Lost in Fiji

by chris cunningham

I’m home and it’s back to a normal life again. For five of the days I was paddling and I feel pretty buff. Don’t look buff, just feel buff. So, instead of Oceanic Air flight 815, I was on Air Pacific flight 811. We didn’t crash, no one shot anyone, polar bears didn’t attack me, and no one tried to burn my kayak when I tried to leave the island. I did download every episode of “Lost” to watch on the iPod in the evenings. 30 episodes at 45 minutes a piece. Since the generator goes off at 9:00 pm and there are no lights and you’re huddled in your bed under a mosquito net anyway, you might as well have something to do. Fiji, good. Mozzies bad. The girl at the pharmacy said, “Are you sure those are mosquito bites?!!!” I looked like a friggin’ leper. I’m a walking turn-off.