so the other night i went spear fishing with tui, my new fijian friend. before getting in the water tui recites a lengthy prayer in fijian (fiji is very religious. the missionaries did a number on the pacific islands. it's sad to see indigenous religions go by the wayside). soon afterwards i ask tui "so is there anything i should worry about down there"? "we've already said our prayer, He must take care of the rest" comes his reply.....

it's not long after we've speared a couple of lobsters when we cross paths with a 4 meter (12 foot) white tip reef shark. I think back to our discussion on sharks..."yes we have lots of sharks in fiji but only friendly ones. if we see one just say 'bula' (fijian greeting). with this in mind i say "bula" to the shark with the hope that he won't become curious about the lobsters and fish that dangle from a wire around my wrist. interestingly enough, all of the shark descriptions i've read mention that certain sharks are "quite dangerous especially in the vicinity of spear fishing". the white tip happens to be such a shark. this shark, however, merely swam by and even appeared magnanimous. i'd like to think that we're on friendly terms after our little encounter...

so you see, it's good to be in the tropics again. i love fiji. pineapple? yes please. papaya with lime? of course. coconut anyone? don't mind if i do (i'm also perfecting my coconut tree climbing methods over here).

so my plan, as it stands now, is to cruise these islands on the boat for the next month or two (so much left to discover - people, fish, hundreds of tropical isles with sun swept white sand beaches and copious amounts of coral). then, i'd like to get my scuba liscense (if not sooner). then head elsewhere. more specifically sail elsewhere if i can manage that. thailand, malaysia, india, china (as my mom suggests), eventually africa to see my bro and the fam (can't wait for that)...any suggestions people? i feel like i'm on a roll here and i don't want to lose my momentum anytime soon...

also more pictures are coming it's just that internet connection is really slow here, especially considering that i am usually on a boat in the ocean where getting a wireless signal is hit or miss to say the least.