I posted some pictures and video on my Facebook page since I can't post from here. Tonight was mighty fun.
First, dinner was at the Hard Rock Cafe. We got to have dinner in the Michael Jackson room. He is from Indiana, so all the items were his. There were lyrics hand written, the coat from his Beat It Video. A year ago, Michael Jackson died, and we found out on our NASC trip. So, it was the anniversary. We had a moment of silence:)
After dinner, we went to a baseball game. At Victory Field, we saw the Indianapolis Indians play the Toledo Mud Hens. Their name was the American Coots, but it made them sound like old people, so they changed it to the Mud Hens. I am not sure that is much better. The Indians were down until the 7th inning when they hit a grand slam. In the top of the 9th, the Mud Hens scored 2 to be within one run. The next hitter came up and whacked it...it was almost the winning run, but the outfielder made a miracle catch for the victory.
After the game, the field crew laid out plastic tarps on the field. They rolled out carts and POW, they lite them off. The carts were fireworks right in the middle of the field. One wrong move would have been disastrous. But, nothing but really cool fireworks. I posted a picture on Facebook, so you could see how close it was.
There were no nets to protect the crowd from the fly balls, so one lady got hit in the head with a ball. One bat broke and flew into the crowd, too. It was quite interesting:)
We are now ready for bed; it is almost midnight. The conference starts tomorrow.
I hope Cora begins to feel better. I wish I was there to snuggle. I miss Loren, too. I will be home soon. I love you all.
I Finally Have Wireless
Well, good afternoon, Indianapolis time. It has taken me 2.5 days to finally get wireless, so I could send posts regarding my trip. It is easier for me to blog to my girls since the time change makes it difficult. When I am free, the girls will be sleeping. When the girls are free, I am sleeping. So...lets play catch up.
DAY 1:
I left Spokane Wednesday morning. It was the first nice day we'd had in a long time and of course, I am on a plane. I escorted a nice young lady from Camas, Washington. Her family is moving to Idaho after she graduates, so she spends the summer here. She and I fly to Chicago and will fly home together. Kailee and I hit it off well, and we really enjoyed talking, sleeping and reading. We landed in Phoenix, only to find we had a delay. There were amazingly devastating storms in Chicago, so we had to wait 25 extra minutes to take off. As we were sitting, waiting, a very large man, very large (over 7 feet) sat across from us with his friends. They were talking, we chitchatted. They were nice enough. People kept asking them for pictures. Kailee and I figured they were famous. We deducted, due to his height, that he was a basketball player. Again using our sleuthing skills, we decided he played for Phoenix or Chicago, since that is where we were flying. We popped out the iTouch and googled Phoenix Suns. There were quite a few that could have been him, but we noticed a really unique tattoo that matched our new found friend. It was Amar'e Stoudamire and played for the Suns. This made the wait a bit less irritating.
Let see, we couldn't land in Chicago because of storms, so we had to land in Milwuakee and wait the storm out. We also had to fuel up there...I think that was a good choice. By the time we landed, met up with the rest of the group, and got our luggage, it was late. We made it to our hotel and found a pizza place to eat. WE didn't eat until 10:30 pm. The pizza was fabulous though. Chicago is known for its pizza, so it was the best I'd ever had. Here is an interesting pizza: Hawaiian, which is canadian bacon, pineapple and BBQ sauce. It was good, weird, but good. My favorite was chicken, artichoke hears, and alfredo sauce...hmmmm. We didn't have to worry about eating quickly because the store was open until 4 am. Who eats pizza a 4 am?
We were to bed late, and we got up early. The time change made the time really early. We got up at 6 and were on the road by 7, but it was really 4 am and 5 am your time.
We spent the rest of the day in Chicago. I love Chicago. We went to the top of the Sears Tower...it is 103 stories. It is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. The elevator, it is in the center of the building, takes 30 seconds...30 seconds to go 103 stories. I also was really brave. There were 4 all glass rooms built off the side of the building. You could walk out and look straight down. It was scary...safe, but scary. I have a picture on my phone to show you, or Grammie can go Facebook to find the picture I posted there.
We walked to an art museum, ate lunch in a park with a found the spits water. It is very cool. It has thousands of videos of peoples faces. The two walls are 3 stories tall. The videos play and then, all of a sudden, the water spits out of its mouth. It is called Millenium Park. On the otherside of a foot bridge is Grant Park. This is where Obama accepted his victory as president. It was very cool to stand where history was made.
Next, we went to a Field Museum. It had Sue, the T Rex, and mastadons and wolly mammoths. They were stuffed of course, but very cool. Daddie would love it because they had almost every kinds of bird and animal known to man stuffed and on display. It had 50 types of hummingbirds. Some day, we will go.
We went to dinner at a place called Sopranos. It was an old restaurant that had no windows, just cut outs so we could feel the heat. We ate family style. They brought the appetizers, salads and dinner on big plates just like dinner at our house...only this food was really good. I am eating a lot of really really good food. After dinner, we walked to Briar Street Theatre and watched the Blue Man Group. They are men, painted blue, that don't talk and make us laugh with their expressions, and actions. They even spit bananas and twinkies at the crowd. We had to wear ponchos to keep clean.
This morning we left for Indianapolis, Indiana. We just got to our hotel, but we need to leave and go eat. Hard Rock Cafe and an Indianapolis Indians Baseball game in on the agenda for tonight. I love you both a ton and miss you. I will write more when we get back. Hope you are having fun.
Mama
DAY 1:
I left Spokane Wednesday morning. It was the first nice day we'd had in a long time and of course, I am on a plane. I escorted a nice young lady from Camas, Washington. Her family is moving to Idaho after she graduates, so she spends the summer here. She and I fly to Chicago and will fly home together. Kailee and I hit it off well, and we really enjoyed talking, sleeping and reading. We landed in Phoenix, only to find we had a delay. There were amazingly devastating storms in Chicago, so we had to wait 25 extra minutes to take off. As we were sitting, waiting, a very large man, very large (over 7 feet) sat across from us with his friends. They were talking, we chitchatted. They were nice enough. People kept asking them for pictures. Kailee and I figured they were famous. We deducted, due to his height, that he was a basketball player. Again using our sleuthing skills, we decided he played for Phoenix or Chicago, since that is where we were flying. We popped out the iTouch and googled Phoenix Suns. There were quite a few that could have been him, but we noticed a really unique tattoo that matched our new found friend. It was Amar'e Stoudamire and played for the Suns. This made the wait a bit less irritating.
