K and J in Fiji “ You Can’t Make This Stuff Up”
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| The Husband |
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| The Wife |
Well dad, as I told you Saturday AM, the title of this Blog edition is... "You can't make this stuff up!"
Jeff and I finally met at the same place, in the same room, on Friday night in Allen, MD! Exciting times, we shared sushi and Chinese with you and mom and walked through the obligatories for Libby, the cat, and the house in our absence. As always, you and mom are so generous and do so much for Jeff and I... We are so very very fortunate to have you as parents and friends.
Bright and early Jeff and I got up on Saturday AM. Yes, it was only 1 degree, but who was counting.... we were off to Fiji. We packed up our stuff, talked about what we wanted to do for the day, and planned to get on our way at 11 AM. I had a mani pedi scheduled before we went out the door (you know those toes have got to look good for Fiji!) and once I was packed hopped in the shower.....
Alas... OMG.... What the %^***(..... There was no WATER coming out of the shower... Given the subfreezing temperatures this could only mean one thing..... Frozen pipes...
I slowly and sheepishly walked to the kitchen... and said... "Houston we have a problem...." Jeff and I quickly ran into action, Jeff got the Salamander running under the house, I checked the remaining spigots and realized the problem was far more global than at first glance.... and then.... hopped in the one working shower and rushed off for the mani pedi (I know, those of you reading this cannot believe I would leave Jeff for such a frivolous activity... Rest assured... this was a critical treatment, Jeff had bought me new sandals, and this runner's feet are atrocious on a good day - Jeff was in favor as he does sleep with me upon occasion and the weapons my toes have become needed to be taken care of,., plus, does it take more than one person to run a salamander and watch open spigots with no water?)
So, off I drove to prepare for our Fiji adventure... As I got to the salon I got a text from American Airlines... our direct flight to LAX was canceled due to weather. Weather?? What weather, it was cold and clear in Salisbury? Apparently, the ice storm in the south had impacted flyers across the east coast and south, and we were one of them. Of course, Jeff was outside with the salamander, trying to get heat to the crawl space and warm up the pipes, so he was unaware as I called and called and called.... After about 30 minutes I connected with Jeff, and he used his super special Airline status and got us a flight from BWI to Charlotte to LAX. Yahoo... we were still getting to Fiji, just via a new route.
So, I got home, Jeff got cleaned up, we were able to get 4 out of 5 spigots running (similar to 4 out of 5 dentists who like Trident.... but far more important for us). Our wonderful neighbor Woody came and checked on the progress and we packed up, sent a text to my dad to let him know the update on our departure and the pipes and headed out to BWI and Fiji!
The ride on the shore was uneventful. Gray skies, frozen waterways, and good conversation about our excitement at some quality time together. I worked a bit, cleaning up some emails so I didn't have anything to do once we were really on vacation.
Interestingly, as we got across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge we began to see a lot of snow. We continued to BWI and the snow got deeper, traffic got slower and we began to wonder if our flight would be canceled. As we arrived at the airport I got another text, the Flight to Charlotte was canceled. Rather than call, we met an agent at the gate and were able to book a flight for 24 hours later, same flight, same path, just delayed. We looked at each other, said... we are not as powerful as the being that made this weather.... so, lets get a hotel room. We drove 2.5 miles to the Homewood Suites.... Along the way we saw:
1. Car who slid through the stop at the light rail station and nearly got hit as the light rail came by
2. Several cars attempt to drive up a hill and slide down in the 6 inches of thick and crazy snow
3. Jeff stop to push a small sedan up a hill (from NC, didn't have a clue how to drive in the snow and I thought Jeff was going to have the "Big One" pushing this crew up the hill)
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| You are the man Jeff. |
4. Multiple cars stranded in the road, on the side of the road, in the middle of the road... All I can say is thank God for our Honda Pilot)
5. Many hotel shuttles slide down the hill and away from the hotel row at BWI. Not sure the end result for their patrons, but it wasn't pretty to watch..
It was pure craziness. Jeff and I checked in, played a few games of Monopoly Deal (what else do you do when the weather is crazy - please no, dear reader, I am not looking for suggestions....) then decided to drive .5 miles to Chili's. The place was packed and the snow was deep. We enjoyed dinner, not quite Fijan or beach like, but together. Our waitress was wonderful. Many staff had called out and she and the team worked together to serve everyone, the manger was serving drinks, and they were kind, happy and having fun. Our waitress was an Air Force dependent wife, her spouse was an Intel linguist working for the Air Force! It was fate that we had her and got to chat with her some.
It was a great night for us and apparently for the rest of the folks at Chili's! The bar was PACKED! and there was a spirit of adventure in the place, as the only food place open on a crazy weather night.
