Author Archives: dennisandbarb

19 09.248S 178 32.430E

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Posting by Barb :

Barring any schedules we usually stay in a particular place until Denny and I both feel that it is time to go. Can’t quite explain what that feeling is but it always happens and we usually stay in a place until that happens. And so it was with Fulaga, beautiful as it was. Not being connected to the rest of the world, specifically to family and friends back home may have had something to do with the feeling that it was time to say good-bye.

So we spent a day putting together gifts. Becky spent a couple of hours making batches of Snickerdoodle cookies for Salote. Denny and I went through the boat and dug out anything that we hadn’t used for quite sometime but that could be useful to Suki and Ba. So we made a final trip to town. Salote cried when Becky said goodbye. We said goodbye to Ba’s parents who were always quietly around. They gave us a big hug and sniffed our cheeks. I later realized that was the Fijian way of saying good-bye. It was a sniff-kiss!!

We invited the whole family back to the boat but only Suki and Ba committed to coming. They showed up with gifts for us. A miniature Kava bowl and a miniature  Lali Fijian drum of the wooden slit-gong type both made by Suki out of the infamous Vesi wood. Ba gave us a variety of beautiful woven purses, baskets and mats woven from the leaves of the voivoi plant.

It was our turn to pamper and cook a feast for them. For all the meals that Ba cooked for us not once did she sit and eat with us. As part of their culture Ba always ate after we had all been served and fed. So this time we enjoyed having Ba sit at the dinner table with us. We served Spaghetti!! To our delight Suki and Ba slurped and wolfed down the noodles. For dessert we had fudge brownies and Ba kept going for seconds. We made them take some Brownies to share with the rest of the family. I am pretty sure the cookies were eaten during the 20 minute walk back to town.

We said our final farewells and Ba became very emotional and started to cry.  Soon all of us ladies were crying. We did spend some good times together, learned a lot from each other, shared quite a few meals and became friends. But somehow there is a kind of finality when saying good-bye to friends that do not have access to internet, do not have mobile phones and our mailing address is always changing.

We promised to visit their family in Suva and drop off some off their large Kava bowls and frozen fish caught by Suki the day before. We were then able to share all of Fulaga memories with the family. You can imagine their delight at seeing the pictures of family they have not seen in quite sometime. We just sat back and watched the joy in their faces as the slide show on our laptop was played over and over.

19 09.248S 178 32.430E

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Posting by Barb and Dennis:

During our Sunday visit Ba had asked whether Becky and I wanted to drop by and learn a little about Fijian cooking or weaving. I had already commented on the large beautiful woven mats that covered the floors in every sparsely furnished room so she knew I was interested in their art of weaving. I knew Becky wasn’t that interested in learning the 101 ways if cooking fish in a Lovo or in coconut milk. While we were in church on Sunday we had longingly looked at the fans the ladies were using to cool themselves in the stifling heat. That would be something we could use!! And in return we asked if there was something we could share with them and Suki asked whether we had the materials and skill to help them fix one of their fiberglass power boats which was obviously in need of some repair. So we made a plan; Denny would spend the day helping repair one of their boats and Becky and I would spend a day weaving with Ba.

We arrived early in the morning with fiberglass and resin in hand.  The boat was in desperate need of repair,  the entire gunnel of the boat was wore through from years of dragging nets over it.  Denny just gave instructions and shared his knowledge while Suki and a couple others did the work.  It was like putting a bandaid on a major wound.  But Denny showed them how to go about doing the repair and promised that he would ship them some fiberglass and resin when we got to Suva (which we did and it only cost $2.00 to ship 4 litres of Resin and 15 metres of fabric).

Ba whisked Becky and me off to her ‘cooking’ hut where she had the coconut palm leaves, cut and ready for us to start. She worked with me first and my fingers moved a little slow and many times she proceeded to take over and I would have to smile and take it back so I could do it myself. Salote (which she proudly explained was also the name for the princess of Tonga), Ba’s sister, had dropped in for a visit and she took an immediate liking to Becky. So she took Becky’s hand and they disappeared for quite some time. Becky returned with a gift from Salote. A little parrot carved by Salote’s husband, which they named Cocky. Together they had woven a little mat for the parrot to sit on. Ba then showed Becky how to make her own fan. Becky’s fingers moved much faster than mine and Ba didn’t have to intervene quite so often. I could swear Becky had done this kind of thing before!!

It was a great day of sharing skills. We walked back to the boat, using our new fans to wave away the mosquitoes that seemed to swarm the 20 minute walk to the boat. Denny walked back a little lighter without the fiber glass and resin but happy with the repairs done to their boat. Becky had a new pet, Cocky, and a new friend, Salote.

19 09.248S 178 32.430E

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Posting by Barb:

Suki had given us an invitation to participate in the Sunday service and we could see that it meant a lot for us to share that day of ‘rest’ day with them.

So early in the morning we got dressed in our ‘Fijian’ Sunday best. That meant a Sulu skirt for Denny. Becky and I had to put on our finest that covered the knees and shoulders. We arrived at Suki and Ba’s home in time for some pictures and then the Lali (Lali ni meke) drums sounded, letting us all know that it was time to go to the church. We were escorted to our own pew for the 1 ½ hour special ‘youth’ service that happens once a year.

