Fijian Waters

       Don and Linda signed me on for the passage to Tonga as the third hand. They would feed me and allow me to stand the third watch. This is misery at its best.  As we were leaving Fiji we had to duck into one of those inlets also called fjords in the north, that serve as a hurricane shelter for yachts like us.  The thing passed north but the seas were tumultuous and unsettled for the last part of the trip.        

     The nights were long and lonely on deck with just the stars to keep one company. You can see the edge of the Milky Way coming up from the ocean provided you get clear nights. It is tilted on its side as we spin in its midsts. You will never get grounded looking at the heavens of because the stars are your guide to safe waters.  Everything is moving away from you in the cosmos. Astronomical theory gets to be overwhelming.

    I witnessed another cruiser reefed down, sailing upwind under the full moon.   She was weathering hard and bucking the giant waves. Her jib was shredded at the edges but she appeared to be surviving alright. There was nothing we could do for her anyway. We had our own problems looming ahead of us.  

     One night, I saw a light rising from the horizon. It climbed higher and higher looking just like a masthead light on a container ship. I got nervous and needed a second opinion so I jumped down and woke Don.  He scrambled up on deck to take a look.  He smiled and said it was Venus rising and went back to the warm rack with Linda by his side. They said the next morning; 'better safe than sorry' and laughed.  I felt inexperienced again.         

     I was amazed at Linda. When she took the helm she really took command of the helm. Steering with her foot and carefully watching through those power sunglasses she always had on. Her seamanship was perfect in every way. She had a good teacher in Don. We trusted each other immensely.
     I always seem to find ferrocement home builds in the blue waters of the world.  These ships are built to withstand almost anything. They are heavy and push back the boarding waves.  For a first ship, ferrocement is a fine choice until something happens you are not prepared for. 

      The only drawback is the sails must always be new.   Blown sails are the worst.   They provide no drive to get you out of tough situations like a grounding. It is easy for sails to develop a blown look and are somewhat concerning to a ships master.   

     Harbors are hard because simply touching another boat means damage. Carry plenty of liability insurance. The best day of your life is when you buy your first boat. The second best day is when you sell it.  Remember sailing is an expensive addiction but worth every penny..
       When I flew into Nandi on the Fijian Island of Viti Levu, I stayed in Ba Town with friends I had met in Canada.  This is an Indian family with deep roots all over the world. They opened their humble house to me and fed me rice and curry each day I was there. I wound up eating a lot of dried peas which is the unique snack food of Fiji. 

    The thing is, nearly everyone will cheat you..... the sword sellers, the taxi drivers, the food stalls-everyone  cheats for a living. 

     There is not a lot to do in these situations except do what everyone else does, drink kava.  Its effect is like Valium. This drink is made from the black pepper plant using the dried roots. The roots are pounded into powder and mixed with plain water until the liquid turns a tawny brown. 

      The kava bowl is a ceremonial vessel on three legs. You generally drink from a halved shell of a coconut. The ritual involves slapping the inner thigh in kind of a clapping sound. This is done three times before the cup is passed to you.

       Daily kava drinkers get the itch on the lower abdomen.  One can scratch himself bloody if not distracted. Kava is kind of like Valium as I said before. It diffuses angry confrontations and enhances social skills, It is welcomed as a peaceful sort of occupation.
        Fijians tend to be hotheads anyway. Guess they learned that from their ancestry. It was not that long ago Fiji was known for cannibalism. The old image of the missionary in the cooking pot comes from Fiji. There are giant forks that were used to eat human flesh. Now these are highly valued as kitchen decorations and conversation pieces.

      Suva is a bustling hub of people with shops on top of shops always open 24/7 just waiting for the big spenders to show up.  I was not one of them, though. I was a half hearted devotee in those days. Wearing Tulasi beads but unable to keep the prerequisites of devotion in place. 

       The wheelbarrow jockeys were muscular and fierce in their approach to work.  In the afternoons when it got really uncomfortable, fights would break out with these fellas.  These were not the usual city scuffles but a fight for the other guys throat.  Vicious and bloody.  Many fellas went home with new cuts and bruises each day. 

