M-whY

Like the previous morning, the roosters woke me up way too early. I hadn't really slept well, my entire shoulder and back was sunburned which made sleeping uncomfortable. (I did put on suntan lotion, I guess I just didn't put on enough.)

As I mentioned earlier, there wasn't much to do on Mana. I sat out on the beach, in front of the villagers' homes, reading a book, relaxing in the cool breeze coming in from the sea. Locals not busy attending to the needs of backpackers gathered out front and started playing guitar and singing for their own enjoyment. For me, true paradise would have also included a bunch of beautiful women dancing to the music, but this would have to do.

At lunch, I met up with Charlotte and Lise. Both had decided to do some snorkeling in the morning.

"How was it?" I asked them.

"We didn't go. Charlotte saw a shark."

Damn, where was the shark when I was snorkeling yesterday?!

The worst thing about being sunburnt around the shoulders is carrying a backpack. I packed my things and carried them out front where a boat would be arriving to take us back to the main island after lunch. My heart sank when I saw the small single motored boat that would be transporting us. I knew I was going to get seasick on that thing.

About ten of us were to shuttled back to Nadi. "It is windy out there today," our driver told us. "The waves are choppy, so I'll be going at a slower speed than normal. We should arrive around 4:30, instead of 4:00." I looked at my watch. 3:00pm. This is going to be a hell, I thought.

Half an hour into the trip, I began feeling sick. I wasn't the only one. Another girl started to feel uncomfortable, and blew chunks over the side of the boat. I was determined to keep my lunch down. I tried everything, from lying down, to staring at the horizon, to closing my eyes and meditating.

"Are you okay?"

I simply shook my head, not wanting to open my mouth for fear of what might come out.

After what seemed like ages, we finally reached land. A shuttle was waiting to take me back to Nadi Bay Resort Hotel. After checking in again, I found my flight ticket to double check my departure time the next morning. 9:45am, Feb. 23rd. I looked at my watch. Feb 21st it read.

Wait a second. I thought I was leaving tomorrow.

I went down to the front desk again to double check the date.

"Uh, excuse me, but what's today's date?"

"The 21st of February, sir. It must be a good holiday if you can't remember the date," he smiled.

Shit. So my flight was not tomorrow morning. It was the day after. What am I going to do with my extra day in Fiji??

Thanks to everyone for their support and comments! Knowing people are reading keeps me motivated to continue the updates!