Big ass bugs and Bulas all round
May 24, 2005Pacific Harbour, Fiji
6:22am
Lilo and Stich it is. Hud seems to wake up earlier here on the other side of the world and popping a DVD in allows me to talk to you. Hi. How are you? Good good.
Day four in paradise. We have been to the beach. Eighty degrees and endless. Sandy bottoms and two-foot breakers that Hud thinks are nature’s big toys. We walked about two miles from our entry point and only saw one other whitey. This ain’t no Floridian coast full of restaurants that end in ees or eys or ies, this is raw and tamper free. This beach was sparse and what people we did see were just local Fijians enjoying their backyard. All welcoming us with a big fat smile and a hearty Bula. They really are warm people. Particularly with a blonde kid weaving in and out of our legs.
Hud seems to long for friends his own age. Every one we meet under seven, Hud bounds up with a big hello, or a warning of some sort. We were walking over a bridge near our villa and four kids were jumping off the bow of a boat and Hud yells down to them;
" Hey guys! You shouldn’t be jumping off that boat!"
Then he repeats it. And then casually skips away to warn the next group of kids of impending danger. What an odd little egg he is sometimes.
On Sunday evening, Chris dropped by with fish he had caught that afternoon and some homemade cinnamon rolls. He also dropped off 10 or so movies. Talk about making us feel at home. And home is what it feels like already. With our various clothes and crud hanging about we have established an instant familiarity that I knew would not take long. It never takes us long to at least acclimatize ourselves to our domicile. A couple of flung boxers and hanging bras and baybee we are home sweet home!!
I barbequed the fish and some chicken and we had that with some frozen broccoli as greens are hard to come by here. Hud is eating like a champ although his body is covered with mosquito bites. The bugs seem to truly dig his sweet, white skin.
Speaking of bugs, the other night I heard a buzzing sound outside our screen door. I flicked on the light and yumma humma there was a cockroach or a beetle the size of Hud’s fist hanging half way up the door. I kid you not this thing looked like it just swallowed an orange. And then to make matters worse it started to fly. And when I mean fly I mean struggle to hover. I think flying is this bugs last defense as it looked pained trying to keep its fat bug body in the air. And then it crashed to the ground. On its back. And wiggled its hairy little drumsticks to try to flip itself over. This of course is when I decided to get a closer look at this prehistoric insect.
I flicked it with my Fred Flintstone toe.
It skittered still on its back like a hockey puck.
I flicked it again.
It flipped over.
It attacked.
With all its disgustingly huge might, it took to the air and started to flying directly toward my now terrified mug. At first I thought that I could take it, one left hook to the jaw of this horrific beast and I would drop it like it’s hot. But then, as it approached I noticed on its actual jaw it looked like some sort of stinger or biter or claw or pincers or something that would lodge into my jugular and infect me with some sort of untreatable Fijian bug disease that would make my testes enlarge and my nipples leak mustard.
So. Like a real man. I dodged the airborne arachnid and chugged at lightning speed to the bedroom screen door and into safety. I did not see the bug again. But I know it’s out there. Waiting. Wanting to conquer and eat the largest man it had ever had the chance to run into. If only to tell the other monster bugs lurking in the South Pacific.
Yesterday, we loafed in the morning at the pool and then Steph suggested we go to Navua, a small town about 11 kilometers down the road and place where you could get more fresh produce. Steph also suggested we take the bus to further immerse ourselves into the Fijian culture. I, of course would have taken a cab and talked to the driver, immersing myself into his culture of nodding and not really knowing what we are saying.
So we took the bus. And by bus I mean open aired 1947 top speed 45 km, built for short-legged people bus. But it was fine, and as mentioned the Fijians are so nice and warm and totally gave us all big smiles for risking, I mean taking the bus.
Nuvua is situated on a large river that you can traverse various ways if you like. It may well be one of the adventures we choose to tackle either as a group or Steph and I as individuals. We have allotted and budgeted for three adventure days in our three weeks and we have yet to decide what to embark on. Pacific Harbour is known as the adventure capital of Fiji so we are in the right place.
Nuvua is pretty much dominated by Indo-Fijians and small little produce stands or larger, but still small grocery stores. I am still amazed at the amount of Indians living in Fiji, but it obviously adds to the culture and the cuisine. We ended up buying a fair amount of produce, including okra, Chinese cabbage and these little chilis that I of course had to try and prove that idiots can still burn their macho tongues off. We also got a pineapple, some oranges (which are green, and of course now ironic) a coconut, which we will eat in honour of Michele, some potatoes and onions, tomatoes (very expensive), cukes, grapes and big carrots. We took a cab home after waiting for the bus and realizing this wait could be five minutes or five hours. Hud, of course, fell asleep on the way home, canceling our plans to have lunch out.
Okra Winfrey and Urethra Franklin. These jokes will never stop making me laugh.
I popped out after we got home and grabbed beer and water. The local beer is awesome. It’s called Fiji Bitter and it tastes like Creemore and it wonderfully comes in quarts, which look so good in my hand, icy, beaded, glugging down my gaping maw. Oh my. I almost want one now. There are two in the fridge. Hmmm, 7:02 in the morning. I’ll wait until 8.
Last night I made a stir-fry with rice, garlic, onions, two small red chilis, okra, Chinese cabbage, carrots and the fish and chicken that we cooked up the night before. We have purchased no condiments, but it turned out pretty good. Everything was farm fresh and you could taste it. Things are good.
We also, some of you will be happy to know, produced a comprehensive budget outlining what we think we will spend in every location. BC was way too expensive including the purchase of this computer. But even with budgeting high, we still will have enough money to spend at least 6 weeks in Thailand come February. So it will be a full year we will have been at least not employed, but not necessarily away.
We were happy that we did the budget and it made us optimistic about the rest of the trip. Because all the jokes we were making about being home by September were being made through clenched teeth and with wide eyes.
Today it’s off to the beach and try to arrange our first adventure trip that will probably be a day trip to one of the islands for snorkling and lunch and maybe a Kava ceremony in a real Fijian village. Neato.
I miss Alice. I am sad that I will miss Coburn’s wedding. I have not started writing my novel. But I am pretty freaking happy.
Love you all.
J.
posted by Jason @ 10:06 PM
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