i'm not into hot beverages. well, i like tea. - 26 oct 06

i'm not a very accomplished coffee drinker-- or orderer for that matter.
having breakfast here at concrete, an italian influenced cafe in the pyrmont neighborhood-- i have previously decided i would order a small coffee with breakfast, as i'd read australia's coffee is generally quite good, and while it's not my avorite beverage, i've had good coffee in costa rica and generally bad coffee in the states so i figured it'd be good to give it a try.

the waiter comes over and asks if i'd like a coffee, etc.and i say yes, a regular small coffee. now either i said it too quietly or he simply misunderstood me and he smiled and repated in his thick european (italian?) accent "mocha?" and i nod, not realizing he'd actually said mocha until a few minutes later. a mocha is a bit more expensive here, and i'm not big on chocolate either, but i think i saw him grating some chocolate over at the counter and it seems this place is into making most everything from scratch, so i just decided to go with it. it'd probably be tasty. and though it comes in a bigger mug (i'm still drinking it, 40 minutes later, though it's kind of a regular sized mug you'd have at home), i am doing my best. when i took my first sip, i was pleasantly surprised-- it didn't taste awful and wasn't ridiculously hot (i usually have to allow a 5-10 miunte cool down period on hot drinks).

coffee really can't be good for you body in large or copious amounts, as many people i know are prone to consuming. i hadn't even drank half of it before my stomach was wondering what was going on. it felt all acidy and confused. granted, being that i consume maybe one coffee a year, i'm not accustomed, but seriously, this can't be good. i guess the milk in it isn't helping. no wonder people have so many ulcers and digestive problems.

i still have about 1/3 mug of tepid mocha left, but it's nice sitting here for now and the day is quite young. i'll try to finish it if i can, and see if i notice the caffiene kicking in (i usually find it doesn't really affect me).

note, later: i want to finish my $4 mug-o-mocha but i really think i'll feel ill if i do. my stomach has already put on a disgruntled and disapproving face and is quietly expressing its displeasure.

parrots! on the terrace!

these two birds flew onto shannon's balcony this morning, as i was typing up these blogs.
i took the photos through the window.

just like their money, australia's birds are prettier than ours.
(suplhur crested cockatoos are common sights as well).

basically, australia is just better than you.
...too bad about that hole in the ozone.

funny things.

a "sewing set." at the dollar store.


a snail in our salad package. very much alive and excited to escape. you've never seen a snail move so fast.
but not fast enough...the escargot was delicious.


i like my bourbon like my women.

quality time - 24 oct 06

shannon and i went out for lunch and pre-dinner drinks to celebrate her successful (she's moved on to the 2nd round!) interview at n.i.d.a.-- and the fact that she's done (for now) and won't have to spend the last few days i'm here stressing out and working on her project.

we went to this really cute cafe in newtown called buzzzbar cafe and shared a late lunch mezze plate. delicious. i really like that place-- it's the kind of place i'd like to work in, or own. they had a nice covered outdoor space, nice cushy couches inside, fresh baked cakes and muffins, gelato, coffee and full bar, and a good and varied menu.

then after a meeting shannon had at the uni, we headed to glebe and had a few drinks and chatted. and her fried aly came and joined us after awhile. and then jarred. we wound up staying at the bar until about 12, past time that any place would be open for dinner so we caught a cab, stopped to get falafels (does not compare to brooklyn falafels!) and headed back to the apartment.

good times!

journal - blue mountains - 23 oct 06

walking through a forest alone, quiet, you really sense who the whole place is alive and happy in its existence. it all works together. nature is mutually beneficial.the fragrant forest smell, sweet, with a faint scent of decaying brush, mixed with new leaves, moss, and damp.

vines, leaves, they glowed blue under the thick canopy. dark, but welcoming.

the glow of the sunlight beginning 300 meters of was incredible. jewels of warm light mixing with the greenery making it this ''light at the end of the tunnel'' vision, filtered through mossy rocks, bushes, young trees, and large trunks.


i felt very alone until i reached a bench and realized that i am on a well trodden path which i guess this particular day is not so popular. i see a bench and then a tree nearby with engravings like ''lucy + brad 95'' and i realize i'm not quite alone.

i try to source the bird songs i hear, the rustlings in the leaves, but i see very little other forest life, aside from the flies (which have not bothered me today), but there are signs of life everywhere.

i love going on hikes, walking quietly through 'nature'. i don't know why i don't do it more often.