After the service we were invited to share in the family feast. I know Ba made it all the more special because we were there! They gave us cutlery although Suki admitted they would eat the Fijian way and also that everything had been cooked the Fijian way (ie nothing fried) all boiled in coconut milk or cooked in the Lovo which is an earth oven (a fire made on in a pit in the ground lined with heat-resistant stones). So we had a variety of fish caught the day before (including a very large fish netted by Ba), Octopus, clams, crab meat which was cooked in a large pot and then nicely re-stuffed in the crab shell, sweet potatoes, greens that tasted much like spinach, and our donated curry rice and our home made coffee cake for dessert. It was a feast in Fijian style!! And yes Becky had a taste of most of it but I can’t say it was her favorite!

19 09.248S 178 32.430E

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Posting by Barb:

Suki had suggested that we take our boat and go to the sand spit and have a Fijian picnic and we were game for that. Fijian picnic meant eat whatever is speared, picked or found that was edible and then cooked over an open fire. Despite Becky’s marginal fondness for seafood she was willing to try anything. I don’t think anyone of us realized that coming to Fulaga would mean endless meals of ‘fresh’ fish. We had plenty of meat in the freezer but the local hospitality meant eating what they offered.

At 9:00 in the morning Suki, Ba, Tai (their grandson), La (friend of their grandson), and their nephew were at the shore waving at us to come pick them up. It took 2 dinghy trips but we finally had everyone on board.  

We decided to share our last fresh pineapple that we had on board with everyone. Tai wasn’t quite sure if he liked the look of the fruit but once he had a taste there was no stopping him. He didn’t talk much but just did a quiet eye brow raise which meant ‘I want some more please’. We motored to the sand spit, Suki happily steered the boat as he knew the route. It was a beautiful anchorage spot, sandy bottom, great holding, no reefs to worry about. That describes all the anchorages in the Fulaga lagoon.  

Once we were anchored and had everyone on shore Ba, with the help of her machete, quickly erected a shady palm leaf structure and had a little fire going.

We were told to bring nothing on shore but I contributed a couple of Mahi steaks and some ‘juicy’ drink as Tai called it. Becky wanted to lie in the sun and Denny and I accompanied Suki to his fishing spot. There were two reef passes nearby full of fish and I even saw a turtle swim by. Suki set off with his spear and Denny and I floated the passes amidst hundreds of other fish. Sorry no water camera!!

Suki managed to catch a fish for everyone and Ba cooked them all on the open fire. Even six year old La was walking around with a sharp knife wanting to clean the fish. I was wondering how we were going to eat the fish but Ba quickly wove together a couple of coconut palm leaf plates and filled it with a whole,  piping hot fish and a sweet potato (grown in Suki’s plantation). Then we just used our fingers ( we all passed the head and brain of the fish to Ba as it was her favourite part). I think even Becky would agree that fresh cooked fish can be pretty tasty!With just using a machete and a spear they prepared everything for a wonderful picnic.  I sometimes envy their simple lifestyle. Why do we insist on making life complicated and we call it progress!

Well after a month in Fulaga we were starting to miss the perks of complexity and progress as we missed family and friends that we normally stay in touch with using Skype, Face Time, Magic Jack or FaceBook. We just had a satellite phone and used that sparingly.

October 13, 2014

Posting by Barb:

After 2 days sailing we finally  could see Fulaga. It was early in the morning and before long we were going through the narrow reef passage. We just barely floated over some coral and realized after that we had gone a little off the recommended track. There were two other boats anchored near the shore where the trail led to the village. These boats were there for their last night after spending considerable time in Fulaga. We were able to say hello and goodbye to them and we were encouraged with all the good things they had to say about the island and the people. It was about a 30 minute walk to the village where we did the Sevu Sevu with with Daniel the chief.

Sevu Sevu with Chief Daniel and host Suki

It was a little more elaborate and sincere although we still didn’t participate in the ceremonial drinking of the Kava. After the ceremony Suki introduced himself and informed us he would be our ‘host’ family. The ‘host’  family concept was something new  that the people of Fulaga had set up so that cruisers could bond with a family in the village and thus making it easier to experience the village culture and feel more ‘at home’. There are many different opinions shared by cruisers as to whether this was a positive or negative thing (there is an obligation to always go to the family when visiting the village and it minimizes the freedom one may want).But to us there is no dispute. We are the visitors to their home. Each time we anchor we are fully aware that once we step off our boat we are the guests and this is ‘their’ home and we respect their philosophies and we acclimatize ourselves to their way of doing things.

Suki and Ba were fabulous hosts and they made us feel at home and very welcome. Although they had no knowledge of our arrival they invited us to share a meal of sweet potatoes cooked in coconut milk (we probably ate their supper but there was no way of saying ‘no’ to their invitation). It was a simple offering served with such joy, pride and full of expectation of their forthcoming sharing of cultures, food and gifts. We asked them what we could give in return for their hospitality. They only thing they asked for was ‘water’ as it had not rained there for the last 3 months. The next morning they pulled up next to ‘Landfall’ in the communal power boat with their large water jugs to be filled and then left gifts of Papaya and Water Melons.

That afternoon we visited them at home and dropped off baked muffins and a box of tea bags. And so it began, the giving and receiving for our 3 weeks in Fulaga  and what will follow is our highlights of our time there (October 13– November – 4).