ront-mundu: November 2018

I feel like I am in an episode of the Twilight zone….Last Thursday I got in a car (yay Avis) and drove out to what I thought was a quaint little beach town: The Entrance. Once here, I tumbled from one disappointment to the other. The hidden gem (official name, no kidding) apartment I had booked, nonrefundable and a bit more expensive than I would have preferred, was in a neighborhood I did not feel safe in at all. A quick walk to town to see the feeding of the pelicans…ok, I need to go back and fill in some holes, methinks...

In the last blog I had mentioned that I would be out of wi-fi range for a bit. Before I left for Australia I had little planned, but the few things I did arrange beforehand were: 1 trail, 2 road races (all for charity) and a trip to Fiji.

Fiji…ah, Fiji…

There was another song as a possible title song for this post. But as that is a very old, ritmo kombiná song that I think not even Kwek knows, I choose for this title. While in Fiji, with so many similarities to the Caribbean, I was so aware that I am exactly what I am: Krioyo. From the sea and hard workin', rum drinkin' island girl (Hend'i mondi mi ta).

Bule-Bula would have been very appropriate, though. If you ever go to Fiji, that is the one word you need to know: BULA! And you have to say it with buya (Papiamentu for glee), smile and then say: welcome home.

The plan for Fiji for us was to stay on the main island for 3 nights and then do a 3-night cruise to see some other islands. We flew into Nadi. Ok, another segue: the common language of the 333 Fijian islands (Bauan) has a few rules. Before a consonant an extra n is added. So Nadi is actually: Nandi. The letter c is pronounced as th. Moce is more like Mode (goodbye). Every letter has its own sound. So Sulue is pronounced Su-lu-e. Buluo is pronounced Bu-lu-o. Thank you is Vinaka. And if you are like me: vale lai lai is toilet.

So, we flew into Nandi on Wednesday, and got our firsts glimpses of a wet and gray island. From the air I could see many plots of land filled with sugarcane, which led me to believe there might be some rum on this island. We had booked accommodation and were staying at the Radisson Blu on Denarau Island. What we did not know, is that Denarau island is a man-made part of the island, where all the big hotel chains have set up. Here you have the Hard Rock Café and the Heineken House and I am certain that some people only cross the bridge to the island from and to the airport. If you are from where I am from, you know, you do not swim in man made beaches, they are just for show.

Mind your step!

Only rain we got the whole week

Yeah, I ain't getting in that....

The first day we laid low and stayed at the resort and had a quick bite. We came across our first strict [inside of the box thinking] staff. I do realize that the big hotel names have rules and policies, but it felt like the staff was incapable of thinking along and trying to accommodate the guests that were paying an absurd amount of money to eat very, VERY crappy food. Maybe it is a cultural thing. But we needed a solution for the last day of our stay. The cruise we had booked arrived at 9 am and our flight wasn’t until 1850 so we needed somewhere to leave our bags and spend the day. It got solved in the end, if you need tips, just ask ;op

The next morning, the weather cleared and we started with a run/walk to explore where we were at. The island has a Port marine, and there is where the cruises and ferries leave from. Here you find the touristy souvenir shops and bottle shops.

Barika Berde

In the afternoon we went to town. Without really going to town. We bought lunch (grand total of 10 Australian dollars), which I ate and Roos smelled and were back in our tourist conclave in two hours. We took the bus home.

That evening we thought we would go out for happy hour at the Hard Rock Café and walk back home.

Happy Hower!

Next day we went ziplining in the morning.

missing videos here

After the zipping, we had a hike to a waterfall and dinner on one of the resorts with a stunning display of nature.

missing video here

There was another show on when we got to the hotel.

Saturday morning we were at the Port again, to board our cruise. A first for the both of us!

the coordinates behind me are almost mirrored to the other side, where I am from

Here is hoping!

Yeah, they got rum here

We had our first experience with the crew in one of the bottle shops where we were minding our own business just before the trip and some crew came in to stock the ship. Little did we know that we left a big impression then, we would from that moment on have the code name: the turtles. In the Fijian culture turtles bring good luck, and as we were young and pretty and sisters, we must be very lucky.

We boarded and left the main island and soon realized that the average age on board was 67. I must say that the both of us have an unusual coloring for these isles (as for Australia). You have light and dark skinned but little in between. So yeah, we do look like sisters.

First day we stopped at a sandbank/island for a snorkel and a swim. Which is basically what we did every day…

The first evening we had drinks with the Captain, Technical officer and a former captain of the ship. Ian, Geoff and Bob where a blast and we laughed a lot. For dinner we were joined by the first officer Semi. We went to bed early and woke up to see the sunrise and hit the gym before all else started.

Private tour of the bridge

Roos went for a dive and I picked up trash on all the beaches we swam at.

We stopped at the island where Cast Away was filmed on the second day and in the afternoon we went to church.

Third day we say the sharks being fed and visited the Sacred island. We visited a school, where the kids were out (national holiday)
and hiked to a nice look out point.

Yeah, I ain't getting in that either...

My friend, who patrolled the beach with me to pick up trash

Our last evening on the boat was Bula night!

missing video here

On the 4^th day we left the boat early, as we are both early to rise and easily bored. We entertained ourselves brilliantly until we boarded the plane back to Sydney.

The cruise experience is one I would like to repeat. Not on this cruise line, we could tell there were issues here. The hierarchy and lack of communication were working against the smooth sailing and if it were not for the crew, this might have been a bad experience. The guys and girls, with their laughs and jokes and ebullient spirits are keeping this boat floating. The casual talks of Amos and Nurse Buluo are some of the highlights of the trip for me. I will never look at an orange the same way again. In the past, if the chiefly son wanted to settle down, all the single ladies (all the single ladies) would get together on the town square and the bachelor would roll an orange towards them. Whoever the orange landed at, had to marry the guy. And me, spending weeks watching the Bachelorette AUS make up her mind….

