Viwa, The Yasawa Islands, Fiji
Our day in Fiji was spent in the Yasawa Islands, to the west of the main island of Viti Levu where, yesterday, we boarded the National Geographic Endeavour. A Zodiac ride through a narrow gap in the barrier reef brought us to a wet landing at a village beach on Viwa. A stroll across the rugby pitch (rugby being Fiji’s national game) allowed us to peer into the school classrooms: bare but effective, judging from Fiji’s high literacy rate. We were then free to stroll about the village, exchanging the traditional Fijian greeting of “Bula!” with friendly residents. Viwa has a large and fine communal house, the walls and roof of thatch, tapa cloths decorating the ridge poles, and mats woven of Pandanus leaves on the floor. Here, we found men of the village sitting cross-legged, consuming bowls of kava, a mildly narcotic beverage made from the pounded root of a plant of the pepper family. It produces a tingling sensation in the mouth and a warm feeling of relaxation and well-being. The men were happy to share the experience with us. Whether real or placebo effect, we were feeling pretty darn well. For many, their strongest impression was of the children, their shy smiles and boisterous laughter as they assisted our Zodiacs landing on the beach.
The afternoon brought our first experience with the undersea realm. A platform suspended between two Zodiacs allowed easy entry into the water over the reef, and we floated effortlessly, looking down at the corals and myriad colorful reef fishes.
We returned to the ship, bade farewell to our Fijian officials as they departed by float plane, and our ship turned towards the open sea and our next destination of Vanuatu. But was that the end of our day? By no means! Richard White, from his usual perch on the bridge wing, spotted a disturbance on the water far ahead. We had encountered a pod of dolphins. Lively debate ensued as to their identity. As we approached they resolved into Fraser’s dolphins, a little known and rarely seen oceanic dolphin of tropical seas. They gave us quite a show! They appeared to be herding their fish prey, frequently turning and repeatedly leaping from the water. At times they formed a phalanx and advanced as a coordinated line stretching across the sea. While it is impossible to actually count, estimates of their numbers centered around 200. It is hard to imagine how they could capture enough fish in these rather unproductive seas to support the enormous energy expenditure that we witnessed … but they must. It was a wild finale to an eventful day in Fiji. Now, on to Vanuatu.
Our day in Fiji was spent in the Yasawa Islands, to the west of the main island of Viti Levu where, yesterday, we boarded the National Geographic Endeavour. A Zodiac ride through a narrow gap in the barrier reef brought us to a wet landing at a village beach on Viwa. A stroll across the rugby pitch (rugby being Fiji’s national game) allowed us to peer into the school classrooms: bare but effective, judging from Fiji’s high literacy rate. We were then free to stroll about the village, exchanging the traditional Fijian greeting of “Bula!” with friendly residents. Viwa has a large and fine communal house, the walls and roof of thatch, tapa cloths decorating the ridge poles, and mats woven of Pandanus leaves on the floor. Here, we found men of the village sitting cross-legged, consuming bowls of kava, a mildly narcotic beverage made from the pounded root of a plant of the pepper family. It produces a tingling sensation in the mouth and a warm feeling of relaxation and well-being. The men were happy to share the experience with us. Whether real or placebo effect, we were feeling pretty darn well. For many, their strongest impression was of the children, their shy smiles and boisterous laughter as they assisted our Zodiacs landing on the beach.
The afternoon brought our first experience with the undersea realm. A platform suspended between two Zodiacs allowed easy entry into the water over the reef, and we floated effortlessly, looking down at the corals and myriad colorful reef fishes.
We returned to the ship, bade farewell to our Fijian officials as they departed by float plane, and our ship turned towards the open sea and our next destination of Vanuatu. But was that the end of our day? By no means! Richard White, from his usual perch on the bridge wing, spotted a disturbance on the water far ahead. We had encountered a pod of dolphins. Lively debate ensued as to their identity. As we approached they resolved into Fraser’s dolphins, a little known and rarely seen oceanic dolphin of tropical seas. They gave us quite a show! They appeared to be herding their fish prey, frequently turning and repeatedly leaping from the water. At times they formed a phalanx and advanced as a coordinated line stretching across the sea. While it is impossible to actually count, estimates of their numbers centered around 200. It is hard to imagine how they could capture enough fish in these rather unproductive seas to support the enormous energy expenditure that we witnessed … but they must. It was a wild finale to an eventful day in Fiji. Now, on to Vanuatu.
