Fiji Finale

    Shalon picked us up at the Anchorage Marina on Wednesday. We picked up Ash and went for dinner in Nadi again. Fiji's downside, apart from the humidity, is the dust and clouds of black diesel exhaust, mostly from the buses. Overnight, it rained very hard, which eliminated some of the dust. 

    On Thursday morning, the 29th, we had our final Chilli Bites meal and Blue Ginger coffee, and headed toward Nadi, and it was much easier to breathe. I was determined to see the famous Hindu temple in Nadi, so we went there for about an hour on our way to the airport. A very friendly guide named Reddy showed us the statues and paintings, and described what we were looking at, some of which I've been able to put in this Fiji Finale photo album. 

    We may have left just in time, according to this news article that Jeanie sent me. We had major rain on the night of the 28th, but apparently much bigger rain arrived just after we left, grounding flights and flooding Nadi and other towns. Nadi was submerged in 1.8 metres of water, and 7,000 people had to be evacuated. 

    Our ride to L.A. was a little bumpy, which surprised me a bit given the height that a 747 flies, but maybe that was related to the weather that hit Fiji. We landed nine hours before we even left Fiji! What a cool trick. 

    We picked up our truck and Marisa fed us. We slept very late at Reuben and Genaro's house - jet-lagged and weary from weeks of travel. In the morning I'd wake up several times and then just not be able to drag myself out of bed; with heavy drapes blocking out the bright L.A. sunshine, I'd just drift right back to sleep. We slept for twelve hours. 

    When we got up on the 30th, we managed to do some shopping and eating out.  We visited Best Buy for a laptop issue and to consider a better camera. 

    On the last day of March we examined the Great Wall of Los Angeles, a fantastic mural project only a few blocks away, in Van Nuys. 

    In the afternoon, we were lucky once again: once a month the Griffith Observatory is free, and on that day amateur astronomers also show up and share their hobby with visitors.  The free day for March just happened to be the 31st.  

    On April Fool's Day, we'll begin the first leg of our journey across the U.S. south, from L.A. to Flagstaff, then the Grand Canyon and beyond.