sailing the (un)friendly skies: our journey to fiji begins
Our journey to Fiji started off with a travel day where everything went wrong. The driver of our shuttle from Waikiki to Honolulu was unaware of road closures that affected his route. Our bags were over the carry-on weight limit (because the carry-on weight limit was .00002 ounces). Plus, due to mass amounts of rain in Hawaii, my hair was frizzing. Real life problems, you guys.
Then, as we boarded our near-empty flight to Nadi, an attendant gleefully told us most had cancelled. Apparently, it had started to rain a few days earlier and there was no end in sight.
True to tropical island forecasts, the weather just showed a bland mix of sun and rain. We asked if he meant it was raining throughout Fiji’s 300+ islands or just on the main island. But he was dodgy and insisting we’ll have fun. He used a tone that very much implied we were going to drown.
Since there was clearly nothing we could do, we spread out in our row. We settled in for the seven-hour flight. The hubs zonked out almost immediately, while I decided to be a good little blogger and get started on my Hawaii coverage. Suddenly, what to our wondering ears should we hear?
OH just an out of tune ukulele accompanied by the sounds of a warbling pirate. What else?
We started laughing, but after a solid ten minutes of this nonsense, the hubs indignantly declared (to only me because, remember: near-empty flight) that something must be done.
If you are reading this and know us, you are assuming that I was the one who declared that something must be done. I know. The hubs is diplomatic and non-confrontational, I am a sassy sassball with a penchant for keeping bitches in line.
Despite all the facts, I solemnly swear that this was 100% the hubs’s personal mission.
In fact, as soon as I placed the culprit five rows in front of us, I advised him to destroy the cease and desist letter he was crafting in his mind. The crooner in question was a real-life pirate, who I am assuming had already fashioned a shiv out of his metal seatbelt, ready to thwart any anti-ukulelists who may have boarded the flight unwittingly.
Rain or not: I wanted to make it to Fiji sans shivving.
Unfortunately, there was no talking the hubs down from this—especially because the chorus of the swashbuckler’s latest song had just started and it involved a lot of extra long notes.
To give you a better vision, I later snapped a secret photo of this musical wonder for your viewing:
Not pictured: the impressively long ponytail gracing his back, the ukulele, and his face… to protect me and the hubs from being murdered. PLEASE DO NOTE the dog tags, which I assume once belong to former Green Berets who also politely asked him to stop playing his ukulele. RIP, brave soldiers.
The hubs wobbled his way up to the songstress (not because he was nervous, but because of turbulence), and BAM.
“Sir, can you please stop playing the ukulele and singing? I’m trying to sleep and my wife is trying to write.”
You asshole.
He roped me into his dangerous games, came back to his seat and PASSED OUT.
Thus, I spent the rest of the flight sitting in terror as the Bob Dylan of the South Pacific loudly asked anyone and everyone around him (so, like, three people) if his musical talents were offending them. They also happened to be traveling with him, so of course they said no. He alternated his political surveys with shooting me the ULTIMATE DEATH STARE, and flirting with a flight attendant who, in his words, “smelled like a dream.”
Paired with the fact that it was, in fact, raining when we finally landed in Nadi (and made it off the plane, praise you Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and also Pele), and our start to Fiji was unconventional to say the least.
What could possibly turn this trip around, you ask? STAY TUNED.
xo!
the romantic
Lazy Travelers
The Lazy Travelers are two transatlantic best friends who have mastered the art of exploring a new city. Though Ashley is based in London and Carolyn is in Philadelphia, we'll use any excuse to reunite around the world. We’re professional bar hoppers, pub crawlers, and food testers, and you’ll never see us zipping around, checking things off a list of “must-sees.”
18 Comments
Linda Ripper
Oh no, I hope the weather improves and that you dont bump into the pirate again on your travels…
Lazy Travelers
seeing the pirate again was and continues to be my biggest fear.
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Anita Mac
That’s hilarious! I couldn’t believe how empty your flight was – has been a long time since I have seen that many empty seats, except of course when I had the last seat on the plane and was disembarking – but even then, the aisles were full!!! Oh well – nothing like starting an adventure with an adventure!
Anita Mac recently posted..Anticipation: Heading to my first TBEX
Lazy Travelers
it was sooo weird! i’ve never been on a flight that empty! nice to spread out, not nice that it encouraged ukulele playing behavior.
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Alicia
I hope the trip went better but way to go to the hubs!!! Have a blast!
Lazy Travelers
don’t encourage him!
@mrsoaroundworld
OMG, I am so with you – did you speak to the crew? I found it that they usually feel this kind of pain too. But keeping everything crossed for fab weather and a wee bit of fun in Fiji!
@mrsoaroundworld recently posted..Finding paradise in the Maldives
Lazy Travelers
yes, that would have been smart, but the hubs took this one on all on his own! i can only hope that an angry crocodile has since stolen one of his ukulele playing hands.
Lazy Travelers recently posted..turning our fijian frowns upside down
Christina
I can’t believe people cancelled just because of rain!! One of my old coworkers said he took his honeymoon there and they HATED it because the weather sucked the whole time.
Christina recently posted..Prague’s Jewish Cemetery
Lazy Travelers
i know, i was really surprised that rain caused so many cancellations, too! i guess it depends on where you are because some of the smaller islands and parts of the big islands do get a ton of rain in the off season, and there’s really not much to do if you’re not outside.
luckily we didn’t have to find out how much it would suck to be locked inside in fiji 🙂
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The World Wanderer
Hahaha, omg, I love this story. If it helps, my flight from Fiji to Hawaii was a complete disaster too. It was windy when we left and during take off, we dropped and everyone screamed. Well, I screamed. We also were stopping off in Samoa and the entire Samoan football (?) team was on the plane and laughed when it happen. I thought I was going to die. Horrible, horrible flight…
The World Wanderer recently posted..Music Monday: The Fear.
Lazy Travelers
bahh that sounds soo scary! maybe all flights to fiji are meant to go awry so that they balance out all the beauty when you actually get there?
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Kieu ~ GQ trippin
I have never heard of someone playing the ukelele on a plane before, I would have been so pissed! LOL.. If it were me, I’d be up in a second telling him to shove it.. asshole. Haha. Gerard’s the nicer one. 🙂
Kieu ~ GQ trippin recently posted..An Unexpected Career Path
Lazy Travelers
this is totally the norm for us, but this guy was just so scary. and sweaty.
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Hannah @ Getting Stamped
Yuck to that flight! Hope your time in Fiji gets much better! Can’t wait to read all about it! We land in Fiji November 4th, have 2 weeks open to explore it!!
Hannah @ Getting Stamped recently posted..#8 of 10 Most Anticipated – Machu Picchu
Lazy Travelers
ahh amazing!! which islands are you visiting?!
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lola dimarco
“The hubs is diplomatic and non-confrontational, I am a sassy sassball with a penchant for keeping bitches in line.” well written! 😉 what a bummer this guy was! and way to be sneaky with that secret photo! Enjoy the rest of your trip!
Lazy Travelers
at least i know our strengths!
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