It’s funny that I have only been in Fiji for three days but somehow it feels a great deal more than that. Of course, I’m not complaining, time going slowly here is just fine by me!

In reality my trip to Fiji has been very busy. Because I knew I would be here only a few days, I got up early each day at went to bed very late. That’s one of the things about travel, it can be thoroughly exhausting. But all those moments of fatigue are worthwhile when you find yourself somewhere you know you’ll likely never forget.

So today, I rented a car and drove from Suva to Nadi along the coral coast, stopping along the way at beautifully quiet tropical beaches, most of which were deserted. After I heard about cyclone Evan I didn’t think I would get to see anything like this, I thought that the tropical storm would stay in the area and my time here would be all about helping people clear up the mess of the storm. But much to my delight, today I stood on white sandy beaches and took in views that I know I will recall again and again.

By evening I was back in the rural village where I would spend the night in the company of Save, his wife, and three other couchsurfers (a couple from Spain, and a girl from Tunisia). I helped cook the evening meal, then we all sat around chatting until late into the night, making this rather rustic couchsurfing experience one of my favorites.

It was just a quick stop here in Fiji, but I feel like I made every moment count, and that’s a good feeling.