Tag Archives: fiji

Bavatu Anchorage

Bavatu Bay in Northern Lao

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We really did not want to leave the unique and mystifying Bay of Islands, but some of our friends had arranged for a Lovo (Fijian underground BBQ) and we did not want to miss it.  So, we head over to the NorthEast side of Vanua Balavu to a new anchorage called Bavatu.

We discovered that there is a beautiful look out over this bay, Bavatu and the Bay of Islands.  So, we make our way to the end of the anchorage. We tie the dinghy up to a dock and find the hand-made 271 step stair case.  Not all the steps are even, or the same distance from the next, or nailed all the way in.  But, there is a railing, and they get you to where you need to go!  The record for fastest run up the stairs is 53 seconds!

Once you reach the top, you walk through a field until you get to the care takers village which consisted of 8 small houses and a community center.  After you walk through the village, you cross over another huge field (for the cows), until you get to a small dirt path.  You follow this path until it goes up hill, then you turn at the “grave site” (yes, there is a grave here) and then the view takes your breath away!

The top photos show the village and one of the wooded paths, the center and bottom right are the beautiful views and the bottom left is the grave site.

Across the field are the houses of the two plantation owners.  Tony lives in the big white house where his family has lived for generations and hundreds of years!  I took photos of both houses from the top and from the anchorage.

We came across a lot of their animals.  They had a heard of cows, sheep and horses.  Lots of beautiful birds and butterflies fluttered about too.

LOVO – FIJIAN BBQ

The locals caught, cleaned and prepared the sheep early in the morning.  They put the sheep and sides underground to cook for several hours before serving.  The food is placed in baskets made of palm fronds, then placed on hot stones.  They are covered with more palm fronds, then plastic, more palm fronds, then dirt.

Each boat brought a side or desert and the feast commenced!

Everyone is supposed to jump off the little deck but I did not have my bathing suit on.  So, Matt jumped for the both of us.

It was lovely to spend the afternoon with other cruisers and the locals of Bavatu.  Tasty Fijian food, local music and lots of laughter.

We so loved our time at Bay of Islands in Vanua Balavu in our last blog.  This blog occurred in late June 2022.  Our blogs run 10-12 weeks behind actual events.  Thanx for reading!

Fijian Culture Part II

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Be sure to read our last blog post, Fijian Culture: Part I as it introduces sevusevu and the kava ritual. 

Sevusevu

Sevusevu marks the time and place for visitors to seek acceptance into a Fijian village.  This usually happens in the outer islands (Lao Group, Mamanuca, Yasawa, Kadavu & Beqa) or basically any island other than Viti Levu and Vanua Levu.

Fijian culture requires us to ask permission to anchor or swim in the waters of the island and to walk ashore.  The sevusevu ceremony allows visitors to be presented to the chief along with their gift of kava.  Once this is done, the visitor is then accepted into the village and has the same rights as the locals of that village (unless otherwise instructed).

How does it work for cruisers like Matt and I?  When we arrive to a new outer island, a turaga ni koro (pronounced too-ranga nee koro), headman, greets you at the beach or the outskirts of the village.  We hand our half kilo of kava (bundle of roots/sticks pre-packaged into an acceptable amount) to the turaga ni koro.  He then walks us to the chief’s house.  We leave our shoes outside and sit on the woven mat placed in the center of the house.  Men are placed in front, women in back.

Men must sit crossed legged while women must sit with their legs tucked under them.  All the while, not showing your knees.

Presentation to the Chief

The turaga ni koro will present our gift of kava and us to the chief. The chief claps three times announcing that he is going to speak and then he makes a speech of welcome (long or short in English or Fijian depending on the chief).  He then claps three times ending the speech. 

Depending on the chief and the village, we either perform the full sevusevu ceremony or we are given a condensed version, where we are allowed to ask questions, then depart.   Most will do the short version without the drinking of kava.  This allows us to ask questions about the village and tell them what we would like to do on their island (hike, swim, see the school, etc…).

