4. Fiji to nearby Mbengga Island

After departing Suva we make a stop at Mbengga, a small nearby island, ringed by a spectacular coral reef. Actually above you are looking at the remains of a prehistoric volcano. The island is part of a core that cooled slowly into hard igneous rock and the surrounding reef is the rim of softer, more porous lava that has weathered away to below the surface of the seawater.

We go ashore on the island to ask permission to anchor in the bay.

Our welcoming committee helps us to carry our dingy up the beach so that the rising tide does not float it away.

A native hut with a thatched roof and walls.

Note there are no window or door closings. The white netting canopy drops down at night around the bed to keep the mosquitos away.

A Kava Ceremony – Happy hour in the South Pacific

I had bought some kava in a Suva market on the slight chance we would be invited to a Kava Ceremony. Good form for a guest to come bearing gifts.

Kava is a mildly narcotic, nonalcoholic drink made from the waka (dried root) of the pepper plant which numbs the tongue, lips, arms, and legs. It is an honored ceremony for special occasions and for many also a daily happy hour ritual.

While we asking permission to anchor, we are invited to a Yanggona Ceremony (Kava Ceremony) that afternoon.

The village chief cuts the roots into small pieces and scrapes the bark away.

The roots are then pulverized

The pulp is wrapped in a cloth and soaked in water. The tanoa or mixing bowl is carved from a single block of wood.

My feet tingle. It’s a good thing, Kava killed the pain from sitting crosslegged for over an hour. But I pass on the second and third rounds.

Then we are then invited to dinner. Gourmet, delicately spiced fish! The man in the blue shirt had volunteered to fight in the 1990-91 Desert Storm War after Iraq’s Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. He had recently returned. I was totally blown away by some of the insightful questions he asked about our US presidential politics. Keep in mind there is no electricity on the island. The camera flash is providing the light for the picture. The kerosene lantern dimly lights the table. The only electricity on the island is solar panels up in the mountains that charge a battery. The battery powers a VHF two-way radio to summon a helicopter for medical emergencies.

Diane respects local customs by wearing a dress, not shorts, and she is invited to the Kava Ceremony, usually men only, and dinner.

A challenge to all you chefs: Here is your cooking gear and stove, now cook me a gourmet meal!

The next day the village handyman (he made the kava) picks me up to repair a hole in the fishing boat’s exhaust pipe. The Methodist minister must not see us working on Sunday. I glance at the pastor during the conversation and he gives me a nod and a smile that he will see no evil.

The boat captain/handyman disassembles part of the engine so I can work. I epoxy over the hole in the wet exhaust system. I give no guarantee of how long it will last.

We depart the island for a short sail and an overnight anchor to visit that unbelievable coral reef around the island.

Next: #5 Mbengga Island, Fiji to New Caledonia an 800-plus mile, 7-day, “hop”.

Along the way we save a life!