Fiji Life: Day 5 - The Kava Ceremony

Bula! Drinking Buddies!

Today we round out the busiest day of the trip with the Kava Ceremony. First, a little background on this long-held Fijian tradition.

Kava, known in Fiji as Yaqona, is Fiji's national drink. Traditionally, it was used only in important ceremonies. Nowadays, it is a social beverage. There is a strict protocol associated with yaqona drinking. One should clap once, clasping the hands, take the cup, and drink the yaqona in a single draft before returning the cup to the bearer. ~ excerpt from Wikipedia

In our ceremony we went old-school. Coconut Man (who conducted virtually every non-diving activity at the resort) had laid out the ground rules a couple days earlier during the palm frond weaving and coconut demonstration.

He brought the chief rope made of coconut husk strands and 4 cowrie shells tied to the end. The night of the Kava Ceremony, at dinner, he would choose the guest who would be chief and preside over the ceremony. Relax...and go, "awwww", I did NOT get picked as the chief. In fact I never even saw the actual selection for some reason. In fact, even though our group dominated the resort as to quantity (our 30 to about 10 for the Others) NO ONE in our group was chosen. The Orange-Haired man from the others was chosen as chief AND one other Other, Wimpy Droopy Man, was chosen as the spokeman. If this had been Lord Of The Flies there would have been a coup and a killing right then. Not bitter...not. bitter.

Dinner is over and the ceremony is about to start. The chief sits in front of the Kava bowl and the Spokesman sits to his left. The rope with cowrie shells points to the chief. Coconut man weaves the tale of the Kava ceremony history while another staff member from the Village places the ground kava root into a muslin cloth. The water is poured into the bowl and the sack of root powder is drug through the water and squeezed repeatedly to release the kava into the water. The muslin, of course, acts as a filter to prevent the sediment from ruining the party.

Did I mention the chief does not speak to anyone and no one speaks to the chief? All requests go through the Spokesman (who can speak to the chief). Once the ceremony is officially started, the chief drinks first. The clapping ritual that follows is a sign of respect. I hope I have it right.

There is one clap by all before the chief's bowl is filled. The chief then drinks and when finished, everyone at the ceremony claps three times. These are not claps like cheering on your team, these are cupped-hand claps that have a deep timbre to them. Not a high-pitched clap used for killing mosquitoes.

After the chief has finished and the clapping is done, each person in succession must clap once, receive the bowl of kava (half of a coconut shell full) drink it down and then only that person claps three times. The bowl is refilled and process is repeated until the entire group has had their bowl. We had enough people that two half-shells were used in opposite directions to speed up the serving.

Here are the visuals...(I apologize in advancefor the quality, light was very low and flash seemed to ruin the mood)

You can see the rope and shells are pointing toward our Ginger Chief on the left...pfffst

The beginning of the kava mixture. I really wanted one of those giant kava bowls.

My wife in the center of the picture staring intently from the second row.

The Coconut Man (in pink) recalling the history behind kava. Ginger Chief with male pattern balding issues and Wimpy Droopy Spokesman (orange shirt) to his left.

The kava is about ready and the story is about ending...

That's right...bareback, no latex baby!

Ginger Chief and Wimpy Droopy Spokesman are ready to lead us in kava drinking.

Whoa! Kava effects...not really just a bad picture, but effective, eh?

Ginger Chief doing the nasty and drinkin' that muddy water...

Wimpy Droopy Spokesman and his dainty drinking...it got worse

My wife throwing back a bowl like no tomorrow! Go, honey!

Travel Monkey scoring chicks at the Kava Ceremony...sweet!

Arkansas Girl goes for the tsunami bowl

And then there were few. When ever someone wanted to leave the ceremony, they had to ask the Spokesman for permission. Then he ended up leaving before it was over...Wimpy Bastard.

The End. Three rounds and we were done. I personally would have continued.

You had your choice of bowl and serving size. Wimpy Droopy Spokesman kept asking for "teaspoon" because of the shark dive the next morning. Pahlease! All the divers were going on the shark dive. Myself and few others hit the tsunami bowls. In between teaspoon and tsunami, your choice was "low tide" or "high tide".

The numbing sensation of the mouth, lips, and tongue was the most physical trait that came out of the ceremony. We were told that when they drink in the villages it is between 20 and 30 bowls at a sitting! I cannot say for sure what you feel after that. However I did buy five bags of Kava to take home (my bowl is a salad bowl from Walmart!) One night I may find out.

I can say that I went back to the bure and was very intent on editing and arranging our pictures on the computer. Then I slept like a baby.

Vinaka, friends...

Fiji Life: Day 5 - Extreme Activities...Firewalkers

Bula Friends!


Today we continue on with the Day 5 activities. At least this next one really didn't pose a threat to my safety or any of my remaining, undamaged digits.

If you're ready, here we go...

