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.
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.
