Homeward bound

I took a leisurely breakfast, then a final dip in the pool.

While soaking I spotted a ripe mango on the ground that had fallen off the tree. Fiji's farewell gift to me. I peeled it and ate it on the spot. A bit tangy but not bad.

The other cat in the resort, who also appears on murals there.

I showered then discarded the now empty tubes and bottles of toiletries, the awful flip flops, etc. All according to plan. It seemed like such an anticlimax, such an orderly departure from Fiji that I had engineered. It was sombre and I was emotionally numb. Then I realised that I was somewhat sleep deprived. Not from wild nights but from short ones. I had got used to getting up at the crack of dawn because of stuffy dorms, then the day drew me into its activities without my normal afternoon coffee break. Emotions are intensified by lack of sleep and what seemed plausible is insupportable when affective emotions are dampened.

I had a suspicion Fiji would be that kind of destination anyway. If you join the all-inclusive hotel set then what's the difference between Fiji and say Bali or Phuket? So I think I made the better choice, to see the less developed Fiji on the backpacker trail. It's just me that I don't have much capacity for suntanning and water sports.

But a happy thought had occurred to me riding the bus between Lautoka and Nadi. I had noticed similarities between Fiji and (what I know of) the Caribbean. Fijian pop for example, could be mistaken for West Indian pop. And I suspect the underdeveloped and overgrown rural areas would be similar in the West Indies. Not to mention the resorts with sky high prices. So Fiji has given me a preview of the Caribbean and this will help me manage expectations before I get to go there.