Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Farewell Fiji
Our last day in Fiji :-( Erin had her hair braided today, while Max & I just lazed in the hammock outside the bure, reading. At lunch, Max complained of a painful ear, which was probably swimmer's ear, due to all the time he's spent in the pool. I took him down to see the doctor in the nearest town, Sigatoka, and she confirmed it. She pronounced him fit to fly, and we managed to get antibiotics and drops in the pharmacy. I love places like Sigatoka. It was all abuzz with people buying fruit & veg in the market, chatting, generally going about their everyday business, and the local girls on their way home from school in gaggles, chatting & laughing. They seemed almost to make even the colourful street scenes fade slightly because they were wearing magenta uniforms which seemed almost iridescent in the afternoon sun.
After an early dinner and extensive farewells from the staff we headed to the airport. The flight to Los Angeles was an incredible ordeal. I can honestly say I've never enjoyed a flight less. Where most are smooth with periods of turbulence, this was bumpy all the way but for a few brief calm spells. In fact it was so bumpy I swear I could feel the aircraft (a 747)flexing. We didn't sleep much. On top of that, about three hours out of Los Angeles, Max started to vomit. He kept it up all the way through the flight, and through the airport when we landed, poor lad. Finally, at the departure gate, waiting for our connection to San Francisco, he lay down on the floor & slept. He must have been exhausted. He was sick once more, when he woke up to board the plane, but then brightened up almost immediately. My theory is that it was food poisoning from our last Fiji dinner, because it was over so quickly.
Fortunately the flight to SFO was only 50 minutes, and the transfer was pretty swift, so we were at our hotel in reasonable time. In fact, we arrived there a few hours before we left Fiji, thanks to the International Date Line. All went to bed early, somewhat jaded.
After an early dinner and extensive farewells from the staff we headed to the airport. The flight to Los Angeles was an incredible ordeal. I can honestly say I've never enjoyed a flight less. Where most are smooth with periods of turbulence, this was bumpy all the way but for a few brief calm spells. In fact it was so bumpy I swear I could feel the aircraft (a 747)flexing. We didn't sleep much. On top of that, about three hours out of Los Angeles, Max started to vomit. He kept it up all the way through the flight, and through the airport when we landed, poor lad. Finally, at the departure gate, waiting for our connection to San Francisco, he lay down on the floor & slept. He must have been exhausted. He was sick once more, when he woke up to board the plane, but then brightened up almost immediately. My theory is that it was food poisoning from our last Fiji dinner, because it was over so quickly.
Fortunately the flight to SFO was only 50 minutes, and the transfer was pretty swift, so we were at our hotel in reasonable time. In fact, we arrived there a few hours before we left Fiji, thanks to the International Date Line. All went to bed early, somewhat jaded.
// posted by Chrisl @ 11:30 PM 
