Fiji to Hawaii

July 24 (first time around)

We spent this last day in Fiji relaxing at our luxurious hotel. I caught up on blog-entry writing so I could have them all up to date by the time I used the half hour of connectivity I purchased as constructively as possible. We ate the last of the perishable food we had with us for breakfast so we wouldn't have trouble with US Customs in Honolulu. We watched Cleveland Indians baseball live on TV (it was a night game from the 23^rd we were watching during the morning of the 24^th, but it was live – the Indians lost) and, most importantly, we packed with as much thought and deliberation as we could.

This room is so large we literally could have turned out all our bags and sorted through all their contents; but we didn't. Today was also spent getting caught up with laundry. This place has a washer and dryer for its patrons that work with tokens. This is actually better for us than a fancy hotel laundry service because we can control when it gets done. Needless to say, there was no competition for the machines because the clientele here are the type who bring enough clean clothes for their trip and take it back home at the end of it for laundering.

At 2:30 PM we went to the dining area and Razelle ordered the beer-battered wahu fish and chips once again. She can't get over how much she loves this fish! I ordered the same item as she, because it was to be our last meal here and I wanted to return to my favorite item on their menu for this.

Razelle had us booked at the spa for a little pampering before we left this wonderful hotel (and country). While Razelle was having a one hour facial, I took a few more pictures of our surroundings. I dragged our bags out of frame as I took interior shots of our room. 

I took pictures of Casava plants, Pandanus palms and Frangipani trees. I tried to take outdoor pictures of the mountain that formed the backdrop of this paradisiacal palace, but its summit was cosseted by low-lying clouds.

Then I sat down with my laptop and activated my half hour connection to the Internet. I got all my entries posted and sent Loata our friendly waitress a request to be my Facebook "friend." I had hoped to include photos with the blog entries, but the half hour ended before I could begin that process. I checked my email during the last minutes of this window of opportunity to connect; then the window closed.

When Razelle's hour of pampering ended it was my turn for a half hour back massage. I enjoyed it. The masseuse found all my sore muscles and twanged them with her thumbs. I walked back to our room in a state of bliss. I noticed, though, that my pants had splotches of massage oil on them from the massage table. It wasn't too obvious so I travelled that way. The luggage had all been closed up and all the laundry done; I didn't feel like going through it all to search for a fresh pair of pants, so I travelled in what I was wearing.

The hotel porter came to our room for our bags. I took one last lingering look at the quarters we'd called home these past few lovely days, then let the door close and lock. Our shuttle to the airport was sent for and we climbed aboard when it arrived. Razelle and I both remarked that we didn't really want to leave this place. Fiji had a hold on us. At the hotel entrance I thanked Ali for all he'd done for us and took his picture.

At the airport we weighed our bags as we've done at each airport and found that our (by now) four bags were all within their weight limits. We then checked in and got our boarding passes, and sent our luggage through. Bing! Bing! Bing! Razelle won the lottery! She had randomly been selected by US Customs to receive a special security check before we boarded. The clerk said neither she nor the Fijian authorities had anything to do with it. Thank Uncle Sam for this honor. Razelle has always said she'd bare all at the airport if they wanted to do a full body scan, but when crunch time came she was not happy about receiving this dubious prize. She spent the rest of her time in the terminal tense with anticipation of what this special security check would entail.

We were not allowed beyond a certain checkpoint with me pushing her wheelchair, so Razelle had me wheel her aside to a cafeteria for a tuna salad sandwich, to fortify her for the feared ordeal. Then a handsome young Fijian guy came to push her in her wheelchair beyond this checkpoint. The tires didn't have enough air in them so I watched his reaction to the resistance to rolling the flattish wheels offered. We got Razelle situated near the gate and we saw the huge beefy woman in uniform who was to perform the search. Oh my! Razelle's wheelchair was borrowed for some other passengers, with the promise that it would be returned. I said in a humorous tone, "Don't return it unless you fill those tires." Razelle let them know she'd need it back because she'd won the lottery for the first time in her life, and the prize was that woman in the uniform over there. We got them to laugh. When a wheelchair was brought back it was a different and better one. The attendee pounded the tires with his fists to show how full they were and told Razelle this wheelchair was a 4X4 all terrain wheelchair she could be proud to ride to her security check with in confidence.

The security check was merely a pat-down. The trepidation was for naught.

We boarded out rather small Boeing 373 airliner (it was owned by Pacific Air, the seat-cushion I was supposed to sit on was loose, it was old enough to predate the introduction of seatback video screens since there were none, the vegetarian meal we'd ordered wasn't aboard and many seats were unfilled). This craft of a bygone era was supposed to get us across the vast Pacific. Amelia Earhart came to mind.

We took off from Fiji on schedule. Goodbye Fiji. We miss you already. Next stop: Hawaii, in the USA, where we are citizens and not foreigners. But will it feel like a homecoming? We weren't sure. After Razelle was singled out for special treatment, anything might be waiting for us. We still had our kosher salami. Would we lose it in Honolulu?

Razelle and I drifted off to sleep trying not to think about that.