so, we're back. missing the weather, obviously, but it's very nice to be sleeping in my own bed again. the trip away was very good, with all the book-related stuff really going off well, and the rest of it - catching up with friends and family, just being in fiji - being quite pleasant as well. we kept up with the soccer as best as we could, culminating with the time we got up very early to watch the aus-italy game and went back to sleep again afterward feeling very sorry for ourselves. we went out to two nightclubs and got addicted to bounty rum and coke (the soundtrack hasn't changed a bit, which is very comforting - now i know why i love eighties music so much. ah, richard marx. ub40. boney m...) i ate kokoda at every opportunity i got. immediately upon entering any shop, i would converse in hindi with the shop attendants; this got me 'local pricing' on two occasions, and on another prompted one of the shop attendants to ask me if i could find her a nice boy to marry (she was sixteen, a complete stranger, and deadly serious - i was a little taken aback by that one). i am ashamed to admit however, that we fell prey to the most notorious of fijian cliches - the sword-seller. i know, i know... i just thought he was being friendly. in the end i was so impressed with his front that i bought the swords (engraved 'mr mark and mrs shalini - 2006 bula fiji tour') - but not before haggling. hey, i might not be a local anymore, but i'm not that much of a tourist!

that last entry was a little cheeky, i know. but we've been a little busy since we've been here, so a quick stop at a net cafe is all we've been able to squeeze in so far. as it is, i have 9 minutes left on this computer, so i'll make this brief (but not as brief as last time).
reception here has been amazing, it's really quite surreal to come back to fiji with an independent identity and a book to promote. i have met some very interesting people, and the book has been very well received. i did a little talk last week, and despite it being exam-time on campus here at the moment, there was a nice little turnout to hear me, and some excellent questions were asked. the interview in living in fiji magazine has also got some people asking about me, which is great. we re-launch the book this thursday night, and that should be quite an evening. the book's beong launched by sir moti tikaram, with whom we just met. he is a very modest and intelligent man, with a sharp sense of humour. i'm looking forward to thursday!

been in fiji for four days so far, but it feels like forty (in the best possible way). just a quick hello to say, well... 'hello'. loving it.
more later.