Pacific Odyssey - Leg 3

Today was a very hot day with no wind to even evaporate the moisture on our bodies, feigning coolness. It was one of those days where everyone can feel the sweat running between the shoulder blades, our faces shine, our hairlines are damp and droplets sit above our lip . . . hot. I took the boys twice to the shower to douse them with their clothes on; no need for towels here, we drip-dry pretty quickly. Today was a day about town for most of the trainees. I´m not even sure what they were all up to. Most of them are away from the ship for the greater part of the day; things are inexpensive here and I think they find a cool place to sit, write, have their meals, do their emails etc. There are some very interesting markets and festivals to visit because of the Independence Day celebrations. There is also a big Sugar Festival taking place. At this festival there is a covered area set up as a market with at least 75 tables full of East Indian stuff layed out for sale.
We saw fabrics, linens, blankets, saris, clothing, the most ornate and carved furniture I have ever seen, handbags, cosmetics, kitchen gear, pillow slips . . . so much, and so much of it was bright colours and sequins or something sparkly enmeshed in it somehow. We enjoyed walking through the stalls, looking and asking questions; we learned some words for ´thank you´ and ´hello´ in Hindi. There are always opportunities for connecting with the people and their culture; people are very friendly here. The market was hot, extremely interesting, and crowded. I kept the children close. Nearly all of us have taken some time to go there and most of us have returned to the boat with either blankets, shawls, handbags or shirts. Gillian taxied into Nadi and spent some time in the largest Hindu temple in the South Pacific. She said it was spectacular. It was ornately carved and vividly painted by craftsmen brought in from India. She also had her hair cut by a Indo-Fijian stylist in Nadi. Karen, Jose, Skipper and myself spent some wonderful hours preparing the entertainment for the dinner. We have created a Trivia game that brings together memories of Leg 3; questions about events, people, places, cultural info., etc. It was very fun and we laughed a lot. I think the evening is going to be wonderful. Karen, Jordan and Antony spent an ´epic´ but successful day in Suva yesterday, they returned to the boat at 2300hrs. Jordan and Antony managed to find everything but 2 items on a
2-page list of things needed for the ship. At the Chinese and New Papau Guinea embassies, Karen refused anything but what she was sent there to get; she is amazing. We now have Chinese visas for all those on board and the process for obtaining visas for Papua New Guinea has been started. Our shipping agent was telling Skipper that it would take at least 10 days to get visas; like I said, Karen is amazing. The gatekeepers at the front gate have invited the entire boat to watch the Rugby match between South Africa and Fiji Monday morning at 0100hrs. It should be fun; the town is abuzz with excitement about the game. They are incredibly proud of their win against Wales. This is it, it´s late and it´s very warm down here. Tristan´s parents have arrived today, we haven´t met them yet, but they are the beginning of a good-sized group of friends and parents coming to the Grace to see crew and trainees, or joining us for the Leg and beyond. Until tomorrow, good night, Bonice.