Callum was invited to visit the Fiji royal Navy ships by the Lieutenant colonel, who was in the bar watching the rugby.  SO, we did just that.  However, they are tiny ships and mainly do peace work and local surveillance.  Still it was most kind of them to show us about, and Callum loved it

 

 

 

We have better electronic equipment on Karinya than the whole of the Fiji navy has!

They just got bigger guns

 

 

The equipment is so dated on these navy ships, this is a 20mm machine gun, when I was in the army 28 years ago we used this on the helicopters, it was ancient even then.

 

 

It is Fiji Independence Day on Monday so the celebrations have started.  The navy was having a party.  This meant they all sat in rows around the centre piece - the Kava bowl.  Now this stuff is like a narcotic, it actually in large doses sends you to sleep.  So looking around at all the locals, they all clearly had had some, as they weren't jumping for joy.  It is rude not to drink the stuff when offered, so I accepted.  Tastes like muddy water, but as Callum puts it 'I particularly like the little surprise of leaving your tongue tingling at the end!!!!!'  Yes, it numbs the tongue.  He was offered some and drank with honour although not sure of the aftertaste looking at his face.You have to down in one and clap 3 times at the end too.  These guys clapped 3 times before we drank, so no going back.  Jessica abstained which was jolly good too.

 

 

WHAT!!!

 

Not sure if this is legal.....Kava at 8 years old, he slept well that night

 

Humphrey the commander of the Fiji navy, good guy met him at the world cup opener and he promised Cal a trip on the navy boats

 

 

local veg market, with a few octopus, shrimp and clams thrown in.  Very warm and lots of flies!!!  Nice smell, Tim walked very fast through this section.