----
notes: check out the 65º-70º inclines/declines on steps i had to climb. going down stairs CAN be hard. especially hand-cut limestone stairs (the grand staircase they call it) which are uneven and narrow, and if you don't get your footing right you very much feel like you're going to slide the rest of the way down. which would really not be fun. my legs were shaking when i finally reached the bottom. they are still recovering. these were not a part of the "grand staircase" but i climbed up them all the same.

royal botanic gardens - 18 oct 06

the royal botanic gardens are a public space, free to enter, and is a popular area for a picnic, jog, or a walk. it's really lovely and has a nice view of sydney harbour (opera hourse, bridge, etc.) and the succlent garden made me feel right at home! (cacti, aloe, agave plants, etc.) here are a couple of photos i took. more photos will be available in the upcoming snapfish album including all of my random sydney photos.


and this photo? (sorry it's sideways. just tilt your monitor) those are bats hanging in the tree! grey-headed fox bats, to be specific (though their head is more reddish). they live in a bunch of trees in one section of the park. apparently they used to come seasonally but now they live there, and are ruining the trees they roost in. the park had signs saying that they are using safe/humane/non-damaging methods of 'discouraging' them to leave. they are very noisy neighbors.

current obsessions

maybe you watched so you think you can dance? on tv this summer?
sarah and i sure did. way to go benji!

i was discussing it with shannon and explaining it to ashleigh and we have since been watching these two clips over and over, and can't get "ramalama bang bang" out of our head. so, if it has to be in my head, i figure you ought to take a listen.




and, to "sexy back".
all choreography by wade robson.

...and fly right? 18 oct 06

okay, I'm' not trying to be mean, but...sydney has a fly problem. i noticed a lot of files swarming my face not long after i got here, but didn't think much of it. and yet, here i am, a the royal botanic gardens, swatting the air around my head, looking like a crazy person. at first, i was worried-- is it me? am i emitting some 'come-hither' vibe or scent that draws them to my eyes, ears, hair? i mean, please tell me i don't smell like dead meat, rotting fruit, or poop. or do they sense my almost buddhist ''i-will-not-kill-anything-unless-they-are-a-threat'' mentality? but, then i started paying attention and found i wasn't the only one flapping my hands in front of my face.

i suppose i should be happy that these are not the big-ass biting flies, but rather, petite, buzzing flies with no apparent mission other than annoy the hell out of you, and occasionally land on you. (i later discuss this with shannon and she says the hand waving in front of face thing is known as the 'australian salute' and that the flies in melbourne bite you...well at least i'm not alone).

even as i sit on a rock here writing at the end of the harbor, i am swatting them away, shaking my head and cursing them loudly under my breath when they come near. what the hell do they want?! i'm feeling a bit like a third world orphan baby-- maybe if i look at her the right way, madonna will adopt me, too.

i think i'd rather have some non-disease spreading mosquitoes. i can handle a few bites. and mosquitoes are more quiet and try to stay out of your line of vision, and don't generally bother to buzz in your ears to let you know they're nearby. they annoy you most in their absence. it's a different sort of relationship, i suppose.

i just googled for information on this fly stuff, here's helpful link: http://www.viacorp.com/flybook/fulltext.html

sydney, show me your weather.

okay i realize it is merely spring here in sydney, but i have to say, i was expecting something a little better than this. saturday was promising. it was a hot 36ºC and sunny. unfortunately i spent most of that day inside at a cooking class, but it was nice to walk home that evening without a jacket on. however, the next day it turns gloomy, wet, and cold which continued for three days. today wasn't as wet or cold but it was cool and overcast and not really inviting. of course the clouds cleared at dusk, of course. weather.com promises that the weather will be warmer and brighter the rest of the week, and while it's not going to be too hot (highest high is predicted at 28ºC over the next few days) it should be sufficient enough to make it out to the beach. maybe i can work on even-ing out my back. it's gotten all splotchy and peel-y-- this is what happens when you're vacationing on your own at secluded beaches where there isn't really anyone else to help you rub the sun cream in on your back. you get sunburned in some places, tanned in other places, and not really any either of those in other places. so i have an uneven back. deal with it.

so yeah, that's all. just want a little sunshine and hotness before i go back to grey skies and cold. though, if i'm lucky i might be able to catch a tiny bit of what remains of new york's very quick autumn, and transition myself to winter. and yet, who can say what that will even be like with all of the fun global warming...