So, back to Sydney and back to my homeless days. Wandering about until my host is back home from work has given me quite some perfect moments…

Sweet potato breakfast

followed by the Blow Bar: I went for the wavy look

Last Thursday I went to pick up the car and I finally had the kind of banter I was looking for the whole trip. I walked in and the two guys there, a person of reduced mobility and a guy of apparent Asian descent and heavy accent were the bomb. Dreams by the Cranberries was playing and we were all humming along a bit as I was being checked in. The Asian dude has actually been to Amsterdam and Kuukenhof and Icannotpronounceitbutitends in -Hoorn (aah: Giethoorn) and he told me that the way to the Entrance is straight ahead and then you get to the 20 roundabouts (he was sooo right) and that I needed to get a move on, because every day at 1530 they feed the pelicans. Me: pelicans? He: yes, pelicans. Other dude: hugeass pelicans…Is that not why you are going? Me: euh, neu? But will go have a look…(?)

So I got in my brand-new Hyundai i30 and zipped down the M1, driving leftsided like I have never done anything else. I did not even put on my wipers instead of my indicator lights by mistake once (ok, to be fair, yesterday I did, twice).

Got here, got over the crappy neighborhood and went down to see the show.

Yeah, no. Not for me.

Ugly buggers….the best bit for me is when I thought one of them was going to pinch a kid…

Enniewhoo, the first race was a big success, so I was really looking forward to the next. That is the reason I am where I am right now, at the Entrance in New South Wales. Before I leave I will go past the signs at the beginning of town and put aka the Pearly Gates under the name of the town, the average person who lives here is at the edge of death’s door. I expected a showdown at noon in the streets, tumbleweeds rolling, because the townspeople must be living in fear of a villain of some sort, peeking from behind the windows…

Then, yesterday, someone opened a can of tourists and the whole town came to life. When I got back from another nearby town where I went to explore, it was as if the extra’s came in for the movie and the town came to life. This morning my peeps, the fluorescent lycra folk, took over and we had a nice run.

Tomorrow: Melbourne. Miss Fisher, here I come!

Things I had learned about Australia, but forgot to mention until now:

Australia has plastic money. The bills are made of plastic

The ‘order here’ thing is something I just can not get used to! I was in this restaurant at 16h. Came in, observed the greenhouse-like, geriatric surroundings, sat down, remembered to look around for order here sign, went to order, was told the kitchen was closed till 17:30. I understand, that could be. But when I asked (by the way, this was a restaurant of a hotel) if any bites were available, I was told the kfc and domino’s were down the street. So, are you comparing your food to the kfc? The reply: I have had this conversation many time before.

NOT WITH ME! How do people accept this kind of attitude? I had Christmas cards to write, and this town is not all that, so I stayed until the kitchen opened and then had to send back my food, twice. I never send food back, I think it is a waste of the food and some are going hungry right here in town. But it bugged me too much. I asked for medium, got almost well done and when she took it back, the lady at the table next to me said: I think you are going to get it even more done now. And indeed.

When I went back: this is medium.

No, it is not.
Eyeroll. What do you want then, blood?
If that is what is needed, yes, thank you. And then I got an almost medium steak.

Things I have learned in Fiji:

What side you wear your flower in your hair matters. Right is taken, left is single and in the middle is undecided. Crap, or is it the other way around...

Fijians have a fabulous sense of humor. They can deadpan the purest nonsense, leaving you wondering if you heard it correctly, until they burst out laughing at all these gullible tourists. On one of the videos uploaded you can hear the dive master about the sharks.

Fijians do not psssst, they suck their teeth really loudly to get each others attention. I tried, I can not make that sound that loud. And I have had a lifetime of practice!

What goes for the Ibis Hobart staff, same goes for you, Carolle. Using a fancy voice still does not make you good at what you do. Or kind.

Life lesson: win over the captain on the first day, that will make the rest of your experience so much better

Things I have remembered about myself:

I am good company to me. I am kind to myself and strict when needed and I am always on the lookout for something new.

The best interactions I have had so far are with crew men, car rental guys, nail technicians and bottle mart employees. That is sad.

I can go with the flow more than I expected. In my relationship in the last few years I have mostly been the one to set the course. I am fine with following the course someone else set out.

I like being offline. Not checking my phone, not having to validate my existence.

Being Curaçaoan is very unique.

I always knew I love sunsets, but I like sunrises too.

I need island/sea in my life.

I hope my travels inspire others. I hope others live vicariously through me.

You can never have too many books and booklovers are like Médecins sans frontiers, they operate everywhere.

I realize only now that I always keep tabs on my time zones. When the one end goes to bed, the other just wakes up and for someone like me who lives on little sleep, there is always someone to talk to. But being here, you are in a black hole of time zones. One day ahead, the opposite end of the day at most times. Those 5 or 6 hours we used to bitch about are peanuts.

I learned the dive signal for shark.

And turtle.

I realized I have changed in the last years. From the kind of person who walks around with her passport in the hope a tv host will jump out and whisk me away on an adventure to someone who keeps her passport in the safe at home.

I learned a lot about my sister from another mister Roos. She is a force of nature.

Random pics ( I got amazing footage, but the video gods are not kind to me. The internetgod is not a fan either, slooooowwww):

the famous Coogee stairs, see the white arrow? The tine person the arrow is pointing at is my size. Roos is about halfway. Since I am not in Coogee, I have trouble reaching my flights of stairs goal of the day on my Garmin