Fiij : Lautoka and kava roots

Noeluna en route pour Singapour
Matthieu Vermersch
Tue 20 Jul 2010 03:24

After spending 4 days zigzagging between the reefs to reach the southern part of Fiji’s Viti Levu, we arrived in Vuda Point, a marina close to Lautoka. We went  there to welcome Olivier, Jennifer, Alexandre and Claire, coming from New York to spend 2 weeks on Noeluna. We were supposed to sail together to Vanuatu, along with the World Arc fleet. But after a long debate with Matthieu, we made the decision to stay in Fiji and enjoy a relaxing time with our friends instead.

We first had to go to the market in Lautoka, to get our provisioning of fruits and vegetables of course, but also to buy kava roots ; everytime you anchor in front of a village, you need to go on shore to meet the Chief and ask for permission to stay. Traditionally you bring him a kava root as an offering for the ceremony of Sevu-sevu. We had the wonderful opportunity to drink some kava while shopping at the market ; it’s a whitish liquid, served in a small coconut bowl, with a very bitter taste. Olivier accepted the drink offered by one of the market sellers with a lot of enthusiasm, and he nicely drank the full bowl . Jennifer and I managed to drink  a much smaller quantity. After a few minutes my mouth was a kind of numb, and I was feeling  very relaxed… Jennifer seemed to feel the same. Olivier, just couldn’t talk to express his feelings… I guess it was a very special experience…

 

So here we are, going from wild anchorage to cool marinas, via Fijian villages.

We had our first sevu sevu in a beautiful village set on a large bay at the bottom of a small mountain, all surrounded by the sea. Most of Fiji’s landscapes are made of several slices of  small mountains. It is really spectacular. We went onshore with the dinghy, and asked the first person we saw on the beach, permission to stay in front of the village. The lady, who happened to be the kindergarden teacher, welcomed us very kindly and in a very official way. She brought us to the Chief, while a man played drums to acknowledge our presence. The Chief invited us to sit in his house with a dozen of people, including the cutest kids and babies. After a nice talk, we were invited to attend a traditional event in the village the day after.

We spent the other days peacefully, drinking lot of Duty free Champagne first, then Australian and New Zealand Champagne, always provided by the Champagne and Chocolate Master, Olivier ; I have to say that Alexandre and Claire have very well followed in their father’s steps as far as gourmet food tasting is concerned… What else would you pray for ? Paradise beaches, snorkeling, games and laughs ? Here we are, we got them all !

The L. family flew back to the States from Nandi on the 10th of July. Thank you girls for your flexibility and cooperation, that’s not easy to share the water when you are 8 on board, and you did it so nicely.  Thank you guys for your enthusiasm for everything, always. We all hope to see you all, soon in Singapore.

Ciao, and Welcome to Bertrand !

 

Marie-Anne