Visit to Navala Village

 11^th July 2022

Written by George:

After a good breakfast, Ignaz and Sabine decided we should all go to an apparently beautiful village called Navala. The drive in the taxi took just over three hours. During the first two hours it was a gentle, flat road but we were all taken by surprise when we suddenly hit a rocky, bumpy road for the last hour. Although it was uncomfortable, we were all distracted by the beautiful scenery that surrounded us. The mountains were just amazing, a colorful combination of yellow, green and a bit of red. We could see the village from high in the mountains, it looked bigger than expected but it really did catch our eye. We first arrived at a big stone bridge over a river where many locals were relaxing washing their clothes. Sabine and Louis lunged for their phones to take pictures of this amazing sight. Once over the bridge we parked in the village and once we got out, we were blinded with beauty, the lovely grass rooves on the houses and most of all the mountains around us. Quite quickly we were greeted by a woman who took the payment and then led us to where we were expected to meet the chief. As we walked there the woman gave out chocolates that we had provided, to the children. Once rumors had spread about them, children were running to us left and right. As the others were enjoying the village my eye was caught by some tiny chicks which were adorable. Once we arrived at the chef’s house, we met another two women and we all sat down cross legged to wait for the chief. I was expecting a big glamorous chief wearing vibrant clothes and was surprised when an old man with crutches, one or two teeth and wearing a 2011 rugby shirt limped his way in. He sat down and we all introduced ourselves. The chief could not speak much English and so the women were often having to answer our questions. Finally, we gave them the kava and the chief spoke for a very long time to himself as we all stayed quiet, this was him accepting us into his village. After that one of the women took the kava and began to make it in this large wooden kava bowl called a tanoa. There was a lot more kava than I thought there would be, but it looked rather tempting as I was boiling to death. Once made, we were told that we had to clap once and say “bula” before drinking a cup of it and then clap three times after and so we all did. If you wanted a small cup of kava you had to say “low tide” and “high tide” for a large cup. It did not taste very good, a bit like dirty water, but we still drank four cups each. Louis and Sabine sang some Irish songs, and they sang some Fijian songs while a villager called George played the guitar. Then they decided to sing " When you're happy and you know it" together as it was simple and I was told to record it, I could not stop laughing when Louis decided to say, " when you're happy and you know it slap the person next to you" and everyone followed and did so! Then they told us we could freely look around the village. The woman who took the money, three young girls and some very young boys took us around. We of course headed straight to the school as insisted by Sabine. On our way we all played some volleyball over a washing line with a flat ball whilst the older woman cracked a coconut for us with a machete. As Sabine, Louis and the villagers went to the school, Ignaz and I joined some tag rugby where the rules were quite unclear, but we still had a blast. Once we met up again the sun was setting and so we had to go home. We jumped into the car and waved to the many people who were saying goodbye. It was a very fun and interesting learning experience, and I would one hundred percent visit again.

Written by Ignaz:

After several hours of travelling through the countryside, we finally arrived at Navala village. The village is surrounded by a breathtaking mountain range full of green and golden grass and sits comfortably next to a river that runs through the valley. Upon arrival, we immediately headed towards the village chief’s house where the Sevusevu ritual was performed, welcoming us all into the village. We had already visited two villages prior to this one, however this particular Sevusevu ritual was by far the longest in duration. We offered the chief kava roots along with solar lights, eyeglasses, 2 soccer balls and candy for the kids, extra food from the boat and money. In return, they prepared the kava for drinking and offered it to us as a thank you and a welcoming gesture. We talked about our journey and where we came from and then later sang an Irish song. In response, they sang us a Fijian song accompanied by a guitar and four beautiful voices including the chief. Once the ritual came to an end, the chief indicated that we were now free to walk around the village and even invited us to stay the night! We then headed towards the local school with a villager acting as our tour guide. While on the way, we briefly stopped to play some volleyball with the children that were following us.  We also rehydrated with a coconut freshly picked from a palm tree right next to the electricity cable that was used as the upper edge of the volleyball net! Later, we continued on our way towards the school. Once at the school, we saw the older children playing touch rugby on the school field. George and I joined them for a game. Before we knew it, it was time to leave the village. As we were walking back to our car, we said our goodbyes and got ready to leave. The village visit was a truly unforgettable experience as we not only got to see the beautiful scenery but also had the opportunity to get to know the real people of Fiji. A lot can be learned from the Fijians as they appear to be overwhelmingly happy within their community while not possessing the same material luxuries that we take for granted in our daily lives back home.