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Fiji Random Thoughts

Eat, Drink and Be Merry

A regular student remarked recently how resilient I was to travel to parts lesser known. I smiled and said ‘thanks’.

He was wrong.

Comfort has gotten the better part of valour, and I’ve escaped the “hardships” of inland Nadi to more habitable parts. At least for a couple of days’ trial.

The downsides of inland Nadi are

  • the lack of air-conditioning, the biggest problem, although mostly only at nights. But a few nights of little sleep, and murderous black clouds are hovering overhead.
  • the crawling internet speeds. Almost Ok for watching youtube. But not good enough to earn even a meagre crust online video teaching, where I’m at the mercy of unforgiving Japanese students.
  • the environs. There’s nowhere to stroll without fear of being mown down by Mad Max trucks.
  • the difficulty of getting anywhere fast.

All of this dawned on me when the student kindly wished I was enjoying my “holiday”. Hah!

American physicist Richard Feynman said “… you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.”

And I got to thinking why I’m here. Not to explore the hinterland, or in the cause of anthropology. Not on a hunt for rare butterflies, or to sip pink cocktails poolside, or for geological surveys. Not at all.

Intermittent doses of physical stress are fine, but prolonged mental stress will have me nearing 80 shortly.

I’m here to sit out the winter, do some work and some swimming, meet some locals, see some sights, and soak up some vitamin D and local food.

Which is all by way of justifying a weekend in Martintar on the main Nadi thoroughfare. It’s got

  • air-conditioning
  • decent internet
  • proximity to the Beach. Today it took me $5 FJD and ‘only’ 90 minutes to travel to the beach and back, go for a swim, and catch up the staff at the Ideal Bed & Breakfast, my last lodgings.
  • shops etc within quick walking distance

I’ve booked a weekend, but I may well extend it. I’ll fret about the budget later.

As the infamous Donald Kessel ( classmate 1974 – 1976, now inventor ) said “eat, drink, and be merry, and tomorrow we starve”.

UPDATE: The place has worked out better than expected! It even has internet speeds passable enough to teach some Japanese students. BUT I’ve just found out I can’t extend my stay because someone had already booked it.

Categories
Fiji

Accommodation in Fiji

Good cheap accommodation here is harder to find than I expected.

After a lot of  lost-in-translation phone calls, the options seem to be limited to airbnb and home stays.

When I finally struck a real estate agent who could understand me, I was told that apartment and home leases of less than a year are like snakes’ balls.

HOMESTAYS v. AIRBnB

Home stays can be much cheaper, of course, and can offer a ‘real’ local experience –  more intimacy.

But that has its downsides too. You’re living in someone’s pocket, so there’s a loss of privacy. Your quirks are in plain view. You have to hold conversations. You’re more often than not sharing a kitchen or bathroom. Homestays will often not have air-conditioning or fans.

With AirBnBs, prices aren’t so good, and exact locations – which are important here – aren’t shown until after they’re booked. A photo can be worth 1000 words of bs.

On the other hand, searching and booking is easy, and hosts are rated by guests,  they tend to play nice.

TOWN v. COUNTRY

Another young players’ surprise has been how difficult it is to get accommodation near the sea. I know that’s nothing new, but I found a way in Vietnam, Thailand, and Adelaide.

In Nadi, locations near the water go for the price of an aeroplane. To the south, and then East toward Suva , the seaside options are a) a gated resort , and b) a stay at a village.  The first is expensive, the second involves charm and giving up all or most mod-cons. I had one place booked in Viseisei , but the owner has bedbugs.

Further North, in Fiji’s second city, Lautoka,  there is no swimmable seafront. The option there is a ( cheap ) $10 FJD round trip to an island maybe 3 kms offshore.

CURRENT OPTIONS

I have to leave here on June 14.  Right now, there are two possibilities I’m thinking on.

The first is a homestay about 6 doors up the road. This is with an Indian man I got talking to on my wanderings. His brother,  who I happened to share a bowl of kava with in another episode, also lives there. Rent would be $125 FJD / week, a generous offer not to be sniffed at. I like the neighbourhood, it has a good vibe to it. It’s central, and the shops and market are nearby. The big downsides are the deranged local dogs, and no aircon or fan.

