Bula!
Bula bula!
When you arrive
in Fiji, that’s how you’re greeted everywhere! "Bula" means hello. "Vinaka" means
thank you, and it is the second most spoken word here.
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| One of the beautiful beaches in Fiji. Here we are on Vanua Levu in the Mamanuca Group. |
We arrived in
Suva, and called in to the Royal Suva Yacht Club to arrange for quarantine
clearance, customs and immigration. Afterwards, we became cruising members for
a small fee so that we had access to their secure dinghy dock, showers, garbage
disposal. To complete our clearance, however, we had to visit the office of the
Chiefs of Fiji and obtain a Cruising Permit. The Cruising Permit is basically a
letter of introduction in Fijian, and must be shown to either the village
Headman or Chief. Afterwards, we were able to get our Suva port clearance. We wandered around downtown Suva to discover
where we could find food, and learned they have a ridiculously large market, a
sensory overload of colours, and smells of fresh herbs and spices! They also
sell kava, but more about that below. Downtown
also hosts numerous supermarkets and thousands of shops of all kinds. Suva is a
bustling city!
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| Us outside the the Itaukei Affairs Board (Chiefs of Fiji) to obtain our Cruising Permit for Fiji. |
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| The major cities in Fiji have a large population of East Indian descent, and their culture is alive and well here. |
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| Fijian "welcome" at McDonalds in Suva |
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| A portion of the Suva Market from the second floor |
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| Everything was in abundance and available at reasonable prices! Yum! |
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| Suva Market: they know how to grow nice carrots here! First country in the Pacific... |
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| The Suva Market went on and on... |
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| and on... |
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| Kava roots for sale in the Suva Market |
Suva is home to
the South Pacific’s oldest museum, and we went for a visit. It has a full-sized
war canoe, archeological findings spanning over 3,500 years, as well as
cultural objects reflecting Fiji’s inhabitants during the past 100 years. This
includes wooden forks used by the last cannibals specially designed for eating
the brain.
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| Inside the Fiji Museum - a full size canoe |
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| This was how they cooked on board their "house boats" |
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| The museum had numerous artifacts on display, here various fish hooks. |
We sailed out
of Suva harbour for the nearby Island of Beqa (pronounced Mbenga), home of
Fiji’s firewalkers! A gift of 1kg of bundled kava root is the traditional way
to seek permission to use a village’s territory. Immediately after anchoring, we proceeded
directly to the nearest village, where we were greeted. We asked to see the
Headman to bring us to the Chief, for whom we had a gift of kava, and to show the
cruising permit. We were invited in to
the Chief’s house, and we sat on the floor on a large woven mat. After receiving our kava, the house broke out
in chanting in Fijian and clapping! The Chief granted blessings ensuring our
safety and protection within the village and the ocean. We were then free to
roam around in their territory.
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| Our 4 generous bundles of kava root to give to Chiefs on the islands we visit. |
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| Our meeting with the Chief (left) in Linaki, Mumulu Bay on Beqa Island |
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| The kids show us where the Firewalkers walk on white hot stones, and ham it up for the camera! |
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| We gave these three children a ride part-way to their village. They had never been in an inflatable boat before. |
Kava is ground or pounded to a powder, mixed with water, strained and drank out of thin coconut shell cups. It reportedly numbs your throat and calms down nerves. People will sit around and drink this while celebrating, or just to invoke some problem-solving or healthy discussion of a topic.
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| Men on Beqa Island sitting around drinking kava |
Fiji is truly a
beautiful country, comprised of hundreds of islands, many of them fairly small,
surrounded by crystal clear water, lots of coral and white sand beaches!
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| Amazing water and beaches! |
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Sugar cane being delivered to the sugar mill in Lautoka.
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From Beqa, we headed west to the Mamanuca Islands and the Yasawa Islands, also spending time in Lautoka, Musket Cove, and Port Denarau. Although the entire area is breathtaking, several places are more noteworthy.
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| Traditional Fijian dance at Musket Cove. |
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| Anchored in Waya Island in the Yasawas. |
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| A beautiful crescent beach on Vanua Levu |
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| Anchored beside "Driftwood" a mega yacht owned by to founder and owner of GoPro. |
Fiji is quite far from North America or Europe,
so most of the tourists here are from New Zealand, Australia, China and Japan.
One famous American did spend some time here, though: Tom Hanks! We visited unpopulated Monuriki Island, where
he starred in “Castaway”, and we walked the beach, even looked for his cave!
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| Monuriki Islands in the Mamanuca Group. Castaway beach - no Wilson here... |
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| From the movie? |
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| Karen on Castaway beach, Monuriki Island. |
Well, it’s time
to say goodbye to Fiji, and we would like to say "vinaka" (thank you) to the wonderful
Fijians who made our stay so wonderful!
Check back with
us in about another month, to see how our adventures on VATA continue.
