This is one of the small villages that the we passed through on the way to The Beachhouse. The villages seemed like pleasant places. They were quiet and people actually seemed to be spending time with each other. In an American town, spending time with your neighbors is sometimes viewed as akin to introducing bubonic plague to the neighborhood. Not every building looked like the one above, but there were many of the traditional thatched huts, known as bures.

The people in Fiji don't seem to take much seriously. Things will work out and "Why do it today when it can be done tomorrow?" could be their motto. It's probably the most laid back place that I've ever been. I would see some worker fixing a hole in a fence. The next day he would still be working on the fence, taking his sweet old time. Compared to the U.S., New Zealand is pretty laid back. Compared to Fiji, both of them are all about hurrying up and rushing through everything. I'm not going to say that this is a utopia, it's not. Every place has their problems, but these villages were not the same as back home.

In the U.S., to have a home on the beachfront is an expensive prospect, but here it is part of way things are. It's interesting how their lives relate to the sea. For an American who lives on the sea, in most cases, it's something they live near, but it isn't a part of their culture in quite the same way. The sea has been a part of Fijian culture from the first day. When I told the Fijians that I lived 2000 km from the nearest ocean, they were quite surprised. They said, "You must not get to see the ocean very often." No, not that much.

Well, anyways, this picture kind of captures a part of what I saw of Fijian life.