Let see, we couldn't land in Chicago because of storms, so we had to land in Milwuakee and wait the storm out. We also had to fuel up there...I think that was a good choice. By the time we landed, met up with the rest of the group, and got our luggage, it was late. We made it to our hotel and found a pizza place to eat. WE didn't eat until 10:30 pm. The pizza was fabulous though. Chicago is known for its pizza, so it was the best I'd ever had. Here is an interesting pizza: Hawaiian, which is canadian bacon, pineapple and BBQ sauce. It was good, weird, but good. My favorite was chicken, artichoke hears, and alfredo sauce...hmmmm. We didn't have to worry about eating quickly because the store was open until 4 am. Who eats pizza a 4 am?
We were to bed late, and we got up early. The time change made the time really early. We got up at 6 and were on the road by 7, but it was really 4 am and 5 am your time.
We spent the rest of the day in Chicago. I love Chicago. We went to the top of the Sears Tower...it is 103 stories. It is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. The elevator, it is in the center of the building, takes 30 seconds...30 seconds to go 103 stories. I also was really brave. There were 4 all glass rooms built off the side of the building. You could walk out and look straight down. It was scary...safe, but scary. I have a picture on my phone to show you, or Grammie can go Facebook to find the picture I posted there.
We walked to an art museum, ate lunch in a park with a found the spits water. It is very cool. It has thousands of videos of peoples faces. The two walls are 3 stories tall. The videos play and then, all of a sudden, the water spits out of its mouth. It is called Millenium Park. On the otherside of a foot bridge is Grant Park. This is where Obama accepted his victory as president. It was very cool to stand where history was made.
Next, we went to a Field Museum. It had Sue, the T Rex, and mastadons and wolly mammoths. They were stuffed of course, but very cool. Daddie would love it because they had almost every kinds of bird and animal known to man stuffed and on display. It had 50 types of hummingbirds. Some day, we will go.
We went to dinner at a place called Sopranos. It was an old restaurant that had no windows, just cut outs so we could feel the heat. We ate family style. They brought the appetizers, salads and dinner on big plates just like dinner at our house...only this food was really good. I am eating a lot of really really good food. After dinner, we walked to Briar Street Theatre and watched the Blue Man Group. They are men, painted blue, that don't talk and make us laugh with their expressions, and actions. They even spit bananas and twinkies at the crowd. We had to wear ponchos to keep clean.
This morning we left for Indianapolis, Indiana. We just got to our hotel, but we need to leave and go eat. Hard Rock Cafe and an Indianapolis Indians Baseball game in on the agenda for tonight. I love you both a ton and miss you. I will write more when we get back. Hope you are having fun.
Mama
Final Day and I am ready to come home
So, I assume this will be our last blog from paradise. We are sooo ready to be home. Today is Good Friday, and it is a national holiday here. Our beaches and pools are filled with locals and so many of them are small children. We see how much fun they are having, squealing with laughter and we really really miss the girls. We will leave about 24 hours from now, and we are ready!
Not much to talk about today, since it is Good Friday, our Suva plans were derailed. Everything is closed. We feel blessed to have our workers here since it is a large sacrifice to work on Good Friday and on Easter. Tomorrow, Daddy is going to try and fish in the am, and I will go to the arts village for souvenir shopping. If the fishing doesn't pan out, since their boat is up for inspection today, we will go to Suva before we go to Nadi.
Last night, Daddy got an itchy rash on his arms. He used a new sun screen yesterday, and he thinks that might have caused the reaction. We ran out of Benadryl, so he has to suffer. Poor Boy! It was a slight comedy of errors last night. Since it is a holiday weekend, the restaurant was packed. After we finished dinner and got all comfy in our bed to read, the lights went out in the entire area. I am not sure what they people did in the restaurant. About 40 minutes later, the lights came back on. during this time, Chris discovered his rash. We discovered we were out of benadryl, and we realized that water doesn't work when the lights are out. Oops! The worst part is that it took until the am to get the water up and running again. Toilets don't work at all when there is no water. It was an interesting evening and morning.
It is hot and sunny today. It makes it great for laying in the sun. The clouds pass over to keep it from being burning hot. At lunch time, the skies opened, and it rained. The thunder was right over our head. But, within minutes, it stopped. You could see that the locals were/are used to this because none of the moved. They just kept on frolicking in the water.
Daddy was speaking to one of the guides today about life in Fiji. The topic of beer came up. The guide said that Fiji Gold was for the gay and the girl, but Fiji Bitter was for the boy. Here is the best part, Daddy has been drinking Fiji Gold the entire trip. Daddy is a girl:) (PS he wanted to make sure I mentioned this.)
The people here are amazing, the food delicious, the weather fantastic, and we are ready to come see our girls. It is still early, so if something interesting happens, I will write. Otherwise, we will see you all tomorrow, well Saturday your time. We love you and miss you and can't wait to see you.
Not much to talk about today, since it is Good Friday, our Suva plans were derailed. Everything is closed. We feel blessed to have our workers here since it is a large sacrifice to work on Good Friday and on Easter. Tomorrow, Daddy is going to try and fish in the am, and I will go to the arts village for souvenir shopping. If the fishing doesn't pan out, since their boat is up for inspection today, we will go to Suva before we go to Nadi.
Last night, Daddy got an itchy rash on his arms. He used a new sun screen yesterday, and he thinks that might have caused the reaction. We ran out of Benadryl, so he has to suffer. Poor Boy! It was a slight comedy of errors last night. Since it is a holiday weekend, the restaurant was packed. After we finished dinner and got all comfy in our bed to read, the lights went out in the entire area. I am not sure what they people did in the restaurant. About 40 minutes later, the lights came back on. during this time, Chris discovered his rash. We discovered we were out of benadryl, and we realized that water doesn't work when the lights are out. Oops! The worst part is that it took until the am to get the water up and running again. Toilets don't work at all when there is no water. It was an interesting evening and morning.
