Bula from Fiji

We made landfall in Savusavu. Again we inadvertently timed our arrival on a Sunday. Under normal circumstances this means you can’t leave your boat until Monday when immigration & customs check you in. Can you imagine being at sea on a 41 foot boat, only to arrive at land & not able to escape – talk about cabin fever! Luckily our good friends on s/v Barefeet were still in Fiji. They greeted us in their dinghy, had already arranged a mooring ball & smoothed the way with the officials, who had given the ok to spend the evening onboard Barefeet for a cold beer, a takeaway curry & a shower – Barefeet we bow to your forward planning!
Engine problems are now added to our list of things that need to be repaired. It is a growing list! The engine began leaking diesel from the throttle into the bilge on our way here. We will still be able to make the 200 odd miles to Vuda Point Marina where it can be fixed. Unfortunately exploring the neighbouring island of Taveuni is now out of the question, it will have to wait until next year. With both engine & generator problems (it’s not working again!) charging the batteries is an issue especially when it rains all day & there is no sun for the solar panels. It’s a toss up between using power for the fridge (which is now working thanks to a spare part from Barefeet) or watching a DVD! We have found the solution, filling the fridge with ice means we can turn it off & have both cold drinks & plenty of power.
The Fijian people are as friendly as I remember from my first visit in 2003. They greet you with a huge smile & “Bula” – hello in Fijian. The population is a mixture of Fijians & Indians, meaning there is no shortage of curry dishes to choose from! From our experiences the two cultures mix well together within the country. Elected governments are overthrown nearly every year although each coup seems to be bloodless & not particularly violent.
Fiji is made up of 300 islands, Savusavu is situated on the south eastern side of the second largest island, Vanua Levu. It’s a small town with few tourists, most shops contain two businesses which appear to be totally unrelated to each other, the stationary shop also sells meat & the barber is also the upholster who also sells fish! We have had fun learning the Fijian way ie moving at a slow relaxed pace. I’m getting better at it but don’t expect a changed person when I get home! I took a 6 hour round trip bus ride to Labasa. Sitting on the bus with all the school children neatly dressed in their school uniforms, locals selling their wares through the open bus windows; drinks, pineapples, snacks & even curries wrapped up in a roti just like a sandwich! It was fun if not a little bottom numbing & the route was certainly scenic. The buses don’t have any glass in the windows, if it rains the passengers assist in pulling the plastic sheeting down over the open air windows. Its fun, cheap & all part of the valuable experience when arriving in a new country.
We are keen to start the trip to Vuda Point Marina near Lautoka but are awaiting an area of low pressure (rain & more rain!) to move away. Stuck in Savusavu with s/v Barefeet we are doing what we do best, drinking, playing cards & name the tune competitions…. Being a Brit amongst American ipods I definitely have the disadvantage. The rain does mean that our water tanks are filling up & we now only drink Fijian rain water – talk about superstar tendencies!