Hello again! We apologize for the lack of updates on our blog however, many of the 330 islands of Fiji are quite remote and do not offer internet or phone service.
We have been enjoying Mike’s daughter, Amie, and her husband, Greg, and two children, Mason and Siena, on board with us for the last four weeks. We have sailed around the main island in Fiji, Viti Levu and also parts of the Mamanuca and Yasawa Islands. We are now making our way back Viti Levu so Amie, Greg and kids can get back to the airport.
We have experienced so much in a few weeks here. The people of Fiji are so very friendly, that it is hard to believe. Fiji is an extremely poor country and we have found that many people work for $2 an hour and work 15 hour days. Many Fijians work away from their family and villages for weeks at a time.
On the most islands here you will find several villages. As yachters, you are required to ask permission from the village chief to anchor in a bay where the village is. It is customary to offer Kava ( a root that they make tea with-also an hallucinogenic if you drink enough of it) to the chief for the priviledge of anchoring or fishing etc near their land. In return, they will offer you to make Sevu Sevu with them. An introduction ceremony of making the Kava tea and drinking it with them. This entails sitting on the ground in a circle around the large Kava bowl. Lot’s of clapping and Fijian speaking going on. Then they dip a bowl in and pass around to each person to drink. It looks like muddy water and doesn’t taste much different. If you just drink a bowl full you may notice it makes your mouth numb.
We’ve only been to one Sevu Sevu so far and it was at a resort so we are anxious to get to more villages. The village on Waya Island we did get permission to go to was friendly and we were able to buy some wonderful handmade crafts from them. They allowed us into the Kindergarten where the children sang for us and showed us their newly learned English skills! When entering a village you must have shoulders and knees covered. Even the men wear a sulu (long skirt). It is disrepectful not to adhere to this custom.
While on Waya Island, Greg, Amie and I took a little class from one of the locals on basket weaving where you make baskets from palm. Very interesting…..not easy to learn in an hour, but fun. Lot’s of swimming, snorkeling and diving too. Tonight we will again join in the weekly pig roast and traditional village dancing…yummy! That is it for now. I will let Amie and Greg blog more about their experiences to you.….Life is Good….