Auckland.....hmmm.....

Ah yes. So here we are. Auckland. I can honestly say now that there is not a whole lot of difference as you explore city after city with exception of nationality and a few minor little details. I had to get the heck outta Fiji for a bit. Rainy season there comes with not only rain, but heat heat heat. Man oh man, I think I lost like 10 pounds just sitting around...not to mention a major sunburn....if only I would use that sunscreen stuff....maybe next time eh?

So I find myself in a city that is almost an exact replica of Seattle....or at least the vibe and architecture and climate. Dont mind a moderate climate after the mugginess of Fiji but I dont think I would last long here. The city is clean enough....and the people vibe is great....but the rain. Oie...rain. Need I say more?

The camera is toast for now, so no pictures. The work situation is dismal here at best unless you have the work permit deal which takes 3 weeks longer than I wanna wait for it....so Im off to Aussie on Monday to drum up some sort of under the table cash job....which there are a plenty compared to my present location. I do wish I had a bit more time as the city is definatley not NZ's attraction.....theres alot to it out here....but its just a hop skip and jump away...so there will be time...oh yes...there will be time. Man....so I brought back a couple pounds of Kava....filthy grog....stuff makes me lazy....relaxed, but lazy. Kinda fun...people think im nuts for drinkin the stuff...tastes like muddy watter and when your done, it feels like you just swallowed a bunch of novicane. But ah well...im sure its good for something. I got the good stuff too....the cheap crap they sell to dumb tourists isnt washed good, so when the root is dried it still has a bunch of dirt and mud on it while they pound it into powder so you get a butt ton of garbage diluting the root when you make the grog. I got the good stuff....local buddy helped me procure....its better for you than drinking mud tea....hehe....

I find myself pondering how to follow certain signs. I see signs everywhere. Not only stop and go signs, but direction and path signs....the ones that people on auto pilot never notice. How do I pick the right one? Is it just hit and miss? And what about the choices you could have made but didnt....unfinished questions in your head....how do we work those out? Just let them fizzle out? Or go and see for yourself and let it unfold that way? How to identify a poor choice? Thats a tough one....I dont think there is any wrong decisions out there....maybe just poor choices....or maybe thats just another way of wording a wrong decision....mmmm....soo many lives we can live...so many hats to wear....and only the small amount of undisclosed time we are given to do it all or as much as possible. I wise man once told me that while you can do anything you want, you just can to everything....hope he followed his own advice....good guy, maybe missunderstood by those that knew him best....hope he is still out there going strong.

Well, im gonna head to Aussie on Monday to see about some things....never know what the right decision is....or if the universe will give me what I want....but I do know it will give me what I need....all I have to do is to identify....which presents its own set of obsticles in the mental sense....haha....lets get deep! Just gotta talk my mind.

I think another thing getting my brain all ponderous is the upcoming anniversary of my fathers death. Lost my best friend to the other side. Tough thing to deal with...no matter if your 10 or 50.....age means nothing....only time. Or what we perceve as time....do what makes you happy in the present...after all, reality is supremely focused in the present.

Well, cheers to all. Live live, drink good wine, eat good food, keep good company, and DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY ALL THE TIME!!!

Love and respect.
Ian

Ahhhh....FIJI!!

oK....so I figured out how to make the h key work on this stupid keyboard...just gotta copy and paste an h and there we go.....so anyways, back to my crazy stories....whoo man.....
So after bonding and talking with locals I figured out that the camping scene isnt happenin out here....these people need every dime they can get. Their government is so corrupt that every dime of aid or any type of major revenue they end up with aside from tourism is essentially pocketed and the people see harldey anything. Super sad. So if there is any possible way to generate income from the land and islands they have it wired. And they all live off the land here.....stark contrast to hawaii, the hawaiians are so westernized, or in contrast to Fiji that it is still possible for morons like me to camp out and get free fruit and fish and not get attacked by a villager for stealing from his supermarket....k, so now the bold button wont turn off....haha.....good stuff. Oh well, im heading to New Zealand tomorrow anyways....got a boat to catch.

So I get a chance to get out to this little island where a huge amount of backpackers acumulate and chill on the beach and party....great place to relax and get my center goin on.....and of course rock out with all da hommies.....dude....DUDE...seriously? My relaxing lasted for about a day until everyone figured out I'm freakin crazy beach spazz with a guitar....oh, and for all the Bushwalla fans out there...we need to rally for an appearance at Mana Lagoon....cause they all know the Ghetto Blaster song now.....got it stuck in everyones head.....good stuff!
I um, lemme think...yea, didnt even sleep in my bead once....slept everywhere else though!! Made great friends, got freakin destroyed in the sun....I have blisters all over....kinda uncomfortable but hey....thats the price I pay A? A? No doubt about it....C-A....N-A....D-A....hehe....sorry....maybe still a little foggy....Kava makes me super lazy...kinda nice though.