It is hot and sunny today. It makes it great for laying in the sun. The clouds pass over to keep it from being burning hot. At lunch time, the skies opened, and it rained. The thunder was right over our head. But, within minutes, it stopped. You could see that the locals were/are used to this because none of the moved. They just kept on frolicking in the water.
Daddy was speaking to one of the guides today about life in Fiji. The topic of beer came up. The guide said that Fiji Gold was for the gay and the girl, but Fiji Bitter was for the boy. Here is the best part, Daddy has been drinking Fiji Gold the entire trip. Daddy is a girl:) (PS he wanted to make sure I mentioned this.)
The people here are amazing, the food delicious, the weather fantastic, and we are ready to come see our girls. It is still early, so if something interesting happens, I will write. Otherwise, we will see you all tomorrow, well Saturday your time. We love you and miss you and can't wait to see you.
Another Day In Paradise
Day something in Paradise...Just some pictures first I took off the internet.
This is a picture of the gorge we went on yesterday.
The is a picture of what zip lining over the river was like.
This is not ME, but this a picture of our shower.
This is our room and the ocean steps away.
This is a picture of where we snorkeled and the stuff we saw. Clearly a professional picture, but one none-the-less.
It is Thursday here. It is so weird to think that we lost an entire day. We will never be able to enjoy March 26th, but in that case, we get to enjoy April 3rd twice. It is thundering right now, which I am sure means that it is Lightening somewhere. It has been beautiful all day, so we sat by the ocean and read. About an hour ago, 2:00 pm it started to dump on us. That is fine because we've had enough sun today. We were going to go to Suva, but decided we just need to relax today. So Dad is reading in our cabin and I am bloggin' my favorite people.
Last night, the restaurant offered Salt and Pepper Squid, well they call it Octopus, but it was really just squid. Daddy decided he ate an entire generation of Octopi. They were delicious. In the states, we cut them up and don't eat the legs. Here, they fry the entire thing ,8 little feet and all. It look slightly scary to eat at first, but they go down in one fail swoop, so they are really good. We also discovered that they dont' have Hamburgers here. They think that means pork ground up into a burger, and they don't do that. Instead, they call them Beef Burgers. I had a dessert that was Rice Pudding. They have a thing called Black Rice that they cook in Coconut milk. They mash Mango and cinnamon and put it on the top. Their desserts are not like ours, not sweet really, but oh so good.
We discovered why the coconut milk we had a home out of the coconut was so NOT good. That is coconut juice, and not really used very often. Instead, you crack open the coconut, you take out the white stuff (the meat), and squeeze it. The milk is what comes out. Glad we know that:)
Yesterday, on the rafting trip, we got to see flying fruit bats. I didn't have my glasses on, so I thought they were just birds. Nope, bats. They were a red brown, more red than brown though. They were very fast and flew all day. The gal in our boat is from Guam, and they eat them there. The guide said that they eat them in Fiji, too. They are really good apparently. Actually, they said they taste like chicken. They are boiled in Coconut Milk and them meat is peeled off. ummmm...ick! Joe #1 also told us how they catch them. Apparently, they live in Guava trees. But, they have an amazing sense of smell, so they can smell the hunters coming. To avoid being detected, the hunters rub guava leaves all over their body. This smell keeps the bats from sensing them. The hunters crawl on their belly to the base of the guava tree and shake like mad. The bats fall out of the tree. They cannot fly away unless they crawl up on the tree, so they are helpless. The hunters pick them up quickly and throw them in a sack to carry home. They must remember not to put the bag on their back because the bats have teeth and claws. When they take the bag off their back, the hunter will be full of scratches and bites.
As we changed out of our wet clothes in the village, I realized that we must forgive Chris for his tooting because it isn't that bad. You see, a group of college boys from New Zealand went into the changing room, which is really a corrugated metal building. As we all milled around outside, around the bus, around the creek, talking to the villagers, we could hear the villagers make a sound of disgust. Then, we started looking at the bottom of our shoes and such. All of us thought that something had happened in the villages waste disposal unit, or bucket. Next, out came the New Zealander, "Sorry, Mates. I must have had something that didn't agree with me last night." Now, if an entire village can smell it and comment on it, you know it is bad. Poor Daddy, he isn't that bad:)
Yesterday, we also saw an amazing slug. It wasn't very big, but it was super fast. It was against the wall in our shower. It moved as fast as a spider. Chris and I decided that the people move super slow here, so the slugs get to move fast. The bugs here are not bad at all, but at dinner, we are attacked by something. We can't see them, but we see their marks. It seems that if we stick our feet in the light, we are ok, but the bites scratch like crazy. Last night, they actually put these bug smoke things in beer bottles and put them at the feet of the diners. It seemed to help. I have a new found appreciation for the people on survivor.
The sky was clear last night. We looked up and saw an amazing array of stars. This of course initiated a battle of star knowledge. We know that the Southern Cross is like the Northern Star, but I said that the stars are the same, just upside down in placement. Dad, wasn't so sure. We are going to look it up together and he will see that I am right.
Final story for today is a story about Thomas Baker. Thomas Baker was a missionary/explorer. He ventured high into the mountains of Fiji. He found a tribe of people and began to teach them his ways as he learned theirs. In the midst of a heated discussion, Sir Thomas Baker touched the hair of the chief. This is/was a absolute NO NO in the Fiji culture. Your hair was a sign of respect and honor; to touch it was to disrespect and dishonor. This left the chief no choice. He killed Sir Thomas Baker. The tribe happened to be cannibals, so they baked Mr. Baker and ate him. Now, the Fijians are a tough culture and rarely wear shoes. As a matter of fact, I saw a picture today of a youth track event. Most of the children ran in their bare feet. This tradition played a role in the story. You see, they didn't know what Sir Thomas Baker had on his feet. They people assumed they were part of his body. They tried to eat the sandals, but they were too tough. They boiled the sandals, and tried to eat them, but still they couldn't. These sandals are in the museum of Fiji today with the bite marks in them. That is where we are going tomorrow.
The country is working up to Easter. It is a very large holiday here. I love hearing the excitement of the people.
