Sydney to Nadi, Vitu Levu

Going to the airport in Sydney I realized one thing that scared me a little. If i had been in Norway, the thought of going to Fiji would have excited me so much that I would not have rested for a minute the week before departure. As I was sitting in the train, actually being on the way to paradise, I did not feel anything. I was glad to be on the road again, but I guess I was so used to seeing amazing places that I did not need to feel this kind of excitement. In some ways I kind of hoped I would have been home for about two days, just to get the feeling of starting the adventure anew. It might sound like I am not having a good time, which is not true, I actually think I am having an even better time than I would on a short trip. When all pro's and con's are counted the quantity of great experiences will outrace any two week tip to Spain. The reason why Fiji is not exciting me in the way that it would if I was in Norway, is just a result of me managing to see so many positive things about all the small places that I normally would not feel so excited about if I was back home. I have some kind of a constant excitement, and it is fueled more by the places that surprise me, than the places that are well known "must-sees", or that have the "exotic aura" surrounding them.

Once again I got an emergency exit seat, but this time it was a really good one. Almost three meters to stretch my legs, and only one guy next to me. I was flying with Air Pacific. When they were serving the first drinks, the hippie Aussie sitting next to me ordered a vodka-orange juice. The flight attendant poured him the strongest screwdriver I have ever seen, and then she gave him an extra glass of orange juice, in case the drink was too strong. He asked for an extra glass of vodka as well, just as a joke, but she poured him before he even got time to tell her that it was a joke. The generosity continued when we got the food, and they even gave me the half full bottle when I asked for a glass of wine. I really got a good impression of Air Pacific. The flight time was not too bad, and was talking to various people around me. An English girl that already had a hostel reservation with a free pickup, was very nice, so I just went with her when we landed. Her name was Laura, and she was the most stylishly dressed traveler I had met in a long time. I am for sure not keeping up on the dress code of the fashion world. And after washing my clothes by hand for quite some time, they are not the cleanest in the world either.

When we had collected our luggage, and I once again got through an island customs with my lianas from the Thai jungle in my backpack, Laura and I looked around the arrival hall for a placard with the hostel name on it. There was no such sign, so we just asked the information. They said that the pickup was not there, and that we should take a taxi to the hostel, and that the hostel would pay for it. We got in a taxi with a driver who tried to convince us to drop her booking and come stay at his place with his wife. We would eat together, and he charged the same as the hostel. We could even get a private room. We noted down his number in case it would become more interesting after checking out the hostel, and got out of the car as we arrived at The Drift Inn. The people from the hostel paid the driver, and we got our room, a dorm with three beds and a fan. We took a quick shower and got in the car. The staff wanted to take us down to a free barbeque.