Okay, I haven't finished Part II of our Suva trip yet, but wanted to share what we are experiencing tonight....

When we first got to Fiji we had been warned about the "black snow" that falls in flakes everywhere, but we hadn't experienced it until tonight. We were sitting on the patio (the back of the boat) enjoying the sunset when we started hearing a sound like water pouring from somewhere. We weren't sure what it was, but then started to see black flakes floating down onto the deck. We turned from watching the colors of the sunset to see that the color of the sky in front of the boat was even more spectacular - bright red and orange. It was then that we realized what we thought was the sound of pouring water was really fire licking its way through a sugar cane field - a little chill ran up our backs! Now, they harvest sugar cane throughout Fiji for six months of the year beginning in June, and we had been seeing all the trucks and sugar cane trains hauling their loads to the sugar refinery in Lautoka, but hadn't seen a burning or even a burned field yet. It was amazing! We got off the boat and walked about 20 feet up a hill to be mesmerized by the flames. The field they were burning is very close to the marina. In fact, the only thing separating the field from where our boat is sitting is a lot that holds huge propane tanks - yikes! We sure hope they know what they're doing!

We watched for quite a while - what is it about fire that holds one spellbound? It kind of became a social event with everyone coming out for a look. The smoke wasn't too bad and the smell was almost pleasant - kind of like burning corn husks on a BBQ, but when we turned back and saw our boat, we lost the joy of the moment. Our beige decks are now black - so is the dinghy, the cockpit cushions, the chairs we had been relaxing in, the canvas of the dodger, and every other thing that happened to be outside! Our clothes we were wearing while watching are even covered in ash. Thank goodness I had taken down the laundry before it all started. I guess I know what we, and everyone else in the marina, will be doing tomorrow!