Fiji, part 1

I've been in New Zealand since Thursday night. After settling in at Christchurch, we seemed to have quite a few engagements and errands. I now have my own used bike to ride into town with (it takes about 20 or 30 minutes to bike downtown). But, for the moment, I'll tell you about Fiji.

I arrived on Sunday morning, a week ago today, at nearly 6 a.m., which is nearly 11 a.m. Saturday, Pacific time. I then, a bit sleep-deprived, followed the tide of tourists to the Yasawas, which was only a three-hour ferry ride away. I got off the ferry at a not-so-touristy resort on Waya Island, and the word resort is used loosely, because the accommodations were spare. I shared a dormitory with four to eight other travelers, the amount dependent on the day. On Waya, computers don't exist, although the management could radio out, and everything must be paid for in cash.

Each day I swam in the warm water, ate papayas, and shared stories with travelers, most of them from England, but some also from Scandinavia.

Some photos and captions:
Here the ferry is rounding one of the islands -- an interesting rockface.


Every morning in Fiji, I woke up before the sun rose. This shot features a view of the island and water from the hammock-sleeper's perspective.


When the sun rose on Monday morning, the clouds had rolled in.