ADVENTURE 17
FRIENDLY FIJI, PART 1

Fiji for Sea Whisper is truly a landfall of paradise. In this South Pacific Archipelago of Fiji there are 322 islands; larger ones with ancient volcanic peaks, and many others with stunning scenery, beautiful beaches, lush rainforests, aqua water and limestone cliffs. Fiji has been an Independent nation since 1987. The population is comprised of indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians. It is the home of the University of the South Pacific. Sugar and tourism bring in the most money for the country. The Fijians are super warm and friendly. Little is known about their country’s history of Fijian tribes being fierce cannibals. Near Vuda on the big island of Veti Levu there is a 3,500 year old ‘killing rock’ where people were executed and later cooked for dinner. The openness and friendliness of today’s Fijians completely belies this crazy notion. Here are some stories of our adventures in Fiji; from the boisterous capital of Suva on Veti Levu, to the hidden villages in the Lau Island group, the pretty town of Savusavu on Vanua Levu and other places along the way.

BULA FIJI
Well it didn’t take us long to learn that “Bula Fiji” is the unrestrained greeting of the day and of the night. Our heads were snapping as friendly Fijians shouted out “Bula” at us in Sea Whisper’s landfall at Suva, the capital of Fiji. We felt so welcome in the hustle and bustle of Suva’s beating heart with its rich cultural mix of Fijian, Chinese and Indians along with Pacific Islanders and Europeans. Our first mission, after checking into the country with Customs and Immigration, was to go to the large Municipal market to stock up on fresh fruit and vegetables after our tough 1200 mile passage from NZ, and just poke around with the camera. The colourful displays of produce and fruits, the smell of fresh herbs and spices, free range eggs, all kinds of seafood, along with the sounds of different languages made our senses alive. We squeezed through the throng to the stalls and vendors who were eager to help us with our purchases. “You want cabbage, you want papaya, banana, yam - we have here!” the Fijians and Indo-Fijians cried out to us. Upstairs we find NATS KAVA at one of the Kava corners. KAVA is the popular drink of the South Pacific and a big part of the daily life in Fiji. We will need to buy Kava for the SEVUSEVU ceremony with the Chief upon Sea Whisper’s arrival at the villages in the islands. Nat befriends me. I am trying to practice my simple words in Fijian. She says, “Sit down Bar bra.” On a scrap piece of paper Nat prints boldly:
Hello Bula
Thankyou Vinaka
Thankyou very much Vinaka vakalevu
Goodbye Moce (pronounced mothey)
Excuse me Tulou
Yes Io (ee oh)
No Sega (senga)

We say the words together perched on makeshift seats amongst the bundles of Kava roots. I thank Nat for my Fiji lesson and promise her I will practice for the next time I see her. We order 10 half kilo bundles of Kava. Nat and I are buddies now. I will pick up the Kava bundles in a few days. “Vinaka Vakalevu, Nat,” I spout out as I leave the stand. She turns and gives me the biggest brilliant smile ever!

For the rest of our time in Suva we re-provisioned the boat, eat good Fijian and Indian food in the food court of the Tappoo Centre and the roti stands at the market, admired the grand colonial buildings including the Grand Pacific Hotel which has been beautifully restored after 100 years. It was built by The Union Steamship Company in 1914 for passengers on Trans Pacific routes. Occasionally, we stopped at the cafes in the compact downtown area for an espresso and a coconut cake. We swam in the Olympic pool, shopped for supplies and fishing gear, attended a Fiji vs. Italy rugby match with 22,000 wild Fiji fans, made repairs to Sea Whisper after the passage from NZ and started planning our route, checking weather, tides and wind, to the Lau island group. On day 12 at the Royal Suva Yachtclub, we gathered our KAVA from Nat and set sail for the Island of Kadavu. The overnight passage from Kadavu to Fulaga in the Southern Lau Island group was about 180 miles.

FULAGA IN THE SOUTHERN LAU
After our day and a half passage we arrived at the entrance of the narrow difficult pass through the barrier reef. It was a rising tide so we decided to go for it. A nail biter to say the least as the current started to sweep Sea Whisper sideways. All went well apart from Sea Whisper’s keel ever so slightly “kissing a bommie,” as the Captain would say. All is well, we’re through the pass! Wow, inside the lagoon we discover many small and big mushroom limestone islets and white sand beaches. A fairyland!

