Advertisement
Published: February 7th 2007
Edit Blog Post
Serenity can be found on a raft under the sun just off the shore of the Pacific. That’s exactly how I decided to spend my last day in Fiji…The Truth, however, lies in a bottle of Absolut purchased from Duty-free...
3-1-1. Three ounces per container max, one quart Zip-lock, one Zip-lock per person. Unfortunately, the bottle of Vodka Gene and I procured at the airport in Fiji upon our arrival was certainly not going to pass security on our way out of the country. Hence, what better to do than share it with new friends on our last night at the resort.
Dave and Haley (just engaged), Heidi and Joel (on a belated honeymoon), Judith (a German traveling solo for one year), Tui (a native employee) and the Dutch (whose names I cannot recall), joined around the table after dinner united by our solitude. By this time, even the timid had let their guard down. Tui, our only link to the natives, sat at our sides in admiration of Judith, the only single female guest at the resort. Little did he know, but he would soon be drilled with questions regarding those subjects that others dared not explore. Tui
denied any knowledge of the custom of raising male offspring as females in Polynesia. However, after finishing off half the bottle, the group was determined to get answers. I’m still not quite sure if it was the slurred words or mangled sentences of the group that confused Tui or the questions themselves. No matter how many times we tried to rephrase our inquiries, he seemed to be at a loss. When all else fails, pull out the camera…
Tui was quite the artiste. If he wasn’t modeling himself, he was arranging poses for everyone else. We offered to share our libation, but Tui explained that he had given up alcohol, smoking and drinking Kava after the death of his Uncle. Apparently, it is customary for the Fijians to sacrifice their favorite vices for 100 days after the death of a loved one. When the 100-day period has passed, the villagers join to celebrate in honor of the deceased. Tui informed us that our last night on the island marked the 100th day following his uncle’s passing and that the villagers would join in celebration in his memory the following day.
Even after a night of drinking, sleep proved
impossible as I lie in bed, seemingly surrounded by sheer wilderness. The rustling of our curtains blowing frantically in the wind each night and the sounds of nature left each of us restless. As though falling asleep with three Geckos roaming our room wasn’t disturbing enough. During our stay at the resort, I frequently awoke in the middle of the night feeling as though a predator lurked about our cottage. On one occasion, Gene woke me from a dead sleep as he abruptly sat up in bed and tore the sheets back, imagining something was hiding underneath them. Closing ourselves in from the outside world was certainly not an option as we were in the middle of the tropics without air conditioning. When left with no other choice, you just deal.
The following morning prior to our departure, Gene and I passed time relaxing in a hammock in the shade, trying to stay cool.
Out of the blue, “Honey, I don’t mean to scare you, but get out of the hammock as quickly as possible,” Gene pressed with a ghastly look on his face as he quickly gathered our belongings. Once out of the hammock, I mustered the
courage to turn around and face my unknown enemy. To my shock, there was a 4-inch long, black and yellow spider dangling from the tree above us.
We relocated to the beach until our rescue boat arrived to ship us back to Nadi. Little did we know, we were about to sweat off another 5 pounds on our return trip to Nadi as the air conditioning on the ferry still had not been fixed.
To ensure that we did not miss our flight from Nadi to New Zealand, Gene cashed in points and booked us two nights at the Westin Resort and Spa in Nadi. As we sweat our asses off on the ferry, Gene and I conjured up thoughts of a cool shower,
heavenly bed attire, a steak dinner and a good night’s rest. We could not wait to get there.
As our taxi neared the resort, Gene and I bounced up and down in our seats like two kids approaching Disneyworld for the first time. The landscape was beautifully maintained and complimented by vibrant flora. Our surroundings could have easily been mistaken for Maui. The drive up to our hotel revealed beautiful grounds occupied by water fountains and uniformed staff. Gene and I looked at each other in utter excitement as Gene exclaimed, “God bless America.”
We quickly realized how visitors’ opinions of the island would be skewed depending on whether they stayed at a big-budget resort or some lower-budget accommodation. If my experiences in Fiji had been confined to the Westin Resort and Spa, I, too, would consider Fiji a tropical paradise. The resort itself was enormous with 5 restaurants, a double-tiered pool, a hot tub, a spa, numerous stores and a children’s playground. We were greeted by hotel employees who immediately secured our bags and welcomed us with fresh juice and cold towels. As a result of the recent coup in Fiji, tourists at the resort were few; however, to our advantage, we were upgraded to a Starwood Preferred Guest suite.
We were thrilled to enter our air-conditioned room and find a plasma television, Bose stereo, Internet services, Bulgari toiletries, a stand-alone shower and bathtub, a double shower head, two bathroom sinks, a blow dryer with diffuser, fluffy white pillows and comforter, chase lounge, two robes and two pairs of slippers, a full ironing board and iron, a private balcony, and
a bottle of Chardonnay chilling in an ice bucket. We had room service and laundry facilities. We thought we had died and gone to heaven.
Our next two days were spent hanging out in our air-conditioned room, watching television, listening to the radio, catching up on email, swimming in the pool, eating delicious meals, and sleeping like champs.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.253s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 20; qc: 98; dbt: 0.1253s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.3mb
Mikkie
non-member comment
Now we're talking ....SWEEET.....
I'm so sorry about Fiji - and the "slim pickins" of luxurious accomadations - but I see you definately will make up for it in the next few weeks.