Fun In Fiji

I made my way on to Fiji… if your reading this and wondering why it’s all me, me, me it’s because Louise has been in England with her family as her Mum has just had a triple heart bypass. The trip was already booked when Louise decided that she wanted to stay and ensure that she was well. So Louise is joining me this week in Fiji… (hopefully) hoora! So basically I was in Hawaii for 3 weeks and Fiji for a week on my own! With only surfing, diving and sunshine to occupy my time! Tough times I know…but I’ve pulled through and have proven to a lot of people (including myself) that I have what it takes to cope… on tropical islands… with good friends to help me out…. And let me sleep at their places…. And feed me… ok I’m not SAS yet!

Anyway, the flight to Fiji from Hawaii was about 6 and a half hours (I was going to say 6.5 hours but to me that never seems right because I’ve always though 0.5 to be a derivative of decimilisation therefore I would equate it to 10, which would mean 6.5 hours would be 6 hours and 50 minutes… but by the .5 I mean 30 minutes) so… the flight was six and a half hours long and was fairly standard, I was sat next to a big Tongan man who kind of looked like Gary Glitter in his hey day, I didn’t mention this to the Tongan as it would of just caused a lot of confusion having to explain Gary Glitter in pigeon English.
Once at Nadi (pronounced Naandi) I was picked up in a minibus and driven to the resort. As Louise was not with me a found a fairly cheap place where they surf and dive, so this bit of the trip is more holiday than traveling. The minibus seemed to have the BIGGEST geartsick in the world, and this journey took 2 hours!!

The terrain was initially a strange mix of England and India with rolling hills and lush grass, which to me seemed luminous green, it was fluorescent! It all felt like home on a BOILING hot day. They drive on the same side of the road as us too, which after 3 weeks in Hawaii felt somewhat strange again.
As the journey progressed the landscape changed into rainforest/jungle and it just felt like I was in King Kong country. Huge thick forests as far as I could see with mountains in the background rising up, green and packed densely with deep green trees and plants

Robinson Stu'soe

I was lucky enough to stumble onto a campsite whilst on Hawaii where they had little huts to stay i on the beach. The place is called Malaekahana and is famous for it's tranquility and Moonlight nights. I splashed out the $40 to stay there and it was really nice to have a little fire by my hut and watch the ocean that I had surfed earlier that day.

It's a fantastic place and so beautiful. I was really tired by about 7:30 though and decided to go and lay in the little hut. It was basically just a waist high carpeted platform to sleep on and felt just a floor really... Not the pocket sprung luxury I'm accustomed to in my 'princess and the pea' world at home. To be honest If I'd had a pea I would of used it as a pillow! However.... every cloud and all that.... due to my crap nights sleep (at one point I woke up and my little wicker door was wide open and I swear I saw a man with a big machette and a boiling cauldron with veggies in it... but no meat....yet!!) anyway..... due to a somewhat long stretch of insomnia I awoke before the sunrise and walked the length of the beach picking up shells and stuff. There are also white crabs called ghost crabs (not like the ones people get after they go to Ibiza for their holidays...these are a bit bigger). The crabs run around doing their stuff...not sure what? And when you approach they either run back to their holes in the sand or quickly burrow themsleves into the sand in what seems like a perfect hole. really fun to watch... but I guess you need to see it 'cos reading back on what I just wrote it doesn't sound that brill!

But I did get a nice shot of the sunrise... e' voila.

THese things once again make me realise how much goes on around us in nature and we take it all for granted. All this stuff is going on at home too, we have a sunrise (arguable I suppose) each day and there are little ceatures everywhere to watch but we never have or TAKE the time. So I'm really grateful for all of these little things and for the opportunity to take the time without an agenda or anything that really needs doing and the general business of life.

Aloha from Hawaii (be fair no-one else says it so you know where I am!)

I can't believe how quickly time is passing!! I've already been here a week and I haven't had a chance to give you any updates.

