Snacks
Location: Denarau, Fiji
I woke up earlier than everyone, as I often do, so I could enjoy my coffee in peace. The peace was then disturbed by me. I decided we needed a calmer song to wake up to compared to the previous morning. Thanks, Isaac, for that one. I settled on Everywhere, Everything by Noah Kahan since he’s a popular artist among the crew of Argo. It was definitely a slower wake-up for most. A simple “move a limb if you’re awake” did the trick to make me feel confident that I woke everyone up. Our morning started out as a normal Argo morning in Fiji.
We had yogurt bowls for breakfast. Always a solid choice if you ask me. But something special happened as the chefs were gathering toppings. WE FOUND HONEY! We were all screaming with joy and then screaming at Jaden as he used a heavy amount in his coffee. Rationing the precious honey was a must, as there were a lot of us. And the honey was apparently expensive. The back of the breakfast line appreciated the front for not using a lot because we all had the taste of the sweet topping in our yogurt bowls. After breakfast is when the day started to turn from a normal day to a Boat Appreciation (BA) day. Rachel showed us the list of things that needed to get done. It was a lot. But she said that we had to get it all done before we could leave the boat once we got to port. So we cleaned, swept, washed, scrubbed, and organized with all our might because there was one thing on our mind. Snacks. Some of us were deep in the trenches and heat of the Laz. Others were out provisioning for all the food. And some were scrubbing the floors and deck on their hands and knees. Everyone had a job to do in order for us to get to our goal. Snacks. Some were sweating. Some were sunburnt. Others were dehydrated. But we kept going because we needed to get to one thing. Snacks. It’s all we could think about all day long. We all had a realization that we didn’t buy enough snacks for our first two weeks on the boat. Our fruit dwindled fast, and the Ramen was getting old. Well, only for some.
Most of us craved some chips, chocolate, or sour candy. So we all worked as one big team to give love back to Argo. Lunch was a blur and somewhere in between, but most wanted to get back to it as quickly as possible. Also, shout out to Shane for backing the boat into our slip. Impressive. BA was a lot of work, but we finally got it done. The second Rachel said we could leave, we rushed to grab our wallets and get to the store. Most had to then turn around to grab their shoes since we’re not used to wearing them. The glorious doors of the small grocery store were in sight.
We scrambled to grab chips, cookies, gummy bears, Tim Tams, Pringles, and any other snack that would fit in our cart. As we milled about the port stores grabbing anything we might need for our three-week voyage, we all had a heavy thought. Jaden was leaving us. The thought that Argo was losing a crew member saddened us. We said our goodbyes in between shopping. Most went back to the boat with mixed feelings about a friend leaving and the excitement of showering in a real shower. The port showers were fresh, warm water. And we reveled in it. The shower head also was above the taller folks, unlike the heads on the boat.
Then a dilemma showed its face. Where were we supposed to put our personal snacks? Some were sleeping with the chips. Others settled for less cubby space. We made it work because we had to. And we weren’t giving up our precious snacks. As the sun was setting, the excitement was rising. A sign-out night was in the near future, and Lulu’s was where we were headed. Most had to turn around again for their shoes. We danced, mingled, and ate the night away. Fun was had as we soaked up our last night in Fiji and our last night on land for a while. The night slipped away from us, and we had to return to the boat. Some went straight to bed, and others stayed up to play cards. Most tried to call friends and family for possibly the last time until we get to Palau. Fiji has been an amazing experience for all, but the bed was calling and the night was pulling its blanket over Argo. We lay our heads in our beds with one thought on our mind. The long passage was about to start.