wilson

someone told us the movie cast away was filmed in these group of islands. when we arrived in navadra island we wondered if the movie was filmed there. this was an isolated place with only one inhabitant…: Wilson!!! no kidding we were alone walking on the beach when we saw a volleyball identical to the one in the movie laying in the sand. We had great days in this place, playing robinson crusoe, eating coconuts, swimming in the most impressive coral and exploring paradise.

exploring the south and western islands

sailing the mamanuca islands was a blast. Not only the place is unbelievably beautiful but we also had great weather all along. all the islands are protected by an outer reef so there is hardly any swell. In one of them we arrived just in time to join a regatta, which we did not actually raced but we did enjoy the opening festivities with drinks, food, dances and a great crowd, which in these latitudes is mostly from new Zealand and Australia. We are in fact quite rare. In the entire event there was only one brazilian, and us making up for the entire south american crew.

visiting the FIJI plant

From lautoka; which is the second biggest city and port of fiji; we drove to the north coast of the island some 120 kilometers through very dry landscapes and lots of sugar cane plantations and mills to visit the fiji bottled water plant. the trip was beautiful and the tour of the plant very informative. We visited a few towns and sugar mills a long the way and learned a lot about this country’s industries: from the traditional sugar cane to the most contemporary one of the world know artesian water.

Beqa

some 30 miles south of suva after sailing for 6 hours in the worse seas we have had so far, we found a picturesque and quiet island with a very nice lagoon. We encountered our first little freak wave which heeled the boat violently on its side, every single door and locker opened. Gladly the entire experience lasted only a few hours after which we entered a beautiful and very calm lagoon and had one of the best sails ever!

in this part of the world, if you wish to anchor and visit someone else’s home you must ask for permission. in fiji this is done by offering a root called cava out of which the chief and the villagers will make some awful tasting drink which makes your mouth and lips completely numb but apparently is a favorite. when we arrived in the village the chief was busy attending mass and we were invited to join in the ceremony which turned out to have an outstanding choir. a woman in the village was kind enough to lend us some clothes as women are required to wear long skirts of the kind I am certainly not carrying on board. after attending church all properly dressed, we went to the chief’s house to offer the cava and he kindly welcomed us to the island! This entire ceremony was a first for us and one of a kind. We loved it and also the villages in this island, the people, the trails, the water and almost everything else except for the strong gusts of wind which we had all the time we were there; some up to 48 knots heeling the boat drastically while anchored and flipping our friend’s dinghies…. with engine! Not ours fortunately; which says a little of how heavy our tender is. great in the water but a sure headache when we have to bring it on deck.

colo-i-suva

this is a group of natural swimming pools and cascades inside a national forest and park. we spent a day hiking around the mountain with other fellow sailors. it was fantastic. we found a rope swing and had a blast!!!!

VIP customs and immigration

these are some of the places you get to go to when you are a tourist traveling by boat. forget about any VIP waiting rooms or the air-conditioned airport rooms. this is an example of the government offices where the cruisers have to go to clear in! that is what we call traveling in style don’t you agree?!!

finding nemo!!!

just when my husband was giving me hell for clogging the manual pump action toilet in the boat, a.k.a “the head” from throwing good soft double sheet tissue paper (instead of buying the very thin one), we discovered that the trouble maker was not me or the quality of the paper used… it was actually little nemo who found the end of his days inside the toilet pump of our boat

suva

we left the island of vanua levu and sailed south 120 miles, half of which we had to motor and the other half we sailed wonderfully and had just enough wind. i saw a snake in the water… i do not know what is more bizarre, to have a long snake swimming in the middle of the ocean close to the boat or to actually see it!! When we approached suva, the capital; we saw all the tall buildings and the impressive barrier reef surrounding this southern island.


we entered the harbor and made our way through many fishing vessels, mostly from korea or eastern nations with southeastern looking crew. It is fantastic to see such a clash of cultures in this city. from the very blond tourist (my husband of course!) to the local fijian, the people from india and the asians, and all the different foods!!!


It is great. they have so many chillies here of different colors and sizes and the vegetables and fruits are so good and cheap.




another great advantage of this city is the macdonald’s of course!!! we were already missing their ice-cream cones and caramel sundays!!! Uhm!!!

labasa

while in savu savu we decided to explore the island of vanua levu by bus. this was a good idea only to the way to labasa. after that town, it was not the greatest of plans. labasa is a crowded town in the north of the island where most of the Indian population lives. historically, this is where the indians were brought to work in the sugar cane plantations. the sugar cane still exist and according to our 1992 guide it is the major economic activity of this island. we have never been to India but being in this town made us feel as if we were there and certainly not in fiji. they have maintained their culture and do not mix with the local fijians. they dress to their traditions, listen to their music, eat their very spicy curries, etc…. seeing this mixture was interesting, however the town was not the best of places.




i had the terrible idea of getting a cheap haircut in that town. it was dreadful. at the end i cried… maybe that is why i also did not fancy this city very much… coming back was hard. we took the same bus which did not seem to have other gears different that “first” and we went slowly back to savu savu sitting patiently on the wooden chairs with very little foam and breathing up all the fumes because the wind was faster than the bus itself…. then we did not feel so bad of our average boat speed of 5 knots per hour!

the landscapes however were wonderful.

savu savu

savu savu is an entry port in the island of vanua levu. it is the northern most island of the group of over 300 islands that make up this amazing place called fiji. we entered the lagoon and went to the copra shed marina at the entrance of the manuka creek. the marina has been the most boat friendly place we have seen so far. affordable moorings and dock, super internet, gas station just around the corner, shops and the fresh market just feet from us. the prices have been the best and the variety incredible. there are tangerines, all sorts of spices, veggies, fruits, fish, crafts and excellent bread. the restaurants have spicy food with lots of curry and roti. the place is very influenced by indians and the indian population is huge. the people are very friendly. we are surrounded by many sailboats, quite a contrast from the quiet wallis. we have met old friends from boats we’ve seen along our path and made new friends form literally all over the world. the entire bay is pristine and the city itself is very clean. a very interesting place that we will come back to any time!