(aw, crap. i just got the hiccups.)

australifornia.

i feel like i am in some californian city that doesn't actually exist. sydney is not ridiculously large, easy to walk around, has generally moderate and agreeable temperatures, has blue skies, greenery, an effective waste management and recycling program, and reasonably fashionable and outdoor fitness enthusiastic citizens. i suppose it doesn't help that i've mainly been hanging out with my friends who are not native australians, but aside from some subtle (clean city streets, positive attitudes) and a few none-too-subtle differences (abundant vegemite and driving on the left-hand side of the road), i don't really feel like i'm in a different part of the world. granted, i've not really going much beyond sydney, and therefore have not really had a definitively australian experience, but that's what i've experienced so far.

so since i haven't said much about the australian bit of my journey i'll give you a brief background: i'm mainly in sydney to visit with my good actor/director friend shannon murphy. she went to UF with me (i was actually her RA during my sophmore year) and is from a bit of all over, but in brief, her dad is australian and mom is american and shan grew up in asia mainly, and is here for at least a year in sydney giving the acting industry here a go. she lives here with her boyfriend jarred, who is from kentucky and is also an actor. they also live with ashleigh, who is from queensland and is along with shannon is a fellow fragrance consultant in the city centre. they all live in a nice flat in darling point which is actually one of the nicest neighbourhoods in sydney, but they got a steal on their current apartment and have a lovely terrace view of double bay.


i was originally planning to do a bit more travelling around, outside of sydney. i was going to go down to victoria and visit in melbourne and there is a prominent wine valley down there as well that would have been fun to explore. and then there is of course the great barrier reef. however, i didn't adequately research any of these options before leaving the states and it also didn't really sink in how far everything was from everything else. australia is pretty equivalent to the size of the U.S. if not a bit bigger, so the distances between cities are pretty great. that and i didn't financially prepare for doing a great deal of travelling on my own and since i have a free place to stay on a comfortable couch with a lovely friend, i don't see much point in this time around going out and spending a bunch of money, especially when i don't really have a long amount of time to go do travelling that would really be worth my time and australia's beauty!

one of the things that's been pretty cool is that apparently this is a big food month in sydney, which a bunch of events sponsored by the sun-herald (local paper). the most fun thing that i've been to a couple of times already is a nightly asian-themed food fair in hyde park where a bunch of local restaurants have stalls set up and are selling a few dishes each at reasonable prices and you sit on the grass or some tables and eat with your friends and the area is all lit with red lanterns! most of the other activities going on are more pricey, hoity-toity affairs at fancy restaurants.



so in the mean time, i'm just taking it easy and doing a few things at a time. which is nice, because this is my vacation after all and i can do whatever i want. so being able to not have to pack lots of things into one day takes the pressure off of me and i'm able to enjoy sydney and the surrounds at a more relaxed pace. i've beenn making a lot of nice dinners for shan, jarred, and ashleigh so that helps keep me busy and having fun. so far i've gone to see the opera house and sydney harbour of course, the contemporary art museum, a play a n.i.d.a., walked around glebe, the featherdale wildlife park, visited bondi (but not yet the beach), taken a class at the sydney seafood school at the fish market, and some general walking around hyde park and the city centre. i am taking another course at the seafood school next week (crabs!) and am going up to the blue mountains for a day or two sometime soon. shannon and i also plan to do the early morning tour of the fish market a few days before i go and visit the hunter valley wine valley north of sydney, which is meant to be really lovely.

shannon's been really busy working on an application project for a prominent directing program at n.i.d.a (national institute for dramatic arts), which was another reason she is living here at the moment. it's a really competitive program as they only select 6 people per year, and shan is concerned because there are already several factors against her, but she's working hard (and dragging me to help when she can) and i think will have a strong project. luckily her interview is before i go which means that we'll have about 5 days to hang out with her relatively stress-free and less busy, and also celebrate her birthday which is the day before i leave!

anyway, it's about time to get dinner together with the girls...i'll write more about my interesting experience at the seafood school later!

more animal photos.

check out the snapfished photos here.

overheard at the wildlife park:
kid: "why are wallabies different?"
dad: "well...because kangaroos are bigger and wallabies are small."

way to go dad. well put.

actually, he's pretty much right. but he didn't seem too confident or offer any further details.
basically a kangaroo is to a wallaby as a horse is to a pony.
a wallaby is a set of species of kangaroo that don't grow as big as regular kangaroos.
there are other species in the macropod group, such as padmelons.
see some photos.