Wednesday June 15th, 2011 - The Day That Will Live In Injury! PART II

After the return from the Waterfall Hike aka Modern Bataan Death March, the fire was good and ready and the stones for the Firewalkers were nice and hot. The Firewalkers in their native (and highly flammable) grass skirts prepared for their performance.

You will want to enlarge all of these.

I will digress for a second and give you some background information on the Firewalkers.

Legend has it that a Fijian god once repaid a favor to a warrior on Beqa island by giving him the ability to walk on fire unharmed. The Sawau tribe of Beqa are noted for their ability to walk on white hot stones without being burned. Strict rituals have to be observed before the firewalking ceremony. Two of the strictest rituals are 1) No form of coconut (a staple in their diet) can be ingested for 4 days prior to the firewalk, 2) No woman (no cry?). So no coconut, no sex, four days.

Let's continue...

To prepare for the firewalk they have to clear out all the burning wood that was used to heat the stones during the day.

Then they walk in the hot stones!!

Taking turns, standing on the stones for various lengths of time...

Doing the two-stone no hands trick...

Didn't have my zoom with me so my closeups weren't that close...

Show off!

And then they took my wife!!!

And several other women of our tribe...one of the Others

The two young Arkansas girls

And one of our group...

I found the Firewalkers pretty impressive actually. I say this out of a semi-kindred spirit in as much as I also have participated in a firewalk. That is a story for another time though.

I am keeping this post short since the Hike was so damn long.

Next up...the Kava Ceremony to cap off Day 5 of extreme activities Fiji style.

Vinaka for now

Fiji Life: Day 5 - Extreme Hiking

Day Five is going to require three separate posts - Extreme Hiking, Firewalkers, Kava Ceremony

Bula!

Here we are at day five of the Fiji vaca. While you may be hoping this will end sometime soon, I am not. I have discovered that blogging about a vacation keeps the memories vivid and in the forefront of your brain...not back in some "soon to be gathering dust" memory locker corner of the mind. In the forefront you are able to spin these visions 360-degrees and remember detail that you might have missed in the moment. It is very therapeutic.

Wednesday June 15th, 2011 - The Day That Will Live In Injury! PART I

Today things get ratcheted up a notch. This is extreme activities day at the compound (I actually caught myself referring to the resort as "the compound"). This first post for Day 5 will be about the Extreme Hiking adventure. Let's begin shall we.....

The day on Lost Island began like the others for the most part except for the slightly overcast skies and the light intermittent rain that fell in the morning. The divers were off at their usual early morning start and my day started as the previous ones had.

When the dive boats returned just prior to lunch the skies were still overcast though the rain had stopped. The staff had begun preparation earlier on the fire pit that will be used to heat the rocks to be used this afternoon in the Firewalker ceremony (this will be the subject of the next post for Day 5). Lunch was served around 1PM. Little did I know this would be the last meal I would eat with all my toes intact.

Around 2PM the drums sounded to assemble the group that was going on the waterfall hike. Complete with backpack, large bottle of water, and my camera we gather in the dining area for last minute instructions (put on the bug spray!). When the entire group is ready we depart, with our two guides, for our 40 minute hike through the jungle up the mountain to the waterfall. Doesn't sound so bad right? I watched Lost, running full-speed through the jungle in the rain with some invisible noisy smoke monster chasing you seemed like no problem. Did I mention as soon as we started out the rain came. Now we are hiking through the Amazon rain forest jungle. Woohoo!

You will want to jumbo size these pictures...

The skies were ominous and clouds hung half-way down the mountains (I should have grabbed the last pool towel)

As we head off into the jungle...not knowing what we will encounter

The view on all sides was panoramic and stunningly lush green...every shade ever named was here

I absolutely freakin' guarantee you THIS shot was on numerous Lost episodes!

My wife and her puny-ass walking stick looking good in the jungle!

By this point the jungle canopy gave us some relief from the steady light rain that had soaked us through. It also beautifully framed the few pictures I was willing to risk my camera for.

Lichen me some baby ferns!!! (a little lichen on the right side of the log, get it?)

Wha-what??? We're going IN there!!! Notice the Blair Witch stick figure on the right giving us all much comfort.

Fast forward to the falls. The trail was too treacherous to think of anything but staying upright. We had to walk upstream to get to the falls. My first step onto the rocks resulted in my right foot (with tennis shoes on) being completely submerged in the stream.

Next major Lost reference...these were the people at the resort not part of our group...
they became (of course) The Others!

Rhonda cannot ever resist a chance to soak in a waterfall!

Nothing major but it was a waterfall and is was our objective. The setting was absolutely pristine and quiet except for the running water.

The fateful return journey begins. There are no more shots going back as I was at the end of the pack and, well you'll read more below...

I was quite proud of the fact that with a backpack, water bottle (large Fiji water, what else), and my camera, I managed to stay agile and upright for the entire trek TO the falls. This while it was raining and the trail littered with roots, coconuts, stumps and palm fronds was getting muddier by the second. Grabbing small trees on the side of the trail and stepping off to the side of the dangerously looking muddy sections success was had. The fateful step was the first missed stone while walking in the stream to get to the vine to pull myself up and over a hill to a rope to CLIMB a hill to get TO the falls. This all becomes relevant shortly, I promise.