    I left Ba town and caught the ferry to Vanua Levu which is the larger island.  The northern coast is astoundingly beautiful in that tropical charming way.  I stayed in the seaside village of Matani Wai outside of Lambasa.  So many things happened to me while there. The most memorable was spearfishing on the reef with the fellas.  

      They all look dangerous and threatening until you befriend them. I did this by offering them the use of my collection of swim googles. Unless you have eye protection the salt water makes opening your eyes underwater painful.  They were thrilled by this new toy of good eye sight.            

      Instant friendship is hard to come by so I made the best of it.  I would go out to the reef with them but I stayed in the boat.  There was a small island called Sou Sou nearby so I started for it hoping to find coconuts or papayas.  I came upon the perfect scene of a papaya growing beneath coconut palms...there was even a pole to knock down the fruit.  The shallow pit was covered in palm leaves.  Not really paying attention, I stepped onto these fronds.  I felt something moving beside my foot.  Rather than debate what it was I leapt out of this situation.  

      I had been standing on a pit of vipers.  The deadly black and white sea snakes were in this pit.  It seems  the snakes crawl out of the ocean during the day to rest for their night forays in the sea.  These snakes have tiny mouths so unless they bite you on the small toe you are generally safe. I did not hang around Sou Sou any longer.  I made it back to the boat and waited for the fellas.  They soon showed up with a magnificent string of surgeon fish.  

   Astonished, I asked how they did this.  Seems that the had spotted this school running to hide in the hollow center of a coral head.   They simply surrounded it and shot their spears through the little holes.  The sea turned red.  Soon sharks appeared. After collecting their fish they left a few for the sharks.  Fish soup was delicious that evening.

    In the mornings, I'd line up the injured children treating each wound as best as I could.  They enjoyed the attention and the care I gave them.

      There was a 3 year old girl  riddled with staph.   I made a special trip to the Chemist also known as the pharmacist.  I bought a tube of triple antibiotic for 7 dollars.  Her grandfather was holding her while I dabbled the ointment on her trembling little body.  She cried and whimpered. Really scared of this white man touching her.  When done, I told them to put her to bed and let her sleep. Amazing how fast those sores healed on a young body. Just a few hours rest and she awoke with no pain. The sores were gone.  I became the miracle healer.  

      They brought a baby to me.  His legs were covered with infected mosquito bites..  All I had was Hydrogen Peroxide which did not go far enough.  I made them get on the bus to the hospital in town. These rural hospitals are always filled to the max. I finally cornered a doctor and introduced the baby to her.  Her face immediately whitened. Infection moves through the body rapidly.  There was no time to lose.  She immediately started an IV drip of antibiotics.  A few hours later she came out of her office and thanked me for saving this baby.

     Those happy moments didn't last long though. Someone stole the $50 dollar bill from my passport as I slept. I always keep emergency escape money just in case of trouble. It was time to move on anyway.   The chief of the village also had staph on his feet.  I made him go to the hospital since Fijians get free healthcare.

        I said goodbye then and there. That's when I met this woman wearing a scarf on her hand except there was no hand.  I asked about how she lost it.  She said her husband attacked her in a drunken rage . After the hand, the next blow was directed to her skull. She raised her other hand and ght the blade of the machete which slashed the palm . He broke off the attack and fell asleep. She saved herself by finding someone who would help her in the dark. Domestic violence is everywhere. We just don't see it.
        Another  young woman I met who was interested in my interests in all things South Pacific took me to the outer islands where the people still live in the old style with nothing modern. These villagers still communicate with the slit drum to call town meetings. Now it it used for church services instead of the bell. This memory has stayed with me intact. 

