Bula from Beachcomber Island! Well, here I am in Fiji and its now officially Monday afternoon. Fiji is truly beyond words...little of what I say will capture its friendly solitude. I'm sure there are very few places in the world like this, where you can get 360 degree views of what it means to be in the middle of nowhere (with the exception of some spotted islands of white sand). We arrived in Nadi bright and early, everything was smooth sailing (literally, including the ferry over here). The island has little walkways in its center, with palms forming caves...its pretty cool. I've been traveling amongst new friends all the way from Minneapolis and the group just keeps growing (though I must admit I was ready for some alone time this afternoon...just gets exhausting to be continually introducing yourself and acting out enthusiasm when its just not there!). But I've made some good friends...including two Aussies, Steve (pronounced Stive (haha) and Melanie. They're honeymooners and quite the bunch. So in the Nadi airport, I decided to officially declare my 21st birthday today - that is, I bought some duty free Fijian rum "Bounty." As my friend Simon says (ha, no pun intended), 'When in Fiji..." (Sorry Dad, no cake for this bottle, but Happy Birthday to me!. ha) We toured around Nadi a bit on our shuttle bus and its quaint, slow pace is intriguing. It was then that I realized I really haven't been around the globe. It made me realize how important and powerful it is to understand other cultures so that maybe we can adopt some of their better ways. Case in point, I've abandoned my watch for the next few days. After all, I am on island time now...what else do I really have to do?! So I've been beaching it today, catching up on my zzzs...preparing myself for a fun night on the island and a day of island hopping and perhaps snorkeling tomorrow. Surprisingly, I've spent all day in the shade. The sun is really intense here and I'm most likely burnt despite my efforts to stay out of it. Well I best be off for now - this is what I know for sure: This place is beautiful and its people are too. (One woman gave me a welcome hug, sweet and much needed so far from home.) Bula covers every emotion you'd ever like to convey. The air is humid, but the breeze is cooling. And e-mail is $7 for 15 minutes...so that's a wrap folks. Miss you all. I'll send pics when I get to NZ - pics will describe this place far better than words ever will. peace.