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T&KonTour
Friday 13 June, Day 19.
We return to Suva, Fiji's capital. The port is just a stone's throw from the bus station and shopping district. As we tie up we watch all the activity with people arriving for work on this Friday morning. We had a relaxed start at 9.00am for a half hour bus ride west to the Fiji Zip location. We had around 30 people on a large bus and all went well until we turned off on to a dirt road heading for the hills. Although the main power lines were well out of the way there were some subsidiary wires and telephone lines strung along short poles. Naturally our coach got snagged so we weren't going anywhere. Luckily it was only a few hundred metres further down the track to our destination. We walked and left it to the driver to work things out.
After strapping in, grabbing helmets and thick gloves, and signing our lives away on a legal disclaimer, we walked to the start of the zipline (flying fox to some). Some instructions from our guides and we were on our way with shouts, screams and variable positions as we hurtled down the cable. Alan was not able to balance properly and so whirled around on his first ride. Some adjustment to the harness and he looked much more in control next time. Some folks went too fast and didn't brake in time, so arrived in a bundle. Other braked too soon or too much, so had to be hauled along the wire by the staff. They just grabbed the closest body part, be it a leg or belt, and dragged you up the cable.
After the first zip we had a steep climb up a forest path to the next stage. Thereafter it was all down hill, going from one tree top platform to the next. By the time we reached the last zip we were pros, one-handed with the camera or video recording the ride. Pity, I was just getting good at it. Kathy declared that it wasn't scary enough, we should have been higher up. She's such an adrenaline junky!
The afternoon was shopping and Jo was very successful in picking up small gifts and clothes for both she & Alan. As it was our last evening on board we started festivities early. What was supposed to be a cooling post-shop champagne then turned into the 5.00pm sailaway party, then the predicable cocktails and canapés. Alan selected his favourite, called a "Gauguin Secret" and stuck with it all night, not sure how many he had, you can ask Jo. But he out-lasted the rest of us, as we headed for bed after the show finished at around 11.00pm.
We return to Suva, Fiji's capital. The port is just a stone's throw from the bus station and shopping district. As we tie up we watch all the activity with people arriving for work on this Friday morning. We had a relaxed start at 9.00am for a half hour bus ride west to the Fiji Zip location. We had around 30 people on a large bus and all went well until we turned off on to a dirt road heading for the hills. Although the main power lines were well out of the way there were some subsidiary wires and telephone lines strung along short poles. Naturally our coach got snagged so we weren't going anywhere. Luckily it was only a few hundred metres further down the track to our destination. We walked and left it to the driver to work things out.
After strapping in, grabbing helmets and thick gloves, and signing our lives away on a legal disclaimer, we walked to the start of the zipline (flying fox to some). Some instructions from our guides and we were on our way with shouts, screams and variable positions as we hurtled down the cable. Alan was not able to balance properly and so whirled around on his first ride. Some adjustment to the harness and he looked much more in control next time. Some folks went too fast and didn't brake in time, so arrived in a bundle. Other braked too soon or too much, so had to be hauled along the wire by the staff. They just grabbed the closest body part, be it a leg or belt, and dragged you up the cable.
After the first zip we had a steep climb up a forest path to the next stage. Thereafter it was all down hill, going from one tree top platform to the next. By the time we reached the last zip we were pros, one-handed with the camera or video recording the ride. Pity, I was just getting good at it. Kathy declared that it wasn't scary enough, we should have been higher up. She's such an adrenaline junky!
The afternoon was shopping and Jo was very successful in picking up small gifts and clothes for both she & Alan. As it was our last evening on board we started festivities early. What was supposed to be a cooling post-shop champagne then turned into the 5.00pm sailaway party, then the predicable cocktails and canapés. Alan selected his favourite, called a "Gauguin Secret" and stuck with it all night, not sure how many he had, you can ask Jo. But he out-lasted the rest of us, as we headed for bed after the show finished at around 11.00pm.
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