Another unforgettable welcoming we had this afternoon. We left Vunisea and motor sailed for 3 hours to Matasawalevu Bay. Calm seas, overcast skies and light winds. Perfect for fishing. And we not only fished, we caught a big Mahimahi. Probably 40lbs. I will post a photo when we get wifi. It was very exciting as we haven't had much luck with our fishing here in Fiji. Coming thru the Nagoro pass was also exciting as Jerry has been dreaming of coming here to dive and I was a bit anxious, as I am always when we come thru a pass without the sun to help us see the reefs. And the Great Astrolabe Reef is truly great. We dropped anchor and put on our sulus to go to the village for the sevusevu. As soon as we tied the dinghy to the concrete wharf, a bunch of kids came to greet us. The Chief's wife was in the water collecting clams which she offered us some. She had a hug bag full. We were directed to village hall, a rather large building, where the Chief, Apsia, welcomed us. We all sat on the pandanus mat, and after the proper offering of a bundle of kava, and introductions, we were invited to his brother's house do drink kava. His brother is ill but he got out of bed to sit in the floor with us. The Chief's younger brother prepared the kava and told us the proper etiquette to drink it. We say Bula when the bowl is given to us and after drinking it all everybody yells "Mada", which means empty, done, and everybody cheerfully clap 5 times. In Kadavu they clap 5 times. We had a few rounds of kava and were all very relaxed and happy but had to say sotatale (good bye) as we knew that there would be many more rounds. Just before leaving the Chief asked us if we could fix his brother's wheel chair. It has a flat tire and they have no way to fix it. We started walking down the path and met almost all the villagers. They all came out of their houses with a sincere and happy smile, something that we found everywhere in Fiji. The village is lovely, in a hill surrounded by beautiful mountains and facing the magnificent bay. There are so many fruit trees and the emerald green of the forest reminded us of New Zealand. There is a feeling of abundance and serenity here. We came back to boat in a high. I think that the kava had the opposite effect of what it is supposed to have on us. Except for Jerry that really mellowed out. Yeeeyy. Cassandra said that Jerry should drink more kava. I seconded the call. Now we are back on Mauliola ready for a fabulous dinner. Fresh mahimahi and rice. We have poisson cru and sauteed mahi. No internet connection here and I hope I can get a radio connection to send this. My aloha to all.