The Nausri Highlands, on the road towards Bukuya Village, looking back over Nadi Bay, Denerau, airport, Namaka and Lautoka Fuel tanks to the right. Finally the rain has cleared.

Nadi 1:31pm 30°C Sunny

Not sure where I've been or if this is something new, but not really taking much notice of soap packets generally, I was amazed to find that this soap can make you whiter. I'm no scientist, but living somewhere like Fiji, the demand for such technological ingredients in soap seems a little pointless. All I want to do is fit in a little more with a bit of a tan and I find my soap is quietly doing the opposite! What the.....?

Nadi 3:49pm 26°C Raining

Holy guacamole. It's March.....and a wee while since I threw up an update on my blog. It's been almost 2 weeks since my last confession. So what's been happening? The last week saw a little bit of a reality check and realisation kicked in, just how much I miss stuff at home. In all honesty, there ain't much to do here without spending wads of cash. To be honest, when the weekend does come around, you feel like doing little more than being as vegetative as possible and wearing away those weekday bumps and bruises. Last weekend though, I trekked inland via the Nausori Highlands. Now foolish me, I took my camera and the day was picture perfect for some great images, but I forgot to fuel up the beasties batteries. Soo high in the hills, overlooking Nadi Bay and the distant islands, I attempted to turn on the aforementioned device, and it plainly starred back at me and said, what?!?! Never mind. It's a short drive and I'll return soon to share with you all the delights of the islands innards!

Now onto work related news. The last few days have seen me and the boys transforming carnage into lushness. 10 Beetlenut Palms now line the main entry and two Royal Palms adorn the front lawn. However they gave me a bit of a fright as the began to lean after a thunderstorm took hold. These things aren't small, nor are they cheap, so a few expletives left my lips as we quickly managed to strop the palms upright again. With more storms looming tonight, I cross my fingers that they're still standing in the morning!

Other than that, being trying to keep active by hitting the squash court twice a week. Been playing some pretty full on games and struggle to survive. Not sure if it's the lack of stamina or the intense heat on the court, but by God it's fair near killed me a couple of times. Oh well, it's got to be good for ya huh.

Before I go, sending belated birthday wishes to my lil sister playing hard in Sydney town. The big 19 ticked over on Sunday. WOOHOO!!

Nadi 7:10pm 27°C Raining

Boxing Fiji style. Last night saw Fiji boxing Association hold it's Nadi boxing fight night. Originally, there were supposed to be 12 bouts. Fiji being Fiji, saw half the boxes fail to show, so the night was reduced to 5 bouts! The most interesting were the first two, seeing local Indians only 55kg's and 18 - 23 years of age do battle, lasting less than half of the first round of three. The main event was fought between local legend Zulfikar Joy 'Jet' Ali (Fiji Indian) and Paula Tuilau (Fijian) over 12 rounds. Ali's defensive stance didn't wain as Tuilau tried to force the glove through, Ali waiting for his moment to use his extreme speed and accuracy for the defeating blow. Using the Prince Naseem method of taunting, it wasn't enough to stop the bout lasting the full 12 rounds, Ali knocking down Tuilau on two occasions, the decisions went to the score cards, with a unanimous decision to the victor Ali. The fighting style was pretty tedious and tiresome but effective. The short bursts of action got the large crowd on their feet, and the atmosphere surged from near silence to pandemonium. The experience was interesting, with the typical organisation that you'd expect. Well worth the look.

Nadi 10:06am 27°C Cloudy

Number 5, the number of weeks, is dead and buried. It's been a week of trials and tribulations. As much as I'm enjoying my own space, it hit me this week, how good it is to have someone else rambling around the house with you. Especially when all poo hits the fan (well that's what it feels like at the time) and there is no one to vent too, apart from the neighbours in the form of loud music. Chris Lowe from The Pet Shop Boys is spinning my wheels at the moment, but I digress! The aforementioned poo in the fan was in the form of a plant, a Masi Palm to be more specific. Without going into a great deal of detail, this beasty gave me a good deal of trouble. Digging from deep in the jungle and all that entails to placing it 'nicely' in the ground in it's new home. It decided to fall over through unforeseen circumstances, getting him upright with the appropriate machinery and stabilized with a number of strops, he decides to commit suicide by beheading himself of his growth tip in the gentle wind. So 95% chance of having to do it all again!!! On the positive, I now know a few new tricks about transplantation.

Apart from that the week has been good. Got my teeth into my first real job that i could call my own. 6 coconuts in the ground and the front yard looking somewhat like a front yard. Royal, Beetlenut Palms and Frangipani in next week which will transform the property no end. Get the irrigation sorted the following week, then we can get 500 ground covers to finish off the tropical lushness that will enhance the holiday abode.