We are almost home, and we miss our little girls. Thank you to all who are keeping our lives in order. Much Love To ALL!
This is a picture of the gorge we went on yesterday.
The is a picture of what zip lining over the river was like.
This is not ME, but this a picture of our shower.
This is our room and the ocean steps away.
This is a picture of where we snorkeled and the stuff we saw. Clearly a professional picture, but one none-the-less.It is Thursday here. It is so weird to think that we lost an entire day. We will never be able to enjoy March 26th, but in that case, we get to enjoy April 3rd twice. It is thundering right now, which I am sure means that it is Lightening somewhere. It has been beautiful all day, so we sat by the ocean and read. About an hour ago, 2:00 pm it started to dump on us. That is fine because we've had enough sun today. We were going to go to Suva, but decided we just need to relax today. So Dad is reading in our cabin and I am bloggin' my favorite people.
Last night, the restaurant offered Salt and Pepper Squid, well they call it Octopus, but it was really just squid. Daddy decided he ate an entire generation of Octopi. They were delicious. In the states, we cut them up and don't eat the legs. Here, they fry the entire thing ,8 little feet and all. It look slightly scary to eat at first, but they go down in one fail swoop, so they are really good. We also discovered that they dont' have Hamburgers here. They think that means pork ground up into a burger, and they don't do that. Instead, they call them Beef Burgers. I had a dessert that was Rice Pudding. They have a thing called Black Rice that they cook in Coconut milk. They mash Mango and cinnamon and put it on the top. Their desserts are not like ours, not sweet really, but oh so good.
We discovered why the coconut milk we had a home out of the coconut was so NOT good. That is coconut juice, and not really used very often. Instead, you crack open the coconut, you take out the white stuff (the meat), and squeeze it. The milk is what comes out. Glad we know that:)
Yesterday, on the rafting trip, we got to see flying fruit bats. I didn't have my glasses on, so I thought they were just birds. Nope, bats. They were a red brown, more red than brown though. They were very fast and flew all day. The gal in our boat is from Guam, and they eat them there. The guide said that they eat them in Fiji, too. They are really good apparently. Actually, they said they taste like chicken. They are boiled in Coconut Milk and them meat is peeled off. ummmm...ick! Joe #1 also told us how they catch them. Apparently, they live in Guava trees. But, they have an amazing sense of smell, so they can smell the hunters coming. To avoid being detected, the hunters rub guava leaves all over their body. This smell keeps the bats from sensing them. The hunters crawl on their belly to the base of the guava tree and shake like mad. The bats fall out of the tree. They cannot fly away unless they crawl up on the tree, so they are helpless. The hunters pick them up quickly and throw them in a sack to carry home. They must remember not to put the bag on their back because the bats have teeth and claws. When they take the bag off their back, the hunter will be full of scratches and bites.
As we changed out of our wet clothes in the village, I realized that we must forgive Chris for his tooting because it isn't that bad. You see, a group of college boys from New Zealand went into the changing room, which is really a corrugated metal building. As we all milled around outside, around the bus, around the creek, talking to the villagers, we could hear the villagers make a sound of disgust. Then, we started looking at the bottom of our shoes and such. All of us thought that something had happened in the villages waste disposal unit, or bucket. Next, out came the New Zealander, "Sorry, Mates. I must have had something that didn't agree with me last night." Now, if an entire village can smell it and comment on it, you know it is bad. Poor Daddy, he isn't that bad:)Yesterday, we also saw an amazing slug. It wasn't very big, but it was super fast. It was against the wall in our shower. It moved as fast as a spider. Chris and I decided that the people move super slow here, so the slugs get to move fast. The bugs here are not bad at all, but at dinner, we are attacked by something. We can't see them, but we see their marks. It seems that if we stick our feet in the light, we are ok, but the bites scratch like crazy. Last night, they actually put these bug smoke things in beer bottles and put them at the feet of the diners. It seemed to help. I have a new found appreciation for the people on survivor.
The sky was clear last night. We looked up and saw an amazing array of stars. This of course initiated a battle of star knowledge. We know that the Southern Cross is like the Northern Star, but I said that the stars are the same, just upside down in placement. Dad, wasn't so sure. We are going to look it up together and he will see that I am right.
Final story for today is a story about Thomas Baker. Thomas Baker was a missionary/explorer. He ventured high into the mountains of Fiji. He found a tribe of people and began to teach them his ways as he learned theirs. In the midst of a heated discussion, Sir Thomas Baker touched the hair of the chief. This is/was a absolute NO NO in the Fiji culture. Your hair was a sign of respect and honor; to touch it was to disrespect and dishonor. This left the chief no choice. He killed Sir Thomas Baker. The tribe happened to be cannibals, so they baked Mr. Baker and ate him. Now, the Fijians are a tough culture and rarely wear shoes. As a matter of fact, I saw a picture today of a youth track event. Most of the children ran in their bare feet. This tradition played a role in the story. You see, they didn't know what Sir Thomas Baker had on his feet. They people assumed they were part of his body. They tried to eat the sandals, but they were too tough. They boiled the sandals, and tried to eat them, but still they couldn't. These sandals are in the museum of Fiji today with the bite marks in them. That is where we are going tomorrow.
The country is working up to Easter. It is a very large holiday here. I love hearing the excitement of the people.
We are almost home, and we miss our little girls. Thank you to all who are keeping our lives in order. Much Love To ALL!
Slippery When Wet
Day #?: I have just lost count.
Last night, you are going to laugh, I walked into our bathroom and saw the biggest gecko I have seen in my life. It was 6 inches long, and as it moved, I could hear the suction cups of his feet unsuck. If it hadn't been so big, I wouldn't have screamed, but it was big and the bathroom is small. I knew he was scared of me and really the only place he had to go was on my head. I made daddy do something.
We rafted the Upper Navua River today. It is a gorge with shear cliffs on either side. As we left the Uprising at 6 am, it was a beautiful day. The sky was a beautiful peach and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. We stop at a few spots to pick up a few other rafters, and then headed up to the top of the highest mountain. I must say it is more like a hill at home. The drizzle started at the middle of hill, and by the time, we got to the drop off, or put in, it was POURING. We were wet before we even got into the rafts.
