Al's Perfect Day

It's been a crazy stressful week. We had our research project proposals and lit reviews due on Friday so most of our time was spent studying. I decided I wanted to do something more adventurous outside the city on Saturday.

I talked about plans with my friend Austin, and we came up with the idea of ziplining. There was a place that did it about half an hour outside of Suva. No one else from our group felt up to it. We went to the bus station and asked about transportation to the village it was near. It turned out that the bus we needed was right next to the stand, about to leave, and only cost 1.30FJD. That was the first part of our day that went right.

We took a pleasant half hour bus ride to the area and followed directions towards the mountains. We found the zipline crew and they eagerly welcomed us. There were 4 Fijian guys who taught us the safety rules and then took us out on the course. There were 8 lines and 10 platforms in the jungle. It felt so amazing to be soaring through the treetops. The views were amazing. We passed over rivers and valleys and would land on hanging platforms in the treetops. Once we finished, the guides said that since it went by so quickly, they would take us again. That was the second awesome thing that happened.

We went around the course a second time. The guides got great photos and videos. When we finished, we asked them how much we owed them. They cut the price from the website in half. That was the third cool thing that happened.

We headed back to the main road. We only had to wait for ten minutes when a minibus picked us up and took us back to Suva for 2FJD. Then, on my bus ride back to Cunningham, my neighborhood, a nice Indo-Fijian man sitting next to me gave me a delicious mandarin from his grocery sack.

I came home and hung out with my siblings and cousins. We watched a movie. I took care of my kittens and read a good historical fiction novel about Fiji that was loaned to me. Anisa, our family friend, who does a lot of cooking for me and helps me with Fijian alot knocked on my door. She presented me with a handicraft she had carved herself. It was a model of a cannibal fork with designs carved on it. It was so nice of her to make that for me. I really feel like I'm starting to bond with my family.

It was a perfect Saturday in Fiji. One of the few days I've had here where everything went my way.