Firstly everything you imagine Hawaii to be it is... and more! The sheer beauty of the sky, ocean, mountains, flora, animals and people is, at first, too much to take in. and now I've found myself begining to acclimatise to it all, which to me is a sign of slightly taking it for granted.

In a week I have managed to surf twice and both times on a reef break (reef underneath, not sand) This is what gives Hawaii the world class waves, it's a bit scary at first as the waves are lt more powerfull and bigger than ours so a fall could result in a bit of slight abrassion to the skin when in contact with said reef! In other words... don't come off co's it can bloomin hurt!

I have 2 sets of friends out here, an Aussie (Nik) friend and his wife Liane) who are students whom I have been staying with and surfing and sightseeing and laughing etc. And I also have some friends of a friend who I have as of yet never met. These guys have basically said I can stay at their home during the weeks as they are on their boat most of the time. Their house is on the north shore of Hawaii which is the surfing mecca! I have been so blessed to be able to stay in such an amazing place and am grateful to everyone. The day I got to the North Shore was the day the pro surfers came into town for the first leg of the Triple Crown and it has been AMAZING to see these guys in action... Unfortunatly I will NEVER be that good! No matter how much I focus my mind

San Francisco..... without the flower!

First stop was San Fransisco and really only there for about one and a half days. It's a city with a victorian feel to it and initially it felt a lot like London. It seems to have very distinct districts and areas from financial, tourist and gay to run down ghetto crack whore and urine smelling tramps who are really polite!

Done the tourist thing and jumped on a Tram that took me too the harbour area where the veiws of hils, Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge are all on view. The weather was fantastic and really warm.

Caught a few buses around but mostly walked everywhere

The Hotel was ok and seemed to be an an area where a lot of stressed out business types must work as there where a lot of massage parlours in the vicinty! I was on holiday and therefore not stressed and didn't feel the need to go and get one.... so don't worry Mum!

As I walked round the harbour I saw a guy building a small wooden boat and thought I'd go take a look at what he was up to. Turns out it was a profitless youth project run by two guys called Seth and Ed for kids who have 'fallen through the cracks' and forms part of their school curriculum (not Seth and Eds curriculum, the kids....just to clarify!). I was introduced to the group and they told them that I was from England and had a lot of experience in boat building and was a bit of an expert. I then then hurridly took some pictures, made my excuses and ran like the wind before I was rumbled as a simple carpenter with no real expertise in any field in any area of my life!

Towards the end of the afternoon around 4:30 I though it would be cool to go find the beach on the northern part of the city ( I think its a bit of a peninsular.... probaly wrong tho'). the sunsets are meant to be amazing there and theres a massive park to stroll through.... as if I hadn't done enough walking! The bus went on forever and from what started out as lovely hot, clear weather turned into a thick cold mist with hardly any visibility, then... maybe because of the location of San Fran, the sun, rather than making a gentle, graceful exit from the sky like we get at home seemed to just bugger off and fall out of the sky as quickly as possible, faster than a Sunseeker employee on a friday at 4:15!

So instead of a majestic display of natural wonder an celestial awe to bring my visit to San Fransisco to an end I have had to settle for seeing a drunken stoned cross dressed freak singing and dancing in the tube at 7:00 in the morning And as I blearily looked at him and smiled (then immediatley regretting it 'cos I didnt want to give the wrong impression!) he...er she...?? pulled out an earphone and in the gayest American tones shouted " YAY.... Judas Priest!"

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!

Stu & Lou on Tour 2008!!

Well Finally we've got round to going!

It has been a long time dreaming and just as long planning and finally 10 years of married life is sitting in a warehouse in Southampton and all of our daily needs are in a rucksack.

Thanks to everyone who has helped us get this far and we hope that this little blog gives a small taste of the experience we have, the sites we see and the people we meet.

We are thinking of you all and hope that you are all well and happy and no matter where you are feek fulfilled in life and loving those around you.