Today is it, my last full day abroad. It comes with a mix of emotions as I wake up and realize that this is the end. I am excited to see my family, home, my new house and to start working, but at the same time I would love for the adventure to continue. Looking at the clock I know that this is my last chance to explore a foreign country during this trip. My body must know that this is my last day, I am up at 8:00 way earlier that I have been waking, and it gave me an idea. I rolled over and called room service and told them that I was canceling my in room breakfast and would instead be dinning at the beach breakfast buffet. I quickly showered, changed and made my way to the beach where a fantastic spread of fruits and breakfast items were awaiting. I ate quickly wanting to get the most out of my day. After breakfast, I made my way quickly back to the room and threw in stuff that I would need for a trip to the city. Having made so many trips into different cities I packed my bag one last time for a day trip, and it was a sad thought at first, but then when I looked back on the different cities this bag and I have been through on this trip it was almost overwhelming in a good and happy way. With my bag packed I went to the front and caught a taxi into Nadi, the city nearby where I am staying and one of the largest in Fiji. Although Fiji is beautiful it does have poverty and crime, and I made an effort to stay on the beaten track as well as I could, while trying to get away from the very touristy areas. I walked around the tourist shops first and bought some gifts and decorations for my house, I called my taxi driver and he was kind enough to take my purchases back to the hotel. (I had hired him for the afternoon when he took me back and he was very nice and told me stories about how Fiji has made the change from sugarcane to tourism as a way of life) After dropping my stuff with Buka, my taxi driver, I walked around the city and people watched the Fijians. I took a few photos, but not many as I didn't want to flash my camera around. I met some really nice Fijian guys who wanted to show me their "special" shops, which I'm sure meant drugs and I told them that I was uninterested. Walking farther into town I met some genuinely friendly and very nice Fijian guys who ran a deli/bar. I was the only non-local in the place and everyone else was speaking Fijian. Yet I quickly made friends with the bar/sandwich man and through him made friends with some local guys who turn out to be related to my taxi driver Buka. After we made this connection we became fast friends and had a few beers while we enjoyed our food. The guys had to go since they were on lunch break, and I said adios to them. Thanking the bar man for being so friendly I paid double for my food and beer and said goodbye. Paying double was still less that what it costs to get lunch at the hotel. The afternoon was wearing on and I had seen enough of Nadi, so I gave Buka a call and told him that I was ready to be picked up. When I told him where I was he started to laugh on the phone and told me to look across the street. Apparently one of the guys from the bar had called to say that they had met me and told him where I was. I got in the cab and he told me that he had just gotten off the phone with a guys I had met at the bar. We talked on the future of this nation of islands as he drove me back to the hotel. I made arranged for him to pick me up in the morning to take me to the airport and said good day to Buka. Back at the hotel it was mid afternoon and I slipped into my swimsuit after checking that the bellman had taken my packages into my room, which he had. I got a few rays of sun before the clouds opened up and said that it was time for me to go in, and it began to rain. The rise didn't last long, but I didn't return to the pool, instead opting to read my book on the balcony. After awhile the sun was beginning to dip low in the sky and I sit now writing this blog with plans to eat a seafood dinner, pack my bags, and gather sleep, for my journey tomorrow is a long one.
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