Hello from Fiji
It is 16:47 on Feb 8 at the Terraces Apartments on Denarau Island, Fiji. It has been a bit of struggle to find Wi Fi connections on this trip plus the power outlets are all 220 volts, not 110 as in Canada.
I looked at buying a converter here in Fiji but they weigh too much. We may end up buying one in NZ and maybe reselling when we leave. We really only need it for our electric toothbrushes and Bob's electric shaver and hair clippers.
We are sitting outside on our ground floor patio looking out towards the pool with the golf course beyond it. We had hoped to golf this afternoon but Naomi had her braids redone as it has already been 3 weeks since they were done in Edmonton prior to leaving. Diving is really hard on braids with mask and equipment taking a toll on them. The hair salon started on her hair at 0900 this AM and were not done until almost 3 PM! I could tell she was not a happy camper when I checked for the 5th time to see if they were almost done...always told it will be another half hour. The positive side is that she'll have another 3 weeks of easy hair care for130.00 FJD = 80.17 Canadian. Very good deal considering they took out the old braids, washed her hair and rebraided it again. My haircut took 5 minutes!!! Yes, isn't she jealous now.
Bob spent the time with our driver and new friend Ali, driving around the area and drinking "Qaffa" (sic probably) at the local market. I paid 20 Fijian cents to use the bathroom there...was not a bathroom Naomi would have wanted to use....good she was stuck in the salon.
Oh! We have to mention to the 3 Grandmonsters that sharks do eat vegetables!! (We will followup on that story when we get home). Yes, we saw sharks while diving but we had no issues with them. It does reinforce that they are never too far away from you in the ocean.
The "English" guys dove here in Fiji previously and they showed us some video of them diving with Bull sharks down the coast where we will be. They strongly encouraged us to do it.....? Thing is the Bull shark is #3 for attacks on humans...believe it or not we are considering it.
We leave tomorrow on our next boat trip with Blue Lagoon cruises. The great part is that all our pre-trip planning has been pretty spot on. We will be able to walk our luggage over one block to the check-in so no taxi required. We are not sure if there will be wi-fi aboard the boat so you might not hear from us for a bit.
Naomi's Mom (Norma) had a bad fall just before we left and was in hospital. Her brother (Quentin) and sister-in-law (Debbie) have been there to support her. She did get to go home briefly but as far as we know she is back in hospital last we heard. Deb and Q, we sent a text but not sure if you are getting them. Please leave a comment on the blog to let us know an update. We continue to check our texts as well but again may be out of reach for the next 7 days. Carter has all our contact information.
Next we want to say that if anyone plans on coming out this way, your best bet is to avoid going through the airport in Manila. They only allow passengers in the Departure terminal and there are no food and drink outlets there. They do have them once you are through Customs but we sat for almost 12 long, boring and hungry hours before we could relax and eat because you cannot check your luggage until 3 hours before your flight. Typical practice but tough to manage in Manila.
We then hit Singapore airport, which is considered the best airport in the world! (our world for sure). It is more like a huge high-end mall and features all the top brand stores plus other amenities such a swiming pool, spa and cinema. Our wait flew by in a blink.
The next stop was Sydney airport and we arrived very tired. The Immigration officer was most helpful and suggested a room in a hotel 1/2 block away. We took the airport luggage cart loaded with our gear right into our 8th floor room. We quickly showered and fell into bed for a few hours before heading out on the flight to Fiji. Thank you immigrations Sydney!!
So that's our journey to now - we'll connect in the next time wi-fi is available. Stay warm to our Canadian followers.
I looked at buying a converter here in Fiji but they weigh too much. We may end up buying one in NZ and maybe reselling when we leave. We really only need it for our electric toothbrushes and Bob's electric shaver and hair clippers.
We are sitting outside on our ground floor patio looking out towards the pool with the golf course beyond it. We had hoped to golf this afternoon but Naomi had her braids redone as it has already been 3 weeks since they were done in Edmonton prior to leaving. Diving is really hard on braids with mask and equipment taking a toll on them. The hair salon started on her hair at 0900 this AM and were not done until almost 3 PM! I could tell she was not a happy camper when I checked for the 5th time to see if they were almost done...always told it will be another half hour. The positive side is that she'll have another 3 weeks of easy hair care for130.00 FJD = 80.17 Canadian. Very good deal considering they took out the old braids, washed her hair and rebraided it again. My haircut took 5 minutes!!! Yes, isn't she jealous now.
Bob spent the time with our driver and new friend Ali, driving around the area and drinking "Qaffa" (sic probably) at the local market. I paid 20 Fijian cents to use the bathroom there...was not a bathroom Naomi would have wanted to use....good she was stuck in the salon.
Oh! We have to mention to the 3 Grandmonsters that sharks do eat vegetables!! (We will followup on that story when we get home). Yes, we saw sharks while diving but we had no issues with them. It does reinforce that they are never too far away from you in the ocean.
The "English" guys dove here in Fiji previously and they showed us some video of them diving with Bull sharks down the coast where we will be. They strongly encouraged us to do it.....? Thing is the Bull shark is #3 for attacks on humans...believe it or not we are considering it.
We leave tomorrow on our next boat trip with Blue Lagoon cruises. The great part is that all our pre-trip planning has been pretty spot on. We will be able to walk our luggage over one block to the check-in so no taxi required. We are not sure if there will be wi-fi aboard the boat so you might not hear from us for a bit.
Naomi's Mom (Norma) had a bad fall just before we left and was in hospital. Her brother (Quentin) and sister-in-law (Debbie) have been there to support her. She did get to go home briefly but as far as we know she is back in hospital last we heard. Deb and Q, we sent a text but not sure if you are getting them. Please leave a comment on the blog to let us know an update. We continue to check our texts as well but again may be out of reach for the next 7 days. Carter has all our contact information.
Next we want to say that if anyone plans on coming out this way, your best bet is to avoid going through the airport in Manila. They only allow passengers in the Departure terminal and there are no food and drink outlets there. They do have them once you are through Customs but we sat for almost 12 long, boring and hungry hours before we could relax and eat because you cannot check your luggage until 3 hours before your flight. Typical practice but tough to manage in Manila.
We then hit Singapore airport, which is considered the best airport in the world! (our world for sure). It is more like a huge high-end mall and features all the top brand stores plus other amenities such a swiming pool, spa and cinema. Our wait flew by in a blink.
So that's our journey to now - we'll connect in the next time wi-fi is available. Stay warm to our Canadian followers.
Hi Naomi, I don't think you have been getting my text messages so if you could call us that would be great. Your mom is okay but would like to give update.
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