June 22, 2007

Bula Brooklyn and Loyal Readers! I have just returned from the lovely South Pacific nation of Fiji and, after a long absence, to Rockstar Diary. In fact this is the first time in months that I've had pictures (since I was incapacitated and lost my camera on my birthday) and somewhat interesting tales with which to regale you all.

Before we get to the goods, I feel it's necessary to break the bad news first. "Don't Be Upsetiquette" is over - dead - buried - and forgotten. If you need a moment to collect yourself, that's fine. The format had become stale and a little too narrow for my tastes. The journey to Fiji changed good ol' Tim in strange but positive ways that are still manifesting themselves, and it would be unfair to you and me if I were to resume my somewhat snarky tone of past entries.

After a terrible flight to LAX on Continental that began with a 4 hour visit to the tarmac at Newark, I missed my connecting flight to Nadi and had to wait 24 hours until the next flight departed. I will never fly Continental again, especially since I read that passengers on a transatlantic flight were subjected to a river of human waste for over 7 hours. You call this "Working Hard, Flying Right?" How Orwellian. I think they took a page from the Fox News "Fair and Balanced" playbook. Boycott Continental. Forever.

Fortunately My sister was around to collect me and after a day of margaritas I was back on track. 12 hours later I arrived in Fiji and was met at the airport by the ever lovely and classy Jill and her hungry hungry traveling companion Wendy (seriously, that girl can eat).

We hopped on a boat almost immediately and began our adventures in the Yasawa Islands. After such a trying journey, it was nice to be greeted at our first stop, Naviti Island by an accoutrement with which I am intimately familiar:

As you can plainly see, this was the beginning of a great vacation.

It only got better once we visited a local village and school. Below, the men-folk greet us with kava (yaqona), the local drink of choice made from the root of a type of pepper tree Piper methysticum. Yaqona is non-alcoholic, but numbs your tongue and relaxes you mentally and physically. There's something to this, as everyone from the Yasawas I met was completely chilled out and friendly. Jill claims it also made me speak with a Fijian accent.

The trip to the school was interesting to me as a toy developer and former anthro student. Christian missionaries made some big headway in Fiji during its time as a British territory, but there wasn't the judgmental, condescending thing you get here in the states with religious types.

I've never considered myself much of a father figure, but this kindergartner did, and climbed all over me for like half an hour. In fact I think he thought I was taking him home with me. All you ladies with ticking biological clocks eat your hearts out!

Next week I'll be back with more text and images revealing the beauty, classiness and majesty of Fiji, Jill and of course, yours truly.

Au sa liu mada!

June 22, 2007 06:15 PM

Comments

Posted by: jocelyn at June 22, 2007 09:19 PM

Posted by: Jenifer at June 23, 2007 12:04 AM

Posted by: Shannen at June 23, 2007 12:28 PM