Heading back from the falls the rain had stopped and the sun was starting to come out periodically. This brings out the other element of a rain forest: humidity and flying insects. The bug spray had long ago washed off in the rain and those foolish enough to "bath" in the falls had no protection. Fortunately many of the supplements I take act sort of as a natural mosquito repellent. Not perfectly but it worked today, thankfully.

Carefully heading back down stream and making sure to step solidly on each rock in the stream and focusing on placing all my weight when necessary, on my right leg (remember the right foot mention previously?) since my left knee is prone to going out at the most inopportune time. I reached the point where we turned off the stream and headed back onto the jungle trail. I saw my wife had left the water bottle leaning against the downed log in the stream so I grabbed it (might be a long night in the jungle if anything went south) and headed down the path. I need to mention the vast majority of the group was way ahead. There was one couple ahead of me about 10 yards...and I saw...no one in front of them. Rhonda (our friend) and the guide bringing up the rear were with me.

You've heard the story of walking to school uphill both ways...well I am here to tell you that you can walk up hill both coming and going! The muddy ground was even worse now that about 20 pairs of feet had traveled over it twice. I was still pretty proud of the fact I had not slipped at all but several times my right foot was jammed against a stone or stump so I could have a solid foothold. Clearing the highest point on the trail and heading along more level ground for a while I relaxed my guard.

WHAM! both feet slip and I sit down and hit the ground with the backpack (camera inside) breaking my fall. I was more pissed than anything else and immediately worried about the camera. Not gonna look at it now. I get up without any help and notice the couple that had been in front of me were now out of sight. It's me, Rhonda, and one guide. Had this been a TV show, bad shit was about to happen.

Since it's real life I continue down the trail. Ten minutes later I go down for a second time and this time with a little more force. I am really pissed now. As far as I know I am the only one who has fallen, let alone twice. The other guide had circled back so now it's Rhonda, me, and two guides. One offers to take my backpack and since he is two behind me in the "falling on your ass" contest, I give it to him.

We are finally near the bottom of the trail and the housing where the diesel generator that powers the resort is in sight. Confident I am home free, I really lose all focus on the trail and believing that level ground equates to it being impossible to slip and fall (at my age, really?) I begin walking more normally, versus little baby steps, and holy shit! both feet go flying out from under me and with nothing (aka: backpack) to break my fall, I am completely parallel to the ground and come down flat on my back! Fortunately there was not a stump or rock to break my back fall...I am so pissed I come up throwing whatever I can grab. I mean really pissed.

This was not something I could hide when I got back to the resort as I was wearing a white dri-all shirt and the mud had a very reddish tint to it. From a distance it could have looked like my entire back was bleeding. I looked like I had been in a Navy seal training mission learning how to survive in the jungle. My ass was whipped. Curiously my back felt better than it had in a while. Not that I would recommend that therapy.

Time for a cold soda, then a few beers before the Firewalkers. Damn, I'm still pissed...but I found out my wife (who had been miles ahead of me) had also fallen...once, not hurt.

Now, the reveal about the right foot mentions...When I was shoeing up for the hike I looked everywhere in our bure for the only pair of shorty socks I had brought (other than the ones I wore on the plane). Never found them. So I put on the plane socks and off I went.

I am about to find the socks once the hike is over and I get back to the bure. My wife is at the pool so I came back to change out my my dirty muddy shirt and shorts. I take my left shoe and sock off..alls well. I take off my right shoe and the entire toe area is covered is watered down blood. Knowing this can't be good I remove my sock. I did not photo at this point because quite frankly I didn't think of it. I should have.

My big toe is completely blackish-purple like it had been smashed with a sledge hammer. The first toe had been fileted from the tip through the nail and half way down the top of the toe (The fact that my shoe went in the water soaking my sock and shoe caused my toes to prune). The skin and nail were hanging by a thread so I just finished ripping them off. The next toe was also purple and to some degree the next one as well. Only piggy survived unscathed. The photo below is now two weeks and three days later...

Enlarge if you dare...go ahead ya know ya wanna!

The nail is still holding on for dear life but it is a hollow shell of its former self. The bandaged toe has a new nail starting and the top of the toe is better but the tip is going to take some time. I have had to wear my sandals to work since I've been back and I suspect it will be a while longer before I can wear shoes.

Oh yeah, the missing socks...they were jammed up in the toe of each tennis shoe! Which meant there was another soaking wet sock in my right shoe as I was hiking. I didn't find them until I was getting ready to put the shoes back on to leave the island. My two knee surgeries have left me with little feeling in my toes and areas of my feet so the bright side is none of this hurt a bit!

End of Extreme Hiking.

Vinaka til the Firewalkers.

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.