Sevusevu and Kava

Fijian culture requires us to participate if we are asked to sit through a full sevusevu ceremony, including the drinking of kava, then a new process is followed.  At the center of the mat is another man who will have been “working” the kava.  Using a tea towel, they will dip it into the special wooden bowl and ring it out with kava (fluid).  Repeating over and over.  The kava liquid looks like muddy water.

A small cup or bowl will be handed to the men first (then the women).  You are required to clap once, say “Bula”,  gulp the entire thing down at once, and then clap three times.

The kava can taste anywhere from muddy water to a benign taste (depends on the village).  It does have a strange aftertaste and within 10-15 seconds your mouth, lips, and/or tongue will go numb.

Once everyone has participated in kava, you are allowed to ask your questions.  Nobody is allowed to leave or stand until the chief does.  It can be challenging to find a way to be excused so the best thing to do is to ask to see the village or the school (as that offer cannot easily be refused).

To be accepted into the village brings certain obligations and you must behave and dress accordingly.  A formal farewell, plus a thank-you, on leaving relieves the village of any further responsibility for you.

Some villages have begun asking for donations on top of the kava.  The donations range from $25F to $50F.  The village uses this money to rebuild or replace the community buildings, buy fuel for generators, and other communal items.

Kava (yaqona)

Kava (also called yaqona) is an integral part of Fijian culture.  It comes from the roots of the pepper plant, which are ground to a powder in a sort of giant pestle and mortar. Then (this is where it gets a bit disgusting!) it goes into what looks to foreign eyes like an old tea towel, water is poured on/squeezed through to a certain strength – and when the whole thing looks just like muddy dish water, guess what? You get to drink it!

And if you think that’s bad enough, in the past the roots were first chewed by young women to soften them prior to the addition of water!). It is mildly narcotic and has a numbing effect on lips and tongue. The locals call it ‘grog’ and it is widely drunk throughout Fiji and other South Pacific countries. Only recently have the Fijian Police been banned from drinking it while on duty!

They will sit cross-legged on specially woven mats around the kava bowl – frequently, but not always, a special wooden bowl which may be beautifully carved and of some antiquity – and pass the stuff round in a half coconut shell.

I know some of these photos are duplicated, but it is worth pointing out the color of the liquid!

Experiencing Sevusevu and Kava

The first few sevusevu ceremonies we attended were the short version where we were not asked or required to share in the kava consumption.  Must admit that we were mildly relieved as we had much anticipation around drinking muddy water.

Waitui Marina hosted a Fiji night where we could “try” kava in the safety of our cruiser friends (and not offend the chief’s or headmen).  So, several of us brave girls gave it a try (most of the men abstained-chicken $hits that they are!)  But look at our faces after the drink.

As it turned out, it was not “that bad.”  Your lips and mouth get a little numb but that is about it.

The interesting thing is that Fijians don’t drink liquor, wine, or beer.  In the outer villages it is frowned upon.  They just consume their “grog.”  There is no “drunk effect” but there is a quiet euphoria.  We were told that most men don’t start drinking it until early twenties.  Yes, some “try” it at the age of 15/16, but they are not required to sit in sevusevu until their 20’s. 

Evidently, it takes consuming it daily for a few weeks before you get to the true euphoric state.  Once there, you have to continue to consume it otherwise you will have a wretched hang over 10x worse than from drinking (we are told).

Did you catch Part I of Fijian Culture?  We share the Fijian tradition of clothing, language, and lovo.  Events from this blog occurred around the end of June.  Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual events.

Fijian Culture: Part I

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Fiji is rich in culture and tribal protocols.  On the main islands of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu you have more “modern” or progressive attitudes, but you still have to follow certain guidelines.  Fijian Culture is a source of pride for all locals in all villages and across all islands.

