Wow, so much has happened since I last posted. Part of the reason is I was on the Yasawa Islands of Fiji and the Internet was hard to find and very expensive. But then, I didn't go there to be connected to the rest of the world.
I flew to Fiji with no problems. I decided to buy one bottle of duty free alcohol, then realized that everyone else around me had bought two. I guess I'm still new at this. In the town of Nadi I found a great Indian restaurant and had chicken fried rice for less than $3. There are quite a few Fijian Indians around Nadi. There are also a lot of different religious denominations including all kinds of Christians, Hindus, Muslims, and I'm sure some others. Everyone seems to get along very well because they are so relaxed and friendly. Things run on "Fiji time", which means a watch isn't always very helpful.
I saw a Polynesian dance and fire show at a hostel next to mine, then caught the ferry out to the farthest island the next morning. I met a nice Dutch guy on the boat and we went for a hike off the trail behind our resort. We fell into a lot of holes, he broke and repaired his flip-flop, it rained when we were in the beautiful forest, I broke open a coconut with a rock and drank the juice, saw huge spiders, and we stumbled into the village but made it back fine. The views were amazing, the backpacker resort was very nice and provided more than what I'm used to.
I went snorkeling and saw all sorts of colorful corals and fish. The squid looked strange because they were fried and in a bowl on the table. The water was warm and very clear. The next resort I stayed at wasn't as nice. It was in a sandy bay, but there was a 32-bed dorm and they turned the electricity off at 10pm. But I still had fun with a loud group of Germans. The next place was beautiful again but the bathroom was kind of gross, breakfast was at 7am, the beds were uncomfortable, and a rat ate my food. I went snorkeling with sharks, which was awesome. They were scary at first, but they were harmless. They were about three feet long and the guide caught one in his hand to show us. At night the Germans, the Dutch guy and I took a boat across to another resort on a different island 10 minutes away to visit some friends. The boat ride in the middle of the night with a flashlight at the front was fun.
I took the ferry north to a very small resort and got seasick along the way. The service was very personal since there were only five guests. I met a couple who live in Toulouse, France and we exchanged email addresses in case I make it to France this summer. We tried kava, the local drink, but it didn't affect me too much. People say it takes a lot to produce and effect. It comes from the root of a plant and numbs the mouth when drank. Later it feels similar to alcohol. In the morning we visited a school nearby, which was a great experience. Even though the children have so little, they still seem happy and friendly. I checked my email once and received a job offer from a winery in Hungary, assuming I can obtain a work permit.
I spent my last week at Coral View Resort to complete the PADI open water diving course. Fiji is a pretty cheap place to do it and the life in the water is amazing. It was one of the best things I've done. The resort was the biggest and had the nicest facilities, great buffet-style food, and I met a lot of nice people. A Irish guy, Jamie, completed the diving course with me. First we read and studied a textbook and took quizzes which felt way too much like school.
My first dive was a bit scary because we only went through some safety review briefly at the surface, then went down to 40 feet. The instructor picked up three beer bottles off the bottom and we had a cheers. I did manage to enjoy it even if a little scared. We completed confined water training (more safety) at the surface, then practiced the skills again at 40 feet and 60 feet. We saw a stone fish, a lion fish (both poisonous), a small shark, and I passed the exam to become a certified diver, allowing me to dive anywhere in the world. I have read that there is some diving in Turkey, so I'll have to find it. The last morning, we did two dives to 60 feet. The instructor touched a piece of coral, and it turned silver I guess as a defense mechanism. The second dive was for shark feeding. It was incredible. There was a row of divers holding onto a rope like at an aquarium while a dive master fed the fish and sharks. I never felt in danger with 10+ sharks nearby because they just acted like big fish. The biggest was a 12-foot lemon shark. We also saw a moray eel come out of some coral for a piece of food.
I took the ferry back to Nadi that afternoon and saw several people that I had met before. At the hostel I talked to a couple from Slovenia who, after five minutes of conversation, invited me to stay with them. I met a lot of nice people like that and exchanged emails with people from Austria, Denmark, Holland, France, Canada, and Ireland.
Yesterday I mailed my diving info to Australia so they can send me my official diving ID card. Two Scottish girls I had met said they were looking forward to having a burger when they got back, so I decided that was a good idea, then I saw them walk in and do the same. I also discovered Vonu lager, which was much better than the typical Fiji beer. Today I got my bag stitched up since it was coming apart in a couple of places, went back to the cheap Indian restaurant for the third time, and now I'm updating my blog. I fly to Istanbul tomorrow, so I definitely need a new name for the blog.
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