other cool australian creatures.

i tend to like the animals that people see and say 'cool,' but then quickly leave from to go check out the crocodile in the next pen. whereas i walk on by the crocodile pen (i've seen my share of scaly large-toothed aquatic reptiles roaming free at UF; and besides, the croc is under water disinterested in coming out to please the masses).





some of my favorites from the featherdale wildlife park: kookaburas, tawny frogmouth (a kind of bird), and wombats. though, the wombats were all sleeping and hiding, i managed to get a photo of one curled up in a hollowed out treet stump.

okay and these tiny penguins? too freaking cute not to love. they're about 12" high.

koalas!

They have lots of koalas at Featherdale. Dozens. And really, when you get to see that many koalas at once, it really sinks in how freaking odd looking they are. But their fur is very soft and they are funny. They tell the best jokes.

You weren't allowed to hug one, but you could touch its butt and take a photo with one. For free.
So, Chelsea and Margie, this one's for you!

kangaroos!

I went to Featherdale Wildlife Park yesterday in a suburb of Sydney. It's pretty fun because you can really get all up in animals' faces. Here are some kangaroos to satisfy you 'roo fiends. (And yes, I did pat a kangaroo. Several of them actually, but it's hard to get a photo of oneself patting something. I did my best.) Many of the animals were sleepy.

snapfish fiji photos!

check out my fiji photos here. enjoy!

dinner at nadi bay resort - 05 oct 06

nadi, fiji

at the nadi bay resort, decided to splurge on dinner-- why not? a three-course meal and a larger beer...i'm romaincing myself in candle light, and saying goodbye to fiji in a touristy, though very adequate and plesant (hot water, very clean), hotel sprawl. mmm, and the beer is very cold, which very much ought to be expected when ordering an 'ice mug.' and besides, when will i ever have a meal that includes a large beer and 2 fish courses that only comes to $22US. TOTAL? and fresh, local, i'mnotscaredofitsmercurycontentandidontreallyeatfishanyway fish? yeah, never. love it up. that, and it's quite a nice change to eat something that isn't a potato dish entress, served atop rice with a side of potato or pasta sald and a bread roll. i mean, what's this?! protein?! fresh vegetables! no dairy?! where am i?!

not that i am bad mouthing the food at the resorts where i stayed. the food was generally very tasty and who doesn't like carbs-- especially when you can't really do anything but eat them?

for dinner i started with local spinach soup 'with spices'. very simple, basically a pureed spinach, nicely seasoned, with some water or stock. then i moved on to the 2nd and my most favorite course, the lime-marinated mackerel in a spicy coconut cream sauce. amazing. here are my notes from that: the fijian answer to ceviche-- chunks of mackerel swimming in a delicious ocean of coconut milk, lime juice, cucumbers, onion, pineapple, tomato, and cilantro. garnished with pineapple, sour orange, and cucumber. all of my favorite flavors! can i get the marinaed IV-ed into me? please?! i slurped up the sauce for awhile but the chili in it started to burn my tongue and throat and since i had another course left i made myself stop. i bit at a piece of a roll to help soothe my mouth. the last course was a lime and ginger grilled cod, which was good, simple and not overly impressive and served with mashed potatoes and some fresh steamed veggies. i ate it up, but it was no where near as tasty as my previous dish.

more notes, post meal: now that i've finished eating--still nursing my still very cold beer-- i am very full and hoping there are no late night ''bad fish'' moments. i think more than mercury woes, etc. tha the the prospect of eating bad fish, especially in restaurants, is what keeps me away. because it can be all good and tasty and not at all ''fishy'' (ha, ha) and next thing you know, you're whimpering, lying with your face to the cool tile of the bathroom floor.

editor's note: let it be known that no fish regrets were had.

returning to the mainland - 5 oct 06

i'm on the ''flyer'' back to denarau and i've realized i've forgotten to collect sand-- i was looking for some nice bits earlier, as the sand in front of sunset is very rocky, and with all of ther ain, most of the sand is quite wet and i didn't think it a good idea to carry around wet sand (not for a reason i can easily pinpoint, other than it would be heavy/heavier, but it also strikes me as ''not right'' somehow). also, the baggie i had set aside for sand holding has been discovered to have a few small holes in it-- i already have enough sand on my stuff, i really don't need more sand leaking about.

