FINAL SHOPPING VISIT TO LAUTOKA

    I am in Lautoka for my (hopefully) final shopping trip.

  Torrid is pretty much ready for the trip back to Savusavu.  

  I found out that my "Care package" from the States will arrive on Saturday, so I'll hang at Vuda for a few more days.

  I'm anxious to move on, but the "Care Package" has several items which will make my passage to Vanuatu far more comfortable.

  It will be with a VERY heavy heart that I depart Fiji and her wonderful people.

  Living in Fiji is all about compromise.  You must learn to do without the many, many conveniences of living in the USA.  As a trade-off, you learn to live without crime, traffic, neighbors and worrying about whatever is going on in the rest of the World.  I have not driven a car in over a year and REALLY do not miss it!

  I'll probably send an update from Savusavu, then not post another entry until I'm safely in Port Vila, Republic of Vanuatu. 

  

FINAL PREPARATIONS

I am about 1 week from finally leaving Vuda Marina.

I'll sail to the nearby port of Lautoka. In Fiji if you want to sail from one area to another you must physically present yourself to the customs authorities and get clearance (permission) to depart. When you arrive at the next port you must do the same thing i.e., check in with customs and immigration. If you fly, drive or take a ferry-no problem. If you are on a yacht you have to go thru this procedure. Failure to do so properly can get you in a LOT of trouble.

Yesterday my Single-sideband radio (short-wave radio) was taken into the shop for repairs. It seemed to not be putting out enough power.

Otherwise, I'm almost ready. Just need to take on a few more provisions before I finally make the hop to Vanuatu.

OF ORCHIDS AND PREPARATIONS

A couple of days ago I finally visited the Sleeping Giant orchid exhibition. It was started by actor Raymond Burr (Perry Mason/Ironside/Rear Window). Apparently he had a fondness for Fiji and privacy (he bought an island). The park was well maintained and I saw many, many varieties of orchids.

My refrigerator is finally working and I'm awaiting a part for my anchor windlass. After that, I'm pretty much ready to check out of Fiji and push on to Vanuatu. The crossing should take 5-7 days and my Port of entry should be Port Vila on Efate Island. Find that on Google earth.

Although I'm sad to depart Fiji, it is a circumnavigation after all!

Enjoy the picture of the orchid!

01 JUNE, 2010- PREPARATIONS

I'm starting preparations in earnest for departure to Vanuatu. As much as I like Fiji, it is time to move on.

My refrigerator is STILL not fixed, but I can wait no longer. Today I will change my jib and obtain a refill of my propane tanks and probably take on fuel.

The weather has been fine and getting very warm, a welcome relief from New Zealand.

This morning I awoke with tears in my eyes: I had another vivid dream about my son. A friend was showing me his favorite picture of his brother who had died. It made me think of my favorite picture of my son who also had died.

Whether we know it or not, we all have favorite memories of our loved ones. I wonder what their favorite memory of me is?

At the end of the day, if we have done more good than bad, then it has been a good day.

Have a good day!

BACK IN OL' FIJI AGAIN

After a verrrrrrrrrrrrrrry long wait at Auckland airport I finally was able to fly back to Fiji.

It is sooooo nice to be warm again!

Torrid had been closed for about 3 weeks and she really developed a lot of mold down below decks. Yuck!

I'm preparing for Vanuatu but still don't have a working refrigerator or wind generator. Apparently, I'm not the only one who is very dissatisfied with the work product of the guy I have.

All things being equal, if all I have to complain about is my refrigerator and wind generator, life is good!

The skin cancer is gone and there is very little evidence of the surgery. I'm still as good-looking as ever. THAT WAS A JOKE!!!!!!!

LEAVING NEW ZEALAND, NONE TOO SOON!

As I write this entry I am 12 hours away from arriving back in Fiji.

The weather in NZ is going downhill fast. It seems a series of three, yes three, Low Pressure areas are converging on NZ and the wind and rain are getting pretty bad. I don't think I'll complain about the heat of Fiji ever again.

As soon as possible I hope to leave Fiji for Vanuatu and New Caledonia. After that, who knows?

I now know why so many NZ "Yachties" go to Fiji this time of year; to escape the cold and wet of the NZ winter. BRRRRRRRRR!

AUCKLAND OBSERVATIONS

I'm about 30 hours away from leaving New Zealand and returning to Fiji. I thought it might be appropriate to make a few observations at this time.
New Zealand has come a long ways since I first visited in the late '70's. It is still a vibrant beautiful place and it is well worth visiting.
It used to be an exceptionally inexpensive place to visit. That has changed. I used to get a 2 for 1 exchange on my US Dollar. The prices used to be about 1/2 to 1/3 what you'd pay in the USA, so the country was very inexpensive to visit. I took my children here TWICE and treated them to everything! Sadly, that would be very expensive today.
Sadder still, it seems crime and racial unrest are weaving their sinister ways into the country. Bike gangs, like American bike gangs are well into the manufacture and sale of crystal methamphetamine, or, as we call it in the States: Speed. For some reason their nickname for the drug is "P".
School violence was unheard of before. No longer, I'm afraid. Also violence towards police officers and corrections personnel. Just the other day the first prison guard to be killed on duty by an inmate occurred.
The Maori are increasingly unhappy with the way the government is treating them. Some have formed gangs of their own and are becoming "territorial". I fear they are learning a lot of bad things from American criminals. A want-to-be gang member attacked a 4 year old boy the other day. The reason: the boy was wearing a red shirt! Apparently this is the color that identifies members of a rival gang. Give me a break! A 4 year old boy??????????
These, of course are the exceptions. New Zealand remains as one of my very favorite places in the World.
I suppose she has lost a bit of the innocence I saw so many years ago.
Perhaps I was just a Pollyanna!