Checking in at Lautoka was very interesting for us. Checking in is always a bit of a bother, sometimes a simple and easy formality, sometimes it can grow into a painful bureaucratic ordeal. Lautoka had some qualities of each, but ended up being quite a whole lot of fun.

You remember that we entered the reef at about sunrise. We then had one of the most wonderful and beautiful sails we have ever had crossing the remaining 20 miles to Lautoka. While hove to, we spotted another yacht and talked on the radio together. It was a Dutch yacht named Aletis and was single handed by a very nice guy named Maarten. We became friends in Lautoka.

We arrived about noon, got the dinghy in the water and rushed to Customs. No one there. Lunchtime. They'll be back at 2:00. Ok, so eventually 2:00 came along, forms got filled out for Customs - "How much liquor stores do you have on board? I see. There will be a small tax for those", Immigration "You are permitted a four month visa. How long will you be in Fiji?", Biosecurity "We will need to see your food. Can you take us to your boat?" Upon looking at the food, "Yes, that is food, all right. Everything is in order. Can you take us to Alteis?" Of course. It was a pleasure. They were delightful. The next step was to go into town to obtain the cruising clearance from the Tourism office. Only then can Customs give us the cruising permit that we need.

Problem was that this was Friday. Tourism closes at 4:00. It was now 4:00. We would have to wait until Monday before we could go to Tourism office. "But no problem getting the permit on Monday, is there?" "No problem, but Tourism office cannot give the clearance. That must come from Suva. It will require an overnight fax." "Hmmmm, I see, so it looks like Tuesday before we can get our cruising permit?" "Well we will have to see how eficient they are.."

So then, it was to be a little holiday in Lautoka. Lautoka is an industrial city, second largest in Fiji. It is home to the Port of Lautoka (where we checked in) and this is the very port where the Fiji Water is loaded and shipped abroad to the US and other destinations. It is also home to a sugar refinery right at the water side, and always smelled great, like a candy factory. Additionally, Fiji has a distillery very close that makes Bounty Rum, winner of numerous awards. There is a huge open air veggie market, lots of hustle bustle in the business district with many wonderful (and cheap) places where Fijians go to eat.

There is NO tourism in Lautoka. For the most part, ours were the only white faces we saw in Lautoka. People, not being used to foreigners, did not see us as "dollar signs", but as people, and they were very interested in who we were. So, it was a very cool weekend. We walked around town, attended a local rugby game, shopped for some wonderful fresh veggies, and bought some Bounty Rum and a case of Fiji Bitter Beer. Lunch in a very crowded Indian restaurant - delicious, lots of it and $4.00 Fijian (exchange is about half US).

We met some local people, hung out into the night with Maarten. And then on Monday, we found that the Touism office was actually pretty efficient, and got our clearance that afternoon and our cruising permit first thing Tuesday. I love Fiji. And we had a great time in Lautoka.

We are now at Musket Cove. It is very touristy. We are not a curiosity. It is (relatively) expensive here (much cheaper than NZ or the US). But it too, is wonderful, and we do not mind being tourists for a little while. There are many yachts, and the place really does many wonderful things for us. For instance, we joined the Musket Cove Yacht Club. Lifetime membership for a dollar. This entitles us to free use of the swimming pool and grounds (they are beautiful) half price fare on the ferry to Denarau on the mainland and more.

Although, I did say that we aren't curiosities here, listen to this. Maybe we are. Last night in the yachtie bar on the beach, we were talking with the two young Fijian women tending the bar. They asked our boat name, our names. They asked us if we knew so and so, or bla bla bla. Turns out that we did know one that they asked us. We also have some friends who passed through Alameda a couple of years before we set out cruising. They wrote to us once from Musket Cove and told us how nice it is here. So I asked the women if they knew the yacht Argonaut? Their immediate response was "Yes! Mike and Liz!" We couldn't believe it. This must have been four years ago, so my advice is to never underestimate the impact you may have on someone. It may surprise you.


Tuesday morning, we