Took a quick trip down to Momi, about 30mins south of Nadi, which is a large resort development that will house The Marriott Hotel and a large residential development with 300 odd lots and an 18 hole golf course. Sadly the whole project has come to a grinding halt due to a number of factors and after driving around the site, it has a spooky ghost town feel and leaves you with a sour taste in the back of your throat, that with all the work that has been done, it is now just sitting there decaying whilst a resolution is sought. And after being approached by the landscape consultant in charge, for some assistance, you wonder where the hell you'd start considering the scope and size of the project and the ever nearing deadline for hand over. It's a staggering, mammoth feat to start let alone finish!

Anyway, enough about work, sadly, that is all that has encapsulated my life in the past week. The weekend will be spent sunning myself and resting my weary head. Might head to the beach tomorrow. Still haven't been for a swim in the sea since I got here. Shame on me! The pic above is the property I'm currently working on. The orange dots indicate the bodies of the local boys siestaring in the early afternoon warmth. Will continue with pic updates of the site as we progress. Sorry about all the work related speal, but had to dislodge it out of my head somehow!!!

Nadi 11:41am 31°C Sunny

It's been a busy week. Going from brown water everywhere, to a mass of sludge, to dry as a bone. The clean up has been swift and all but the numerous pot holes in the road have been repaired and little would lead you to believe the deluge existed. Now the mud throwing has started as to who is to blame for the flood and who is responsible to stop it happening again. Who can control the rain. But life is back to normal. Went to Vomo Island, which is a small resort island about 10km's off the coast of Lautoka. It had the feeling of Thailand a little with the rocky isle just to the north, the tropical heat and the beautiful blue waters. Whilst unawares, the mainland coped a thunderstorm or too upsetting the return journey which was to have been via helicopter, missing a prime opportunity to have a gander at the islands from the air. Maybe next time. So the weekend has come to an end, an eventful one at that. Hopefully the rain stays away for the next few days as we're busy throwing coconuts in the ground. I'll leave it at that, time to refresh with a cold shower. Ciao. Go the Black Caps 2-0 against the Australians!!!

Nadi 7:35pm 25°C Cloudy

The rain has been falling consistently the past couple of days, then heavy falls all last night, finally brings Nadi to a stand still as the Nadi River breaches it's banks and spills into the streets. Buses, 4wd and trucks pass onwards but all else are forced to turn. With the rain still falling gently, the river is continuing its encroaching ways. It has brought the villages to life with the kids frolicking in the growing pools, shop keepers trying to keep the water from their businesses, pigs on the loose from their pens and frogs swimming through the surge looking for a sanctuary. The upside, the temperature is cool and refreshing.

Nadi 11:19am 26°C Heavy Rain

P.S. After walking through the main street of Nadi, I stepped into a drain up to my chest with camera and phone in pocket, safe to say they both had a reasonably good swim! The phone recovered first and the camera is still in intensive care waiting a diagnosis. So on a seperate jaunt, this time in the ute, I had to use the trusty phone for my images. These two of the main street of Nadi with 3 ft of water throughout. This is the only access through the town with all other routes under 5 to 6 ft of precipitous liquid! The rain has eased and the waters are receding, although, the forecast for this evening looks grim!!!

Nadi 2:33pm 25°C Cloudy

The deluge has arrived, the 'wet' season has fallen. Solid rain now makes up most of the last few days, creating problems. Some small, some large. This is the second deep tropical depression to hit the Fiji Islands in the last week. The first hitting Nabasa on Vanua Levu just before it turned cyclonic and this one giving the north and west of Viti Levu a decent serve. The humidity, obviously, has shot through the roof and the temperature is still giving it a thorough nudge in the upward direction. Work is busy, all be it a little interrupted, but things are positive more so than when I arrived and the general feeling about the place is good and looking forward. The three week mark has stridden up and swiped me from behind. Time is passing quickly and yet it seems a lot has been achieved at the same time. The weekend holds work, a lot of work, interspersed with a few games of squash at the local sports club. Have met a couple of guys who have given me a good run for my money. It's nice to play some new people with different styles of play. Anyway, rambling man must away into the rainy abyss. Hope all out there, where ever you lay your hat are well. Peace...

Nadi 5:04pm 28°C Heavy Rain

The highlight of my time in Fiji so far, planting my first Coconut Palm!!! Well almost anyway. ;o) Then the heavens opened and it hasn't stopped since. Thunder, lightening and frogs leaping through the puddles. Luckily, the Rugby 7's are live on the only free channel, Fiji One! BULA!!!

