windows, and sticks at the front two corners to hang our wet bathing suits every night. Like many Fijians, we learned to work in hours of daylight, setting up anything we would need for the night while the sun was out which made our shower at sunset much easier. That first night, we were fumbling through our stuff and what would have taken 1 minute in a room with a lamp, took 25 minutes. Luckily, Ben had a little flashlight before the bigger torches were handed out at dinner. We were still looking through our stuff saying, "Where's my tooth brush? Where are my pants?" It was funny. After dinner, Ben and I had an early night. We went to bed, with the wind blowing hard, but the bure was solid and didn't move at all. I woke up several times thinking I was being eaten by mosquitoes, but everything was fine.

I woke up before the sunrise and sat outside, waiting for it to come up. I was also anxious to hear the drums which would signal giant manta rays on the sunset side of the island. We got up, got dressed, had our morning tea and afterwards were advised to rest. We explored the island before breakfast. We ate breakfast and afterwards were advised to rest. Following our rest, we went on the medicine bush walk and learned about the different plants Fijians use to cure anything from stomach aches to poison rock fish stings. They have a plant whose fruit is called kura and "cures aids". I saw it later at the airport in capsule and liquid form, but with great regret, I did not buy it since I was carrying all the other souvenirs and had no room in my bag. Following our walk, Ben and I planted our own cassava trees. Cassava is also known as tapioca.

Following the gardening, Bio wove a basket that a lady would carry and one for a man. Women carry babies in their baskets woven from palm tree leaves. Men carry fruit. According to Bio, "Women do not cook because they do it wrong," so the men find and prepare the food. I have a feeling the women "do it wrong" on purpose. Bio gave me the basket later on and I almost had an anxiety attack smuggling it into the country. Next, Bio showed us how to husk a coconut on a stick. He also showed us coconuts with milk and a different one with juice. The one with the milk is the one you find in grocery stores here and is used for its fruit. The other has a thinner layer of fruit, but is filled with a delicious fruit juice that we all tasted. He later showed us how to crack open the first type with his fist.

After that, we were advised to rest before lunch. Ben and I sat on the beach and swam in the water. We ate lunch in the main bure and were advised to rest before our afternoon snorkel. We were then asked to rest and enjoy afternoon tea. We went back to the beach and were called together later for hand reel fishing.

Then we showered and took a walk to the highest point on Drawaqa to watch the sunset. We saw most of the island's perimeter along with the neighboring island.
The chief's dog, Shet, would find me each day and follow me around. He would not walk with me if I was on slippery rocks or in a place I shouldn't be. He kept me safe. We saw where the fresh water was stored and collected via a simple gutter system. Before it got too dark, we went back to the main bure for cocktail hour and dinner. Every day we had different local vegetables, pineapple and watermelon with every meal, and lamb sausage which I ate when the only other choice was fish. Various fresh fish dishes were always available, and chicken on occasion. As we ate, the crew of our ship played guitars and ukeleles as they sang Fijian songs.
After dinner, we had the traditional yaqona or kava ceremony. If you walk in on a kava ceremony and want to join in, you must clap three times before you sit down to show respect for the others already drinking. When you are given a coconut shell with the tongue numbing, mud colored drink, you clap once, say "Bula", and drink it in one turn. It is disrespectful to not finish your kava. I was invited later on to join in the kava ceremony with the Fijian men and the chief. I drank three more coconut shells and went to sleep.We kept our back windows open that night. I didn't want to miss the 7 a.m. drum which would signal the manta rays which we never got to see due to bad timing. We were minutes off later on in the day, but I will talk about that later. Instead, after breakfast, we boarded the ship to visit a neighboring island where we were invited to tour the village. On the way, we saw a whale in the channel, and the boys on the crew explained that they had never seen a whale this close to the island before. Unfortunately my digital camera died and all my whale photos (10 feet from the boat) are on my manual camera. Bio said that if you are able to take a tooth from the whale, a man is able to take 10 wives. We got dressed and ready to head to the village on the smaller boat. Both men and women had to have covered legs. Women had to wear a long skirt or sarong. The men could wear a sarong or pants. We had to wear shirts that had sleeves long enough to reach the elbows. And both men and women could not wear any covering on their heads, so no hats, bandanas, or scarves. Also, we were reminded to avoid touching the head of villagers: it is disrespectful to do so.

