The two day long first of June
I woke this morning, June 1st, and went hiking up a steep mountain to look out over the fijian beach below and the ocean beyond. Tonight I will arrive in Kansas City in the last hours of June 1st. It is the best June 1st ever.
Fiji is pretty great. You may have heard stories about how unpretty and unamazing and unfun it is. These are all lies. It is pretty amazing and fun. I went swimming with manta rays that were at least 2meters from wingtip to wingtip. It was pretty much the most amazing experience of my life. or one of. Manta rays are the most graceful things I have ever seen. So much more graceful than anything that has joints. These were seen while snorkeling while be dragged by a rope behind a boat. Manta rays need a strong current and we couldn't keep up with our own jointed and inferior limbs. (Don't worry Sissy I kept my heart far away from their tails. I did not try to put one in a boat which I think was what really saved me.)
I also snorkeled out side my resort which was a pretty fine view too. I really love snorkeling. I love it because it is meditative, and experientially beautiful, and because it makes me feel like a mermaid. Sometimes I even flip my flippers in unison to maximize this feeling. But then, what usually happens, is I run into a real mermaid, giggling in a twirl of fish kisses or some other magical mermaid thing they do. I make the universal underwater hand signals for "Let's be friends!!" and then she says, in her clickty dolphin language: "You aren't a real mermaid! You are just a snorkler!" I then try to respond: "If I am not a real mermaid than how come I can understand you! and how come I can talk underwater!?" but only manage to dislodge my snorkel in the effort. The mermaid flits away and I am left choking on salt water. It's the same every time.
But really. I went to this art exhibit in Sydney by Kusuma or something that I don't have time to verify right now. She is an artist that kind of came of artistic age in the 60's with art happenings and drugs. She did these rooms - like a black living room in black light with all these fluorescent dots on everything. And another room that was all mirrors and hanging Christmas lights - so it looked like there were just Christmas lights forever. Awesome. But this is kind of like how I think of snorkeling. Only snorkeling is better because you are floating. Floating and being moved by the waves and surrounded by a strange, beautiful, other worldly world. And it is real. MORE awesome.
The place I stayed is called Octopus Resort. It was ideal. Affordable, good fun, nice. AND they SEEM to have a really good respectful relationship with the neighboring village. The resort has a school fund for all the kids, scholarships, books, etc. and uses their boat to take the kids to boarding school on Sundays and brings them back on Fridays. They have a lot of activities that directly benefit the guides, supports the local rugby team or whatever.
It appears to be a win win win situation. Which is exactly what I like to see. The village benefits from employment and influx of money, the tourist get a good and affordable experience and real interaction with the people whose island they are visiting, and I assume the owners are making enough money to be happy without cutting anyone's throat. Nice.
Fiji is pretty great. You may have heard stories about how unpretty and unamazing and unfun it is. These are all lies. It is pretty amazing and fun. I went swimming with manta rays that were at least 2meters from wingtip to wingtip. It was pretty much the most amazing experience of my life. or one of. Manta rays are the most graceful things I have ever seen. So much more graceful than anything that has joints. These were seen while snorkeling while be dragged by a rope behind a boat. Manta rays need a strong current and we couldn't keep up with our own jointed and inferior limbs. (Don't worry Sissy I kept my heart far away from their tails. I did not try to put one in a boat which I think was what really saved me.)
I also snorkeled out side my resort which was a pretty fine view too. I really love snorkeling. I love it because it is meditative, and experientially beautiful, and because it makes me feel like a mermaid. Sometimes I even flip my flippers in unison to maximize this feeling. But then, what usually happens, is I run into a real mermaid, giggling in a twirl of fish kisses or some other magical mermaid thing they do. I make the universal underwater hand signals for "Let's be friends!!" and then she says, in her clickty dolphin language: "You aren't a real mermaid! You are just a snorkler!" I then try to respond: "If I am not a real mermaid than how come I can understand you! and how come I can talk underwater!?" but only manage to dislodge my snorkel in the effort. The mermaid flits away and I am left choking on salt water. It's the same every time.
But really. I went to this art exhibit in Sydney by Kusuma or something that I don't have time to verify right now. She is an artist that kind of came of artistic age in the 60's with art happenings and drugs. She did these rooms - like a black living room in black light with all these fluorescent dots on everything. And another room that was all mirrors and hanging Christmas lights - so it looked like there were just Christmas lights forever. Awesome. But this is kind of like how I think of snorkeling. Only snorkeling is better because you are floating. Floating and being moved by the waves and surrounded by a strange, beautiful, other worldly world. And it is real. MORE awesome.
The place I stayed is called Octopus Resort. It was ideal. Affordable, good fun, nice. AND they SEEM to have a really good respectful relationship with the neighboring village. The resort has a school fund for all the kids, scholarships, books, etc. and uses their boat to take the kids to boarding school on Sundays and brings them back on Fridays. They have a lot of activities that directly benefit the guides, supports the local rugby team or whatever.
It appears to be a win win win situation. Which is exactly what I like to see. The village benefits from employment and influx of money, the tourist get a good and affordable experience and real interaction with the people whose island they are visiting, and I assume the owners are making enough money to be happy without cutting anyone's throat. Nice.
posted by Keli at 11:55 PM
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