Maysie's Travels

Bula sia,

The weather here is on the turn. The sea is warming up, the sun is brighter and the rains are often lingering on the horizon. The sea changes colour from aquamarine to blue, blue to green, green to groggy brown and back to aquamarine all in the space of a couple of bilos on the beach.

On Monday we were invited to Naqai, where boat captain Api lives, for a soli and to celebrate Fiji Day. Each Matagali (family group) had their own decorated celebration area, music and cava and lots of different mekes were performed in the middle. We were settling into our grog, cake and chat when the heavens opened and tried to wash us away. Jone Robinson and Api were quick to the rescue, finding cane knives close at hand; they dug a trench around the celebration area to divert the water. Vinaka na quick thinking. The celebrations continued.

Tuesday saw sevusevu day, where Vilus our latest tribe member presented his kava and became the first Lithuanian on Vorovoro. Tui Mali was much impressed and invited Vilus, or Delusa as he became known, to help him garden the next day down in the village. They were busy all day, working in the hot sun and both agreed that the only way to finish a good days work of this nature would be around the grog bowl on the beach before Tui Mali had to leave.

Friday came and we headed to Ligalevu for the Schools Family Fun Day Soli. It was a day to celebrate; national library week, Fiji Day, Teachers and Diwali. There were speeches, songs, stories and laughter in the church hall as each year group presented their pieces. We were even treated to a fancy dress contest afterwards where Jim and I were the judges. We saw many of the boys dressed as girls, some of the girls dressed as boys and everything in between. We had a magical day.

On Saturday we all headed into town to visit Graham, our sawdust supplier, and have some drinks around his pool and catch up. We were all hesitant to step off the boat however before the dogs had been mollified and introduced to us, none more so than Jone and Tale, who were eyeing up the nearest tree to climb if needs must. After Graham’s we headed to AJ’s for Diwali celebrations.

Driving through Labasa I was amazed to see the number of lights which had been strung up outside most of the houses, it was like Christmas in the UK or America, but without the waving Santas or sleighs and a lot more fireworks happening all over the place.

We were treated to lots of delicious Indian sweets, curries and fireworks, which his 4 year old daughter was extremely excited about, even though it made me nervous to see her skipping around with a box of matches and a bag of fireworks!

We are really lucky to be able to visit so many different people and places and to feel so welcomed. Where else would you get such an all encompassing cultural experiences?

Vinaka vaka levu,

Marama Jessica

Bula sia,

The salu salu has been passed on, I am now your new chief blogging from the island and keeping you all informed of life here in paradise.

It’s been a quiet start to year 4, but we’ve been busy on and off the island.

The chickens have a new luxurious home, created from recycled materials. It is a wooden slated affair and looks very chic, the chickens seem pretty impressed. On several occasions since their move we’ve had 6 or 7 eggs from the 5 plucky chickens. Good old Fatty Lumpkin (a larger chicken that I suspect is giving us these extra treats).

We have also dug and prepared three new vegetable beds so we can transplant the overcrowded egg plants and revitalize the gardens. We have a healthy crop of tomatoes and chilies, not to mention the coconuts, pawpaw, passion fruit and mangoes which are just coming into season.

Being a small tribe we have visited the villages on Mali Island several times recently for various events.

We went to Liga Levu to open their new oven, which is the same design as the one on Vorovoro. Jim cut the ribbon and made a speech. We were treated to the ladies meke, a beautiful hymn and salu salus (garland of flowers). We managed to stay grog free on that day, but we went home with a good covering of talcum powder in our hair.

We attended to a soli (fundraiser) in Nakawaqa to raise money for a water pump. We presented our sevu sevu to the chief and then joined the soli in the village hall where there was a cava ceremony, donating of money and lots of tea and what looked like a cake factory in one corner judging by the piled high plates that kept on coming.

Two nights ago we were back in Liga Levu, this time for a soli to raise money for the vicars house and the school. For the soli each woman born on Mali and married into a Mali household donated money and the men prepared all of the food. We had cassava vaka-lolo for morning tea, which is a really tasty sweet treat. It consists of cassava pounded into flour then cooked in coconut milk with sugar to make soft squidgy sticky balls of goodness. The total raised on that day was $2350.

It’s hot. The water in front of me is crystal clear with hardly a ripple; I’m itching to jump in. The bili bili (bamboo raft), made for the 3rd year celebrations, is tethered out at sea and looks particularly inviting.

Vinaka Tribe,

Marama Jessica

So what do you do when Jim comes RUNNING back from Tanoa Park with the news that a tsunami is on its way?

I was going for a shortening of breathe, a quick pack and estimating how long it would take to scale peak 3. Jim suggested the compost toilets as a good hide out, but I wasn’t convinced.

I looked around to gauge what team Fiji were doing, what possessions they would take with them. I was betting that Pupu would go for his trusty machete and perhaps the boys would take their Ipods. However, what I saw surprised me. The ladies were busy raking the leaves, Pupu was still making coconut jewelery and Tale was mowing the lawn!!

Api took Jenny and myself aside to let us know that he would look after us. He had a plan. Api said he would go get three life jackets, but he’d be wearing them all while me and Jen could each sit on a shoulder…

At this point I wasn’t really sure what to think. Jim was getting worrying phone calls about Samoa and tsunami warnings and the Fijians were saying not to worry as Vorovoro was surrounded by reefs, a natural barrier.

We put the town trip back, playing it safe. The lawn was still being mown, the leaves were still being raked and morning tea was under way. I felt safe.

Luckily no tsunami materialized in Fiji, but my heart goes out to all those in Samoa who were affected by the earthquake and ensuing tsunami.