Fiji Life: Teach A Man To Fish...Day Four On The Island

Bula!

Day four on the Island is here. Lots to cover for today so let's get to it...

The sun rose (go figure) and the morning started like each morning so far. There is some comfort and relaxing quality to these carbon copy beginnings that one could really get used to. The quiet intensity of communing with nature as soon as you walk outside. No smells other than the local flora...determined by which way the breeze is gently blowing. Only the sounds of birds in the air. Can you imagine not seeing a motorized land vehicle for 8 days and not even realizing you don't miss them? Not even a plane will fly overhead. These few words do not convey the feeling of all of that.

This answers the question, "Would I let a hermit crab into my bed?"

Even a Blue one! (it is in my bed!)

Now that you are all wishing again that you were there we shall start today's diary...

Tuesday June 14th - The Fishing and Wedding Day

The morning routine is an easy start to the day. I spent more time in the hammock this morning just listening to the waves, then some MP3 tunes, and some light conversation (a little with myself). Had to catch some rays before the lunch drums were sounded.

The divers all return at their usual time around 12:30 and preparations for lunch begin. A change for Brandi and I today...we have the hamburger for lunch. It was mouthwatering. The bun alone, man, with onions and dried tomatoes baked into the dough...wow! It was an abrupt change of pace from the fish-fare of the last few days. But oh so good...

After lunch the group that was going fishing assembled for our "Three Hour Tour". We truly looked and felt like Gilligan's group. We had Ginger and Mary Ann (but no Lovey). Alas, we did not run aground anywhere.

The seven of us board the small motor boat to take us out to the larger boat we had traveled to the island on in the day one story. Three hands on deck and one of the ladies of the staff to keep track of beer and sodas consumed so they could be properly charged out. We set sail...well not really "sail" so maybe...the twin diesels roared to life and we were off into the open water!

Enlarge everything!

As we pull out parallel to the coast the view is just amazing

The deck hand readies the trolling lines under Dan's watchful eye

The village up the coast we walked to on day one for the rugby match

Our Gilligan's Cast

Every fisherman's nightmare...extremely tangled lines...this was a twenty minute fight of its own!

Maggie (right) had already landed her fish and now Anna has one on the line

The boat ride was nice. I sat on the upper deck in the sun with the Arkansas girls and watched Dan read a book on his Kindle while the boat was heaving up and down. Quite a talent, that. The first fish of the day was hooked early in the trip, fought for about 45 seconds, tangled the line with another rod, and immediately snapped and got away. This was followed by two hours of what can only be called aimless wandering up the coast in search of...birds on the water. Apparently this is a tell-tale sign there are fish. Alas, no birds. More meandering to the north end of the Island and we see the second village. Later I find out the Coconut Man lives in this village. Best hundred dollar (US) boat ride I ever had!

As we finally head back towards the resort both Maggie and Anna (the two Arkansas girls) land small wahoo fish. Apparently this is enough to signal a successful fishing trip so the captain guns the engines and we haul-ass back to the next event of the day...

The Wedding

Two members of our group had spent the better part of the day (via and hour or so boat ride each way) in the capital city of Suva to get their marriage license for this evening.

The fishing boat arrives back as the sun is starting to set and the service is 10 minutes from starting. As an unofficial wedding photographer, I was ill-prepared...and I had no time to change into my new shirt and sula let alone get my tripod. The sun was sinking fast and shooting the ceremony into a setting sun is a skill set I do not yet possess. Nevertheless, both bride and groom were ready and the ceremony went off as follows...

You can see already how tough shooting this is going to be

Nigel, our host, making sure everything is set to go

Now with the sun at my back...the whole arena!

One of the better shots of the ceremony

The wedding was the end of a beautiful day. Now Dinner time!

And though this appears out of order for the events of the day I wanted include the cultural trip my wife and a few others of the group took while I was "fishing".

They took the short walk to the same village I had attended the rugby match. The mission was to visit the children at the school, given them the many school supplies we had brought for them, and be entertained with some native song and dance.

When I said jungle...I meant jungle! This was part of the walk anywhere outside the resort

The kids performing for the group

My wife and her two "adopted kids"

In the jungle and learning English

Classroom desks

If you have never seen a real car or bus what would you make of those pictures on the right?

A view from the second floor of the school house over the east side of the village. You can see the outline of the rugby field boundary on the left.

I apologize for the color quality of the point and shoot video but it kind of gives it that gritty documentary feel. At least I think so, so therefore it is cool. Only 51 seconds long.



Vinaka til Day Five... time is drawing short.