...hmm, maybe i can collect enough sand off my shoes and bags to put in a pill box for those sand collectors out there. something is better than nothing isn't it? well...i did mange to collect some shells and things*. yipee!

*which i illegally brought into australia and did not get caught.

5 october 2006

most of the resorts have planned activities daily, which you can participate in for a certain price, though all usually pretty cheap. today, in a better mood after a day hanging out inside because of yesterday's all-day rain, i signed up for a 'coconut demonstration' and a visit to the local village.

since i was the only one participating in the coconut demonstration (and the village visit at that), it was a much better time, and tailored to me! fun! coconut palms are prominent all over fiji and are their single most important food item-- it is even the featured logo on their rugby team's uniforms! so joe, a local, conducted the demo, with his younger sister and nephew giggling and watching on. he showed the traditional means for removing the outer, fibourous bit of the coconut, and then cutting the coconut shell open, etc. he showed me the semi-modern manual means of grating the coconut and i had a go for a bit, grating much of the two coconut halves. it was a nice workout, but fun!

i went to the local village next to sunset resort on waya. was shown around by suvi-- 300 people live in this village, which is apparently the smallest of the four villages on waya. essentially, they don't do much all day, money is unimportant, and they enjoy sitting around doing very little. they fish daily out on the reef for their meals (a lot of parrot fish, some barracuda, butterfly fish, and whatever else is caught) and most of their other food is grown/raised on the island. they raise chickens, goats, pigs, and cows-- though they very seldom eat meat other than fish. i sat with david (clan leader) and suvi and suvi and a set of three brothers, and an older man who did most of the conversing with me, named willie. i offered them my sevusevu (a traditional offering of kava [a slightly toxic/drug-like fijian root pounded into a powder and mixed with water and drunk from coconut shells] or money) of kava, which was mixed and presented with a small chant and i was greeted with 'bula aja!' each time someone took a drink on the first way around. i was previously under the impression that most fijans really enjoyed kava, as many of them drink it every evening, sometimes to excess, but as we went around drinking the kava, several of the men opted for smaller bowlfuls and/or made strained faces as they drank it. kava is, unfortunately, not delicious. it tastes like astringent dirty water.

while we were drinking the kava (the bowl the kava was mixed in is meant to be empty before the drinking can end), willie talked to me about the village, their culture, and asked me questions about where i'm from. several people here in fiji have asked me about september 11th, noting that they saw it on t.v. and i think, having not seen many tall buildings in person, likely, find it pretty fascinating in a way, i'm sure. willie also talked about how time is unimportant to them while in the village. in an "us" versus "them" type comparison, he noted that many of the tourists who visit the village are very concerned with time, always looking at their watches. he said it with a wise smile that i appreciated. i know what he means, and in my own way, in a city where having a certain idea of the time is pretty damn important, i don't wear a watch, and only mind the time when i've got a job or appointment (or want to see if i have time to avoid the rush hour traffic). otherwise, i shrug and try to go with the flow, feel my own beat.

when i was waiting for the little boat to come and pick me up to take me back to the resort, an old woman whose house was just near asked me in for tea, but since i knew they were already on their way to get me (so i could make the ferry back to the main land), i had to decline, but wouldn't that have been nice! however, i did get to see the haul that 'the boys' brought in from fishing out on the reef. they fish with a surface net, and they all were wearing snorkel gear (sans flippers). apparently they caught quite a lot for a church festival going on the next day. they eat a lot of parrot fish, as it is prevelant in the reef. willie said that they eat the fish guts raw, sometimes with a bit of lime juice. he invited me to have some, and though i am in a semi-"i'll try anything" mode, i just...couldn't do it. but i helped them toss fish onto the shore, as the tide was coming in very quickly and i was afraid their catch was going to wash away! it was kind of crazy to see this pile of fish that we would 'ooh and ah' at while underwater observing them, but here they were, making their last desperate gasps for air (if they weren't dead already) and about to become dinner. they gutted and cleaned them right there at the shore. by hand.

today was the first day that i really felt i was connecting with the locals-- first with the coconut demo, then with the desk manager (kitty) and then as the only one to visit the village. that and my 'local look' and similar easy-going manner makes it easy for us to relate to each other, i think.

fijian notes

i've been told repeatedly the past few days that i look fijian and tom-- a man who works a the resort-- said i would have no trouble finding a fijian man to marry me (probably talking up his own son, studying at the university in suva, no less). i have to say though, as nice as fiji is, i don't know if i could live there. let alone in an isolated fijian village.

