Holidays in Fiji

We’re back on the air. The internet wasn’t working for a week or so. Apparently the hamster down at the service provider’s office in town suffered a fractured hip when he tumbled off his wheel, effectively shutting down internet service until a replacement came. Hamsters are rare here in the Fijian islands…

But seriously folks…

After the threat of Daman passed Fiji it didn’t rain for about a week and a half. Nine days into the sunny weather we had to take the truck in to get the radiator fixed…it started raining the next day. We were without a vehicle and for two days we were tackling the trek up and down the mountain road by foot. This is an arduous trek, just under 1.5 kilometers at a ridiculously steep angle and by the time you’re done your legs are screaming at you and you’re out of breath. It does get easier the more you do it…but not much. It takes about a half hour to get down and an hour to get back up. We took the advice of the locals and took regular rests to catch our breath and we walked barefoot to keep cool and get a better grip. The last day we took on the hill it rained the hardest. We were soaked to the bone by the time we got home but we were enjoying it very much. You can’t come to Fiji and not expect to get caught out in the pouring rain at least once. When you resign yourself to the fact that you’re going to be very wet for a very long while it actually becomes quite enjoyable. Besides, its much easier doing the climb in the rain than it is under the merciless sun.

When we got home that late afternoon, our clothing drenched and backpack sopping, our running shoes making squishy sounds with every step, we were shocked to discover we had a guest excitedly waiting for us, literally peeing himself when he saw us. No it wasn’t one of the umpteen people who promised they’d come visit us, it was a little puppy no more than six weeks old. He was starving and cold and obviously abandoned so he was a little nervous of us at first, but once he realized he was being treated like a little prince he warmed up quickly.

We named him Charlie.

Two days after he arrived we carried him down the road to some of the neighbours to see if he belonged to them. No such luck. We asked Steve and Iretta if they could put the word out for us and so far there are a few interested persons in taking the little guy off our hands. But, until further notice, he’s in our care. We love having him around but puppies often make mistakes…mistakes that are wet or stinky and require cleaning up. And since this isn’t our home we can’t really have that happening. Although, he’s very smart and pretty much house trained and…there I go rationalizing again. We’re getting way to close to this pup.

Christmas Eve we were called by Steve and Iretta to join them for dinner and drinks. What a great evening we had. The moment our glasses were empty Steve was topping them up and Iretta made an amazing chili that would have blown our socks off if we were wearing any. We chatted for almost six hours before we left and made our way home.

On Christmas Day it looked as though it was going to rain all day, but by two in the afternoon it stopped, so we packed the truck, including Charlie, and made our way out along the Hibiscus Highway to one of our favourite beaches. After a few hours of playing on the beach and teaching Charlie how to swim we made our way back home. Driving up the road to the house we passed the Wong’s house and they were all out on their porch waving as we drove by. We had barely got out of the shower when we heard someone calling for us outside the door and, sure enough, Eugene Wong was there inviting us to come down and join their family for drinks and dinner.

Eugene is a great cook. He owns a small restaurant in Savusavu called Auntie Lilly’s and it’s extremely popular with the locals. Eugene’s parents, Steven and Lilly, started the restaurant twenty years ago and past it on to Eugene. There is a mix of Fijian and Indian cuisine and also Chinese because Eugene’s father is Chinese and his mother is Fijian. They were forced to relocate since a fire burnt down their original place last year. Many years ago Steven and Lilly were the first to purchase land on Naveria Hieghts and thirty acres was an amazing and brilliant investment.

Needless to say the banquet of food they provided that night was filling and delicious. Eugene cooked everything in a Lovo, which is a traditional way of cooking. A Lovo is when they dig a hole in the ground, place in stones and create a fire pit. Spinach and onion are sprinkled with coconut milk and wrapped in taro leaves then placed in the pit and then covered to cook. The meats go on top, chicken and pork and mutton, and everything is cooked to perfection. It comes out delicious, the meat is savory and moist and the leaf wraps compliment it perfectly.

