Jaymi in Perth

My good friend Jaymi came to visit--meeting us in Fiji to the completion of her MBA. Having guests is great...it makes us feel like locals (because we know more about the city than SOMEBODY!), it gives us a great excuse to explore things we have taken time to do, and we get to spend some time with people who make everything fun (including upacking up my office, and quiet nights in for cards). Jaymi's an independent traveller so while I was working she was scouting. Gretchen's visiting too, (while celebrating her 60th) but she's scouting different things.

So we now have 10 new things we've learned:

10--Jaymi knows everybody who spends anytime at the pool bar (and has their emails).


9-- Karaoke bars in Australia play the same songs as in the US.



8--The parking garage closes at 1 pm (so if you are planning to stay at the club until 4 am, park on the street--or you have to ride the bus back the next day).



7--Cirque du Soleil really are as good as they say.



6--Kris doesn't get to navigate, she talks too much and gets car sick reading maps.



5--Bring extra camera batteries, they always run out when you want them (e.g. the snorkelling in Fiji, the dolphins in the river, the nature park, the beach).



4--The tree top walk is less scary than climbing the Gloucester tree, and the view is better.




3--Gretchen's conquered her fear of birds and reestablished it within a week (after a dreadful magpie attack).













2--No matter how many times Nathan has been sailing, make him take the dramamine. He'll enjoy the whale watching much more.








1--Koalas=cute.




0--Everything is more fun when you share it with friends.














Thanks for coming to visit Jaymi...we loved having you. See you in Italy!

BULA! from Fiji!

Fiji is gorgeous. Beautiful flowers, azure waters, palm trees waving in the breeze, everything you pictured in the guide book. Somehow they neglected to include you sun-burned, sweat rolling down your back, contemplating the air conditioning in your hotel room. Somehow, when I picture tropical paradise, I left out the tropical.



My friend Jaymi offered to meet me half way for a celebratory vacation. (Celebrating her MBA completion, and our moving). Since her timeshare has lots of room, Nathan's mom agreed to meet us here to celebrate her 60th birthday as well. The 4 of us have been traipsing around Fiji in a rental car with no shocks (maybe at one time, but the rough roads finished them off a long time ago).

We visited a village where the women's primary income are the few tourists that stop by to buy pottery. We bought a lot (not a lot of it was attactive, but most souveniers aren't!). The tourist trade is really important income for everyone here, but it is hard to enjoy it because of the disparity between the customer and producer sometimes.

Nathan and I went to our running club, and got to meet quite a few locals. They really understood the tourist industry as part of the economy, and nobody seemed eager for it to change. Of course they were talking to a tourist so maybe they are too polite. We will need to post more about the HASH club when we can post pictures.

Anyway, need to head out of the air conditioning soon. We are planning a snorkelling trip tonight, and a sail to some of the uninhabited islands on Friday. Then back to reality. It has to happen sooner or later.