The other is yet-unseen place down in Sigitoka.  I made tracks for it today, but mis-timed the buses, so went for a swim at Wailoaloa instead. It’s a farm house, apparently about 10 minutes’ walk from town, and not so far from the beach. It’s probably a longshot.

If both of those fail, there are back-up options which involve either spending a lot of money, or heading a little into the countryside.

Youtube videos.

 

 

 

 

Categories
Fiji

Lautoka

A day at home yesterday listening to rabid dogs was enough of a spur to make the trip to Lautoka today.

The bus trip, which would have been about 45 minutes had I gone straight through, cost $3. Three!

As it was, I jumped off on a whim at Vuda village, and found a hidden beach almost worthy of a brochure.

After a chat with a couple of villagers, I jumped back on the bus to Lautoka ( another dollar ).

I spent the day wandering the streets.

Chance Encounters

One of the people I bumped into by chance, named Raj, offered me a place to stay. Only $300 / month for a private room in his house.

It sounded feasible, but by that time it was late afternoon, and I was hankering for something to eat and a good lie down.

Earlier, I collared ( and paid, mind ) a taxi driver for a quick tour of nearby ‘burbs which are dog-free and affordable. His recommendation – Kashmir, where he thinks I’d get a house to myself for ~$600 month.

I’d decided in the first few minutes that I liked it – it’s population is larger, and there’s a more compact town centre. It looks more affluent, and so possibly freer of crime. Having said that, there were street beggars, as in Nadi.

It has a huge central market, below, and also some street food stalls like South East Asia.

I finally stumbled home, over-heated and hungry at around 3pm six hours after leaving Nadi this morning.

Videos

I’m going to be doing more videos and less writing on this trip. You can see the videos on my sleepy youtube channel, which I’m now tidying up.

Categories
Australia Cairns Lodgings

New digs

This guest house lark is all very nice and comfortable, but it isn’t cheap, so I move into a flat next Tuesday.

It’s in Clare St, Parramatta Park, where I’ll share a downstairs flat with two others. Private bedroom, aircon, desk, broadband, and shared bathroom, kitchen , living area, $165 AUD / week.

I’m a little nervous about the caper, having told myself in 2018 after a cold winter in a Railway Terrace, Whg flat, that that was the last time.

But the house-owner seems like a straight-up no-bs sort, and it was advertised as a “non-party” ( read codgers’ ) household, so all may be well.

Pedalling

I’ve been putting in the biking miles, and will be buying my own ( second-hand, circa $80 ) for transport as I’ll lose the free use of the guest house two-wheelers.

Sights

.. and I’ve been further exploring the Esplanade and waterfront. Evidence below.

July 22, 7:47 a.m., the Bay
July 20, 10:29 a.m., the Salt-Water pool
July 22, North End of the Esplanade, looking over the Bay

Categories
Lodgings Vietnam

Moving Up In the World

I’ve moved up in the world – literally, but not figuratively.

After a manic shotgun method of due diligence looking for new digs for the next month, I moved. Up one floor, from 401 to 501.

So, still at Old Faithful 25 Quảng Đức, Vĩnh Hải, Thành phố Nha Trang, etc.

It’s the first place I stayed in Nha Trang. I like it for many reasons. Among them;

  • its cheap at 4.5m VND ~= $USD 194 / month.
  • The management is good. The day manager is a lovely young woman, always smiling, and ready to at least listen to annoying requests from neurotic foreigners ( me ). They supplied, on request, a hotplate, and more importantly, a rice cooker. This second doubles very nicely as a Crockpot. Roll on the everlasting chicken stews.
  • It’s close to the beach. Two – three minutes. No excuse to miss an afternoon wade & paddle.
  • It’s smack in the middle of two big markets – Vinh Hai, and, er, the other one. Fresh veges, home-made produce ( I’m ‘studying’ Vietnamese rice cakes at the moment ). Non-processed meats – get there early enough, and most of the flies are still asleep.

The list could go on, but here’s my thinking for moving up s floor:

Two reasons mainly – 1) the huge immoveable bed in room 401 was in an awkward place .2) I’ll be another floor up, so a) further from road & dog noise b ) able to see more c ) get more breeze. If I leave my door slightly ajar I can get a cooling gale blowing down the corridor on a good day.

The downside is that it’s a long way ( 15-20 minutes’ ride ) from work. It’s a lifestyle compromise I’m willing to make, for now.

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