[password] forester11
[position] 19 08.325S 178 34.884W
[status]  FULAGA ISLAND & LAGOON
Quite the most beautiful place we have visited so far with its white sand, palm trees, the bluest of blue water, great variety of both fish and coral to see when snorkeling  ... and the most hospitable community!  Although this is the largest group of yachts to ever visit Fulaga  (the Southern Lau is too remote for Rallies to include in itineraries and this is the first time the ICA has included it), as is traditional each boat was assigned a host family. Quite an undertaking with 18 boats in the Rally and several travelling independently.  Our host family comprised 3 generations, and after a group official welcome from the elderly chief and our presentation of sevusevu (kava) to the village,  we went for morning tea at our host family's home.  The 2 teenagers then took us for a tour of the village which included a visit to the school; the women's weaving club and the men's carving group. We were fortunate enough to be invited to attend the 7 year old's birthday celebrations
the following day. The downside of that was that I asked what I should bring and after a bit of polite to-ing and fro-ing the answer was a chocolate cake! As my baking (apart from bread) has been on the less successful side, the pressure was on! However I managed to produce an acceptable cake and off we went. As guests of honour we were first treated to a private kava ceremony and then got to sit on either side of the birthday girl on her birthday mat during  tea party. The whole experience was just so humbling and we felt really honoured to be part of it.
On Friday the whole village and all the boats in the Lagoon got together for a "pot luck picnic" where we shared cultures through food, singing and dancing.  They had various carved and woven items for sale as well.  
Village life is primarily a subsistence one with the men working in the gardens, fishing, carving and collecting firewood for cooking ... and the women cooking, weaving, cleaning and raising the children. The supply ship comes once a month, there is one public telephone available Monday to Friday at the Post Office - yet many houses have government subsidised solar power and some have satellite TV!  All groceries, of course, come on the supply ship and the local store is currently out of sugar, rice, flour and milk powder - the next boat is due in 10 days! As is typical in such communities, a bigger problem facing the village is children going to Suva for secondary school and not returning. Seini (our host family's 16 year old daughter) is the only young woman in the village.  
On Saturday we said goodbye to our host family with a morning tea aboard Felix. (This meant another cake! )  The dinghy was very full when Ben arrived with them - with 2 extra adults and 2 extra children as well as "our" family. We all enjoyed ourselves though ... and as they left they presented us with the "birthday mat" (which they said George should use as a marriage mat when he marries) and a woven basket for my cell phone!  Their generosity knows no bounds.  
After a 2 night and 1 day sail, our next stop was Kadavu - more about that soon.

[END]