Today is our last day in civilization.

After sipping on my last decent coffee at a local cafe, I walked through Nadi town looking in all the shops for all the last minute “things” I can buy before leaving for Rotuma tomorrow. All the “things” I know I can do without, but wanted anyway, just because I can right now, and wont be able to get from tomorrow and for the next 8 months or so.

The "Lady Sandy" boat that took Carl to Rotuma

After Carl sailed away on the floating vessel last Friday, my prayers worked and he arrived in Rotuma on Sunday morning.

We got to go inside the boat to check out the luxury bunks dungeon where he would be sleeping...

And thats my husband there, sailing away...

The kids and I stayed in Suva, and a day after Carl left I decided to get the hell out of there, or I was going to risk loosing my noodles. Almost a whole month of doing nothing but shopping and sitting around at home. SO BORING!!!!!

So I decided to pack our bags and boys, and head down to the Coral coast for a bit of real Fiji living, and we went to stay at a little resort style backpackers type thing. It was the best decision I made all month! A little bur’e all to ourselves (as opposed to sharing a house with 13 other people) no TV, a lovely outdoor on-suite bathroom, beautiful beach, poolside, and having my boys to myself.... we had a great time, I really missed being with them on my own...

So a few days of lazing around, I realized how different the whole backpacker/travel experience thing is to how it was back in the 90’s when I was backpacking around the world. Back then, people would hang out together, sit around, make conversation, communicate with eachother. These days, there is Wifi at these places, and everyone hangs out with their laptops, communicating with cyberspace and going everywhere else on their laptops rather than BEING right where they are... weird. Then again, it was the first time in a whole month that I had wireless and was able to skype my family, so I guess I was one of those people too...

We went on a big jungle walk through slippery muddy bush to a beautiful waterfall (totally not for kids Noah and Saulei’s age, so Saulei rode on the shoulders of the guide for the entire 4 hour hike, and Noah was a trooper!!).

I also splashed out and got a “Fijian traditional massage”, which was more like being unwantedly present in a mundane conversation of the 2 massage ladies, when occasionally they would bother to rub my back, or both massage me at the same time, which felt a bit like going through a car wash machine, than anything else. Within the conversation, I understood them talking about 3.5 kgs of flour and sugar, chatting about the fact that I was going to live in Rotuma (what is a good white girl going to do in Rotuma? I wish I had the answer, by the way...), and from their tone of voice there was allot of gossip involved...

This is FIJI...

We headed back to Nadi last night, and we are leaving early tomorrow morning, stocked with lots of butter and eggs, Carl is looking forward to our arrival (or is it really them looking forward to my cooking?!?!?!...)

As far as I know, the internet isn’t working on the island, so this might very well be may last post for a while or ever!!!!! So please pray for the Gods of internet to resurface in Rotuma (or at least the local telecommunication technicians to arrive there to fix it). Am hoping I can get internet on my iphone, but if not- my phone is the only way to reach me.

Wish me luck, look after yourself, and we’ll see you on the other side... wherever that is!

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