everyone here is very friendly and eager to know more about you-- with no motives of their own. they want to know how long you're visiting, where you're from, how you're enjoying yourself and no matter how long your stay is-- they're sure it's not long enough, and encourage you to come back soon or stay forever. it's nice to see them very attuned and appreciative of the beauty of their land.

on these kinds of vacations, waking up easily at 7am and going to sleep by 9pm is simple and begins to happen naturally.

there's something funny about the light here-- even when it's completely sunny, there's no need for sunglasses really, all photos have a nice glow about them and even with cloud coverage the light is bright and pleasant-- none of that winter blues here!

03 october 06

sunset beach resort , waya island, yasawas, fiji


i supposed after you've stayed in one of the 'nicest' budget resorts in the area, everything pales in comparison. i'm sitting/laying in the dorm at the sunset beach resort-- ironically named being that it's on the south-eastern tip of an island with a rugged and hilly profile so that seeing the sunset, aside from it being cloudy, isn't totally possible. in any case, with close quarters, and bedding damp from the humidity, i've seen nicer. the beach is small, and further exploration made difficult by rocky areas on either side, that can really only be managed during low-tide (apparently) and the landscape goes immediately up behind the resort, so unless you're up for a hike, there's not far to go. by contrast, however, straight ahead is endless ocean to the south, and to the west there is a tidal sandbar that you can walk across to wayasewa during low tide, which is not more than 200 meters away. but this place will have to do until i head back to nadi on thursday-- pebbly beach and all.

tomorrow i plan to do some snorkelling, climbing, hiking, and sunbathing and that should fill up the time.

(dinner: curried potatoes, baked potato, 2 slices white bread, white rice, curried pumpkin, papadum, pasta, small piece pineapple, small piece watermelon)

footnotes

regarding 'resorts'...basically all of the accommodations available on the yasawas, if not most of fiji, are called resorts. this does not mean what it means to us in the U.S. - as in fancy, sprawling, massage-giving areas. it's basically just a place to stay. there are a handful of fancy resorts that are $600F to $2000F a night (the kind of places you hear Nicole Kidman, etc. staying at), but the majority of the other resorts provide a range of affordable accommodations for backpackers (hostel-dorm type rooms), couples (double bed bures, or, thatched huts), and families. island resorts do not have pools (why would you if you have the best pieces of beach and ocean literally at your doorstep? the places range in quality but are generally pretty simple with shared bathrooms and showers and limited running water, and definitely not hot water. anyway, i just wanted to let you know about that.

also, the exchange rate in Fiji is about $.60US to $1F. not too shabby. their currency is relatively colorful and they do not have 1 cent coins. way to go.

in case you were curious

the food here is good, but not for the carb-o-phobic. some fish is occasionally caught for meals, but otherwise, it's mostly staple starchy items, many grown on the island, others brought in from the mainland. it was not a surprise, for example, to see rice, pasta, and potatoes all on one dish, with very little protein (peas, anyone?). breakfast was tea and coffee, pastries, and some canned and/or fresh fruit.

things grown out on the islands include: papaya (paw-paw), taro root, cassava, mangoes, bananas, breadfruit, pineapple. and coconut. lots of coconut.

02 october 06

nacula, yasawa islands, fiji



today is the first day that really does this beach, and fiji, any justice. it is hot, sunny, and there are more shades of blue in my field of vision than i could easily imagine. the water is clear and the bits i like the best are a sort of glassy turquoise color.

today, i hiked an hour up the hills behind the resort, went for a snorkel and a swim, and just laid out on the beach. from the top of the hills you can see all around the island and far out to see the other islands in the yasawa chain.

01 october 06

nacula, yasawa islands, fiji

went hiking this morning as it was still overcast and i was eager to get a view from the top of those lush hills. a part of me is disappointed that they aren't ireland-green, but they are lovely and there are dense green woods tucked in the eaves and near the water. i cam upon robinhood at a low peak-- he'd climbed up before with kerrie and alan. as i climbed on, he came with me, and i hiked along a ridge looking over some bays near the other resorts on the south side of the island.

the sun finally came out to play after lunch, and i went to the spot of beach nearby that i picked out of my run this morning-- it's close by and not frequently walked by as the villages are on the other end of the resort.

already i feel like i've been here for ages and yet no time at all. maybe a mix of my time travelling and just the difference in how time passes and are catching up. i keep forgetting, or realizing, that i have weeks more to go, lots more to see and do, before heading home.

characters i've met along the way

30 sept 06: anoushka and emma, brits who share the dorm with me; kerrie and alan, an aussie and a brit couple who live in melbourne.

