Day 180 Driving

Liahona has been in Suva for several days and at one restaurant, they met a Tongan man named Coy who said he would take them to the best surf spots so we rent a van and all pile in with the board strapped on the top. After 2½ hours of driving along the King's Highway that follows the South shore of Viti Levu Westward, we come to the small town of Sigatoka on the Sigatoka river. Along the way, we stopped at several promised locations but did not find any surf. Finally we are starving so we stop for lunch at a pleasant curry restaurant on the shore. After lunch, we proceed another half hour West to the "best" place around and here there is a pleasant beach but absolutely no surf. Coy had been out late the night before and slept most of the way only to awaken when we needed directions. Eight of us were crunched into the little van for 5 hours and by the time we got back we could hardly walk. The scenery was mildly interesting but not worth the torture of the van. To make matters worse, during the return trip, we look more closely at the restaurant bill and realize we have been overcharged by $F15. We return to the boat at dusk, tired, disappointed and feeling cheated. The only good part of the day was the curry that Mark had made the day before.