We walked along the shell covered shore. In a short walk we saw 5 large and whole conch shells. Boys were fishing with spears. The littlest kids were running on the beach catching the flying ashes. The ash comes from the fires that the villagers set on their island to prepare the land for planting. They also burn their trash. Sometimes these fires are not controlled and the whole island or most of it goes up in flames. Almost every island we passed in the Pacific had plumes of smoke. Families sat in front of their homes and greeted us with "Bula!" We walked the stretch of beach and up to the "neighborhood". We were shown a traditional bure and the less traditional one which is now built as a second home which can usually withstand a cyclone. Many Fijians prefer the traditional bure, although more house type dwellings are being built because as Bio said, "Young people are lazy. They don't want to rebuild houses or weave baskets. They prefer a plastic bag." We visited the church which was of a Christian denomination. The preacher stands at the front of the church. Adults sit on the left side of the preacher as they face him. The children's side is on the right and the largest section in the church. The oldest villagers sit behind the preacher so they can hear everything. They always pray for rain, which is their livelihood. Otherwise, they have to buy water from the mainland. I believe this is one reason they invite us. We will buy their goods and then they, in turn, have emergency water money.

We made a donation to the church and rested on the beach. Next we were invited to the main bure for kava as the women and children set up the handicrafts market. We sat in the main bure where no shoes are worn. The "chief" of our "village", Trevor or Trevuh, went in first, followed by his "bodyguard" Peter or Petah, followed by the rest of the men from our "tribe". Then the women. Men sit cross-legged in front of the kava bowl. The man in charge of the kava was the father of Tima, the one waitress at Barefoot Island. The women sit behind the men, with their legs to the side. The men drink before the women. By the time it was my turn to drink kava, everyone was having side conversations so as I received my coconut, I gave an enthusiastic "Bula" that stopped everything. The villagers liked that.
After that, we checked out the goods for sale just outside the main bure as the villagers prepared for a show that we had no idea we would get to see. They had so many beautiful things. I bought a shell bracelet, a necklace, two angels made of tapa cloth and shells, and a large tapa wedding mat made by a village woman. It is about 7 feet long and 3 feet wide and is often used to decorate the bure of a couple who has just been married. It is gorgeous. She used local plants to dye the tapa. It is covered in patterns and hibiscus flowers. I plan to frame it and hang it above my bed. Ben bought a war club for himself.

After that, we went back inside the main bure. The women wore bright pink shirts and the men wore raffia skirts, arm bands, and necklaces. It was awesome. They sang, played a traditional drum, and used PVC pipe to create a beat. It was crazy. Some of the women were older and just loved singing for us. They were smiling and clapping. I can't imagine my mom putting on a show like this when friends come over. I will provide video from my digital camera that had somehow re-energized itself just in time for the show. You will love it.

Later, we joined the villagers with a dance that Bio taught us the night before. I had a hard time learning the twist move and never really got it. I hesitated when the Fijian man grabbed me, but thought I'd regret it so I went for it anyway.

After the show, we boarded the ship and headed back to Barefoot for an afternoon snorkel. However, when we arrived, someone out in a small boat signaled that 4 large manta rays were about thirty feet from Barefoot in the channel. We ran for our suits and snorkel gear. And as we emerged from the canopy, we saw a large cruise ship send over a smaller boat of passengers that scared all the giant manta rays away. We went for it anyway. The water was rough and choppy, but I was going to see those manta rays if I had to drown for them. One member of our crew was teaching me how to grab onto the back and go for a ride. Unfortunately, that never happened and the manta rays did not return in time. Peter and I were the most upset about this.