A TRADITIONAL VILLLAGE WITH BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE
Sea Whisper anchored in the bay nearest to the head-village, Monacake which is a 30 minute walk through plantations and hills. We gather our Sulus (skirt and sarong) and our bundle of Kava or Yaqona and begin our trek to the village along with 2 other cruisers, Angela and Martin from Katie M 11, who have a fish to present to the Chief. On the path near the beach we meet Joe, one of the villagers, who introduces himself. He is so friendly and welcoming and offers to take us to meet Ty, the village headman. We stopped along the path and wrapped our Sulus around us over our shorts and made sure our knees and shoulders were covered and our hats and sunglasses were removed. As we approached the village a rush of adrenalin flooded our bodies. The sights, sounds and smells coming at us from all corners of the village of 80 inhabitants were incredible…..little tin houses with separate tin kitchens, palms, green grass, clotheslines full of laundry, smoke wafting in the warm tropical air from the open wood fires that balanced cooking pots on metal grates. Appearing from the wings of the village, as if making their stage entrance, come the smiling and outgoing Fijians shouting BULA BULA BULA. Oh my how welcome we feel! We meet the village headman, the ‘Turaga ni Koro’. Ty is in charge of organizing village events and taking care of the people who visit the village of Monacake. Ty’s duty today is to bring us and our gift to the Chief and the village Elders. We are about to perform our first SEVUSEVU. The village ceremony that captures the Fijian culture. We’re seeking acceptance and at this moment we’re filled with wonder.

THE SEVUSEVU
The Sevusevu is the ceremony to mark an event, a festival or just the end of the day. It is a major part of daily life in Fiji. For us it is to gain permission to ‘camp’ (anchor) in their back yard so to speak. We sit cross-legged in silence, our Sulus covering our knees. We listen to the chants and the proceedings in Fijian and observe the acceptance of our half kilo bundle of Kava. We watch with great interest how Simon, the man in charge, prepares the Kava in the Kava bowl known as the Tanoa. He strains the rain water through the silk cloth that holds the pounded powdered substance, and with his hands produces the muddy drink. The Chief drinks first. He cups his hands, claps 3 deep Cobo’s (loud clap by cupping your hands together) and drinks the Kava from the Bilo (the coconut half shell.) We all take our turn. When the server presents the Bilo, we cobo once, completely drink the cup and then cobo 3 more times. The taste and sensation? Well it tastes a bit like unsweetened chocolate mud and leaves a tingling and numbness sensation on your lips and tongue. How’s that for a strange description? Not the most palatable stuff! We begin to share and exchange stories (Talanoa) with each other as the ceremony relaxes. We are accepted into the Monacake village in Fulaga.

VILLAGE LIFE IN FULAGA

For the next 2 weeks we become immersed in the lifestyle of the village of Monacake on Fulaga Island in the Southern Lau. Immediately we observe how simple life is here and how few material things these 80 villagers have, the youngest being 1 and the eldest 97. But they are rich in other ways…they are living each day as it comes, they possess an aura of contentment and they seem so happy and satisfied with this simple existence; choosing to live their lives in their village on the islands rather than in the hustle and bustle of Suva. The villagers’ days begin at 0400 hrs. when the Lali (village drum) beats and everyone awakes to light their fires, pray, gather water, eat breakfast and then fish, dig clams, hunt for land crabs, work in their plantations and gather firewood. The men carve beautiful drums, masks, parrots, walking sticks, busts, fish and whales from vesi wood, an indigenous hardwood. The village women weave baskets, purses and small and large mats. They cook their food on open wood fires. They pray, tell stories, laugh, go to church, help take care of each other, drink Kava socially, and see that their children are getting a good education. They are subsisting much like their ancestors. The island life is simple and people of the village appear to be stress free personifying peace….. Peace. Their smiles and kind hearts say it all!

We soon admire and cherish these families who want to do so much for us. We are assigned a host family: Lucy, Niko and Billy. How caring, friendly, generous and hospitable they are; cooking for us each day, sitting on the floor on straw mats chatting for hours with tea and cocoa. What an amazing experience we are having! We look forward to every day. How blessed we are to be adopted by these beautiful Fijian people and immersed in their traditions and their culture.

