Wednesday, February 11 – Nadi

I didn’t sleep very well last night. Still ruminating about the baggage theft, I guess.

But then I stepped out on my balcony to this beautiful morning, and decided it was time to get over it!

However, before getting over it, I did send off an email expressing my displeasure to: both the CEO and Manager of Aviation Security of Airports Vanuatu Limited, also copying the Director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vanuatu. I don’t expect anything to come of this, but it made me feel a little better!

From that chop, you can tell it’s a little windy on the beach this morning.

But still a beautiful day to go for a walk. And it seems cooler here than in Port Vila.

After the walk, I returned to the hotel and relaxed a little; eventually doing some work on a Journal Entry.

Well, around 2pm I received an email from someone at the Port Vila Airport Security Office acknowledging my email, stating they were going to review CCTV footage related to the theft from my baggage. He therefore requested that I send him a picture of my bag, and one of myself. This was unexpected! I complied, as well as indicating my time of arrival at the airport, and what I was wearing. This is a nice first step. I’m still somewhat skeptical anything will come of it, but you never know…

I hadn’t eaten much today, and there is a restaurant nearby that I have read good things about, so I headed there for an early dinner around the time they opened: 5pm.

The restaurant is located within this hotel that provides simple (basic) accommodations.

Only one other couple was here for an early dinner.

A cute place. I sat at the far table. (that’s my trusty Lands’ End bag leaning against the post)

I chose the Island Life to lead things off!

It was very good. A little weak though; kind of overpriced (20 FJD / 9 USD).

The dinner menu. There were also some specials listed on a chalk board.

I went with the Fish in Coconut Cream. This is the Fijian dish that was recommended to me by the woman I met with at the Fiji Airlines ticket office a couple weeks ago.

The dish to the right is cassava, a woody shrub grown for its starchy roots. It didn’t have much flavor, but I dipped it in the coconut cream, which helped (a little).

And I later learned that the roots are highly toxic when raw due to the existence of cyanide! As a result, it requires thorough peeling, soaking, and cooking to be safe and edible. Well, all I can say is: I survived. They must have prepared it properly!

That’s a lot of tuna! And it was very good! (23 FLD / 10.50 USD) With a great price!

I finished with banana fritters (10 FJD / 4.50 USD). Also very good! And I’m stuffed!

An excellent meal. Tomorrow is my last night in Fiji, and I’ll definitely be coming back to the Beach Escape Resort for dinner!

As I finished dinner, the clouds overhead began to part. I’m hoping for a decent sunset on the beach…

Nice start!

And at the other end of the beach was this little rainbow!

The Ramada, where I’m staying, is the white building on the right.

A wonderful meal. A beautiful sunset. The perfect end to the day! Remind me, did I wake up in a bad mood?