Living Simply by the Drum

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We arrived to Fiji and decided to take a step out of the tourist trap that is Nadi to stay at a local homestay. Apart from being hundreds of dollars cheaper we had a fantastic time. We arrived at Dee's and were a bit afraid that we had just rocked up to some random house with no one expecting us. We were soon greeted by Dee and her extended family who quickly cooked us up some traditional Fijian grub for dinner- swamp leaves and seaweed in coconut milk accompained by some white sweet potatos called kumara. It was a very "interesting" dish. Ev succeeded at eating the dish in its entirety out of respect to our hosts. The truth is we struggled near gagging through each and every mouthful. The start of our Fiji experience.

The next morning with a bowl of porridge in our tummies we caught the bus to Port Denerau and the ferry to the Mamanuca and Yasawa Islands. These island chains sit just off the West Coast of Viti Levu (the mainland), are frequently by tourists for their extreme beauty and are part of the over 300 islands that make up the country of Fiji. The ferry ride was smooth sailing until we realized that our bags hadn't made the boat we were on steaming north. After a brief panic attack the ferry circled round to meet the boat with our bags. The Fijian staff simply shrugged it off and said "we must have another talk with our baggage handlers they keep doing this". What we were really experiencing was a brief introduction to the Fijian culture.

Our first stop was Waya Lailai and its Eco Resort. Still don't know what was so eco about it besides the fact that we only briefly had electricty from 6-10pm nightly. The island was dramatic with its lush green peak sweeping right down to a white sandy beach and turquoise sea. The locals hiked our overweight packs 3 and 4 at a time onto their shoulders and climbed the hill gingerly while we struggled bag free up the steep hill in the heat and humidity. We checked into our bula, a traditional hut constructed of thatch and wood.

The next few days blurred together as we swung in hammocks, indulged in good books and conversation and were only roused by the beating of the drum which called us to each meal. Each evening we were entertained by dance, song, a fire show and a shocking and brief dramatization of the first Christian missionary to Fiji who was subsequently killed and eaten by the locals for touching the chiefs head (a terrible offense). Crazy to think cannnabilism went on in Fiji until the mid 1800s.

Back on the ferry we headed further north in the Yasawa chain to Manta Ray Resort on Nanuya Balavu. Amazing snorkelling, sunsets, entertainment (with Ace our amazing and friendly host), great new friends and killer food (which becomes incredibly important when you are only being fed 3 times a day whether you like the meals or not) quickly made this spot our favorite. We embarked daily on bracelet making an activity that sounds very appealing and rewarding at first until you find out the hard graft involved.

We began by searching the beach for our perfect shells before hand drilling holes with screws and rocks and stringing the shells that made it through onto a string. After a day of very hard work we finally had the shells lined up to be strung the following day. Ev thinking he would escape the tediousness that this involves thought he would take the easy route by making coconut bracelets. First step find a coconut. Then remove the outer shell, cut it to bracelet size (takes ages!), use sand and a rock (boy do we take sandpaper for granted) and sand the hairs off till you get to the hard shell underneath, gut out the flesh and proceed to grind the remaining shell into the beautiful bracelets you see in the shops. 48 hours and hundreds of calories later Ev had sucessful made 4 coconut bracelets and a coconut bowl.

Our next resort was on Naviti Island and aptly named White Sandy Beach. The hammocks strung under every tree begged for attention and some major reading time. Our 3 night stay consisted of little else but sitting in hammocks. We faithfully returned each day as soon as we awoke and remained fixed in place until sunset. The food began badly and we found ourselves starving without a shop in sight and tea time saw us filling our cups 2 or 3 times loaded with plenty of sugar trying to keep our hunger at bay until the next meal. As we stayed more and more guests left until we were down to seven. And all of a sudden the resort we weren't too keen on showed its true colors. The staff relaxed, the young girls splashed and swam in the waves, guitar music filled the air and the locals seemed to sing all day. A warm feeling of island life in a Fijian village washed over us. We started to lose the feel of tourist and began to feel we were finally finding what we came here in search of.

The island of Tavewa was next and crowded Coral View Resort. The accommodation was amazing but the rest a bit lackluster. Spending our days avoiding the rain we played lots of card games before heading to the island directly across called Nacula and Nabua Resort.

Nabua was another favorite spot. A big room, great food and plenty of uncrowded hammocks is always a good start. But more than that we were back to the feel of island life amongst Fijians. Our first night we bought some kava and by some I mean enough for 15 of us (mostly locals) to drink the entire evening. Needless to say we instantly made friends. Kava is the traditional drink of Fiji. It is made from the root of the pepper plant. The root is ground into a powder and sold in packets. The local villagers then immerse the powder in water (encased in a piece of fabric of any kind) and squeeze it until the clear water looks milky/muddy. Appealing yet? The kava is then scooped up in coconut bowls and downed in a single gulp. The taste is much like what I expect muddy water would taste like with an aftertaste of retchedness. A taste that evidently Ev liked very much (or at least could stomach more than the rest of us).

After the first cup we wondered why we had bought enough between us for 5 massive bowls full. A short break during which we experienced our tongues going numb and we continued. They say Westerners need to have 7 or more bowls to experience kava whereas the locals need only 2. Needless to say we had a long night ahead of us! Before each cup we clapped once, declared "Bula", gulped and then clapped 3 times (as if to thank those who gave us kava). Over the next hours we made friends with the locals, struggled down cup after cup (that got smaller and smaller on request- lowtide!) and gradual experienced kava. Mostly it makes you mellow, relaxed and eventually sleepy. So to sum up our kava experience it tasted bad, made us popular and gave us the best nights sleep in ages.

Our stay at Nabua was truly a pleasant one. Between the kava bonding and the silently helpful staff who helped us with everything from washing our clothes (evidently we Westerners just don't know how to handwash-embarassing really) to Ev's painful attempt to carve his own kava cups (we found out later the process takes more than a month and involves burying the bowls underground for 3 weeks to give them the final touch). This resort gave us our last true taste of Fiji before we reboarded the ferry and took ourselves to Beachcomber island for one night before flying back to New Zealand. Our next stop is the Cook Islands for 3 weeks with a predicted cyclone on the way- should be fun!

In Loving Memory of Richard Hunt.

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Comments

[Mark]

hi
great blog fantastic photos my blog is here www.swimmingthechannel2008.blogspot.com regards Mark (UK)