Bye Bye Bali

Man... am I tired. I don’t know if it’s the overly touristy scene here in Kuta or just the fact that we’ve been on the road for so long…or maybe just because the end is actually in sight but I’m definitely noticing the effects of the road. If you can imagine going away to a new place for the weekend and having to sort out transportation, accommodations and then having to figure out your way around once you get there…and multiply that by almost 300 days, you can begin to get the idea. Of course, I’m aware of the fact that I’m writing this from the tropical paradise of Bali and I don’t expect this missive to elicit much sympathy from anyone back home holding down a nine to five. However, the simple unavoidable fact is that both Radka and I are feeling it right about now. With that in mind, we’ve decided to make our last two weeks in Fiji (plus three nights in Auckland, New Zealand) a vacation from our vacation.

We depart from Denpasar this evening at 9:20 local time, stop over shortly in Brisbane, Australia, continue on to Auckland, NZ, collect our bags and clear customs in time to check in again for our next flight to Fiji. [I’m getting worn out just writing about it.] As of now the plan is to spend as little time in Nadi (the city in which we fly into) and make our way to some of the quieter (and cheaper) out lying islands such as the Mamanuca and the Yasawa Island groups.

While we’re there, Radka and I will be celebrating the passing of two years since we first met. Also, I suppose, we’ll be celebrating the fact that we’ll have been together over 7,000 straight hours without killing each other; a major feat any relationship…friends, lovers or otherwise. We were joking the other night that the time we’ve spent together on this trip is the equivalent of what a working couple would see of each other in ten years. The luxury of being able to spend this much quality time and share a lifetime of unique experiences with some one you love is something I feel very grateful for.

So it’s off to Fiji, our final destination (not counting the final pass through NZ) on this around the world odyssey. We’ll be enjoying every last minute of it as we wind this thing up in style. Bye bye Bali and bula bula Fiji!