Christian Perez's Travel Journal

Bula from Fiji -- Part One, Tue Apr 4, 2006

I'm now at a hostel in Nadi, racing against the clock to type my entry. I've spent 4 great days in Fiji, but didn't have any access to the internet, so this entry is really about my travels getting here. More tomorrow after I develop my film digitally in NZ.

My journey actually starts in California. I stayed in Santa Barbara for 4 nights while it rained. Of course, I get the shaft and stay in SoCal the one week it decides to rain. UCSB was pretty great and I would have gone there if their stipend was more than 22k a year (that's right--a year), and I didn't have to worry about housing. Since I'm in NZ over the summer, I can't go apartment hunting like they expect.

So, Stanford, here I come!! They guarantee housing on-campus and give me a 1 year fellowship, plus a good stipend. I hate to turn down Berkeley, but I guess it wasn't meant to be.

The flight to Fiji required 3 full-length movies and random TV shows to entertain us. I sat next to Luke, a hick welder from way north California (basically in Oregon) who makes stieel wine drums and smokes lots of herb (he lives in a premier herb growing region.) He also thought a plasma cutter was some kind of laser.

We got along immediately.

Interesting: he lived in Japan for a year and a half while evading several warrants back in the States (as we are known to everyone else) and was visiting his millionare brother who just sold his 15 year old dot com/domain name/hosting company based in Tokyo. Needless to say, his company definately alleviated the boredom of the flight.

After almost losing my wallet, staying sweltering hours in a Nadi hostel, 2 hours eating breakfast with these Crazy Surf Hippies from Hawai'i/LA, and over 1.5 hours of bus and water taxi, I arrived at Robinson Crusoe Island. All the guests were just laying around, and I was worreied I would be bored for 3 days with these lame British types (everyone you meet at these places is from the UK.)

My fears were unfounded, however; I immediately went handline fishing, met some travellers and one gorgeous British student, relaxed until the well-known kava welcoming ceremony, ate dinner, and watched the fire dancing show. RCI is like a backpackers budget all-inclusive: for 302 FJD I got 3 nights, all meals, my own room, snorkelling, kayaking, Fijian dance, and a free shirt!

More to come...