Fiji

Helen: thought you'd like to know that we got here ok. Getting off the 300ft tow rope onto a mooring was 'interesting' but we managed it and the boys are now trying to get the rudder off the boat for mending (lots of welding, axle grinding and epoxying apparently - they have a 'hooker' to use to do the underwater stuff - basically like diving without tanks - you use a pipe instead, connected to a compressor - there are 3 pipes so there can be two guys doing the work and one person with his hands on his hips shaking his head. Very important role in maintenance tasks, that is)

First impressions of Fiji are great. People are friendly, town has a great vibe - lots of music and good smells in the streets - there is a vibrant Indian culture here - they are descendants of indentured labourers brought here to work the plantations 150 years ago. So there are lots of places to get cheap curry and tailoring and beautiful saris. Apparently it's not all happy families all of the time though and there is some ethnic tension. For example, on the immigration cards, Indian Fijians have to call themselves 'Indian' rather than 'Fijian' even if they've been born and bred here for several generations...

Right - have to go - just bought fresh bread for lunch and the smell is driving me mad!

Lots of love
Hxx

PS meant to add a little story to my rant about churches last time - at the end of the service we went to there was a collection - but not like the anonymous ones I've seen in the UK. Oh no. People were called to the front by name, their donations were written down in a book and then read out at the end. Unbelievable!
PPS My mother's asked for the answers to the pub quiz questions - can't remember what they were now, but the sugarbowl question is Cuba, and the largest stadium is Prague.