: I just tried to post a bit on Fiji, but it 'crashed' - and has
: happened before. Does the 'travel' section even exist anymore?

: Saw a bit in the Times on 'frugal traveler goes to Fiji' - it
: looked interesting, thought some here might enjoy it.

:
: http://frugaltraveler.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/01/fiji-for-the-rest-of-us/?hpw

: Doesn't John Caldeira live there/make lots of kayaks? It'd be
: interesting to hear his 'take' on this article.

I live in Fiji, but not in a very touristed part of the country. The article is mostly accurate. The snorkeling and diving are excellent almost everywhere, and the people are genuinely friends. The farther you get from the highly-touristed area near the Nadi international airport, the better it gets.

On the downside, the article mentioned "kayaking" but in most cases what a tourist really gets is use of sit-on-top kayaks that people rarely take more than a mile from their resort. It's actually hard to find a real sea kayak rental here, as most places don't want to risk their costly boats to untrained kayakers on open water. Most want to sell you a package that includes a guide, stops in seaside villages, etc.

If any serious kayakers are planning a visit to Fiji, I would enjoy paddling with you. I have a half-dozen good sea kayaks (mostly Vaclav's One Ocean designs) and awesome paddling sights. Here are some photos I took a couple of years ago:
http://good-times.webshots.com/slideshow/575274875uGHPxh

John