Trip to Nasivicoso

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Everything about the trip to Nasivicoso was memorable, including the ride there. The means of transportation we used were old Toyota pickup trucks with bench seats in the back and a cover. We simply call them "carriers". The roads we travel on are dirt and in horrible condition, so you can imagine how bumpy the ride was in the back of a truck with no seatbelts. But the view was incredible. Going into the mountains was a totally different experience. Looking back at the lowlands and the coast made us feel so high, in all sorts of ways.

We arrived at a small shelter off of the road after about three hours of bumpy, dusty driving. We hiked about 45 minutes where we arrived at Sa Sa village. This village had 4 houses. It was built because there are a lot of crops there and the people didn't have to walk two hours a day from Nasivicoso to get there. They grow taro and cassava, two potato-like root plants and also kava.

Kava is drank all over Fiji and is used in ceremonial settings. When you enter a village, you must present Kava to the chief in respects to him and his people. This allows you to enter, otherwise they may eat you, just kidding. This presentation is called "Sevu Sevu" and we'll do this a lot during our trips.

Back to Sa Sa. They have four houses and they call a house a Bure (pronounced like Beret in "Ballad of the Green Berets). About ten people stay here but not permanently. Like I said, it is about a two hour hike to Nasivicoso and is used to support that village of about 400 people.

Right near Sa Sa is one of the tallest waterfalls in Fiji. It is called Lo Lo falls and is quite a sight. There should be a picture of Lenny's legs hanging over the edge. After we visited this waterfall we ate lunch and a lot of people took naps, I drank Kava and got to be friends with one of the villagers, "John" he called himself.

We spent the afternoon hiking through many different eco-tones. We hiked through a nothing-but-bamboo forest, many creeks and streams, back onto the grassy highlands, and through a thriving jungle. Finally we made it to Nasivicoso.


PS Some photos that should be on this entry are located in "staff training"

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Photos

beautiful
this is the view from the top of Lo Lo falls

village kids
these kids helped us find Lo Lo falls, I gave the older boy, Kiti, my watch. they were so cute

bamboo forest
think about how many didgeridoos you could make with all that bamboo!

trail to nasivicoso
need i say anything?

almost there!
that grass is taller than me

kava ceremony
joe getting to know the elders during the sevusevu