So back in transit tomorrow....Fiji is too expensive I think for right now....there aparently is a bunch of temp work in NZ and Aussie....got about a month before I meet my captain for our departure so maybe a good time to make a little extra cash....we shall see......BULA IAN!! Dude...I dunno how this happens or where I got the ability to bring everyone togeather....I think its the music deal....I love music.....that whole freakin island new my name...people I didnt even know knew my name....and these fire dancer dudes...(thats 2 of them in that picture) decided to like adopt me or something....they are aparently some of the best

dancers in the south pacific...they are all cousins from a little island right next to Samoa where fire dancing came from....super impressive stuff....i got to mess with the fire sticks...man, those things are freakin hot....have alot of respect for their tradition.....they do a little ceremony and prayer and stuff before the show...it was fun...i got to help and stuff and do the prayer....ate taro and all the funky village food and stuff. Fun fun. Loved it. I will probably come back to this island when the boat gets back to Fiji...he is gonna pull it out of the water for about a week for a hull inspection so Ill have some time to kill. We'll see.

So im gonna have one last kava session with my local friends here at the hostel before I gotta fly in the morning and then im off to check out NZ....Maori....sounds good to Ian.

Until next time.....BULA VINAKA!!
(I feel like im rambling....i mean...you dont really wanna know all the trouble I got in on that island do you?)

I LOVE FIJI!!!

BULA! BUUUUULA!!! YEA.....FREAKIN LOVE FIJI.
So just to start off.....da key for da letter i need doesnt work on dis keyboard so im reverting to using dis and dat ....so sorry....Fiji....o well.
Spent all week on some crazy little island and played guitar wit all te err.....da locals and everyone....super fun....partied, caused trouble....slept on da....k....ammock....i dunno if ....stupid keyboard. K...im gonna wait till it gets fixed to write more.....just look at da pictures and you get da idea. Maybe I will be able to use a keyboard dat works tomorrow.....oie....nevermind....taking too long on dis stupid computer......
Love you all!
BULA!! I LOVE FIJI! BUUUUUULA!

Oie....Day one!!

So after all the madness of wrapping up all the loose ends, the sad and sometimes uncomfortable good-byes, and all the animosity of getting through the craziness of transport....the eagle has landed. Walking off the plane, I get the familiar feeling of moisture and warmth in the air....the aroma's of the tropics, and the undying urge to get some freakin undisturbed sleep!! So here I am on my second morning, enjoying a very tastey cup of coffee. MMMM.....coffee....

So the little backpacker spot Im at is very friendly, there is a pool, and it is about a block (a very small block) away from where boats pick up to get out to the Yasawa group of islands up on the North Western side of the islands....they are dry and the rain clouds tend to pass over and keep to the main island.

Nadi town is still recovering...the whole first floor of the main downtown area was under water. There is still alot of mud and cleaning up going on around town....gonna head in today to check it out. I passed through yesterday, I was able to talk one of the drivers at this spot to drive me 45 minutes out of town to one of the nicest beaches on this island....still a little drowsy from only a light nap....I make it here......
mmmm
Fiji......
So, after a few hours of goofing off in the water....(although you cant see it, there was a break going off to the right of the middle picutre above this line...) and checking
out the reef....I decided it was time to go and minimalize the skin damage on my first day. Plus I was still tired as hell.

On the way back we passed through c0ffee and sugar cane fields, through a couple villages and finally back my bed where I passed out until about 6:30 this morning...there is something about these birds out here that drives me nuts...brings back memories of sleeping in a tent and being woken up every freakin morning at 5:30 am to the sound of the same bird....good thing I didnt have a slingshot.....hehe

Anyways, taking it easy, gonna hang around town, and head off to the Yasawa islands in the morning for a few days...see whats shakin out there.....should be fun!

For now, holdin it down in the S. Pac, G to the Rizzove!!
Peace

And away we go!

So....here I go....off into the great unknown. I haven't even left yet and as life happens, my adventure already has a concious of its own. I met my sailboat captain today, and I must say once again I am refreshed by the way positive energy seems to have a magnetic effect not only in the physical universe we occupy but also the other way...like, metaphysical or something like that. Super cool dude, enjoyed a wonderful brunch with his family on their patio while one of the most pleasant and exciting conversations unfolded....of which im sure anyone reading my little posts will get to follow throughout the next few months. I will be on the road for a couple months until I get word the boat is ready, at which point we will depart from New Zealand back to Fiji, and then on to some remote islands in the Solomon group to visit some far-out little villages and islands and basically just have a good time while I get my sailing stripes. Hell yea.

So while I dont have a whole lot of time at the present to put down everything going on in my little brain of mine, the next week will be full of tropical rain and thunder and countless hours spent indoors playing guitar and reflecting.....so Im sure more will follow.

Peace for now, im off to wander in the great blue.

I love all of you.