One of the biggest changes is our attire.  Living on the boat for the past 6 years has given me certain freedoms including living in shorts, tank tops, and bathing suits.  None of which are “acceptable” in Fijian culture.  Especially since my shorts are Lulu Lemon (which tend to be short shorts).

Fijians are very conservative by nature.   Exposing too much skin is considered offensive (especially in the outer islands).  In fact, public nudity and topless sunbathing are both illegal!

Attire

The “head” is considered sacred in the Fijian culture so they do not allow hats or sunglasses on your head.  It is forbidden to touch a chief, pastor, or elder on the head.  Backpacks can be carried (by hand) or over one shoulder.  They cannot be carried over your back (I am not sure why, but that is the rule so we hand carry our backpack aka my purse).

Men are always required to wear shirts and sulus (sarong) when being presented to the chief, in church, and in villages located in the outer islands.

Women are required to cover their shoulders down to their knees.  A t-shirt with short sleeves or long sleeves is acceptable.  Below the waist, we wear sulus (sarongs) tied and covering skin down below the knees.  It is basically a long skirt which makes walking around a fun challenge.

When we present Sevusevu (see next blog) we have to sit on hand woven mats on the floor and our knees have to be constantly covered by our sulu.

Once you understand the protocol it is easy to comply (and actually kind of fun).  As newbies we simply purchased a sarong, but then we later discovered there are specific sulus that have side ties and pockets making it much easier to wear and keep on your body. 

Language and pronunciation

The great thing about Fiji is that they speak English.  Almost everyone will speak some English (even the chiefs in the outer islands).  When they speak to each other, they speak Fijian.  Lucky for us there is a quick and easy way to learn some of the pronunciations.

“c” is “th” as in Mamanuca Pronounced “Mamanutha”
“d” is “nd” as in Nadi Prpnounced “Nandi”
“b” is “mb” as in Ba Pronounced “Mba”
“g” is “ng” as in Galoa Pronounced “Ngaloa”
“q” is “gg” as in Beqa Pronounced “Bengga”

French frustrated us beyond belief for the last 3 years.  We tried desperately to learn, we downloaded several language apps and programs but we could not get our tongues to pronounce the French words properly.  We gave up and just learned some of the local language (Mangeraven, Marquesan, and Tahitian).

With the Fijian language you just have to remember the 5 quirks and you can pretty much be understood.  Of course, the locals have a bit of an accent and when they speak fast it all goes over our heads.  But we try which makes them happy.

Lovo

A wonderful Fijian cultural event is the “lovo.” For celebrations, Fijians will prepare a lovo which is their way of cooking food on hot rocks buried under ground.  The men dig a large hole in the ground and the place dried coconut husks on the bottom.  The husks are then covered with black volcanic rocks.  They light the husks on fire and allow them to burn until the rocks are white-hot.  The group then removes the husks  leaving the burning hot rocks to fill the bottom of the hole.

The next step is to cover the rocks with a lattice work of green palm shoots.  The food is placed on top of the palm shoots, then covered with coconut fronds.  The whole thing is covered in a few inches of dirt and left to bake while everyone goes about their business (church).  No electricity, no cooking gas, no pots or pans, just what is readily available on the island.

The men cook the main course (pig, chicken, or sheep) along with cassava and taro root (starch).  Then they place the food on in specially woven baskets made of green palm fronds or shoots.  Then the food cooks this way for 3-4 hours and comes out tender and juicy infused with the flavors of the coconut and banana.

The women cook the fish and the men cook the rest (during a lovo ceremony).  

Women serve the meal on top of a special woven mat on the floor.  We use our fingers to eat our meals as utensils are not readily available in the outer islands. 

We have attended several variations of lovo and it has been a blessing.  Each time is unique and different and offers its on special cultural feature.

Don’t Miss out

Check back with us next week as we continue with Part II of the Fijian Culture.  We share with you the tradition of sevusevu and kava root (where we drink “muddy water”).

In our last blog we give you some history on Fiji.  The events in the blog post above occurred around the end of June.  Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual events.