We can't seem to get enough of
Savusavu, even if our alternator DID work beautifully. After spending
$160 in American Samoa for repairs, we're perturbed at its response -
melty hot and spewing smoke. Jim found a dear repairman here to work
on it for us. We're in no hurry to leave.
 |
| A giant yam in Labasa's market |
 |
Men waiting for 20 hours to enter the sugar mill
with a truck loaded with sugar cane |
 |
| A view of Savusavu |
Choosing a sunny day, we caught a bus
to Labasa, the largest city on the island of Vanua Levu. The
marketplace is 5 times larger than Savusavu, but the people are just
as warm and friendly. It was a gorgeous drive, about 2 ½ hours, and
it was an excellent way to breathe in the geographical diversity.
The climate change was obvious as the bus ascended into the
mountains. Pine trees mixed with palms was a little confusing. People
waved warmly as we passed by the villages.
 |
| Busted by my sneaky photo - Labasa |
 |
| My favorite Fijian, Laila |
The internet is so wonderful in
Savusavu that we don't mind the occasional rain. After a yearof downpours and huge expense/curse words at the incredibly slow to
non-existent pings in Pago Pago (which has apparently improved in
American Samoa through ASTCA), we are delighted to be able to catch
up on family, banking, news, friends, etc... with a flip of the
switch... and all three of us at the same time for a mere $12US for
8 gigs! More importantly, we've used the time to catch up on
home-school. Based on her gift and aptitude for “words”, we
enrolled Carolyne in an online writing course . On other sites she's
also learning programming skills. She loves creating Visual Novels.
Jim is busy working on revenue producing sites and maintaining
existing ones.
 |
| I liked his shiny pants |
A boat of young people from all over the world performed circus acts and music - they called themselves The Alternative World Sailing Community - and we enjoyed a fun evening of music and fire. We walked in the Flora Tropical
Garden, taking in the view overlooking the ocean. Local women cook
their meals in the natural hot springs in town and Carolyne and I
strolled by to check it out. We didn't see any cooks in the
“kitchen”, but the boiling water bubbling up from the ground was
pretty cool – I mean, hot.
 |
| Gorgeous spider in the botanical gardens |
 |
| Hot springs in Savusavu |