Eugene’s whole family showed up and I spent some time with his father Steven explaining the depth-finder he bought three months ago but still hadn’t managed to figure out…he said he tried to work it out on the boat while fishing but it only made him “cranky”. They are an amazing family with beautiful children and Tara found it impossible to not take photo’s of everyone all night. They made a traditional social drink known as Kava which consists of a pepper root ground down to powder and mixed with water. It makes the lips and tongue go numb, but it’s a natural muscle relaxant and an anti-depressant. It definitely tasted peppery and a little like wood, but it was easy on the palate. They were overjoyed when I drank it down in one go and clapped and laughed approvingly. The whole evening family members kept trickling in and the house was full of extremely friendly and curious people, full of questions and conversation. They love to joke and tease so it made it very difficult to leave at the end of the night…well, that and the Kava.

We’re truly settling in to Fiji now. Tara has so much to photograph and I’ve been making really good progess on my latest novel. Everyone is saying we’ll likely never leave and if we do we’ll likely manage our way back again for good. We’ve become very well aquainted with all of the neighbours and very good friends with some. We go for a walk every night and enjoy the sunset on evenings when it’s not raining, which we can happily say is most nights.

Cyclone Daman

A few days ago Steve called, the neighbour from down the hill. There was a cyclone being tracked, threatening to hit Fiji. In two days it whipped itself up into a quite a frenzy. Reports of a category four or five were going around. They named it Cyclone Daman. Otherwise known as a hurricane in North America. Early Friday morning Steve called again and told me it looked as if Daman was going to hit the western tip of Vanua Levu and pass between the two main islands.

An hour later Daman shifted again and was threatening to cut a path straight through the middle of Vanua Levu from Labasa to Savusavu.

By noon we were boarding up the house, screwing the shutters to the windows and doors. On some sound advice we packed our valuables, along with candles, flashlight, the machete from the house, and what clothing we figured we’d need. We threw the some supplies in the truck and booked a room at the Hot Springs Hotel. Room 110. After securing our room we drove through town a bit and Tara took pictures. The young men that worked at the gas station seemed giddy about the coming storm. It was hard to tell if it was nerves or excitement. Probably both.

It was strange being at the grocery store getting more supplies with loads of locals preparing for a cyclone, the whole time Christmas music playing in the background. It was surreal. The entire experience was surreal really. It took some time for the reality of it all to sink in and mentally prepare for the event. Back at the hotel Tara and I had a few drinks on the hotel patio that overlooks the picturesque Savusavu Bay. Still beautiful despite the skies darkening ominously and we talked about how everyone seemed in good enough spirits, but definitely nervous as hell. This was a big storm that could inflict unimagineable devestation on the islands people. We talked about how we can go home to Canada when all was said and done. But these people, they live here. The homes they live in are far from hurricane proof and many would likely have to rebuild. At the bar they played the local radio station, reminding people of the importance of community and helping each other in times such as this.

Back in our room we watched the skies grow darker, not before Tara snapped some shots of the distant south-western skies. They were a breath-taking purple and mauve. Its astounding how something so devastating can be so beautiful…We made tea, having to do something with our own nervous energy. There was a knock on the door and we were told we had a call at the main desk (we’d been given a 'Budget Room', no television, no telephone). It was Tara’s brother Matt calling to ensure we had done all we could to secure ourselves.

By 7:00pm the sky was a dead black and we were waiting for Daman to come. As the night wore on it was apparent the storm was shifting. I checked at the front desk for updates. We managed to rest a little and finally sleep came…as fitfull as it was. Tara and I both woke up every few hours. Finally morning arrived. The latest report telling us that Daman had shifted once more, taking mercy on the mainland and following an eastward path, around the top of Venua Levu and was curving around the east end of the island. A few of the small islands in that area were hit, there are small villages on those islands and we were still awaiting reports from them. We worry about those people, they’re of little means and dwell in incredibley simple homes. As of 9:00am we still hadn’t heard any word from the people on those islands. Finally word got to us that one island of a 100 homes was wiped from the map.

I was informed that Cyclone Daman had a barometric reading of 925, the lowest in the recorded history in the South Pacific. A record breaking storm that would have devestated these islands if it hit dead on. We were told that we would have returned to the house with the roof gone and that the boards we had screwed to the windows and doors would have been blown away like tissue paper. You can sense the collective sigh of relief this morning. Everyone grateful that we dodged a bullet.

We can't take the shutters down and kick back with G and T's just yet. Daman could take an eratic turn and come straight back into the islands. But for now it seems the threat has passed Fiji.

We thank everyone for their concern.