Goodbye Geelong, Hello Fiji

from w
Wow, the weather is different here. We left Geelong which was about 2 degrees at night, and 12 in the daytime. Here it is 22 at night, 28 in the day and the humidity is 80 per cent. Anyway, it's lovely to see our family - the grandkids are looking after me very well.

The Air Pacific Spirit of Taveuni took just over four hours so it was a good trip. The supper was a bit strange though - a bun with some kind of curried chicken or fish, don't know which, dry biscuits and cheese, and a chocolate bar. Peceli asked for more! Economy class was crowded though and I got elbowed numerous times.

We reached Nadi airport by 6.15 am. and a newly married couple met us (supposedly for breakfast together) but the bus was ready so we clambered onto the Sunbeam bus for the 4 to 5 hour trip to Suva. We were really stacked in, four to a seat for three, with bottoms hanging over the aisle. They just kept selling more bus tickets and shoving people onto the bus. It's school holidays, Hibiscus Festival, Methodist conference, bazaar, choir festival and rugby tournaments! At Sigatoka, not quite halfway, we stopped for 10 minutes. While I bought bananas in the market Peceli bought mugs of tea and two roti and curry parcels for our breakfast. I had a water bottle thank goodness.

We reached Pacific Harbour to our daughter-in-law's lovely village by midday and it was a relief after the bus trip of grinding up a dozen mountains. A swimming pool was a welcome sight.

More stories to come later.

Air Pacific was very kind to Peceli

from w
We went to Tullamarine airport last night to pick up Peceli after his nearly four weeks in Fiji. First though we watched the tennis finals on TV for two sets, listened to the next set on the radio as we drove up to Melbourne and then I watched the last disappointing moments on the TV at the Arrivals (a huddle of watchers with me, neglecting to look out for our loved ones as we barracked for Tsonga, but also he did not win.) Peceli arrived all smiles as he had travelled very well with Air Pacific on the Island of Taveuni plane. Before leaving someone had called out his name, and upgraded him to Business Class! Who? He doesn't know who or why. It's not as if he is a millionaire or something. It was funny because one Geelong millionaire and his family were seated in sheep-class down the back of economy, a guy who owns an island resort near Nadi!

Anyway today is supposed to be a rest day, but Peceli had to make an urgent pastoral call to a patient in the hospital. And now the phone has been playing 'I wish you a merry christmas' all day, people visiting us, and more will be arriving soon for kava, and there's an invitation for tonight somewhere! Anyway Peceli can write his own comments - when he has time!