WE TRADE, WE HELP
As cruisers it was important for us to donate items of clothing, school supplies and some equipment from Sea Whisper. Here are some of the things we traded in the village for their gifts of fruit, vegetables, genuine hospitality and love; and for warmly welcoming us into their family:
T-shirts, blouses, shawls, flip-flops, shoes, knives, fish hooks, fishing line, stainless steel wire, school supplies, Canadian souvenirs, tea, coffee, cocoa, pens, pencils, toothpaste and gas. And in a friendly visit with the nurse, Batai, he informed us about some of the health issues in Fulaga: Diabetes 2, malnutrition in infants, skin diseases. Batai distributed information to the cruisers about how we can assist to help the situation. Powdered milk, tooth brushes and toothpaste, antibacterial soap, antibiotic creams, baby food and footwear are all welcome items and products.

FUN WITH OUR HOST FAMILY AND THE VILLAGERS
Each day there were different activities. We visited the PRIMARY SCHOOL and donated school supplies. To the older children we passed out Sea Whisper pens which they went crazy over. Their very own pen. The children asked us several questions about Canada and with the map on the wall we had a little geography lesson. And then there was WEAVING DAY where the women gather to weave their mats. Sitting on the floor for hours they work diligently to produce very beautiful large mats made from palm fronds. In the community hut I sat on the floor with the village women and made a gallant attempt to wrap my fingers around the straw fronds to keep the warp and the weft crossing over. It wasn’t long before my legs started to cramp and I began to lose my concentration. Oh dear, I need much more practice. Some of the mats will be shipped to Suva from Fulaga on the cargo ship to be sold at the Suva Flee market.

CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS AND CHRISTMAS IN FULAGA, FIJI
One day I met with Tara, Joe’s wife who speaks excellent English. We sat on her mat and had tea and talked about some of the customs of the village.
B “How do you celebrate your birthday, Tara?”
T “On your birthday you make a beautiful garland with fresh flowers and
Greens and you wear it all day walking around the village.
B “Do you have a party?”
T “Yes, in the afternoon all the quests arrive at my house bringing cooked
food and sweets and Kava. I sit with my garland and the Guests
serve the meal. We celebrate. We feast and we have Kava and some
times we dance and play the guitar.

This is how Tara described Christmas.
At Christmas in Fulaga it is the middle of the summer. It is very hot. It is the hurricane season. All the family clans erect a tent in the middle of the village on the grass. There are about 8 clans. We decorate the tents with flowers and leaves. The population of the village explodes as all the relatives come home from Suva for the Christmas holiday to their beloved village of Monacake. The villagers gather food for days and days from the sea and the land for the feast that will begin early on Christmas Day. We bake, steam, grill and cook fish and seafood in our ‘Lovas’ for the grandest of feasts that will go on for hours and hours. There is music with guitars and ukuleles. We are happy. We are proud and passionate about our families, our country and our culture.

FISHING DAY
One day Lucy announces “Let’s go fishing way out in the lagoon.” We gather their big fishing net and a bucket, and Niko, Lucy, Lionel and I head out in Sea Whisper’s dinghy as it is a 5 km. run to the fishing grounds. We arrive in the shallow turquoise lagoon where the scenery is breathtaking. Azure sparkling water, sandy beaches and lush green terrain. We all jump overboard in our clothes and spread out the fishing net. Lucy then begins to slap the water and presto…very quickly the fish get caught in the web of the net. Our biggest haul was 24 small fish. Lucy is so happy. She cries out, “Barbra, Barbra, fish for you, fish for you!” We are all elated at the ‘Catch of the Day,’ and that Lucy proves herself to be such a fine fisherwoman and also that there will be plenty of fish for the feast after church tomorrow.

