We reluctantly left Yagasa to sail into the 20kt winds toward Fulanga. The trip was just long enough to remind us how much we don’t like sailing close hauled into the wind. We had the mainsail reefed down to the first reef point (aka smaller) and had the furling staysail at its double reef point. In the pic above all looks a lot more mellow than it was –--- OK, it was really a decent 15 mile run south, I just don’t like beating to weather. We stalled a bit to kill some time near the entrance where there is a natural cut between the outer reef to await the slack current.
One of the first things we had to do was to walk into the village to present our sevusevu, then we would have permission to anchor in the bays and enjoy the waters. We headed into the village with Tomas and Gaylyn off Qi who had also just arrived. The trail to the village is wide and flat and about a 15 minute walk. The early section of it has a brutal, aggressive, non-friendly, primarily obnoxious, and generally unenjoyable mosquito squadron. You can see the walkers here doing battle with the flying and buzzing creatures. It wasn’t clear to me if I could see any air-borne needles with dengue, chickenguia or malaria but I wasn’t sticking around for these slow pokes to catch.
As you approach the small village you have to take on some of the social mores. No sunglasses, no hats, no bare women’s knees and no backpacks on the back. I’m not sure what the last restriction is all about. In the pic above we are sitting in the chief’s house, the white haired guy in the chair, with an elder holding our kava bundles to present to the chief. It’s a formal, pleasant and thankfully short ceremony highlighted with bass sounding, slow handclaps.
The 96 year old chief was good natured and happy to stand for a picture with us after the ceremony (some say he is 91, others 94). Fulanga is very organized as it comes to cruisers. They request a $50 donation (about $25 US) along with the traditional kava. Kava gifts are a little more important here as the island does not support its growth. As part of the organized cruiser welcome, after the sevusevu ceremony each cruiser boat is assigned a host family. You head back to their house for a snack and basic introductions. They are interested in your life and family and very willing to share information about their family and village life. Anything you want to do that concerns the village you pass through your host family.
This is our host family’s, Niko and Lucy, house. The high roofed area at the left is cooking area, all done on a wood stove. The building to the right was Nikko’s grandfathers – interior pics to come.
Traditional Fijian houses have no sitting furniture, just a small bed and a large, hand-woven mat to sit on. Here is Niko and Lucy posing with Chris after we all had tea and some sweet potato while sitting on the mat. The blue and white soccer ball was a small gift that we gave to the family to share with the village kids. Their children are older with the eldest working in a Musket Cove resort and the younger at high school in Suva. Fijians are extremely giving, always offering things they have made, cooked or harvested. And likewise are happy to accept pretty much anything we have and while feeling very comfortable to ask for gifts.
When Niko found out that Chris was interested in shell collecting the next time we visited the village he gave her this hand carved wood Nautilus bowl.
Latter when we had Niko and Lucy along with their milk consuming nephew out to the boat we gave them some additional gifts. Lucy got some very fine crocheting needles for her fishing-net making projects. Niko got a couple of my old chisels for his carving work along with an old hand drill. Both gifts went over well. The young nephew, Johnny, was split between the milk and the small soccer ball we blew up for him.
This is one of the few villages in the Lau Group that ‘still’ has the sailing outriggers, or waka (or vaka or a host of other spellings). I put still in quotes as this one still floats, but just barely. There was another decayed one on the beach. It’s a shame that this history and talent seems to be fading away here, unlike the vigorous revival we saw in parts of Polynesia further east.
This is the 100+ year old interior roof of Niko’s grandfather’s place. It is hand bent and connected with twine. The roof started out life as palm frond covered and now has a corrugated steel covering. The roof looks as solid as the day it was made, even after having endured countless Pacific cyclones.
This is the interior of the house where Lucy is working on a large woven pandanus (a local plant)mat. These are very durable mats that have an interesting pattern woven into them.
The government in Suva subsidizes a fair amount of the village life including schools, health clinic and some infrastructure like this water container. The containers have recently been sent out to the village as cisterns to collect water off the roof tops. It’s getting near national election time, so reminding the outer villages of the benevolence of the current government makes for useful politics.
The string barricade is a novel use of plastic bottles found on the beach and painted by the school kids.
We stopped by to have a chat with the resident nurse at the clinic and to drop of some of our excess med supplies. The nurse has been at the village for about two months on a 3 year assignment. Any supplies she gets come on the monthly, at least that’s the schedule, ferry that comes in from Suva. Childbirth is no longer done on the outer islands. Instead, mothers-to-be head into Suva to stay with relatives until it is time to deliver in a Suva hospital.
Paul
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