We are just getting too caught up in Island life to blog.

So I am trying to catch up a bit. Since the posting of the video we left our internet coverage and headed out to a remote island in the Ringold Group. I have posted the position so you all could chase it down on Google Earth if you desire. The island we visited is Naqelelevu. The single occupant of the village is Moe. He has a nephew that has his boat but needs to travel back and forth to Taveuni Island for classes. Taveuni island is about 60 miles away. When the nephew is gone, Moe is surrounded by coconut crab, chickens and his dog, WishBone. Just a puppy but alot of fun. Taught her a new english word "NO" because like any puppy she likes to knip at your heels while you walk. We spent two day with Moe and the second day we walked overland to the NW corner of the island. Quite a hike going through the mangroves, trees and over volcanic or coral rocks. Moe brought along an old flour sack in the event we run across the infamous coconut crab. It took us about an hour to trek across. We were in a very narrow cut in the rocks where the sea can get washed in and out. Spend an half hour resting before heading back. On the way in we came across several of the coconut crabs but most were too small for Moe. As time passed we did stumble across one that met his liking and we grabbed a 10lb crab.

Upon our return we cracked open some coconuts and drank from the shell. The nuts were short on the liquid because it had been over 10 weeks since any substantial rain. I helped Moe get some fresh sea water while he started up his fire to cook the crab. He had three more in his barrels so he cooked up the one we caught and another from his barrels. We made him a deal, we would take the tail and legs while he could have the bodies. He was going to give us both whole but really liked the offer of the bodies. We Hi Palungies (white folks) would never eat the body and he makes a curry stew out of them. We said our goodbyes and made our way back to the boats which were anchored about a mile away across the lagoon. We made up a nice salad and the crab butter from the tail and some of our own garlic butter and proceeded to stuff ourselves.

Moe and his nephew Matai have an idea to reclaim the island. It belongs to their clan and most of the villagers were move over to Taveuni some 40 years ago. Moe who is 68 has moved back to the village and restarted his plantation. He bought a new cuddy fiber with an 80hp outboard to make the trip to Taveuni for supplies as there are not ships that show up like at most other islands. Bob and Ann were here a year ago and didn't see much change other than the plantation. Life moves slowly here so won't explect too much change for the next 10 years. Moe has a dream to move more of his clan back to the island but I think that would be absent the children as there is no school nor enough people to support on. The other and maybe more pressing problem is the ground and soil is not condusive to a good large plantation to support many people.

It is nice to see some have a dream. Moe will probably be long gone before there is any realization.

John