The guides gave us a the obligatory pep talk about rafting, and next the obligatory talk about bathrooms. Dissolution solves pollution was his saying. Or rephrased by him #1 in the water, #2 in the poop bag. I am not sure anyone took him up on that. He also warned us not to drink the water because of the Bulmacow.
We were with another couple from Guam in our raft. Our guide was Joe #1. Here is a shocker, he played rugby, too. All three guides, Joe #1, Joe #2(whose real name is Gus?) and Moses, all came from a village in the mountains set on this river. When the owner, who also owns the rafting company through the Grand Canyon, came to start his company, he went to the village and asked who knows how to raft this river. You see, until the company built them, there were no roads. All the villages had to raft down to sell their taro or get other supplies. Then, since there were no motors at that time, they had to paddle up or find a horse. The jungle is too dense to walk and there are no paths.
He told us many stories about the river. He was a raft guide for the camera rafts for the filming of Anaconda 2. He guided Chuck Norris, Walker Texas Ranger. He even guided Bill Gates, but he didn't take the 2 hour ride up the bumpy roads. He was dropped off and picked up by helicopter. It is the rainy season, and the river gets really really high, about 20 feet higher than when we were on it today. Many guest make it to the put in, and decide they don't want to go down. Last week, there were 16 people going up. Only a boat of 10 came down. The others were too scared and didn't want to come. Joe 1 took a boat full and as the were crashing through the waves, he realized they didn't speak English. As he was yelling, forward, they were just smiling and nodding...and drinking Vodka I might add. 4 of them fell out of the boat. After he picked them up, he learned forward and reverse in Russian:)
The rapids were really exciting and the water was BLUE. You could see the bottom of the river the entire time. And if I didn't point it out, it was raining and raining. By lunch, we were so cold. Odd to say when it was really warm out, but I don't think you can be solidly wet for 2 hours and not be cold. We pulled the boats over and the guides made us lunch. We had sandwiches. I haven't had mayonnaise on anything since we got here. They had mayonnaise, so I glopped in on my sandwich. It wasn't mayonnaise. It was Miracle Whip.
As we continued on, it warmed up and stopped raining. The gorge was so beautiful. You could see the layers deposited over time. At one point, you could see the old coral reefs that had been petrified. Rock on top, rock on bottom and reef in the middle.
As we got back to the village to take the boats out, we saw these great chickens that Loren would love. They didn't have feathers on their heads. The feathers started on their middle neck. At first, I thought it was a sick bird until I saw its chicks. They had the same feather thing goin' on too. It was at this point the guides described a Bulmacow. Apparently, when the settlers came to the islands, they brought cows. The Fijians didn't know what they were, so they asked. The settlers pointed at them, a bull and a cow, and said, "Bull...Cow" The Fijians didn't understand that it was too words, so still today cows are called, "Bullmacow."
The language here is funny. An island spelled Beqa is pronounced Benga. The town Nadi is Nandi. The welcome or Hello is Bula...Mbula.
No more plans for the rest of the week. Daddy might fish. We might go to Suva, the biggest city, and shop and go to the museum. It will hopefully be a bit sunnier so that we can get a tan. Hope all is well. Love you all dearly. And we really miss our girlys! Love to all!
Last night, you are going to laugh, I walked into our bathroom and saw the biggest gecko I have seen in my life. It was 6 inches long, and as it moved, I could hear the suction cups of his feet unsuck. If it hadn't been so big, I wouldn't have screamed, but it was big and the bathroom is small. I knew he was scared of me and really the only place he had to go was on my head. I made daddy do something.
We rafted the Upper Navua River today. It is a gorge with shear cliffs on either side. As we left the Uprising at 6 am, it was a beautiful day. The sky was a beautiful peach and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. We stop at a few spots to pick up a few other rafters, and then headed up to the top of the highest mountain. I must say it is more like a hill at home. The drizzle started at the middle of hill, and by the time, we got to the drop off, or put in, it was POURING. We were wet before we even got into the rafts.
The guides gave us a the obligatory pep talk about rafting, and next the obligatory talk about bathrooms. Dissolution solves pollution was his saying. Or rephrased by him #1 in the water, #2 in the poop bag. I am not sure anyone took him up on that. He also warned us not to drink the water because of the Bulmacow.
We were with another couple from Guam in our raft. Our guide was Joe #1. Here is a shocker, he played rugby, too. All three guides, Joe #1, Joe #2(whose real name is Gus?) and Moses, all came from a village in the mountains set on this river. When the owner, who also owns the rafting company through the Grand Canyon, came to start his company, he went to the village and asked who knows how to raft this river. You see, until the company built them, there were no roads. All the villages had to raft down to sell their taro or get other supplies. Then, since there were no motors at that time, they had to paddle up or find a horse. The jungle is too dense to walk and there are no paths.
He told us many stories about the river. He was a raft guide for the camera rafts for the filming of Anaconda 2. He guided Chuck Norris, Walker Texas Ranger. He even guided Bill Gates, but he didn't take the 2 hour ride up the bumpy roads. He was dropped off and picked up by helicopter. It is the rainy season, and the river gets really really high, about 20 feet higher than when we were on it today. Many guest make it to the put in, and decide they don't want to go down. Last week, there were 16 people going up. Only a boat of 10 came down. The others were too scared and didn't want to come. Joe 1 took a boat full and as the were crashing through the waves, he realized they didn't speak English. As he was yelling, forward, they were just smiling and nodding...and drinking Vodka I might add. 4 of them fell out of the boat. After he picked them up, he learned forward and reverse in Russian:)
The rapids were really exciting and the water was BLUE. You could see the bottom of the river the entire time. And if I didn't point it out, it was raining and raining. By lunch, we were so cold. Odd to say when it was really warm out, but I don't think you can be solidly wet for 2 hours and not be cold. We pulled the boats over and the guides made us lunch. We had sandwiches. I haven't had mayonnaise on anything since we got here. They had mayonnaise, so I glopped in on my sandwich. It wasn't mayonnaise. It was Miracle Whip.