CHURCH AND THE FEAST
On Sunday we join Lucy, Niko and Bill and walk across the grass in the village to the Methodist church. Not only in the hidden villages, but all parts of Fijian society religion is extremely important. Sunday is a family day, a quiet day, a church day, with usually 2 church services. The morning service is followed by the family feast. We enter the church, Lionel wearing his sulu and I my sarong in our bare feet, and we soon hear the large Lali (wooden drum) outside beating loudly and rhythmically as a call to worship. One of the villagers has mastered the art of the drum beat. The service is conducted in Fijian and executed very warmly with readings and messages delivered by several people including our hosts Niko and Lucy. The children’s choir sang songs with conviction and fortitude. It gave me an idea. I would like to teach the children a song in English. I will think about this.

THE FEAST
From what the family catches and grows, our hosts Lucy and Niko cooked and presented so graciously a delicious meal in their home. We dined on steamed fish with coconut sauce, mud crabs, roast chicken and gravy, casaba, yams and sautéed spinach. I made a chocolate cake and Lucy produced a lovely pudding with a custard sauce. Yes, we did feast. And it was a joy to have worshipped together and feasted together. We were the new Canadian and Fijian family. As the song says, “It’s a Small
World after All.”

A CANADIAN SONG FOR THE CHILDREN
The children are so lovely and so smart. The children’s church choir gathered together on Sunday afternoon at Koro’s house and we began to learn a little song called “Like a Rock.” They loved this song and we soon began to add some actions. The plan is to sing the song next Sunday at church. With 2 practices we were ready. The ‘Rock Song’ was a hit. The kids sang with gusto and the congregation clapped and clapped.

A CRUISERS’ HIKE AND A CAVE VISIT
Ty, the Turaga ni Koro of the village, arranged a hike to the peak of Fulaga. Nearly 18 of us gathered at the beach and we trekked up the mountain. The views were grand. Back in the village the ladies prepared a ‘pick and pay’ lunch after the hike. In the community hall we eat curried rotis, fish, taro, and pork curry. And there were puddings for dessert. And all this was followed by music and dancing. A grand time was had by all.
After the hike and the lunch party Ty took us all on another excursion to a cave. This was no ordinary cave. Inside, in a heap, were human skulls and skeletons. Yikes, what a discovery! There is not a lot of knowledge as to who, what, where, when and how these human remains came to be.

A PARTING PICNIC FAREWELL
It’s time to say goodbye to our dear loving friends at Fulaga and head to the Northern Lau to meet our family who will be flying in from Canada. Before we go Ty arranges a Fijian picnic in the lagoon on the sandspit for all the cruisers who will be leaving Fulaga this week. What an event it is. Altogether, there are about 50 of us (cruisers and villagers). Sea Whisper and a Catarmaran transported the villagers to the other side of the lagoon to the sandspit. We choose an activity to take part in: spearfishing, netfishing, land crabbing, mud crabbing and mangrove crabbing. Lionel and I and 2 other cruisers choose spearfishing and we head out in our dinghy from the inner lagoon to the outer lagoon with Niko and 2 other Fijians. We were amazed as we watched strong and skillful Fijians spear and snag the fish from under big rock crevices and cavities.

Back at the sandbar beach it was an extraordinary picnic was unfolding, a food lover’s dream: The open fires were burning as the hot embers cooked the fish and crabs, casaba and taro. The large table crafted from bamboo and branch twine was laced with green palm fronds as a tablecloth, along with many serving plates that were made from palm fronds. As the food fare was cooked it was placed on the table….the banquet table as it were. What an incredible sight….a feast for the senses. Try to imagine the scene: an azure lagoon and a long white sandbar, the mid day tropical sun beating down upon us. Fijian women in colourful dress and head gear splashing in the water, the men under coconut palms surrounding the Kava bowl, the Festival table laden with ‘the catch of the day’, the aromas of all the cooked food and an array of salads and rice dishes from the galleys of the cruising boats. The strains of guitar music added to the scene. We all begin to eat….The Feast of Plenty! The Feast for the senses!

And then at the end there was an exchange of gifts. Our host family Lucy, Niko and Billy presented us with wood carvings which they made: a decorative bowl, a parrot, a butterfly fish and a beautiful weaving by Lucy with the name SEA WHISPER woven into it. There were hugs, embraces and many tears. Thank you Fulaga, the village of Monacake and your beautiful people for making us feel so welcome.
VANAKA VAKA LEVU. MOCE until we meet again.

Part 2 The family visits Sea Whisper in Vanua Balavu, the Northern Lau Group