It’s our last dive in Fiji, I giant stride into the water off the back of the boat and a piece breaks off my fin. The fin still works for now, but we now have another errand to run in Australia. Can’t arrive on our live a board in the Solomon Islands with an iffy fin. Another equipment failure caused, perhaps, by the Fijian Gods.
We are now in Nadi, sitting in our hotel room and agree that now that we are getting close to leaving Fiji, the Gods are using their influences to make sure we depart. Read on.
Before we left Edmonton, we got an email from Fiji Airways saying that we could bid to sit in Business Class on our flight from Honolulu to Fiji and then from Fiji to Brisbane. We researched, discussed, thought and then said “What do we have to loose!”, so we put in a couple of real low ball bids. We didn’t get the first flight, but two days ago we got an email from Fiji Airways saying that our bid was accepted and we will be flying Business Class to Brisbane. And for an extra $270 US total for the two of us. A pretty good deal.
At the Paradise Taveuni Resort we meet an Australian couple that we chat with a lot and they are flying on the same flight as us from Taveuni to Nadi. We are shuttled to the airport together, with a quick stop at the International Date Line where we time travel from yesterday to today and back again.
We arrive at the minuscule airport, check in, get bags and each of us, together with our carryons weighed and then sit chatting to a couple of old locals who have brought a packaged up live pig there destined for a birthday party. Poor pig!
The inbound plane arrives and unloads. Next thing we know a fellow is asking our friends and us our names and says to me “You can board now.” The four of us get up and start to gather up our carryons when our friends are told it is just Murray and me going. What? We quickly say goodbye, and board wondering what is going on, but are too rushed to ask any questions. We are the only ones on the flight! The Fijian Gods have sent a private plane for us! They know we are headed out of the country and want to expedite the process.
We are not sure what is going on but we have 20 more hours on Fijian soil to see if the Gods throw anything else at us.