Researching a travel destination prior to arrival is a bit like the Catholic faith for me: I was never very good at it, believing instead that its better to wait and see the real thing before making any assumptions. Similarly, with regard to Fiji, neither Uwe nor I placed any great effort into informing ourselves about the country, other than taking notice of the advice we received from other yachties who had been there.
But since arriving in Fiji, we realize how ignorant we are about this steaming, culturally vibrant South Pacific Nation. Yes, like I imagined, resorts dot many of the islands, but there is also the other Fiji, permeated with indigenous traditions that have managed to survive the many disruptions of its colorful past, notably colonization by the British empire, who we have to thank for making us understood with relative ease here. The British, adept in all aspects of colonization probably never realized how they would play a role in the future of Fijian Cultural Identity: they were responsible for bringing Indian labourers to Fiji to work on the sugar plantations on a contract basis, with the idea that upon expiration of their contracts they would subsequently return to mainland India. Most however, remained for a variety of reasons and through the generations their presence has carved the present day Indo-Fijian culture. Little did they know though back then, that their future would be fraught with ethnic tension, resentment and political instability. (They like to "coup"alot in Fiji.
Although we have not yet been to Suva, Fiji's capital, where the majority of Indo-Fijians live, the Indian culture is apparent everywhere. The first evidence of course lies in the delights of their food which is sold everywhere.
Even the market at Lautoka is a spice lovers paradise, with many little stalls devoted only to spices.
The infrastructure is pretty disastrous, and with the high rainfall comes an abundance of potholes making the road trip from the marina into town a journey where its possible to regurgitate the entire contents of your stomach. The cute kids make it worthwhile and they like to play with Kara. The buses have canopies hanging in place of windows, which you can roll up to let in the dusty air, or roll down to keep out the rain. Unlike Tonga, you can find pretty much everything you need here, wide varieties of cereal, vegetables and meats, cheeses and yogurts.
With our eyelids remaining shut for many uninterrupted hours following our arrival into the marina and the high stack of laundry steadily diminishing we were able to relax for a few days at Vuda Point. There's a modest resort next door with a pool which yachties can visit for $5 (Fijian) a day. It used to cost a dollar, but times they are a changin'. There's a small general store right beside which is a little cafe and a charming yacht club sitting at the entrance of the marina that doles out scrumptious dishes. Kara has been well occupied, since catching up with her friend Olivia from sailboat Momentum.
We decided to move over here to Muscat Cove for a change of scenery, which is located in another island called Malololailai about 12 miles across from the mainland. You can pick up a mooring ball and use the resort facilities which has a much better pool that we all avail of daily. I hesitate to swim by the boat, since the other day I managed to wrap a Portuguese Man of War around me, fortunately he was dead but still sticky. In stark contrast looking across to the island of Malolo opposite us, there is an obvious lack of the resort style houses that can be viewed from our cockpit and at high tide we crossed the reef to explore its village. Therein lies another world. Round smiling ladies greeted us and led us to some more round ladies huddled on a mat displaying local jewelery and crafts. After buying some items from one lady, we were beckoned over to another collection of ladies with yet another neat display of crafts. We're such softies when it comes to situations like this, and we can never say no to the playful haggling of these village merchants, knowing how much one little purchase means to them. The 3rd stand was the last one thankfully.
Now that we made friends, we could enter the village, although one of the ladies said, maybe we need to buy a sarong since its more polite to cover our legs, but sensing she had already gleaned enough from us she didn't push the sale too forcefully, telling us instead that it would be okay if we just took our hats off. Again, we were mortified by our lack of preparation, and we strode on baring our foreign sand fly bitten legs. We were led to the house of the village chief, who was away visiting Australia but in his absence we were greeted by another kind man; a Willie Brown lookalike (ex mayor of San Francisco). As we sat under the shade we presented our gift, Kava root. Kiwi friends from another boat who were clearly more well versed in village etiquette than we were , advised us in the practice of presenting a gift to the village chief, and since Kava root is not grown on the outer islands, it's seen as a welcome offering. Together with an older toothless lady, and the young boy who guided us to him, he began to chant a long prayer of thanks in his native tongue, they clapped hands, and he wiped a tear from his eye. Could he have been touched? By our gesture perhaps? Uwe was not promised 10 virgins like he was told! We took a stroll over to the impressive school where 180 students attend , the principal informed us that such a school was possible through generous donations from people like us. Expeditions such as this make those days of vagabonding around the rough oceans well worthwhile.
Last night, together with our friends Peggy and Ray, we attended a Pig Roasting Feast at the resort, followed by a traditional dance. The preparation for the fire began at 10am, and at 7pm, two young native men carried the pig over to its final place of rest, and carved it up into juicy pieces. Oh what a feast it was. I'm sure that all the food contained in that one feast supplied for our voracious Western appetites was enough to feed the village for a week. Boy, they manage to do their research well!
Shortly we will make our way Korea and then Europe to visit family. As our friend Molly says, "nothing goes better to wind than a 747", so Magnum will remain in Vuda Point Marina in our absence.
After our return, we are looking forward to exploring more of Fiji, and its outer more remote islands.
And while the Catholic faith may be lost on me for now, I will work better on researching destinations and try to be better prepared in presenting ourselves as better visitors.