30 sept 06: regal, who before i learned his name, i nicknamed robinhood the spoilt, one of the resort dogs who has a heart for adventure. he came along with me on a walk around the beaches, waiting for me if i stopped to look or take photos, and he tried to catch cabs along the way. he did finally catch a small crab and attempt to chew some of the meet through the crabshell.

01 oct 06: just met a friendly kid named maki. it's often difficult to tell the difference between prepubescent boys and girls as their hair all kept short and it is the norm for both sexes (child and grown) to wear sulus (sarong bottoms). however, i was maki is a girl as she was wearing a skirt-type bottom and the other two with her were wearing shorts. it's nice though, to visit someplace where, though the people are pretty poor, the kids aren't begging the relatively rich tourists for money-- as the community is very strong here-- at least that seems to be the case in the islands-- and they are self-sufficient. and as their land is fertile, they are able to grow their own food, fish, and share their wealth.

30 september 06

nadi to nacula island via yasawa flyer

it was overcast and sporadically drizzly in nadi when i landed, but i was optimistic about ti being a morning thing, and looked forward to it clearing up on the way to nacula. well...it didn't clear up and while the temperature is nice outside (about 22˚c) with a cool breeze, and was still nice enough to go on a walk and explore some of the coastline. i didn't go too far, and may stay close to the resort the remainder of the day-- i've had enough of being pelted with water for now.

the english woman i spoke with when i arrived here at oarsman's bay lodge in nacula, said it's been overcast for the past 2 or 3 days-- i do hope it clears up! what a bummer to be in fiji and not enjoy the sun! i'll make the most of it either way though, if this wetness keeps up, i have a feeling me and all of my stuff will be damp and sandy until sydney.

the people that work here are very friendly and will ask you where you come from, how long you are staying, etc and will just stand there, quietly, like they are expecting something. and then as they begin to learn your interests, they begin suggesting activities as if they are personally inviting you. but you believe that just long enough to realized that you get charged for these activities-- ha! sort of like the quick, casual 'would you like a little massage while you dry' from the lady who was giving me a manicure a few weeks back at siss. between their casual questions and noticeable accents, they seem innocent and generous and you want them to be your friend.

dinner was a "bbq night" buffet, of cream and cabbage soup, potato salad, peas, coleslaw, stewed pumpkin, baked potatoes, tuna, sausage, and steak. dessert was lovely: warm banana stuffed w/fresh greated coconut meat in lightly sweetened coconut milk. yum.

journal notes - 28 sept. 06 11pm PST

after awhile, every airport looks the same. the people, the food, the announcements-- they are just a repeating cycle of haggard faces, $5 bottles of water, and overloud, staticky announcements. the time changes, but it's always the same, and you're never quite sure what day it is, if you should be tire or awake and what the weather is like where you used to be. you're stuck in a box with strangers.

...sure, some may merely be connecting in Fiji, but as for ther est, it's an interesting mix of overweight, white, middle-aged tourist types on a golf trip, young honeymooning couples who haven't travelled much, a few die-hard surfers, and a scant few of them young tourists, my age-- but i didn't quite feel a connection with any of them. am i being snobby? a little, perhaps, but i can't help it. is it wrong not to want to be surrounded by over-loud, over-weight, over-paid, over-spending Americans who feel the world is theirs to posses? would they appreciate the nature, the people, the beauty in a respectful, organic way? who could not enjoy themselves without three-course meals and golf every morning? i don't think it's wrong, i just don't, i am happy to spend time alone if it means i will not have to be annoyed. so, okay, maybe i am a snob. won't apologize.

RECAP: Greater Los Angeles Area 26-28 Sept. 06

I had originally hoped to get an entry in from LA before I headed overseas, but alas, my time there was brief and I had only written dregs of a blog, so I'll have to give you a shortened account of my stay and focus on the highlights, mostly in order:

On subway to JFK airport: After a few weeks of trying to decide my mp3 player scenario (my iPod is crap and no worth taking, and my smaller/older iRiver is just fine but only holds about 55 songs), I go to put the player on while sitting bored on the train, only to find that somehow, all of a sudden, the thing doesn't work at all-- though I had used it just that week without problems! I convinced myself it was the battery, but after awhile of troubleshooting, I saw that must not be it. I threw it out in L.A.