As we continued on, it warmed up and stopped raining. The gorge was so beautiful. You could see the layers deposited over time. At one point, you could see the old coral reefs that had been petrified. Rock on top, rock on bottom and reef in the middle.
As we got back to the village to take the boats out, we saw these great chickens that Loren would love. They didn't have feathers on their heads. The feathers started on their middle neck. At first, I thought it was a sick bird until I saw its chicks. They had the same feather thing goin' on too. It was at this point the guides described a Bulmacow. Apparently, when the settlers came to the islands, they brought cows. The Fijians didn't know what they were, so they asked. The settlers pointed at them, a bull and a cow, and said, "Bull...Cow" The Fijians didn't understand that it was too words, so still today cows are called, "Bullmacow."
The language here is funny. An island spelled Beqa is pronounced Benga. The town Nadi is Nandi. The welcome or Hello is Bula...Mbula.
No more plans for the rest of the week. Daddy might fish. We might go to Suva, the biggest city, and shop and go to the museum. It will hopefully be a bit sunnier so that we can get a tan. Hope all is well. Love you all dearly. And we really miss our girlys! Love to all!
ZIP a deedo dah
This morning it is beautiful and clear. That makes the sun super hot. The 50 sunscreen still makes me feel like I am burning. Our first excursion today is the ZIP line in the Jungle. Very Cool! An American owns some property and created a zip line. His business actually makes them all over the world. We went way up into the mountains and spent two hours harnessing ourselves up to cables and sliding down. Twice we went over rivers. Our guides were amazing, too. Their names were Michael and Seraviu. They both were parents, so told us a lot about real life in Fiji. We also got botanical and zoological information. It was nice to talk to people who know about the land they live on.
Michael said that laws had been passed lately, which I think means a few years, that reinforced the Fijian way. It is more than a custom to be modest in public; it is the law for Fijians. No short shorts, or bikini tops, or strappy tank tops in the villages. They also are trying to keep the Fijian culture slow like it was originally. Therefore, you cannot eat and walk through a village. If you eat, you must sit and eat. When you are done, you may walk around. There really isn't crime or drugs in Fiji because people are very happy here with the way their life is. They don't need more then what the land can provide.
We began talking about politics. The are actually very politically educated. When the Iraqi War broke out, the British, being that they were a British Colony, came to recruit Fijians for the War. 12,000 Fijians went to Iraq, and so far, 6,800 have come back in body bags. In a country of 800,00 that is a lot of warriors. The Fijians believe in raising your children to be respectable and responsible. They believe that it is the parents job. A unruly child is the fault of a parent. Respect and honor are paramount in their culture. It is nice to see a culture that does what is right.
The Fijians also believe in natural remedies. "Tablets only make it better for a second." They showed us a root that Cures asthma. They had a zip liner last week that was having an attack. They mashed the root and she decided to stay in Fiji longer to see how to get more root. We saw a plant that acts as a calendar. When it blooms, the flower signifies that it is time to dig for Wild Yams or fish for Cod. The vine stretches up to the tops of trees and the flower is the size of a large basketball and bright white. You can see it from anywhere. This helps the people know that it is time. Amazing how the Earth works.
Loren will love this. We saw a bunch of millipedes. They were big and small. They ate bark off trees and left trails. They are extremely poisonous; they were really neat to look at. I took pictures. On the way home, Chris saw young boys fishing. We had to stop and look at their fish. We have been told they have trout in the river, but these didn't look like trout. We have pictures of them, too.
We have been told by the guides that the real name of Fiji is Viti, but the Samoans told Captain Cook the wrong pronunciation. So Fiji is what it has been called since then.
I am slightly disappointed because we are south of the Equator. I have always heard that toilets swirl backwards. Well, these toilets don't swirl, so I am bummed. The hot and cold water handles are backwards though.
Today, we sat by the beach when we got back. We watched the young kids Horse Board. When I saw it on the list of things to do, I thought that it meant you could keep your horses here for free. Not at all, it is a combination between surfing and water skiing as one is drug by a horse. Quite funny! People were not very successful!
Finally, we must talk about food. Last night for dessert, I had grilled pineapple soaked in sweet chili sauce. It was so interesting. We had whipped cream with it, but their whipped cream isn't sweetened.
Well, tomorrow is white water rafting all day. we must be up and out of here by 6 am. That is 3 am your time. We sure do miss our girls and love them deeply.
More tomorrow.
Michael said that laws had been passed lately, which I think means a few years, that reinforced the Fijian way. It is more than a custom to be modest in public; it is the law for Fijians. No short shorts, or bikini tops, or strappy tank tops in the villages. They also are trying to keep the Fijian culture slow like it was originally. Therefore, you cannot eat and walk through a village. If you eat, you must sit and eat. When you are done, you may walk around. There really isn't crime or drugs in Fiji because people are very happy here with the way their life is. They don't need more then what the land can provide.
We began talking about politics. The are actually very politically educated. When the Iraqi War broke out, the British, being that they were a British Colony, came to recruit Fijians for the War. 12,000 Fijians went to Iraq, and so far, 6,800 have come back in body bags. In a country of 800,00 that is a lot of warriors. The Fijians believe in raising your children to be respectable and responsible. They believe that it is the parents job. A unruly child is the fault of a parent. Respect and honor are paramount in their culture. It is nice to see a culture that does what is right.
The Fijians also believe in natural remedies. "Tablets only make it better for a second." They showed us a root that Cures asthma. They had a zip liner last week that was having an attack. They mashed the root and she decided to stay in Fiji longer to see how to get more root. We saw a plant that acts as a calendar. When it blooms, the flower signifies that it is time to dig for Wild Yams or fish for Cod. The vine stretches up to the tops of trees and the flower is the size of a large basketball and bright white. You can see it from anywhere. This helps the people know that it is time. Amazing how the Earth works.
Loren will love this. We saw a bunch of millipedes. They were big and small. They ate bark off trees and left trails. They are extremely poisonous; they were really neat to look at. I took pictures. On the way home, Chris saw young boys fishing. We had to stop and look at their fish. We have been told they have trout in the river, but these didn't look like trout. We have pictures of them, too.
We have been told by the guides that the real name of Fiji is Viti, but the Samoans told Captain Cook the wrong pronunciation. So Fiji is what it has been called since then.