We got back to the room safely, watched "The Imitation Game" (for those who haven't seen it, great WWII story about the beginning of computers and how we cracked the code of the Enigma Machine, also up for an Oscar tonight...) and fell asleep ready for the adventure of Fiji, just with a one day delay.
We got up early Sunday and headed to the airport to verify that the flights we had were ready to go. We got to the airport and discovered that, in fact, no, we only had one of us making it to LAX... Jeff and I sat again with an agent, worked through the logistics of folks on the East Coast getting all the way to the South Pacific... and alas... for real... we made the flight to Charlotte and at this moment are on the flight to LAX!
Here we are, day 2, or is it three of this amazing journey with Jeff and I in Fiji. Yesterday, after an 11 flight from LAX to Fiji, aboard Fiji airlines we safely and successfully arrived to the Fijan’s and their “Bula” hellos. We started our journey at 0900 Sunday AM, flew to Charlotte at 1PM, then to LAX at 5 PM. We arrived on Tuesday
(there was a man on the plane who missed his Birthday since we skipped Monday). All added up the trip was 27 hours of plane rides and layovers.
This is not a trip for the faint of heart, but for those of you interested in doing something like a long haul trip, Jeff planned well (he has some experience with this I hear) and he is a wonderfully experienced traveler to fly with. He packed Monopoly Deal (I am up 3 to 2 so far this trip), and we had CBS 36 Questions for creating intimacy from my friend Lynn (for anyone interested these are great questions to create dialogue) We started our journey (after a loss of a day and once we finally secured seats on the same aircraft) with a glass of Champagne and a Bloody Mary at BWI. We cheered 26 years, lots of joys and sorrows, a lifetime of friends and family who had gotten us to this point in our lives. We are truly…. truly…. such a blessed couple.
Charlotte is an awesome airport. A wonderful Sushi bar, great USO, and spectacular shopping. In Charlotte we went shopping for a new suitcase for Jeff at TUMI and he got a great new carry on. They even donated is other one for us. After 6 years on the road, this was Jeff’s gift to himself and he loves it already!
The trip to LAX was uneventful, although long… a precursor of the restlessness to come I thought as I sat there. We had a lovely boxed meal of cheeses and fruit, a free Chardonnay since Jeff made a friend of the flight attendant (and his emerald flight status) and more Monopoly Deal. Then the fun began… we landed at 7 PM in LAX (10 PM EST) and stood lost looking for the international gates. Thankfully I had charged up my FitBit so I got credit for all the steps we took… we walked, walked, walked. The vast expanse that is LAX is amazing for an East Coastie used to BWI and DCA. We walked and walked and walked. Finally, after hitting my 10,000 steps and then some we got to the international terminal. I looked at Jeff and said…. “We are not in Kansas anymore….” We were truly in an international wonderland. We were the outliers with our American Passports and American shoes. Very few people were speaking English and the terminal was packed with people moving in every direction. When I travel and see folks from other countries I always look at the shoes that they wear. It’s an easy tell and one I use often to make a quick decision about nationality. You can also tell much about gender, ethnicity, profession and many other things. National Geographic has a wonderful article about the Joy of Shoes http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2006/09/joy-of-shoes/newman-text which is worth the read.
After our hike to the Fiji Air desk we were greeted by a delightful woman who requested our passports. Not a benign request given that Jeff couldn’t produce his (I had flashbacks to the Disney trip with my parents and someone else’s missing driver’s license). After dumping the contents of Jeff’s entire backpack out on the floor, we eventually found the missing passport, got our tickets and began to get in the cue to clear the international TSA checkpoint. The rest of the trip was uneventful (despite 11 hours in a plane) and we arrived safely hearing “Bula! Welcome to our home, welcome to Fiji!”
We got to the Hilton and were treated to bottles of water, an upgraded room so we had a beachfront property, and delightful 80+ degree weather. We were whisked in a golf cart on a tour of the property, the pools, restaurant, spa, shops, and off to our room. I could live here. One bedroom, kitchen, dining area, living room, large bathroom with a divine tub and a balcony and a large grill…. what more could a girl want? Thank you Jeff for a job that takes you to Fiji and 26 years together.
Cleaning the grit of 24 hours on the road was our first goal, then off to check out the pool, breakfast, and the property. We spent time poolside, swam, met some folks from a farming village in Melbourne, the parents were retired and the son and wife were here to celebrate their 30th birthdays (such young ens).
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| Denier Island Fiji |
Lunch in the afternoon was DimSum. This was the first time I had ever had such a menu that offered the freshest in vegetables, herbs and meats. It was incredibly light, spicy, and delicious. The waitress let us know that this resort, currently “managed by Hilton” was now going to be an official property of Hilton. The Prime Minister was coming Thursday and there was a flurry of activity from landscapers trimming, pruning and cleaning up as well as large tents being erected on the beach. We were excited to be part of it.