Burbank Airport: While waiting for my lovely brother (Everson!) to pick me up, apparently I saw some 4-year-old professional tennis phenom who was in town to play some on some televised event. I overheard some guy talking about him to a couple next to me, saying, "that kid is gonna be famous!"

H+M on Colorado Avenue, Pasadena: First H+M to open in the L.A. area, and apparently the hype was so huge that hundreds of people waited hours to get in. Fortunately, we did not have to wait at all and my brother wanted to go in to check it out. Unfortunately, much to our dismay, there was no men's section and we quickly turned and went next door to...

The Apple Store on Colorado Avenue, Pasadena: where I encouraged Ev to buy a new iPod with his gift certificate and give me his old iPod Photo. He agreed under the condition that I get him a nice case for his new purchase. Deal.

Bar Celona, Colorado Avenue, Pasadena: Kate (my freshman year roommate) picked me up from my brother's campus in Azusa and headed to Pasadena in search of grub. We decided on a cute tapas restaurant/bar and indulged in marinated olives, crab+potato cakes (pretty much the only form of crab I like), tortilla española, and sauteed mushrooms. Enjoyed some tasty sangria and shared a dessert of chocolate and banana empanada w/ice cream. Yum. It was fun to see Kate again-- we'd talked much on the phone over the years, but we were pretty sure we hadn't seen each other since the end of college. Good times all around!

Azusa Pacific University: That's where my brother goes to school and is an R.A., following in his gold big sister's footsteps. That is also where I stayed the night for two nights, and spent the majority of my time while in California-- but I didn't mind, I've been to L.A. before and it's not really my cup of tea, and it was good to just kick back and visit my brother and have him show me around his campus, meet people, and watch episodes of "The Office" with him and his roommates. Some other Azusa highlights: the Jolly Trolly (free candy and donut holes if you get up early!), the Dancing Bridge (I'm pretty sure Ev made up the rule that you have to dance as you walk across it), Donut Man (not a specifically Azusa institution, but a delicious, small, local donut shop down the road open 24-hours that everyone hits up). Not to mention the school is nestled in a valley beneath some brown, but otherwise lovely mountains.


B.J.'s: This is a Azusa student restaurant favorite dishing up Chicago-style deep-dish pizza, went went there with some friends of my brother's. Here are my notes from that: "Taking in mind the deperate lack of vegetarian options, I briefly considered the halibut fish tacos w/all sorts of obscene sounding creamy dairy toppings (chipotle mayo, santa fe dressing, avocado cream sauce). After second thought, I reconsidered and opted for the more 'sensible' pasta dish option. But the main reason Ev brought me to this place was for the 'Pizookie.' On its own, a dream come true, perhaps: a warm, slightly underbaked, gooey, chocolate chip cookie, baked in a mini 6" 'deep dish' pan, topped with quickly melting vanilla bean ice cream. The cookie was tasty and delightful, though way too sweet for my taste-- the ice cream was actually less sweet than the cookie which was a bit of a shock. And though my stomach was already inflating from my angel hair pasta dish w/tomatoes, pinenuts, basil, and feta, I had a few more bites of the pizookie, not too bad.

Longboarding: Quite a popular way to get around campus, and I never manged to have a patient teacher while at UF. So, my brother taught me to longboard a bit on some cross-campus journeys. I was doing pretty well at first, until on the way back I, feeling a bit more confident, sped up and proceeded to fall...several times. My hip still hurts. Suffice it to say, I still need a bit more practise.




That about sums up my time in California-- much love to my brother, and his friends, who made my stay fun, affordable, and most of all...possible!

i'm alive!

hello friends of the internet...
you will be pleased to hear that i am alive and well and am currently in nadi, fiji on my last night before i rise and shine to head into sydney in the morning. luckily i have had no jet lag issues, and everything is going quite well.

however, i only have 3 minutes left of internet on this computer, and i would really like to go take a shower and then go have some dinner, so i'm going to keep this brief for now.

yes, fiji is beautiful. too bad the weather was kind of off and on and the past couple of days were really too wet and cloudy to do much beaching, but luckily there were other things to keep me busy and the locals are a hoot.

will write more later my dears!

email me/drop a comment/beat.
xo