Fiji

Due to Caro's coffee-dependency and the lack of drinkable milk, we ventured into Nadi the following day.  Immediately on leaving the bus I had that Ho Chi Minh City feeling again.  Like I was basically an ATM on legs that the locals would constantly try to make withdrawals from.  Caro went souvenir shopping and then we hid in a posh cafe where I ordered a latte for Caroline.  It had the same revolting milk in it.  She didn’t see the funny side.  

Now here is where I have to get something off my chest for all those bloody self-righteous traveller types who go on at you in pubs for being tourists and wank on about "getting in touch with the local culture".  Let's face it, unless you spend a great deal of time with the locals, and here I am talking about MONTHS you are NOT going to get into the local culture by floating about for a couple of weeks in some godforsaken village in the middle of nowhere, trying to talk to the locals.  YOU are a Westerner.  YOU have money.  THEY would quite like some.  And that's always going to come between you, so don't give me that crap about getting to know people.  You've got a far better chance making a real connection with another tourist.
 
I speak from bitter experience here.  I got talking with this guy who bula'd me in the street.  He seemed a friendly enough guy and we got chatting about the weather and all that.  I thought he was about to walk off when he suddenly produced this wooden dagger and started whittling "Caroline and Symon" onto it.  So we are now the proud possessors of "Parsons' Folly" a set of two horrible black wooden daggers and a Fijian scary mask with my name on it.  It shall hang in the toilet for all eternity to remind me never to try and "connect with the local culture" ever again.

Back at the bure, we unpacked our meagre groceries which were pretty bloody meagre I can tell you.  Everything there is so expensive that we had to buy ratty old fruit and veggies.  And LOTS of chocolate.
After our dinner (of chocolate) we went for a bit of a moonlight walk along the beach and it was lovely.  Although the beach itself wasn't of the white sand sort Caro had been hoping for, it was still very nice and peaceful and we could see the locals out night-fishing.  

As we walked back to our bure we saw loads and loads of tiny frogs EVERYWHERE.  It was really very cool.