That night, we drank more kava. I was invited over again and during my first glass, the kava went down the wrong way and I almost threw up on the chief. He brought over watermelon chasers. I was so embarrassed and had to prove myself. I had four more coconut shells without incident. We had our final dinner at the main bure. Jess also turned 30 so we celebrated with champagne. I drank a cup for my mom, who was also celebrating her birthday that day (well, in Fiji anyway). After dinner, we put on a multicultural show, where every country visiting Barefoot put together an act from their culture. Ben and I were sixth and we went blank on America and because I teach it all the time, we decided to teach a cool song from Africa and a rock passing game that goes with it. Along with rocks, we passed shells and coral that Ben and I collected from the beach. Then the crew of the Spirit put on their Fijian garb and danced for us.

Siga, the dancer in the front yelling out the commands was awesome and very handsome. On the boat he always wore sunglasses which no one, besides Bio, had. He also wore very American swim trunks with velvety hibiscus flowers on them. (Siga has only a couple of more exams before he can be the captain of his own ship.)

Then they led us outside for a fire dance. The less experienced fire dancers tried their best to perform as they momentarily caught on fire. Their friends laughed and then the youngest crew member (he must have been 15) got to show off his talent. He was so sweet and so hardworking. He was often picked on by the older boys, but they loved him too. He always steered the smaller boat from the large sailboat to shore and vice versa. He also climbed the masts (very, very high) to release the sails. Later on, we ventured out to the beach with more champagne where the crew had built an enormous bonfire. It was a perfect end to the evening.

The next morning we were departing Barefoot Island. The place was incredible. Four days of sailing, no contact from the outside world, friendly Fijians teaching us about their culture and welcoming us to be a part of it. Before we left, we took group pictures. Bio had everyone's cameras on his wrists and around his neck. When we boarded the ship, Bio announced that he would be staying behind and Jay, the chief, would sail back with us to the port. Maybe, like me, he has a hard time saying good bye. On the way back to Denarau, we stopped to snorkel in a shallow area marked by posts to warn boats in the middle of the ocean.
Ben stayed behind, but I wouldn't miss a chance to snorkel this area. It was awesome and because I'm a pretty good swimmer and comfortable in the water, I was in the front of the pack and was able to make an amazing discovery. About thirty feet below me, lurking over the reef was a four foot reef shark. I had my underwater camera but rather than use it, I grabbed the woman closest to me to show her the fish, but she could not make it out in the water. Then it disappeared and rather than feeling scared, I swam closer to the area and could not find it again. Wow! That was fantastic!

Before our voyage on the Pacific was over, the crew invited us to sail the ship. They showed me how to read the different tools. For example, you must be conscious of the wind speed. And rather than relying on the compass, they recommended that I use the islands around me to help me navigate. They suggested that one particular island should stay to the left of the bough. I have to say that I was much better than Ben. Because he is a guy, he would keep turning the wheel when the ship would not turn right away and the island landmark would be on the right side. I would turn the wheel a little, wait, and then adjust if I needed to. Nonetheless, we both received helmsman awards. YES! It made me think how wonderful it would be to learn to sail.

When we arrived at the port, I avoided saying good-bye to everyone that we had grown to know. We had exchanged addresses on the boat. Peter and Jess came to find me and I had to do everything I could to keep from crying. This was an amazing journey thus far and we were able to share it with a handful of people who were equally amazed and thrilled. It was incredible, truly once in a lifetime if you're as lucky as we have been. Ben and I had an hour before our next boat, the Malolo Cat, picked us up to take us to our final resort. We stocked up on water, never knowing if our next destination would provide it free of charge. We arrived at Solevu, better known as Plantation Island. The resort by the same name covers much of the island and is bustling with tourists and little kids. It was crowded with loud people and I hated it. We waited in the reception for the manager of our resort to pick us up. She rolled up in a golf cart and two minutes later, we were in a different world. The Lomani, which means "love" in Fijian has 10 rooms and 2 honeymoon suites. It was quiet with a Fijian singer singing American pop music softly in the background and no one under 16 is allowed.