I am slightly disappointed because we are south of the Equator. I have always heard that toilets swirl backwards. Well, these toilets don't swirl, so I am bummed. The hot and cold water handles are backwards though.
Today, we sat by the beach when we got back. We watched the young kids Horse Board. When I saw it on the list of things to do, I thought that it meant you could keep your horses here for free. Not at all, it is a combination between surfing and water skiing as one is drug by a horse. Quite funny! People were not very successful!
Finally, we must talk about food. Last night for dessert, I had grilled pineapple soaked in sweet chili sauce. It was so interesting. We had whipped cream with it, but their whipped cream isn't sweetened.
Well, tomorrow is white water rafting all day. we must be up and out of here by 6 am. That is 3 am your time. We sure do miss our girls and love them deeply.
More tomorrow.
Gilligan, The Skipper and The Jet Ski
Day 3...
Today was quite fun. Actually, it isn't quite over yet, but I am waiting for our iPod to charge. We have been trying since we got here to download a movie. It still isn't downloaded, and it has eaten up our battery. We figure we will be able to watch it on the plane home. We are not worried; we are so tired at night that we just go to sleep after reading anyway.
Today was the Jet Ski Adventure. When we awoke, it was drizzling and looked a bit like Seattle. All I could think was, "I came all this way to Fiji; only now, I am plagued with clouds." The difference is that even with rain it is 80 and really really humid. The rain feels good. On a side note, since the shower is outside, it is quite fun standing in a warm shower with the rain falling on your head. Well, back to the jet ski adventure...I knew that we were in trouble when the Adventure Director told me the ride home would be "really exciting". To put this in perspective, we rode jet skis across the open ocean to an island about 20 miles away. For those who have been to Hawaii, it was like riding from Maui to Lani'e. Going over was not so bad. It was bumpy, similar to riding in Chris' boat, but not bad. We jumped some waves and did a few brodies to avoid big waves. It took us about 45 minutes to get to the Yaucan Island and Betiluva resort. I use that word loosely. It was beautiful, but had no guests. It was just us and our guide. On the way over, we passed many boats just anchored. I am sure they thought we were crazy.
As we got our snorkel gear on, and got the 'rules' of the preserve, we went on our way. AMAZING. Because it was overcast the colors of the coral were not as brilliant as I had hoped, but that was hardly a party ruiner. The coral was amazing. I felt like I was in the movie Shark Tale. There was Plate Coral, what our guide called it, that when Chris swam over it, it was wider than him. Large rocks of coral with stag coral, brain coral and plate coral...and a tire or two. There were these amazing little bright translucent fish that schooled around the brain coral. There were trigger fish, tangs, angel fish. They were big and small. Because the coral wasn't as bright as I'd excepted, the fish made a huge contrast. The yellows were really yellow; the blues really blue. Twice, we had millions of tiny brilliant blue fish swim as though they were following an ocean current. They didn't even try to avoid us; they just swam right around us. At that moment, I felt like Nemo in the EAC. Eventually, the sun came out and the coral began to come alive. It was like it was blooming. The tan stag coral became bright purple. The brain coral became yellow and green. It was amazing.
I began to get cold...I know that is a shock. We went in. As we sat on the white, broken coral beach, and let the wave lap against us, a white and black fish just swam between our legs. These fish do not care who we are and just go on with their day. We got out and sat with our guide on an old picnic table and ate lunch. Egg salad sandwiches, which were really scrambled egg sandwiches, were the order for the day. We had a great conversation about him, the island of Fiji and the people there in.
Pate' is a member of the Uprising Rugby team. They travel all over the world to play and win. Chris and I realized that the entire Uprising Rugby team works at Uprising in their adventure department. Not a coincidence at all, the Director hires the best players he can, gives them jobs, has a gym built for them to work out in, and has hired a trainer to work with them. Actually, they are practicing right now in a mowed horse field behind the reception area.
Pate' also pointed out the boats we passed as we were coming over. They were dive boats. They were diving with the bull head sharks. They are incredibly safe and don't bother people...hmm, really. I am just glad we didn't fall off.
After lunch, Chris and I walked along the beach and found hundreds of hermit crabs. It was so cool. They were no bigger then a knuckle, but they were everywhere. Loren will love the pictures. We also found these shells that the locals call eye balls. We are going to try and bring them home to the girls. They look like eyeballs. They are so cool. Finally, it was time to head back, and I have never been so thankful to make it back from an excursion.
The wind was about 20-25 knots. The waves were so big that when Pate' was over the crest of one, we couldn't see him. I was more wet from the ride home than I was snorkeling. My back hurt, my head hurt from jabbing into Chris' back, but my spirits were high. How much fun was that? It was like really riding a roller coaster. Chris kept screamin' yehaw! We made it home, and I kissed the sand.
We showered and I got a massage. It wasn't the greatest in the world, but it was so cool to be on a deck, over looking the ocean, with the breeze blowing, getting the kinks worked out. The ladies were very neat, too. They all have Westernized names, which I thought was strange since most name tags have authentic Fijian names. Bobbie's real name was Seatria. Fannies was Ureriria. I can see why they choose more Western names. Bobbie's family was from Nepal. Her mom and dad came over as indentured servants. When the British left, they stayed. She said that it was so bad in India that Fiji was a better choice for her family, even as servants. She was part of the Palm Sunday procession yesterday, and she gave me the scoop.
Apparently, it is an annual event. A group of church members, leave from Suva, about 1 hour away, and carry the cross all the way to Nadi about 3 hours from here. They stop at resorts and special spots along the way to share their stories and praise. At each spot, a person or persons is chosen to carry the cross to the worship site. For two years, Bobbie has been chosen. It is extra special because "Indians aren't allowed to carry the cross." I am not sure why because of her limit English. It seemed as though she was a convert to Christianity. She said at one time, "Life is hard, but God provides for all things." What a nice thought!
This brings me to my deep thought for the day. Pate' was describing villages and islands. He was saying that islands can have one village, or one family, or 9. Chris asked how they made a living. Pate' said, "There is no need for a living. The island provides them with what they want and what they need." People who don't need more than what they have and have been given. A lesson for today.