       The native approaches the hollow log. He then begins hammering out the syncopated rhythms first to wake the village and secondly to call everyone to the church meeting.   Everyone is Methodist in Fiji. You will fit right in. The singing was spot on and so moving because everyone is taught to vocalize at an early age.
      My goal was the Yasawa Islands that never happened because I was running out of time. My three month visa was nearly up. These islands are the most beautiful in the world so missing the Yasawas was a poignant moment for me.   

    I also toured the village of Nag which means cobra. There is a Hindi temple that worships a stone emerging from the ground shaped like a cobra.  At night, they scrape the soil away to reveal more and more of this stone. All of these temples function on donations so anything to enhance the legend might bring in more money. 

    The other legend is a tunnel that runs all the way from India to the Fijian islands.  I got the feeling there was a lie being told by someone. It was another preposterous story to be disproved or embraced by the followers.
       I was hiking around in the harsh keawe brush when I was approached by a warrior looking guy with the giant bushy Afro and a spear. He told me he did not know whether to run me through or offer me a cup of tea. I am glad he choose the latter. 

      He took me to a few caves in the area which was quite the adventure. Lighted by a torch, we made our way down into the earth to see some old images painted eons ago. The torch died and we made our way back by groping along in the pitch black.

       In my travels in Fiji, I went to the land of the floating earth. It is remarkable to walk on the spongy surface of these floating islands.  I stayed a night with some blokes in a cabin. Funny how masterbation helps them to sleep. You sleep on the dirt floor and do your daily business in the woods. I felt right at home.
   I went back to Suva and the largest public swimming pool in the South Pacific.  This became my passion for the rest of my stay.  Suddenly, I got word there was a coup de tat under way in the capital of Suva. Things changed rapidly.   

      There were Fijian soldiers cruising the streets in jeeps now.  The Fijians had had enough from the Indians taking over the government. I was still making my way to the pool daily to swim in that huge public tank. I was seeing fewer and fewer white tourists. One never imagines being in the middle of a government takeover but that was exactly what was taking place.         

      Thank God it was a bloodless one. Please recall that all Fijians are Methodists and most Indians are Hindu. Fijians descended from the Oceanic Negroes long ago.They are called Melanesians who possess the distinctive features of African blacks including the kinky hair and large facial features. They tend to be huge individuals. This is the English calling the black native something other than black. Melanin is the skin pigment that turns the skin brown after a sunburn.          

      Fijians are pleasant for the most part, until pushed. Many times, I witnessed bloody fistfights at the docks where the wheelbarrow is still used to transport goods to the warehouse by muscular boys. The heat of the day brings out the worst in these overworked young guys. 

      The dividing line is apparently Tonga that seperates the Melanesians and the Polynesians.  Having kinky hair in Tonga is a social disgrace.
    I actually saw Brian's ship at the loading dock. Lori and I quit that boat in American Samoa some months ago. Here he was again like a bad penny you just never can lose that always returns to haunt you.  I was glad to see that he made it to safer waters. Too much testosterone is what is wrong with Brian. One must get that poison out periodically.
    It was soon time to fly away. I came back to the International Airport at Nandi a day before, just to make sure I showed up at the right place at the right time. I was flying on a non refundable ticket. 

    I had to camp for the night so I chose the uninhabited beach.  Like the big cat that I am, I strung my hammock in the highest branches of the African Tulip tree. My gear was hung close by. It looked funny as it twisted in the breeze. This was the best of the best because I was above the deadly hoards of mosquitoes.  

   Always travel with a mosquito net in the tropics. Dengue Fever is a very real thing with no cure. The sunsets were the best I've ever seen.   It is only comparable to Tonga in its color intensity. It is something you never forget no matter what latitude you hail from.
    My last memory before boarding the jet was having lunch at the airport. It is a simple food the people of the South Pacific eat. It is called manioc or cassava by some. It is a tuber and very fast to grow. It is full of iron so it rebuilds the blood especially during the women's time. You will see it served in the homes and villages all over the world.

     If you don't get enough iron, you begin to itch very badly. The same is true with Iodine. So eat your fish and red meat. Plenty of fruits and vegetables will help you defeat any illness. Travel while you are young.