All right Geo, how's yourself?  This is the travelling Scotsman.  I've made my way safely to the not-so-idyllic south coast of Australia.  Trust a daft Scot to visit in the winter time...

Good to hear that things in Hermosa Beach are still "going off", keep sending the beach updates.  Ha!  That was shoddy workmanship on those goggles - mine broke the first day I got to Fiji.  Oh well, you'll have to send me another pair.  Anyhow, I love the traveling lark.  I can understand why you are always at the hostel.  I've met so many amazing, incredible personalities since I left Los Angeles (other travelers, that is).

Ralph was right about the locals here.  Every single one of the native Fijians has a 'fro, and most of them are fat and skanky, while the rest of the local population is comprised of Indian immigrants, who are (according to both legend and personal experience) untrustworthy thieves.  Sorry to disappoint you mate, I didn't get up to any kinky threesomes with my hosts in Fiji.  In fact, I spent very little time with them.  After my first two days of mishaps, I wanted to get off the islands as quickly as possible.

My time in Fiji was spent most unproductively, at least to an outsider' point of view.  I went to the same island Ralph had been to, Mana, the one infested with dogs and crawling with high quality 'local produce'...  The kind of place where one can rise at noon, spend the day lying on the beach (doing nothing) and later, feel like they've had a productive day.  I did, however, have my fair share of mishaps.  I got my foot infected with coral poisoning, ran into the world's 4th most poisonous snake and found out when I tried to check out of the island that my credit card had been deactivated.

Apparently, when I had bought a garment of clothing from a small (Indian) shop in Nadi (the main town on the western half of the mainland) the crooked merchant changed the amount of the credit slip to gain himself an extra $400 dollars!  So, my bank stopped my card under the belief that it was being used illegally.  Thus, I couldn't pay for my 9 nights accommodations, the boat ride back to the mainland, the taxi rides required to get to the 24hr. bank at the airport or the police station.  I was quite literally, up a certain polluted stream without means of propulsion...

The native Fijians came through though...   Living up to their reputation for friendliness and willingness to help, they offered me a ride to the mainland and transfers to get my stuff sorted out at the bank, police, etc.  They even put me up in their other hostel, while I needed it.   Great stuff.  Once that was sorted I felt slightly better, but it kind of shafted all my plans for the rest of my sty in Fiji.  I couldn't visit all the islands I had planned to and ended up wandering around Nadi town looking for any signs of familiar faces.  I did manage to meet up with tree girls I had met on Mana and joined them at their hotel, where I got electrocuted in the shower...  fun, fun, fun in the sun, sun, sun...

I made it safely to Australia without further mishaps.  I spent the last few days looking for suitable work to break the monotony of a 1pm rise, fare evasion on the ridiculously easy to use public transit system (The Bus).  I wandered through the city, attempting not to spend money.  Then, I was out 2 a pub, club and a fast food restaurant in the evening.  I am heading up the east coast here, before heading home to Scotland, via Thailand...  I have sent a couple of travelers your way.   You should hopefully meet a girl named Nicola "Noo" and another Scottish guy named Kevin.  Both of whom, I met here in Fiji.  Make sure they purchase a pair of goggles too. -Kjartan Behm, Scotland