We walked to town to kill off the rest of the day. It was a nice end to a nice day.
Loren, dessert yesterday was very cool. It was a traditional Fijian dessert. It was stewed pumpkin in coconut milk. They put it in something similar to a manual crock pot and stew it in the milk. Then, they mash it and put sweetened pumpkin seeds on it. It was surprisingly delicious.
We miss our girls terribly, but know they are having the time of their lives. We love you all!
L and C
Today was quite fun. Actually, it isn't quite over yet, but I am waiting for our iPod to charge. We have been trying since we got here to download a movie. It still isn't downloaded, and it has eaten up our battery. We figure we will be able to watch it on the plane home. We are not worried; we are so tired at night that we just go to sleep after reading anyway.
Today was the Jet Ski Adventure. When we awoke, it was drizzling and looked a bit like Seattle. All I could think was, "I came all this way to Fiji; only now, I am plagued with clouds." The difference is that even with rain it is 80 and really really humid. The rain feels good. On a side note, since the shower is outside, it is quite fun standing in a warm shower with the rain falling on your head. Well, back to the jet ski adventure...I knew that we were in trouble when the Adventure Director told me the ride home would be "really exciting". To put this in perspective, we rode jet skis across the open ocean to an island about 20 miles away. For those who have been to Hawaii, it was like riding from Maui to Lani'e. Going over was not so bad. It was bumpy, similar to riding in Chris' boat, but not bad. We jumped some waves and did a few brodies to avoid big waves. It took us about 45 minutes to get to the Yaucan Island and Betiluva resort. I use that word loosely. It was beautiful, but had no guests. It was just us and our guide. On the way over, we passed many boats just anchored. I am sure they thought we were crazy.
As we got our snorkel gear on, and got the 'rules' of the preserve, we went on our way. AMAZING. Because it was overcast the colors of the coral were not as brilliant as I had hoped, but that was hardly a party ruiner. The coral was amazing. I felt like I was in the movie Shark Tale. There was Plate Coral, what our guide called it, that when Chris swam over it, it was wider than him. Large rocks of coral with stag coral, brain coral and plate coral...and a tire or two. There were these amazing little bright translucent fish that schooled around the brain coral. There were trigger fish, tangs, angel fish. They were big and small. Because the coral wasn't as bright as I'd excepted, the fish made a huge contrast. The yellows were really yellow; the blues really blue. Twice, we had millions of tiny brilliant blue fish swim as though they were following an ocean current. They didn't even try to avoid us; they just swam right around us. At that moment, I felt like Nemo in the EAC. Eventually, the sun came out and the coral began to come alive. It was like it was blooming. The tan stag coral became bright purple. The brain coral became yellow and green. It was amazing.
I began to get cold...I know that is a shock. We went in. As we sat on the white, broken coral beach, and let the wave lap against us, a white and black fish just swam between our legs. These fish do not care who we are and just go on with their day. We got out and sat with our guide on an old picnic table and ate lunch. Egg salad sandwiches, which were really scrambled egg sandwiches, were the order for the day. We had a great conversation about him, the island of Fiji and the people there in.
Pate' is a member of the Uprising Rugby team. They travel all over the world to play and win. Chris and I realized that the entire Uprising Rugby team works at Uprising in their adventure department. Not a coincidence at all, the Director hires the best players he can, gives them jobs, has a gym built for them to work out in, and has hired a trainer to work with them. Actually, they are practicing right now in a mowed horse field behind the reception area.
Pate' also pointed out the boats we passed as we were coming over. They were dive boats. They were diving with the bull head sharks. They are incredibly safe and don't bother people...hmm, really. I am just glad we didn't fall off.
After lunch, Chris and I walked along the beach and found hundreds of hermit crabs. It was so cool. They were no bigger then a knuckle, but they were everywhere. Loren will love the pictures. We also found these shells that the locals call eye balls. We are going to try and bring them home to the girls. They look like eyeballs. They are so cool. Finally, it was time to head back, and I have never been so thankful to make it back from an excursion.
The wind was about 20-25 knots. The waves were so big that when Pate' was over the crest of one, we couldn't see him. I was more wet from the ride home than I was snorkeling. My back hurt, my head hurt from jabbing into Chris' back, but my spirits were high. How much fun was that? It was like really riding a roller coaster. Chris kept screamin' yehaw! We made it home, and I kissed the sand.
We showered and I got a massage. It wasn't the greatest in the world, but it was so cool to be on a deck, over looking the ocean, with the breeze blowing, getting the kinks worked out. The ladies were very neat, too. They all have Westernized names, which I thought was strange since most name tags have authentic Fijian names. Bobbie's real name was Seatria. Fannies was Ureriria. I can see why they choose more Western names. Bobbie's family was from Nepal. Her mom and dad came over as indentured servants. When the British left, they stayed. She said that it was so bad in India that Fiji was a better choice for her family, even as servants. She was part of the Palm Sunday procession yesterday, and she gave me the scoop.
Apparently, it is an annual event. A group of church members, leave from Suva, about 1 hour away, and carry the cross all the way to Nadi about 3 hours from here. They stop at resorts and special spots along the way to share their stories and praise. At each spot, a person or persons is chosen to carry the cross to the worship site. For two years, Bobbie has been chosen. It is extra special because "Indians aren't allowed to carry the cross." I am not sure why because of her limit English. It seemed as though she was a convert to Christianity. She said at one time, "Life is hard, but God provides for all things." What a nice thought!
This brings me to my deep thought for the day. Pate' was describing villages and islands. He was saying that islands can have one village, or one family, or 9. Chris asked how they made a living. Pate' said, "There is no need for a living. The island provides them with what they want and what they need." People who don't need more than what they have and have been given. A lesson for today.
We walked to town to kill off the rest of the day. It was a nice end to a nice day.
Loren, dessert yesterday was very cool. It was a traditional Fijian dessert. It was stewed pumpkin in coconut milk. They put it in something similar to a manual crock pot and stew it in the milk. Then, they mash it and put sweetened pumpkin seeds on it. It was surprisingly delicious.
We miss our girls terribly, but know they are having the time of their lives. We love you all!
L and C
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