Inga's Hen Party...

After the excitement (and messiness) of the International School Suva staff function on Friday night- poolside at the Fiji Club, inevitably followed by O'Reilly's- we had even more messiness to come on Saturday for a hen party held for Inga, one of my Learning Support teacher buddies. Thanks so much Kristin for the incredible appetisers and drinks- special mention for the dates wrapped in bacon, and pomegranate mamosas! I won't forget that dangling orange game in a hurry either- think I need to work on my thrust for the next round though...

Anyway, here are the pics from Kristin (another fellow Learning Support teacher)'s beautiful place, and from Suva's other big pub-club, Traps...not such a beautiful place, but bloody good fun! Suffice to say, Sunday was not so fun...can't handle two nights in a row anymore. I'm definitely way past my student days of four-nights-a-week revelry...

The Sun Did Not Shine...

...it was too wet to play,
So I gave a small speech
During Young Writer's Day!
(This is an event
That's held at the school,
Where we're trying to show
How writing is cool)
I stood up there in front
I stood there, just me,
And I said 'I love writing-
It's as fun as can be!'
Though some of the kids
Got fidgety bums,
There were some who weren't
Just twiddling thumbs,
So I read them my poem
About keeping dreams near,
'The Dream Snatcher'- that guy
Who, at night, blows in FEAR!
I think they enjoyed it,
But all that I hope,
That even if most
Thought I was a dope,
That ONE child would hear
What I tried to say,
And would look at writing
A new, different way.
By the way, can you tell
From this very strange rhyme,
How, while I spoke,
I was dressed at the time?
To see for yourself
See the picture below-
(Though the famous hat
Is poorly made, I know!)

A Trip To Nananu-i-ra, Thanks To Queenie...

I'm sad that I missed out on all the Golden Jubilee celebrations back home- but I'm happy we at least got to celebrate (and have a day off for) the Queen's Birthday.

So far in Fiji, we've only headed one direction along the coast, and that's west, towards Nadi. We decided it was about time to be different, and see what the north had to offer. Why Nananu-i-ra? Because of the wind; as you'll see in the photos below, Patrick fancied trying a bit of windsurfing to add to his water-sports CV! Suffice to say, I'm no expert on windsurfing, but there were a few at Safari Lodge who thought Patrick was pretty good for a beginner. As well as the wind, up North is also a damn sight less rainy than Suva- but then I think London and Vancouver combined are less rainy than Suva...

Anyway, it was a sunny, peaceful weekend at Safari Lodge. Dreams of diving were dashed when there were no oxygen tanks available. But no matter- we had our friends Ghazal and Ange from USP with us for some cool sunset and snorkelling times. Not to mention a great massage by Rosie, one of the great, unappreciated staff. One of the only places in Fiji where you can cook for yourself...it made me hark back to Aussie backpacker days. Spaghetti with tinned tomatoes, noodles...not so appetising when you can smell a delicious and elaborate BBQ from the Japanese crew next door, but ah well!

Nananu-i-ra, close to the northern town of Rakiraki, is an intriguing island; according to the office manager at International School, the island once belonged to three European sisters, before being sold off to other parties. The accomodation on on one of the beaches definitely seems more quaint than the style of the usual Fijian bure. Still lovely, just very different to what we'd seen before. TIn fact, there seem to be no local villages there- very odd! I found it interesting to go to a place on the brink of more development; it's always nice to see a place in its (mostly) unspoilt glory. As much as I loved it, it made me think how beautiful and peaceful Natadola beach must have been before the Intercontinental...

Here are some photos shamelessly stolen, once again, from my friend Ghazal. Got to get more organised with charging my camera battery! By the way, before I forget, I want to shout out to the two interesting nomads that we met at Safari Lodge- a Spanish girl called Sylvia whose UN work has taken her to the Phillipines and East Timor among other places, and an older American hippy guy called Dean who loved diving with sharks, paragliding in Nepal, and travelling every 6 months. Anybody who has been to Nepal 27 times should be admired, I reckon.

So! Enjoy the pics of our final weekend getaway in Fiji...

On the mainland dock, ready to head to the island...

That's Warren, the confident, slightly cocky Safari Lodge owner, behind us.

A colourful bug we randomly found on a leaf!

Token cheesy pic!

Can't quite reach...

L-R- Me, Ange and Ghazal.

Enjoying the sunset at the appropriately-named Sunset Point.

It's O-Reilly's O'Clock...

Ah, O' Reilly's, or 'O's' as we like to call it...Suva's not-so-Irish pub/club, and one of our favourite party haunts. Here's some pictures that I stole from my friend Ghazal, showing some good table-top boogie times (don't worry, it's not THAT kind of place!...). However, it IS the kind of place where a few drinks beforehand are necessary, so a few photos of pre-O's gatherings round our place are also included. Enjoy!

A place where I probably should have bought some bought bread...but never have.