Fiji

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Woke up at 2:00 am and took Sonata. Got up at 5:45 am and sat on the beach taking photos until 7:00 am. We talked to Vince and Dee at breakfast. They are going to Nadi to shop then want to meet this afternoon to go with one of the workers at the resort to her native village. We repack and realize we have brought way too much stuff so decide that we will send back a suitcase of things when we get to Auckland.
We meet Vince, Dee and our guide around 2:00 pm and walk down the beach to Viseisei Village, her native Fiji village. Most Fijians were converted to Christianity by missionaries in the 1800’s and there is a large Methodist church in the center of her village. The chief of her village is the president of Fiji so it is the nicest village in Fiji, although by our standards it is very poor and third world. All of the people we meet are very polite and gracious.
Back at the resort there is a traditional dinner cooked in the ground and a Kava ceremony. We drink more than the other night but all it does is make the insides of our mouths numb. After dinner there are Fiji dancers that perform and one of the dances is a fire dance that is quite impressive. We are still in bed fairly early and will be leaving early to get to the boat for our cruise.

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