Void of Inspiration

Will it ever be complete?

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Author

I tried once more this week to get on that balloon ride but because the weather was still terrible, I had to give up. No worries though, I was lucky enough to meet a fellow – Nick T. – who is on the island to learn how to fly a plane! Excellent for me since it’s a favorite topic. I had the pleasure of meeting two others, one who has recently received his pilot’s license and another who has already been flying for quite some time. The sun finally came out on Tuesday so I had the luck over the next couple of days to park myself on the beach after work. Plenty of food and smoothies for the last days of my Fiji tour – not to mention a bit of fun trying to ditch overly obsessive individuals.

But now, time to say goodbye again – possibly making plans of return, for this marks the end of the round-the-world journey! On my next set of flights, which take me to New Zealand for a 10 hour layover, just to get on an 8 hour flight to Hawaii, and again having a layover of 8 hours before finally arriving in Hilo, on the Big Island of Hawaii.

“…women were appallingly practical: they built new plans at once out of the ruins of the old.”
– Graham Greene, The Power And The Glory

“The argument of danger only applies to those who live in relative safety.”
– Graham Greene, The Power And The Glory

Fractions for days

Posted on October 8, 2011 by Author

The week got a little crazy with some friends coming back from other islands and just running around doing things here and there. I’m still in relaxation mode – not looking forward to getting back to the craziness of the USA, though I still have another week to go. I tried again to get on the balloon ride, but since the weather hasn’t been the best, it was canceled yet again. So instead I have been catching up on a bit of sleep and meeting new people – shooting pool across the way and just lounging around as I wait for the sun to come back out.

“I have been after an adventure all my life, a pure dispassionate adventure, such as befell early and heroic voyagers; and thus to be found by morning in a random wood-side nook in Gevaudan – not knowing north from south, as strange to my surroundings as the first man upon the earth, an inland castaway – was to find a fraction of my daydreams realized.”
– R. L. Stevenson, Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes

“No use to them but it’s useful to the people that name them, I suppose. If not, why do things have names at all?”
– Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass

“Information is defined only once you have defined who is talking to whom and in what context.”
– Tor Norretranders, The User Illusion

Posted in Project | Table | Tagged Fiji, Nadi | Leave a comment

It is far better safe than dead

Posted on October 2, 2011 by Author

On to securing a new adventure of a balloon ride – today was the day, and a beautiful morning it was as Richard and I had to get up at 4am to be ready for the pickup. It turns out that the pickup had lost a guest on the route so they spent quite a bit of time looking for her. Yuri came out to inform us that the pickup would be a bit late and we were not forgotten, as 5am rolled near. When we were finally picked up, we were put up in the back of the pickup where seats had been installed and told that we would be driving a bit faster to make up some time. Then we took off – like a bat out of hell! They must have been doing at least 70 on the roads and three times I caught sight of my near death. It was an adventure in itself indeed! Unknown objects were flying out of my bag as we held on for dear life and attempted to put on our jackets, for the wind was so strong up there we could not hear, were pretty cold, and had trouble breathing.

When we arrived, we met the pilot – Kevin and his first mate – Allen, who would be flying us. Then we signed a waver which pretty much said they hold no responsibility over our lives and off we went to the launch site which is always different, depending on the winds that day. Since it was the Sabbath, we could not take flight in the usual valley – and this presented us with a problem as the winds were slightly strong that day. In any case, we drove out to the launch site and the crew got the cue to set up the balloon. The pilot stood watching the trees and the balloons let loose in the wind – and as we got in we thought we would finally have our first flight, up-up and away, but as nature would have it – it was not to be so. We reached ten feet off the ground several times before the pilot canceled the flight due to high winds.

It is far better safe than dead. We did have the pleasure however, of staying behind to help the crew pack up the balloon and sat around to chat with the pilot and his mate about stories they have had through years of ballooning and sky diving. It makes me all the more excited to try to fly again next weekend, as this had been the last day I was able to fly this week. Not all is lost though – it of course did make for some excellent photos!