Uprising Beach Resort, Viti Levu, Fiji

When I yesterday left Honolulu I was 12 hours behind my native Finland's time. Now here in Fiji I am suddenly 12 hours ahead, because crossing the GMT zone. It was the most wonderful flight over the Pacific, not just because the Fiji based Air Pacific was the friendliest airline I can remember, but listening at landing to Christmas Islands or with the other name Kiribati, the fantastic tunes of Valse Triste by the greatest Finnish composer Jean Sibelius performed by Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under dirigent Hellmuth Karajan. I must say I had tears in my eyes because only we Finns know, what Mr Sibelius means to us, as an exsample with Finlandia, Karelia and Tuonela and with his beautiful Christmas song En etsi valtaa loistoa.. His works are the symbols of our freedom and existence.
I then was naturally checking the resort's bar after arriving here, and the very handsome dark skinned bar tender introduced himself as James Johansen, after asking me,if I would be European. He told me, that his greatgrandfather came from Denmark, and wanted to know if I could tell him something about this far-away country. I did try my best.
He also told me, that there are a lot of Johansen's on other islands too. Well, quite a man this greatgrandfather.
Trough this I remember a most powerful man on American Samoa, not too far away from here, I met over 30 years ago. He practically owned whole island, and the U.S. governor usually asked his advice, when troubles with local people. He was born in Minnesota sometimes early last century from Finnish emigrants, but had been living in
South Seas already over 40 years. The awesome thing was. that he was speaking correctly very good Finnish, even he had not used the language once before meeting me, and since his mother died 1945. His name was, if I still remember it ,Dr. Muukkonen or very similar, typical Finnish name.