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| No snow here. |
We walked to Port Denaru, had a glass of beer and wine at the harbor at the Fiji Hard Rock Cafe (touristy I know but we had to do it!). My FitBit was singing all day and I hit 10,000 steps by 4 PM. That is when Jeff hit the travelers jet lag wall. We headed back to the room, Jeff off to bed, and I wandered the property, watched a little TV, enjoyed a wonderful Farmer’s Market Sauvignon Blanc on the veranda, and by 8 PM I too succumbed to jet lag and a delightful king size bed.
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| Port Denaru |
Todays activity includes some pampering, swimming, a lobster feast and one more day of enjoying the town of Denaru Island. We are enjoying the trip and making memories.
Bull, Day 4 Fiji time….. Awoke early again to overcast skies. Jeff and I headed for breakfast early since we were going to do a city tour today. Our driver picked us up at 0815, we were traveling in a small van with a couple from China. Our driver, Elijah, was wonderful. A father of 5 with 3 grandchildren, he had lots of insight into the local politics and culture of the island.
Our first stop was to the local Hindu temple. Jeff and I donned sarongs and took off our shoes in respect for the temple. Right in the heart of the city, this template, the largest in the southern hemisphere, was beautifully painted. There were many little alcoves with areas to celebrate specific Hindu gods. Much of the temple reminded Jeff and I of the Christian saints and our Catholic churches at home. School girls were walking in circles around the temple. There was much to ritual and repetitiveness here.
After the temple we went to the local market. In an open air market there were hundreds of simple tables erected for locals to sell their vegetables and fruits. There were pumpkins, chilis, lots of cava root (apparently if you drink it it has an anesthetic effect….) carrots, tomatoes, and lots and lots of people. Small children were running among the tables, playing hide and go seek for fun.
Next up was the local village, one of the first settled in Fiji. There was much chatter about their history of cannibalism which apparently is not occurring now.
After the local village we went off to the Garden of the Sleeping Giant and saw the amazing orchid collection of Raymond Burr. He came to Fiji in the 1970s and started this garden. It is owned and managed by an American company and it is absolutely stunning. A hidden oasis, well cared for and absolutely beautiful.
After an uneventful ride back to the hotel, Jeff and I donned swimsuits, ordered some Dim Sum and sat by the pool for the rest of the afternoon.
Dinner was an amazing one! We walked over to the “V” at the Intercontinental. Jef had Wagyu, I had seafood curry. We had a wonderful bottle of Odyssey Chardonnay from New Zealand which was amazing! For dessert Jeff ordered a cheese tray which was delightful. We walked back from dinner with the warm South Pacific breezes at our backs. This is a wonderful far away world….as getting nervous). We saw the Chiefs hit, learned of the paternalistic culture. Children were at school and only the women were in the village. Many made handicrafts for sale.
We had some coconut milk, visited their Methodist church with seats for 700, and enjoyed listening to our guides stories of her life, arranged marriages, and the tribes of Fiji.
After the local village we went off to the Garden of the Sleeping Giant and saw the amazing orchid collection of Raymond Burr. He came to Fiji in the 1970s and started this garden. It is owned and managed by an American company and it is absolutely stunning. A hidden oasis, well cared for and absolutely beautiful.
After an uneventful ride back to the hotel, Jeff and I donned swimsuits, ordered some Dim Sum and sat by the pool for the rest of the afternoon.
Dinner was an amazing one! We walked over to the “V” at the Intercontinental. Jef had Wagyu, I had seafood curry. We had a wonderful bottle of Odyssey Chardonnay form New Zealand which was amazing! For dessert Jeff ordered a cheese tray which was delightful. We walked back from dinner with the warm South Pacific breezes at our backs. This is a wonderful far away world.....
Once Kathryn heads back to the States poor Jeff has to hop on a short flight to the Island of Suva for at least a weeks worth of work at: The United States Embassy, Fiji.
Jeff we all hope that in some small way this makes up a bit for that Tin Box in Peshawar. Perhaps spring will be on the Eastern Shore, once you return.
If you care to learn a bit more of the Fijian recent history go to Wiki's site on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutinies_of_the_2000_Fijian_coup_d'état
to learn more.
Sarah and Tommy in Cancun
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| Mother and Son, off to warmer places. |
On the same day that Jeff and Kathy started their journey to warmer places Sarah and Tommy headed off to Cancun Mexico. Mary Agnes and I would be left holding multiple forts and keeping an eye on animals and homes. We have been able to Face Time with both Cancun and Fiji. We find this just amazing. Where was this in 1967 when I was in Japan and Mary Agnes was in Willingboro, NJ? No pictures of 6 month old Kathryn on this call.
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| Remember this? |
