EXCEPT for the occasional roadworks or the potholes, Townsville feels like home, Suva. The weather is just the same and even the first car we got on was a Toyota Prius.

The Fiji Times team arrived on Wednesday, a day earlier than the Vodafone Fiji Bati team. A banner at the airport read, “The world’s greatest are coming to Townsville”. This is the home town of the North Queensland Cowboys.

We are quite excited to witness the first of Fiji’s campaign in the Rugby League World Cup. We hear that this city has a lot of Fijians who reside here but we have yet to meet one.

The trip to Townsville was quite uneventful except for the fact that my luggage did not follow me all the way.

The lady at the Qantas desk explained the procedures of locating missing or delayed baggage, at the end of her explanation I was not optimistic I will reunite with that suitcase.

I was given an emergency pack that had toiletries and a Qantas T-shirt and shorts, which would perfectly fit my eight year old.

Unlike Suva, not many things are open until 9pm in Townsville. The emergency clothes shopping resulted in another long wait for taxis as both our phones did not work at the time.

My travel buddy and tauvu from Serua, Jovesa Naisua who was quite amused with my missing luggage suggested stopping a taxi after an hour of attempts of calls and online booking of an Uber.

Of course, he wouldn’t listen to the wisdom from Kadavu, where I had suggested that we just ask a local to help us and call for a taxi.

I watched him wave at passing vehicles wondering when he would understand that the chances of a car or taxi stopping was almost zero. Yes, my turn to laugh.

He finally was helped by a security officer who called a taxi. The officer was trying to chase a group of young boys who allegedly were sniffing glue.

Fiji Bati player, Korbin Sims made the headlines in the Courier Mail. The article titled “It Sims only God can stop the Bati’s drive”, talked about the team being on a giant-killing mission and Sim saying that the side has no fear for anyone except God.

Noqu Kalou, noqu vanua.