Photographer Tim Laman and I were hiking around the island of Taveuni, looking for the orange fruit dove. We were exhausted, and Tim's legs were extremely sore. I didn't think we were going to find anything when suddenly a shaft of sunlight broke through and came down on an orange fruit dove sitting on top of a tree. It was the most spectacular bird sighting of my life.
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I was supposed to go with Tim on his first trip to Fiji, but at the last minute I got sick and was hospitalized. So my colleague Gerry Allen ended up going in my place. After he got back I ran into him and noticed that he had a big gash and other dings from slipping in the boat's shower. I must have forgotten about this because when I went on the second trip to Fiji, I slipped in exactly the same place and cracked my tooth.
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Before I went on assignment, I set up an interview with Tony Nahacky, a well-known exporter and conservationist in the marine aquarium industry in Fiji. He warned me that the film crew for Anaconda: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid would be filming near his place when I got there. I thought he was joking, but when I pulled up to his home there was a helicopter and cameras. We even heard there was a giant mechanical snake nearby. It was bizarre.
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