And still the rains came. Yesterday was a bit of a reprieve but it started again this afternoon. The marina yard is a mess but less so than the homes all over the west side of the island. Flooding has run rampant all over the coast as well as inland in the mountains. Rivers as well as streams have over flowed their banks and destroyed homes as well as entire villages. Two of the towns south of here, Singatoka and Nadi, are covered in more water than they were back during the floods back in January and February. We're just lucky that Cyclone Daphne kept to the west of the island and spared us more destruction. It's going to take quite a while for the island to recover from this onslaught from Mother Nature.

I took a chance and went into Lautoka yesterday after we got word that my replacement scuba boots had arrived. I want them in my hand just to make sure we got them back. In the US, you can pick up your packages at the post office any time they are open. No so here in Fiji. You can get your packages between 8am and 9am and then between 2pm and 4pm. Oh, plus it costs $3.00 to get your box(inspection fee for Customs). I got to the Post Office(forgetting the pick up schedule)about 1030 only to be told to come back after 1400. RATS! I had hours to kill. I walked down the the local movie theatre as the Hunger Games was on and started about 1050. Opps, "sorry, we cancelled that showing. Come back at 1400. We might show it then". It's Fiji people, not the US. Even the main veggie market was locked up since the local farmers can't get to town.

So with lots of time on my hands I went looking for a newspaper as I had gotten away with out a book. Nope, no papers. The roads were out between Suva and Lautoka and there is not a single book store in Lautoka(at least not that I have found). I could have bought a Scuba magazine for $20.00 but I passed.

After getting the boots and what ever else came to mind, I headed for the bus station to see if the 1520 bus to Vuda was running. All other buses had been cancelled that came by the marina due to all the rain. I'd taken a taxi from the marina to the Nadi/Lautoka shelter and caught one of them on it's way to Lautoka. Well, 1510 came and went--no bus. I was sitting with two Fijians of Indian descent who assured me that a bus was coming to take us to Vuda Point. So I sat and talked and dozed off and on. The 1510 bus finally showed up at 1630(remember, this is Fiji). I was back at Zephyr a bit after 1700. When I'd left, there was some doubt wether I would get back since the buses were iffy at best.

Rains continued for a while with only a small shower over night. It poured about an hour ago and is sprinkling now. Hopefully it will stop so we can start drying out. Fiji deserves a break.