Saweni Bay, Viti Levu Island, Fiji
Harmonie
Don and Anne Myers
Tue 4 Aug 2009 23:41
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17:38.512S 177:23.628E
On July 27 we left the uninspiring anchorage at
Gana Point and continued on in our quest for civilization in the form of the
city of Lautoka. We arrived at the Lautoka port later that morning after
motoring another 18 or so miles and anchored in the designated area just off the
commercial wharf. The group of ten or fifteen boats anchored there
were almost all familiar to us. The Pacific sailing world is so small that
almost every boat we see is one we've seen before - either it's
someone we've just met, someone we sailed up from New Zealand with or a boat we
recognize from our travels throughout the area last year. Windchase (of
big wind fame at Yadua Island) was floating quietly at anchor in Lautoka, as was
Jungle (a boat we met in Tonga, full of crazy Kiwi sailors who
were headed to Hawaii to deliver Jungle to its new owners)
and so on.
Feeling at home with boats we recognized in a
port we visited last year, we put the dinghies in the water and buzzed
into shore with Jackie and Michael. No sooner had we set foot on land
and looked up the crumbling concrete wharf steps to the port road, did we see
none other than Ravin, our Indo-Fijian taxi driver from last year, waiting for
us.
'Bula!' we yelled to Ravin, 'Do you remember
us?'
He thought for a moment and took a closer look at
the four of us.
'Yes! I remember! I took you for
shopping to the market and the supermarket.'
'Yes and you picked us up on Saweni Beach and took
us to a resort for dinner.'
'I remember! It was First Landing
Resort. And I took you to the office to get cruising permits
and he (he points to Michael) forgot his passport so I took him back to the
dinghy to get it.'
Wow, we were impressed with the clarity
of Ravin's memory.
'Don't we all look the same?' we asked
him, 'All of us yachties with our hats and our crocs and our bags and our
dinghies? How can you remember us?'
'I remember.' was all he said with a
chuckle.
Ravin waited for us as we (Don and Michael)
completed the obligatory three forms in triplicate to inform the Fijian
government that we were now checking into and out of the port of Lautoka.
The young customs officer asked Don and Michael where they were going
next. They both answered, 'Saweni Bay, then Denarau Island, then Musket
Cove and then leaving from there to Vanuatu with the ICA rally.' None of
this could have been a surprise given that ten ICA rally boats had checked
in to and out of the Lautoka port about a week earlier. Regardless, the
customs officer was confused. He discussed the issue with a fellow
officer, then he asked Michael and Don what our plans were again. He
was given the same answer. He went away for a short while and came back
and asked Don and Michael what our plans were again. They gave him the
same answer. This went on for about five more rounds of question,
answer and confusion. Finally the customs officer relented and gave
us the piece of paper we needed to move on. Fijian customs never
ceases to amaze us. We often wonder what exactly they do with all those
forms filled out painfully in triplicate with one very well used piece of
carbon paper.
From there we did the usual round of clothes shop,
pharmacy, market, grocery store and wine store. In the end,
Ravin's smallish taxi could barely fit the four of us, our cases of wine, cases
of beer, heaps of tomatoes and bags of groceries (not to mention
Ravin's own rather large body). Lautoka was just as we remembered
it. Busy, with its mix of Indian an Fijian people walking
purposefully through the streets. The grocery store wasn't as well
stocked as we remembered, but it did seem to have very few cockroaches
this year, which made us happy. The market was as large, dark and
filled with as many Indian spice smells as it was last year. This time we
recognized almost all the fruits/vegetables/spices on display whereas
last year we wandered around gawking at everything, not knowing what most of it
was. Take lemons, limes and oranges for example. There are the usual
limes, that are green on the outside and green on the inside. Then there
are what look like limes that are green on the outside, but yellow on the inside
and taste more like lemons. Then there are the round green things that
look like green oranges, but taste like a combination of orange and lemon.
It's all very confusing. Sometimes you just have to buy now and allow
yourself to be surprised later.
Back at the dinghies, we struggled to load
everything, and us, in. Once done, with stuff piled high and barely room
for our feet, we set off toward the boats. Unfortunately in Lautoka, which
is a busy commercial port, private boats are not allowed to anchor near the
shore, so the distance to dinghy is rather far. This is especially true
when dinghying into the wind and small waves with a teetering tower of
stuff. If the dinghy tipped over we would have been fine, but the loss of
all the stuff would have caused more than a few tears. Needless to say, we
made it through fine (although a bit soggy) and spent the next hour or two
unloading the stuff and putting it away (always a challenge). As soon as
that was done, we pulled up anchor and motored the short four miles to Saweni
Bay (scene of Lady Kay's reef grounding last year) for the
night.
Picture 1 - The Lautoka market - big, dark and full
of an incredible array of spices, kava, hot peppers and five different versions
of limes as well as all the other usual stuff.
Picture 2 - Lady Kay at anchor at sunset in Saweni
Bay - this time happily at anchor well away from the reefs.
Anne
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