Goodbye Fiji!

Unfortunately, the wind isn’t coming back. I’m going to leave my kite here in paradise without having ridden it again to say goodbye. In the absolute calm, I make a wakeboard bar. We tie it to an anchor line behind a boat and have a good hour of real freestyle wakeboarding fun in the bay of Mana.

A few days ago, two fascinating young Canadians arrived, both with quirky stories and straight hearts. For their departure, the fire pit on the beach in front of Saki’s hostel finally has to be deflowered. I collect and steal wood, stock up on beer. No rain can kill the fire, it burns hot. We drink, sing and chat to good music until the early hours of the morning.

What bothers me most on the journey is having to say goodbye again and again. What I love is being able to say hello again and again. Thanks to you both, Marc and Lisa!

I finish my open-water diver course in a tropical storm. A 30 metre water tornado sweeps across the bay. Mana was the last place in Fiji where the rainy season arrived. Now it’s raining everywhere. It’s time to move on.

My two months in Fiji were wonderful. The highest highs while kite jumping in turquoise blue paradise water. The deepest depths after wasted nights. Nowhere else in the world do people laugh and sing more beautifully. They have little, make a lot out of it and share freely. I felt very much at home and I know that this was not the last time I was here.

The hair on my arms has turned bright blonde. The grin on my face has almost become a permanent, chronic condition. In this respect, my thanks even go to those who briefly tried to prevent cramps in my face. Tom Hanks got lost 10km further on Castaway. I found myself here.

I haven’t travelled much here, just four places with lots of day trips. I’ve caught my breath, done a lot and still relaxed. I jumped off the “hello and goodbye fast-forward” meeting people. I preferred to get to know a few people properly. Full batteries for New Zealand.

Goodbye, Fiji!