Blue skies, smilin' at me...

 ..nothing but blue skies do I see.

It finally happened.  We said a heartfelt FU to Cyclones Judy and Kevin and after a few days of coattail atmospheric disturbances, the weather is great for sailing!  Except I'm not going anywhere.  Not enough time between now and the day I fly out (Saturday -  this Friday for you Norte Americanos).  I haven't been idle though...

"Come see me.  We're not busy.  I'll give you a tour of our facility."  So said my new friend who works at the Fiji Civil Aviation Authority.  Cool.  I'll swing by on Wednesday (today).  So I cabbed into Nadi where I met Peter, conveniently buying chai tea from the food truck in the parking lot.  We sat through his break drinking tea and swapping stories.  He really enjoyed my tales of Captain Bill in Panama.  He's looking to buy a sailboat and be a cruiser.  I suggested gently that he should probably not spring for the 50 foot behemoth that he was describing since he didn't know anything about sailing and his wife and kids might not like it.  He agreed on the wisdom of my consul and we decided to stay in touch vis-a-vis my return to Fiji.  Cool guy.  His co-worker, who he really wanted me to meet, is the guy in charge of licensing drones in Fiji.  Peter and I had talked about the utility of drones when navigating through the reefs and thought his co-worker could lend some perspective.  Unfortunately the guy's father passed away yesterday, so no meeting.  Until next time.  

So back in the cab.  My driver, Anand, asked if there was anything else I needed.  I said 'Do you know a good barber?"  I hadn't had a haircut in four months and was bearing a distinct resemblance to Boris Johnson of Brexit fame.  He said he knew a good one in Latoka, so off we went in the other direction.  I'm thinking:  I'm burning up a lot of cab fare here, but what the heck?  So his guy in Latoka meets me at the curb and takes me into the shop.  Plywood counter.  Bare chair.  Loud psuedo-reggae music blaring from a speaker just behind me.  I kept hearing "You want...?"  Couldn't hear clearly because of the music, so I just kept nodding.  I said to myself:  "Well, at least I haven't seen a straight razor yet."  Too late!  Out came the straight razor and he went all around my head - I have no idea what he was doing.  I could see a lot of gray hair hit the floor.

Hey - Always trust your cape. Amiright?

I came out of that shop with the best haircut of my life.  I kid you not.  I look like Clooney.  (George, not Rosemary).   Unbelievable.  $30 FJD  About $14 USD.  Yes, I tipped him.  He looked confused - nobody tips in Fiji.   

Back to the marina to bake in the sun.  The sun!  The sun!  What is that yellow orb hovering in the cloudless blue sky?  Let's untie the lines and head for Musket Cove like everybody else...oh wait - you're flying out in three days, Sparky.  Now my biggest problem is using up the perishable food I have on board.  I was kind of hoping to just eat at the restaurant here, but the cheap gene is tugging on me saying 'Eat the food you already bought, Bozo!'.  I have a bag of ice from the bar; I think I'll work on that bottle of gin first.