16 56.68S 177 22.00E

Around the world with the Aqualunies
Jonathan & Gabrielle Lyne
Sun 19 May 2013 01:31
THE BLUE LAGOON (NANUWA SEWA)
17TH - 19TH MAY, 2013

Having left Somo Somo we crept up the coast on reef lookout.  No really good charts of the area at all as not surveyed. Jonathan remained dead calm as we wove our way in and out and tried to judge if we should go inside or out of them sometimes having to back off and try again, quite nerve wracking.
We eventually arrived at the Blue Lagoon where a famous film was made with Britt Shields starring in it.
We dropped anchor and went for a lovely swim.  

Anchored near us was a Swan called 'Mistress' so we invited them over for a drink, lots of Rum and Coke consumed.....  Jenny and Gilly told me I was not cooking tonight so they prepared a delicious meal of Okra with a Tomato/ginger sauce, roasted squash and BBqed chicken.
The following morning we went for a very long walk along the beach half way around the island.  Back to a small hotel (12 rooms) for coffee and toast and booked a table in their restaurant that evening.  The snorkelling was not brilliant but the whole area was beautiful with white soft sand.  On our way back to the yacht after coffee we saw another smaller Swan had come in called 'Proximity' came in with a couple on board.  That evening before we went for dinner we all piled on board 'Mistress' for drinks and then later dinghied over to the restaurant for dinner.  Fresh lobster and Calamari were on the menu, but no whole lobster just in pasta with a local vegetable, which was delicious.

We met George, one of the hotel waiters, and asked him about the singing we had heard from the yacht that day he said they are a choir from his village.  So he organised to pick us up in his boat and take us across to his village to church the next morning.  The singing was awesome with full descant, alto and baratone just wonderful to listen to.  I tried, discreetly, to record it but sadly not used to my camera for recording and it didn't come out.  The first hymn was "Bread of Heaven' so we were able to join in in English .....   The rest of the hymns and sermons and service was in Fijian but we were able to follow  the service as it was the same format as in the UK.  Th village had been hit by Typhoon/hurricane Irvine last December.  Many houses lost their corrugated iron roofs out to sea, nobody was killed.  Most of the houses have been built in concrete made with salt water and iron that rusts so they are going to rebuild in wood.  In the village there are a few ruins of bamboo and Pandanas grass houses still standing.  The etiquette when visiting a village has to be followed very closely otherwise you can cause offence.  Ladies must wear dresses below the knees, cover shoulders, no hats and bare feet in church.  You must keep your head below that of the village chief and keep your head low in a house below the owners.  The head is considered very sacred so you must not touch it.  You must never sit on the ground with your feet pointing towards another person but sit cross legged.

Back from Church after having some orange juice at George's house he took us back to Aqualuna.  We weighed anchor at midday and have just been picking our way through reefs.  We are heading up the coast to a village where Charles Mortimers old school friend has a cousin who is a village chief, they know we are on our way.  On the way we are stopping at some caves so those that want to dive under and into them can, but not for me far too claustrophobic.

A shoal of Tuna has just been spotted so we are now heading after them at full speed, now that we are out side the reefs of the islands.


Sam relaxing in the hamock

 



The Blue Lagoon (Nanuw Sewa)

 



View from our anchorage

 



Sunset from the Blue Lagoon

 



Jenny and Gilly preparing dinner

 



Gilly preparing dinner

 



Drinks on board Aqualuna

 



Heading back out to the boat in the dingy after dinner in restaurant.

 



Heading towards the local village

 



Outside George's house, chicken coup in background

 



In George's Village

 



An old thatched house in the village

 



David, George, Jonathan and Sam

 



Leaving the village