We continue to find our time in remote Fulaga (in Fiji’s Lau Group) immensely enjoyable.
The village organized a feast for the cruisers for a donation of $50 FJD per person (about $23 USD), including a kava ceremony, a pig, and numerous local foods from mud crabs to octopus. Our host family’s Lani made us traditional Fijian leis, artwork in themselves, fastening them around our necks.
I found myself sitting next to a worldly Fijian women who candidly shared about the role of women, the church, and colonialism in Fiji. As we sail the world, we’ve encountered the complex history of colonialism and the influence of various churches on small Indigenous populations. Grappling with these realities has been difficult but important as we strive to listen and learn.
After a while, more local villagers joined the gathering, more kava bowls were brought out and men smoked “suki,” which refers to loose tobacco rolled in a leaf or paper. There was stunningly beautiful music sung that concluded with a “goodbye” song before we returned to our boats.
Meandered into the village another day, stopped by the clinic to check-in with nurse Fili and provide a bag of needed reading glasses, helpful not only for reading but for carving and weaving.
At the school, visited with a teacher, smiling students, and dropped off some school supplies. There are two Starlink in the village for use at the school or if people pay per day to use it. There are a few scattered solar panels and one generator in the main village hall that people share.
Next stop on this “village wander” was to check on Miji’s toe (slowly improving), enjoy some fresh fried bread and coconut water, and buy a wine bottle full of some of Lani’s homemade coconut oil. This oil is useful for both cooking and skin and I cracked myself up as I cooked a stir-fry in the oil, while also applying some to my arms at the same time.
We continue to explore this amazing lagoon…walking around the beaches and limestone sculptures, climbing trees for piles of coconuts distributed to boats, beach exploring, wing foiling.
During an outer lagoon dinghy excursion, Calder caught a Blue Fin Trevally which we enjoyed for dinner.
Another trip to the village as a family… checked on the status of a carving we had ordered (not done quite yet), bought a clamshell shaped bowl, and visited with our host family. Miji finished carving Cora’s turtle, we drank more coconuts and visited.
As they knew we were leaving, they wanted us to come back for a “farewell dinner gathering,” asking us to bring some kava and food to share. A few nights later we returned, picked up our carving from Seta, and joined Miji and Lani for our farewell dinner.
Lani had been preparing food all day, bowls of food in her cabinet, and was sitting next to the hot plate over a small wood fire on the ground to make roti and flat rolls with a local leaf.
The cabinet is the only piece of furniture in the one-room home, as they sleep on mats at night and sit on the ground for meals and hanging out. They have no refrigeration so food for the day is made that day. After enjoying kava with locals, Cora and I were excused to help Lani lay out dinner on the floor in their home, quite the spread. We brought deer meat to share. Miji said a few words, Rachel said a prayer, and Miji excused himself back to the kava (explained that he did not eat when drinking kava).
Calder was presented with a small manta ray carving and Lani made us beautiful woven bags. We were asked to return outside near the kava circle, where they sang to us (including the village chief) a beautiful farewell song.
Hugs shared, found myself with tears in my eyes as we walked the jungle trail back to the beach.
Fulaga has been an incredibly memorable, rich, joyful experience that our family will be grateful for as we continue our explorations of the world. It has definitely been a cruising highlight.
Sota tale! (See you later!)
SV Terikah Adventures 