[password] radioactiv?[position] 19 09.295S 178 32.491W?[weather] 15 knot (approx) sou? easterly, warm, turquoise lagoon waters, 100% cloud cover with drizzle?[speed] 0knts?[heading] Anchored?[status] It?s hard to put into words just how beautiful and different Fulaga (or Vulaga as Navionics has it named) is compared to the other parts of Fiji MOONFISH has visited. The place is stunning, a massive milky turquoise lagoon, many white sandy beaches, with hundreds of limestone rock islets, all featuring their very own bonsai garden hairdo. Turtles make themselves known by popping their heads up every once and a while for a breath, only to register the fleet nearby and quickly retreat back to the depths again. Fish often break the water as they feed, and we?ve even spotted the odd baby black tip reef shark skirting around the edges of the islets.
It?s funny you know, some of the cruisers in the fleet are loving the isolation and the lack of infrastructure here. Some have voiced their dislike of resorts and places like Musket Cove with the ease and luxury they offer; the hot showers, salt water resort pools, choice of restaurants and cafe and of course the infamous island bar with it?s icy cold beer and tropical cocktails. Others (including Sasha) find it a little disconcerting that the closest store is several days sail away. Cabbage and carrot is but a distant, tasty memory of crunch and nutrition. Sasha never thought she would want for cabbage and carrot so much while in Fiji, (a mainstay vege for cruisers in the South Pacific) but alas here at Fulaga there is none that we can find, there is no store here. Apparently trading is the key here, however it just feels plain wrong taking food from the villagers, although we have traded for some plantain and pawpaw. Don?t get the wrong idea though, Fulaga has to be one of the most well set up villages MOONFISH has seen, the majority (if not all) of the houses have solar panels on poles outside, with inverters inside connected to wired up lighting, but more on the village later.
Sasha loves cruising, loves the adventure, but definitely loves doing it with a stocked yacht, full of eggs, meat, and veg. There is something absolutely wonderful about heading out on an adventure, into an unknown sea but taking all the creature comforts of home with you. Lately however with a distinct lack of fresh veg Sasha has found it a little less inspiring to cook, something that she usually loves to do when she has all the time in the world to cook what every she would like. With only one egg left, that is being saved for another yoghurt cream cheese cake, we had chia seed (our only egg substitute) ripe plantain fritters for supper last night. We didn?t need a big dinner as we had spent the day in the village at a potluck lunch. Sasha thinks today for dinner she will rock out a traditional roast lamb with not so traditional instant mash potato and dried surprise peas, our only ?real? vege on the boat, apart from an onion or two.
We?ve been at Fulaga for quite a few days now, Mike?s been out for a couple of kites off the sand spit, but says the wind is gusty and it?s difficult to stay up wind. We have visited one of the 3 villages twice now, on our first visit we were allocated a host family, Rebecca (mum), with two boys, Dan (13) and John (17), and one little five year old girl named Eleanor. We sat with them, in their lounge room, no bigger than 3 by 4 metres, sitting on the floor on the handmade flax matting, drinking coconuts with straws made by mother nature - pretty cool! It?s hard to put into words how welcoming these people are, and how organised their village is, all the while they have so little when you look at it from a westerners perspective. Yesterday during our second and final visit we offered our host family a little care package; a few of Mike?s board shorts for the boys, as well as lures, hooks and other fishing gear. We added watercolour colouring pencils and some biro pens for Eleanor, and a few t-shirts for Rebecca etc. It was a little sad to see how expected it was when we arrived. Each host family seemed to expect something. The head elders running the village have really thought this ?host? family strategy through and seem to be doing rather well out of it. A couple of the cruisers did note that this was a village not at all in need of the basics, unlike some of the other villages in the Yasawa?s etc. There was plenty of carvings on display for sale, Mike chose a bowl in the shape of a frangipani with turtles and shells carved into it, and Sasha chose a small dolphin. The kindergarten children put on a dance, and asked for donations, then we were asked for donations for the potluck lunch by our Fleet leader, and then asked for more donations for a carved mask that one of the village men had made with all of the yachts names on it. By this point we had no money left. When it was time to leave we were asked by our host family to attend Church on Sunday, to which we declined, as we knew this would require further donations.
If you can sense Sasha?s disappointment you?d be bang on the money with my current demeanour, I am all for user pays, and I have travelled enough to know that nothing is free. However I cannot help but feel we were put through the motions somewhat here, and that the path we trod was well worn. Perhaps Sasha?s expectations of the magical Fulaga were a little too idealistic? After all money is what makes the world go around, as much as we?d all sometimes like to deny it. However, there is no denying how beautiful this place is, how unique it is, and how I hope the village elders can retain control over Fulaga?s pristine environment, as this place surely is an absolute natural wonder and we are very grateful and thankful that we can be here and enjoy it.
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