On the first flight from Auckland to Fiji I was seated next to a very friendly, interesting, not-hard-to-look at guy just a few years older than I, who has spent the last 3 months traveling through New Zealand. We chatted away and had lots in common, so that plane ride went by in a flash. He was making the connection to LA as well, so the whodunnit that I'd bought for the 6 hour layover looked like it might not get read.
When we got off the plane, we were hit by a wall of heat and humidity. The thought of six hours in a transit lounge again became unappealing, so when the airport people said we all needed to go through customs and then check in again (because the layover was just a tiny bit more than six hours), I didn't mind too much. I was looking forward to getting a Fiji stamp in my passport, and I thought I might escape for a while and see what I could see of the town or island. (The handsome man on my plane was right behind me in the customs line, but an airport guy came and said that we could actually check in, so he must have wandered off with the rest of the people after I went through.) So I changed my remaining $25 NZ to $22 Fiji, and went out to find a taxi. I told the taxi driver I had $20 and loads of time, and to please show me what he could show me until the money ran out. He seemed somewhat reluctant (I think $20 probably would have gotten me to the town of Nadi and back, but I didn't care), but agreed.
I introduced myself to the driver, Vinod, and we headed off. He suggested that if I had a bit more money, he could show me
some really beautiful places. Nope, $20 was all I had to spend. I asked him various questions about Fiji and the town and we chatted. He drove me by a Hindu temple (he, like 35% of the Fijian population, is Indian) and asked if I had a camera. I duly took a photo of this colorful temple, so not to offend. He drove me through town, telling me that it was a public holiday (Mohammed's birthday, so there's another religion. I saw a church as well somewhere along the lines). Then he drove me into a little residential street, honked the horn in front of a somewhat ramshackle house and gate, and asked if I wanted to come to his home. Ummmm, okay.So I got to meet Vinod's wife, Asha, 15 year old daughter, Arusha, and 20 year old son (whose name I promptly forgot, but it means rain). They gave me a cup of tea, and I shared the remains of my wasabi peas and half a candy bar which I had in my little pac. After half an hour or so, Vinod said he needed to get back to work, but I would stay with his family and they would make me dinner. Ummmm, okay.
I went outside with the son to get some leaves for dinner. No, we didn't go to a little garden plot and pick some spinach. He got a big knife (think machete), chopped down a large branch off of a tree (I kept asking if it was a tamarind, but everyone said no, even though it really looked like one to me), and picked off the little leafy branches. Asha cleaned the branches (smacking them a few times against her hand to shake off the bugs, I assume), then chopped up the leaves. Meanwhile the son cracked a coconut and shredded the meat.
When it was all said and done, that became a delicious something, which was served along with rice, roti with dal, some breadfruit curry, dal soup, and a dish made with potatoes and something I hadn't heard of. It was all amazingly delicious. And there I was, a random stranger sitting in their living room, having this Indian feast.
Vinod came home about 8 and the whole family, including the upstairs neighbor and her two young kids, piled in the car and drove me back to the airport. They asked if I would be coming back to Fiji some day. ABSOLUTELY!!!!! As I checked in again, and all the way into the transit lounge where I found the handsome man again, I had a huge grin on my face. What a wonderfully serendipitous day.If you ever land in Nadi, Fiji, I highly recommend the taxis.....
1 comment:
This is why you went on this trip.
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