Pacific Odyssey - Leg 3

We are tied up to a brand new dock and beside us towers a new crane about 4 masts high.  We have a security guard watching over the boat 24 hours a day, plus we are inside a fenced and watched compound.  To the east of us is the sugarcane refinery.  We can smell the burning of the cane; it´s a nice smell, kind of molasses-like.  The wind blows cane ash and dust everywhere, producing a fine layer of dirt on everything; the shipping agent warned us about it. There is a shower for us to use, it pours a dribble of cold water in a somewhat sketchy cubicle within the compound.  The guys need to bring a wrench along in order to get the water going.  It still feels good though, we´re thankful.   We had a wonderful final passage.  Soon after leaving Levuka we were in the lee of Viti Levu, where there were innumerable islands, coral reefs and shallow water.  The motion became negligible and Tom was thrilled at how well he was doing.  Today him, Tristan and Bec found a small fair and went on some rides.  Tom went on the ´Spider,´ and came off feeling not so well, muttering, "I needed my Stugie (Stugeron is our seasickness
medicine)."   Coming in we could see the Yasawa Group of Islands in the distance, as well as the island where "The Castaway" was filmed.  The entire starboard watch (minus a few) was up at 0400hrs to watch the sun rise and have a final stash bash and deck dance to ipods.  They had fun and were ready for bed after breakfast dishes. It was wonderful to wake up and see blue skies and feel the warmth of the sun.  The lee side of the island is the drier side; we´ve had cloudy and rainy days for about a week now, not long, just seems long; it felt good to feel we were back in the tropics, even if it meant sweating in our navy blue uniforms again.   The land looked much drier and it was hilly.  Jaimie said it reminded her of the interior of British Columbia, close to Kamloops.  Here in Lautoka, it looks quite green.  Skipper had several matters to reconcile with the port officials and the shipping agent once we tied up, and then everyone was free to visit the town. Lautoka has a population of about 43,000. There are shops, internet, laundry, library, cinema, etc. The fair I spoke of earlier had a ferris wheel that cost $2 fijian dollars (about $1Canadian) and Sam, Tristan and Bec rode it for half an hour.  What ran it was a rear car axle with a car transmission built into it.  A generator was driving the axle and a belt connected the two.  Tristan noticed a large puddle of oil around the generator and a fellow filling the generator with coolant.  When they wanted to try another ride, the man in charge had to grab a battery from one ride and move it to the next.  They said it was fun though and several others have returned there tonight for ´Fijian Night.´  This entire week
Fijians are celebrating their Independence from Great Britain in 1870.  It is the biggest celebration of the year and all kinds of events are planned.  October 8 everything closes down, so Fijians can have a holiday long weekend.   I hear the town is very interesting with a very varied population, who are very friendly.  Elske and Tav found a huge market and bought a wheelbarrow-size load of papayas, mangoes, pineapples, and bananas, all for $4.  It was delicious, fresh picked and ripened on the tree.  They said there was such a selection to choose from and the fruit made everything very colourful and photo friendly.  There were also vendors selling a large array of spices and herbs.  There is an equal mix of IndoFijians and indigenous Fijians, and on the whole, I think they co-exist quite comfortably, although they do have their differences. The Polynesians came to the various island groups from the movement of people from west to east, from the West Indies and Malay Peninsula; this is more noticeable here in the look of the people and the types of stores and items we see in the villages and towns. There are shops with beautiful sari material, as well as food stores that sell East Indian food.  There is quite a difference between here and everything we have seen up to this point.  It should be an interesting visit.  We are eagerly anticipating the many family members and friends who are coming to visit us here.  As well, Loren Haggerty and Sarah Brizan will be joining us; something we are really looking forward to. Trainees have returned to the Grace, excited at how cheap everything is.  After French Polynesia, this is very nice.  Trainees seem excited about being here and the variety of things there are to see and do.  We have a very full week ahead of us, Skipper has already been incredibly busy finding information on various issues and sourcing out options.  Jordan and the cooks will need to do a big shop and we have several visas for China and everyone´s visas for Papua New Guinea to obtain.  Antony, Jose and Karen all started researching different supplies needed in the next few days, i.e. work days, final dinner, medical supplies.  Skipper Tony would like to wish his brother Jeff a wonderful day, October 4.  Happy Birthday Jeff, from Tony and family.   I think this is it.  More tomorrow. Good night, Bonice.