Have to keep this short, running out of free computer time. To say Fiji has changed since my last visit is an under statement!! Prices have more than trebled making it very expensive and not nearly as interesting as it once was.
I was in Suva two days ago, looking for somewhere to eat (big changes in Suva as well as Nadi) when the ubiquitous "tour" guide approached me, but instead of asking my name and other stuff, he just gave me his name. I damn near had a heart attack, it was the same person, progressed from street sword seller to president of a group of street tour guides, who had taken pity on me 21 years ago after I had a car accident and went to Suva to try to sort out the credit card mess. The car rental company was trying to stiff me for thousands in repair bills when in fact the damage was only about $300. Got that estimate from a repair shop before I returned the car. The bank/MC place said they would go to bat for me but I didn't hold out much hope. So there I was, on the street, nearly in tears, when this sword seller approached, asked me if I was okay - I said "No," - so he bought me a cup of tea! He then showed me a good place to change money and that was the last I saw of him. He didn't even try to sell me a sword.
Two days ago he approached me because he was sure he had seen me before but didn't know why. When he gave me his name I launched into the 1992 car accident story and half way through he said in disbelief "It is you!" Talk about a small world. I did not recognize him, only his name, and he didn't remember me properly until I went into the 1992 details.
The upshot ... he took me back to his (extremely poor bordering on squalid) village on the outskirts of Suva so I could meet his family: wife, 7 kids and 15 grandchildren, where we made arrangements to go to his wife's village in the back hills of Nausori the next day for a community fund-raising kava ceremony. Only the men of that village contributed money, no-one else had to and I was the only outsider. It was neat when we went to his place to pick up his wife beforehand when one of his daughters saw us coming and called to the children "Here comes grandmother!" How cool is that?! So of course I now have two more Facebook contacts as well as cellphone numbers and e-mail addresses. They may be dirt poor, and they are dirt poor, but they are in the modern age, big time.
This keyboard is impossible to type on and time is running out. So much more but it will have to wait (hope I can remember everything!)
Edited by: Watsoff because I want to nukethis keyboard!
