photos from fiji by christopher robbins

I played loads of guitar on Nananu-i-ra, and genuinely chilled, but the cockroaches were gross. And it sucked when I dumped ketchup (why do they have to call it Tomata Sauce?!?!?!) into what was simmering into a wonderful eggplant and onion pasta sauce. I threw a willie nelson tape out of my car and into a river whilst driving over a bridge on the way down the king's road, and I really like him.

Back in Taveuni, I let Fabrice fall to what looked like his demise on a river. He looked really white when he hit the bottom. I felt bad, but honestly, I thought he wanted to go headfirst. Oops and sorry. It rained alot in Taveuni, but we had fun. The last day snorkleing it was getting towards dusk and I had just caught three waves back to shore when I look back to see fabrice waving his arms at me, "Shark!"

So I rushed back to see, got there out of breath to see a small black-tip reef shark circling us. Then a wave crashed me into Fabrice and we both tumbled and my mask got knocked off and even though the shark is a docile one and half my size I remember thinking that the only time blacktips bite humans is when they get confused, usually in the foamy stuff when they can't see.

I was having difficulties catching my breath when we surfaced.

But it was cool. I like sharks. They're cool.

I remember the cake at the airport in Taveuni was really good. Karyn's garden was fun to cook our own food at, but perhpas not out-there enough. When Fabrice and I (and Patricia part way) hiked up Des Vouex peak, it was pouring rain and steep and muddy and genuinely COLD. Patricia sat in the mud by the side of the road half way up, and was - to our absolute amazement - still there when we got back 2 hours later. Some Fijian boys joined up. We saw that famous flower of Taveuni, and mucnhed processed cheese on crackers with the boys in the fiji telecom building to hide from the wind and rain. It was so cloudy we saw nothing but grey. Couldn't even tell we were high up. That happened to me on Mt. Victoria too. So I have climbed the two highest peaks of fiji and seen nothing both times.

Do I sound like I am complaining? I'm not.

So, next month is next year. Quelle excitement awaits.