Two restful days in Los Angeles with only trips to the gym,walking and eating,led to a late night flight out of Los Angeles.The flight was due to depart at 23.00 hrs so plenty of reading time as we awaited the call to board!
Very fresh looking airbus plane with delightful staff.About 15 minutes before the planned departure the captain announced that we would have to wait for 41 passengers who were delayed on a BA flight from London.They arrived around 23.00 having been told that their luggage would not be coming with them but would follow in 24 hours.So took off a trifle late but arrived 15 minutes early,at 05.10 having lost friday ,in transit,as we crossed the international date line.So we left on thursday but arrived on saturday. to a very warm greeting from local staff and a remarkably fast delivery of our luggage.
It transpired that the BA plane left 3 hours late but contact had been made between BA and Air Fiji to hold the Fiji plane ,accelerate the security arrangements in LA and get all the luggage on the plane.So plenty of happy passengers.Elizabeth and I felt young as we watched them all arrive!Short bus ride to a hotel for the day,during which we learnt that the population of Fiji is about 900,000 of whom 300,000 live in and around the capital Suva and 200,000 in and around Lautoka,so most of the population lives on one of the 331 islands that make up the archipelago of Fiji.We shall visit a few of the other islands over subsequent days.
An enormous breakfast buffet at the hotel,a delightful swim in the sea and then a lovely nap which took us up to lunchtime
Very fresh looking airbus plane with delightful staff.About 15 minutes before the planned departure the captain announced that we would have to wait for 41 passengers who were delayed on a BA flight from London.They arrived around 23.00 having been told that their luggage would not be coming with them but would follow in 24 hours.So took off a trifle late but arrived 15 minutes early,at 05.10 having lost friday ,in transit,as we crossed the international date line.So we left on thursday but arrived on saturday. to a very warm greeting from local staff and a remarkably fast delivery of our luggage.
It transpired that the BA plane left 3 hours late but contact had been made between BA and Air Fiji to hold the Fiji plane ,accelerate the security arrangements in LA and get all the luggage on the plane.So plenty of happy passengers.Elizabeth and I felt young as we watched them all arrive!Short bus ride to a hotel for the day,during which we learnt that the population of Fiji is about 900,000 of whom 300,000 live in and around the capital Suva and 200,000 in and around Lautoka,so most of the population lives on one of the 331 islands that make up the archipelago of Fiji.We shall visit a few of the other islands over subsequent days.
An enormous breakfast buffet at the hotel,a delightful swim in the sea and then a lovely nap which took us up to lunchtime
Very good lunch in the hotel and a short bus ride over to Lautoka to get on board the ship.But did find this little fellow before we left the hotel.
We leave the island of Viti Levu tonight to travel to Suva Suva,the Fijian islands are pretty far flung and depend upon tourism and sugar production for pretty much the whole of GDP.An average sugar cane farm here is 5 acres and there is 30% unemployment but little poverty as most people have a patch of cultivable land and so can produce plenty of vegetables.Interestingly Fiji is self sufficient in cement production,fruit,sugar and wood,but imports grapes,carrots,potatoes and lamb from new zealand.Strange to think of carrots as a luxury!
No comments:
Post a Comment