Last ride

I'm at Nelson lakes now, sneaking time to one last bike ride before I'm going home. It's cold, and dark early, and a lot of camp sites are winterclosed. It's nearing to cold for tent in many places anyway, and definetely up here in the mountains. Luckily there's still backpackers and friendly Kiwis. It's pretty rough biking with a load after so long time lounging in ships and on beaches, but very rewarding.The scenery is fantastic. I have to come back.

Practicalities

New Zealand is nicer in the sun. Actually so nice I'm trying to sneak in a last little tour before I have to fly back. Tomorrow the mission is to get my tickets finalized and bike to St Arnaud. I'll continue to Greytown and take the train across to Christchurch, then fly home. Hopefully it works.

NZ

In Christchurch. There's nowhere to sleep but airport. It's fucking cold and expensive and stuff doesn't work. I'd forgotten the downsides of NZ. Got a busticket to Nelson tomorrow, will then go to someplace called papamoa in the North Island to pick up more luggage and then fly out from Auckland ASAP. I'm so over travelling right now.

Moce Fiji!

I was absolutely certainmy flight was on the 24th af July, so me and Lou travelled like madmen from Savusavu to Nadi via Suva to have a chance to see Alex before leaving. It's closing in on 18 hours travel over two days, one of the days starting at five in the morning.

And when I'd well arrived in the airport, changed into the travel clothes and left behind the last sunbleched washed out dress in a bin, I wondered why the only flights to new Zealand went to Auckland. It wouldn't be strange if something had gone amiss. Turned out to be me. The flight is leaving at 20.25 on July 25th. In other words; I'd come one day early. Idiot me decided to go out with a bang and got a room at Raffles right across the airport. The basic model, but still, it was absolutely amazing to have an air-con room, a proper bathroom, hot water immediately, toiletpaper and a room to myself. And now I'm wasting the day in the patio with a view to bouganvilleas, pools and gardeners fussing around. It's overcast, but that's ok. It's nice here. I'm just about to go home soon. For the moment it doesn't even bother me that I've missed most of NZ South Island. I'd honestly rather just visit my father in Norway.

Savusavu & Labasa

We've gone on a roadtrip to Labasa. It's only 85 km, but almost three hours by bus over the misty hills of Vanua Levu. Labasa is very much Indofijian, in fact I'm shopping a sari here. I'm not quite sure where or when to wear a sari back home in Denmark, but it's very pretty.
Other than that we've visited the local temple and faffed about in town (there's no beach) and had a beer and sorted photos. There's not so much to do here really, and we're both starting to feel that we've seen what there is to see in Fiji,at least for the time being with our monetary resources.

Don't get me wrong, it is really really nice here, but after a while you realize that the guidebooks are using up every possible ressource to come up with things to do. And much of those things are rather much the same in most islands and places. Closing in on three months of hanging out by the beach or being in rather smallish towns that close down at 7.30 sharp, whereafter you have to entertain yourself is enough for me. I miss my bike and more space and changing weather and, well, ordinary stuff like my kitchen and having things to do in the day and less ordinary stuff like my friends and family and husband.

Tomorrow we're going out to a hindu temple with a growing rock that's shaped like a cobra where they do tricks with milk and popcorn we've been told. And then I guess I'm picking up my sari and we return to Savusavu to have dinner at Joseph's and listen to live music and sunday we go sailing an monday we're heading back to Viti Levu. And all that is not so bad.

The things they don't tell you about sailing

I'm back on the ship, postponed my flight till 25th of July to do the Island cruising and environment project as well. It seemed like a better idea than biking NZ South Island during winter.
I should have met the ship at Moon Reef north of Ovalau a week ago. We're still in Suva. We might leave on Monday. Everything is not organized. We're supposed to both pay for sailing, and work aboard and now do project work as well as I've gotten to write about the project. That's three jobs.
The chef's considered leaving, I've considered leaving, I miss my husband and frustrations abound. We hope sailing will cler the atmosphere. Otherwise I'll go play backpacker.

There's a fun story at the end

I was originally planning to write some posts ahead and have them appearing here. It didn't really happen; we've been to busy getting everything ready before sailing. Hence this space will be empty for the next month or so - there is no net on the ocean. I promise to return on Fiji and write fascinating tales of the sea and the islands. Deal?

Oh, the funny story: our kitchen sink outlet got plugged the other day. It turned out to be a dead fish, which had swam in there to gobble on our flushed out leftovers. I pulled it out of the outlet by the tail, sitting on our land raft.

Waiting for Godot (or bike panniers)

In any case it's a bit dull. I'm starting to feel that Havelock has been seen, but I do need to wait out the disappereance of my cold - at least it seems a bad idea to me to go out biking and tenting with a runny nose, stuffy head and really low levels of energy.
I'm waiting for a new set of bike panniers, the pair i bought on trademe are falling apart - never trust internet slaes unless it's an actual shop where you can send shit back if it's too bad quality. Also, the dear one back home has sent a letter and some Dansih licqourice that should arrive any moment now.
But I really don't have very much interesting stuff to tell about and every time I try to upload pictures everything breaks down. It took me five hours to do the illustrated deer hunting post.
There's really not a lot of pics on it. It's a pain in the bum.

Nah, got to sleep of the cold, go to new exciting adventures and get out there. Something's got to happen.