Nadi 6:03pm 27°C Thunderstorms

The first of the month sees the first rain since I've been here. I walked to the shops for some kai, looking into the highlands in the distance, the peaks smothered in dense grey clouds foretold the expected deluge. The breeze turned into the gloom and with a sudden chill in the air, the humidity rose and the precipitation dislodged itself from the heavens. Outside is now cool and refreshing, and the morning will be crisp and clean. Welcome February.

Nadi 7:57pm 30°C Raining

Well it's been a stinkin hot day, not sure how the brain is supposed to operate correctly in such conditions! Have decided to join the local sports club. Squash, tennis, a decent size pool, a bar and of course the most important lawn bowls. All for a small $183 for a year. BARGAIN!!! First outing planned tomorrow evening to put my skills to the challenge against a rough a ready bunch of expats. Looking forward to it. Going to hit the pool as much as pos too, only way to exercise really and stay at a comfortable temperature. hope ya'll are well. (*thanks Google Earth)

Nadi 4:22pm Sunny 32°C

Well, the one week mark has been and gone. Sheesh. And they say you learn something everyday. What have I learnt? That driving a vehicle with company decals and ph number can add an interesting twist to life. Last night my work phone rang once, stopped, awhile later, rang once again and stopped. After 4 times, I rang the number back to see what the story was. It appears at the other end of the line was a female that had seen me drive by a few times on my way to work and 'admired' me, wanting to meet!!! Not expecting such a conversation take place, I was taken aback. Needless to say, I quickly thanked her and said that I was very flattered and said goodbye, then I sat back and just stared into space for ten minutes gob smacked. What had just happened?

Nadi 9:02am Sunny 27°C

Nadi 4:31pm Sunny 33°C

Thank God it's Friday. The first proper full week of work since the end of August, and by goodness it's gone fast. Little to report really, the weather is stinking hot. No less than 33 during the day and around 27 at night. Every day is bright and blue, although the clouds are threatening in from the hills as I type. It seems the wet season has been a little dry so far, although doesn't end till April when the cooler climes emerge and the sweating diminishes. Yay! Heading down to Momi Bay tomorrow to look at the development going on. A huge waterways development with 300 odd lots and space for a number of 5 star hotels and shopping complexes, it's the single biggest development going on at the moment, so should be worth a look. Other than that, just getting my pad ship shape and a few beers here and there with some of the locals. Mmmm beer!

Well, shizenhausen. I thought I'd be a little more onto it with the posts but as luck would have it, work has taken the forefront and funnily enough, I like it. I like it a lot. I'm really really enjoying it. Scary but true. It's like finding an old favourite, long lost pair of jeans and realising they fit perfectly still. Being here doesn't feel foreign at all and I'm loving having my own space to do with as I want, with no one to disagree or give me grief. Not that there was before, but now I can feel it. It's an extraordinary experience. To top it all of, every single person I meet and talk to are so damn friendly and helpful, the people on the street are always willing to give you a massive smile and it all seems a bit spooky. Could there be a place where this really happens? With all the topsy turvy corners the country is going through at the moment, it seems more stable than the western world! From this side of the fence, the reaction to the coup is.........well.........nothing. My gut feel is let the Fijians get on with it and leave them alone, we're hurting them more than helping them at the moment and the media should take a moment and realise that dramatising things to the endth degree for a story is pathetic. Enough of that! Haha. I am well and enjoying the challenge and looking forward to whatever comes next. Till next time. And I'll be more proactive I promise. Time to turn the sausages...

The crib in Fiji...

Bula Vinaka, from Fiji. I've made it...again!!! Arrived to 32 degrees and only 48% humidity. Opened the door to my crib to a barrage of bills on the other side, luckily bnot out of my pocket!!! Phew. Well I've cracked open my first beer, got some sounds going and starting to hominise the pad with a litlle of home and a big chunk of me. Cool. thankfully I've got a day tommorrow to adapt before edging my way slowly into the working week. But to all intents and purposes it's feeling good. Relax, ponder and realise the situation I find myself. YAY. Anyways, not sure how long the blog vibe will last but it's feeling pretty strong at the mo, so prepare for updates. Che to the nz massif.

Hi ya, the weeks since New Year have passed in a flash and the days till I leave are drawing closer. The packing is being packed, the final quiz night has been quized (fourth equal), the final beers are being drunk, the last block will be blocked, the last squash game has been won, the second to last Kings Roast has been eaten, the last bakery run will be near. I am itching to get on the plane. I am ready for the challenge and champing at the bit. I CAN'T WAIT.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YA ALL.
I hope you had a safe and fabulous time wherever you were.