The honeymoon suite was bigger than our condo at home. We did not use all the rooms because they were unnecessary and we felt guilty making more work for the staff. We had a king sized bed, T.V. and DVD player, a living room with a refrigerator stocked full of Fiji water (and of course we bought tons of Bula water at port. We made it a goal to drink all the water.) We had a separate dining room and a nice bathroom with hot water and delicious Fijian soaps, shampoos, body washes, and lotions. I wanted to drink that coconut shampoo: it smelled so good. We also had a back patio that had an outdoor shower. I couldn't wait to get in the shower. I didn't mind being dirty for days, but suddenly all I wanted to do was climb in that shower. So I did, before the luggage even arrived. After Ben's shower, we had a light gourmet dinner and watched the beginning of Jarhead before passing out.

The next morning, we got up early, had breakfast, and borrowed bikes to cruise the island. After about 40 minutes, all we wanted to do was get in the water. So we returned the bikes and borrowed some kayaks. We saw a sandbar appear at low tide about 5 football fields from shore so after some pushing by me, Ben finally agreed to take the tandem out there. Throughout our paddle, Ben hesitated. He doubts his own swimming abilities, but he's a decent swimmer. When we finally arrived, we took some pictures, snorkeled around the sandbar, and found many camouflaged starfish trekking across the sandy bottom. As the tide rose and the sandbar disappeared, we decided to return to the mainland. The sun tired us out so we napped and went for a late lunch which was quite complicated at this fancy resort. We had missed the lunch hours and even though we were told about room service upon our arrival, it no longer existed by the second day. We walked to the Plantation Island Resort and they had similar lunch hours. After 2 o'clock, you had to wait for the dinner service which started at 7 p.m. We checked out numerous shops and then returned to the Lomani, where we almost had to beg for grilled cheese sandwiches.

This strange response from the staff may have had little to do with a disliking for us or a different style of doing things. It may have had more to do with superstition. You see, Ben and I may have brought death with us. Upon our arrival, a bat flew into the wall of our suite, breaking a wing and landing on our porch. This has never happened at Lomani and ever since that moment, there was somewhat of a buzz with the employees whenever Ben and I were around. That is just our luck. Aside from worrying about the bat, I did not think we put a hex on the place.


The night of the grilled cheese sandwich, we walked on the beach and caught toads before returning to our room for an early night. We watched Kill Bill which we borrowed from the front desk and Failure to Launch which we brought from home.

The next morning we were denied a late check out so we had to be packed and out of the room by 10 a.m. We hung out at the pool and on the

beach until we snuck into the spa to shower before our 3:15 p.m. Malolo Cat arrived to take us to Nadi.

There, we were met by a driver who took us to main street to buy souvenirs and then off to the airport. We arrived at the airport around 5:30 p.m. and our plane didn't leave until 10. But the airport had many of its own shops including a gallery shop that sold poetry and art by the local people. They also had many duty-free shops that made us regret buying stuff in town. Unlike LAX, the prices at their airport shops and restaurants were not inflated. I took a nap on one of the mahogany and leather couches that were located throughout the airport. Ben read the Fiji Sun. When I finally woke up, it was a little after 9 p.m. We walked through a couple more security check points before making our way upstairs to our gate. I wanted to cry the whole day. When I go to a place, I never know if I will ever return. Fiji is gorgeous, a paradise that I thought only existed in dreams that I could only wish to have. It was truly heaven on earth with its white powder sand beaches, crystal clear, aqua and blue water, and beautiful, friendly people who are proud of their country and their culture. (And you have to love a country where every woman and some men wear big flowers behind their ears. I wish that would catch on in California. I will try to make that happen. Everything is better with a flower behind your ear.) It is a place where everyone is on "Fijian Time," meaning not in a rush. I hope that this was not my last trip to Fiji. It has changed my life.