Greetings from a very special hidden paradise here on the north east coast of Viti Levu, Fiji's largest big island.

We spent three marvelous nights at Nanau-I-Ra's deserted resort beach, with beach BBQ's on the second and third night with the family that lived there. It was great fun, and enlightening for our tastebuds as we ate whole grilled reef fish, sprinkled with salt water and lime, baked potatoes and rice, and lots of Kava (they call it grog). We sat on mats spread out on the sand, and I ate with my fingers, Fijian style. The second night the wind was howling, but we didn't mind, dining on cassava root with greens (a fern of some sort) and tuna soaked in lolo (coconut milk). YUM. Despite the wind we decided to stay there for my birthday last Saturday, but decided in mid afternoon to move to the other yacht anchorage to be more in the lee of island. We went ashore to invite the family to join us aboard Love Song and tow their longboat so they could make the short trip downwind to go home before dark, and the boys had to say goodbye to the puppies.

Those puppies were the highlight of Nananu-I-Ra for the boys, as they created all sorts of weird corralls with ropes, coconut husks, cement blocks, bushes, and anything else they could think of trying to keep them from getting away. At night around the campfire they piled the puppies into their laps, or had them snuggled under the mats with them hiding from the wind. They keep asking if we'll ever see them again!

The birthday party turned out lovely aboard Love Song, having a chance to visit at the new anchorage and serve tea and Icelandic pancakes spread with Fijian guava jelly and whipped cream. My friend, Alesi and her daughter, Emma, had made 8 frangipani leis, one for each of us, so we put them on and took pix on the foredeck together, and of the kids. They gifted a beautiful Indonesian mask to us, and we were very moved. That, combined with the hundred birthday wishes on Facebook made it a truly memorable and special birthday! It was with pleasure that I recalled special birthdays abroad, celebrating my 27th and 31st birthdays with my mother's entire side of the family in Iceland, and I will certainly cherish numbers 42 and 43 in Fiji!

Arriving late Sunday afternoon after motoring a short but rough and dangerous channel between the reefs and lee shore, we initially anchored in front of the most amazing monolith of rock and a black sand beach. Ashore we found goats and cows had made a nice trail up the steep hill, where trees with fiery orange flowers stood between pine trees! It's weird to see pine trees here, but a company in Oregon actually exports them and it's a big natural resource for Fiji. We decided that it was too rolly there though with the refraction of waves off the beach, so we motored forward in front of the village.

Today we went ashore after our first official new school year of K and 2nd grade homeschooling, and we made sevusevu at the village chief's brother's house. It's a beautiful village, with dozens of houses in varied colors of corrugated tin or thatched grass, and DOZENS of children all wanting to hold our hands! They really glommed onto Allen and it was funny to see him surrounded like the Pied Piper and everyone vying for his big mitts! We toured around and went to the cemetery on the hill to check out the view. The ladies requested a visit aboard the boat, as they said it's only ever the high council of men that visit the yachts, so I had a group of 4 ladies and a couple kids come out for tea and cookies. Later I went back and ran the same trail/road by the cemetery while Allen SUPB'd around the shoreline and the kids ran on the muck chasing pigs and watching beach rugby. Muddy business!

Early in the morning we're going to either move on if the weather permits, or more likely visit the other side of the village on the other side of the bay and take the bus to Rakiraki's market. Otherwise we will be eating from cans...and we still have a long way to go until Suva! Doesn't appear we'll leave for Vanuatu as planned the beginning of Sept. as that's almost upon us! Oh well, can't rush island time, we know that!!!