Witty Whit's Words: Real Fijian Life Lessons (aka honeymoon part 5)

If I could, I'd bottle up all of the wonderful experiences from our honeymoon and sprinkle them over my family & friends. To say we are extremely lucky to be given such a unique opportunity is an understatement. I hope that each of you has the chance to see and be a part of what we were able to do in Fiji.

On our 2nd day in Fiji, we had the most amazing day of our trip (in my humble opinion). There is much to do and see on the island or nothing at all if you choose. It is all up to you. And I would have been content staying at our resort all week, but that would not have been real Fiji.

Ryan planned one excursion on this leg of the trip, and he picked the most perfect one. The Sigatoka River Safari Ride. Promptly scooped from our hotel at 8am, we rode into the town center passing kiddos meandering barefoot to school and parents walking to work. With a brief stint at the shops to collect other families from neighboring towns, we took a 20 minute van ride to the river. On the way we saw wild horses sunning, cows grazing, and baby goats playing. We saw women washing their laundry in the streams, fathers farming, and children waving.

homes of Fijians

pet animals

Sigatoka River Safari

Once we reached the river, we grabbed our life vests and determined a chief of our tribe. The lucky winner: my husband. He did not take his job lightly at all. Nor did he mind the power of the title!

(**side bar here. Generally the eldest man gets the honor but the eldest was a man from Mauritius who declined so honeymooners got next dibs. Now Mauritius may mean nothing to you readers but it is my fave place on Earth. It is the most peaceful country in the world. No really it is. 99% literacy rate. No military. Police do not carry guns. Nuns run a large portion of the operation. Told you so. And when our family plays pictionary, the kind where we make the categories, I always put Mauritius. Peter, my bil, gets peeved and cries out that it does not exist so to meet someone from there made.my.day.)

new bff from Mauritius

Ok back to the story at hand...Ryan got crowned chief which meant he & Mrs. Chief got front row in the jet which of course meant prime fun and photo ops. The water was smooth as glass and we just glided along admiring the plush greenery, hilly and mountainous tops, and the Fijians go about their daily life. Taking it all in and just being in the moment. We heard bits and pieces of the history of the island/country from our captain. Stories of how it was a cannibalistic island 100's of years ago. Stories of how each day the children in certain villages must cross the river to attend school. How there is no power in homes. Villages do not have utensils or tables and chairs. But I'll be damned that never once was their talk of hardships or complaint. And every single Fijian we met had a smile on his/her face and greeted us with Bula.

the chief with his kava root

river safari boats

all aboard

mr & mrs chief

these pics do not do it justice

so smooth

don't mind the animals everywhere

so green

beautiful mountain side

about to dock...need that sura

After the history bit, we docked and climbed our way to the MeiMei village for a life changing experience. Gus, the village spokesperson, instructed all of the women to put our suras on. You see ladies cannot show anything above the knee. We snapped photos with the little children who were beyond excited to see us. Then we were given a tour of the village. In the 90's, three floods washed the village away on three separate occasions. No worries though. The house of God is built on the highest part of the village and so the families found refuge there. Brilliant.

covered up

yes I will be taking you home with me...

apparently these things don't come in xs

villagers

the village

farmers

more homes

wild turkey

the house of God

church

village news teller

Gus & I

We entered the community center where all of the villagers were seated awaiting us. We sat down, legs crossed facing them. Serenaded with a Fijian ceremony and prayer service, we then were initiated with kava. Kava is a deadly potion that numbs your tongue and throat as you sip it. It is made from the root of a tree and has the opposite effect of alcohol. Rather than make you aggressive, this calms your nerves. The longer the root stays planted, the stronger the kava. You can request a low tide (women), high tide (men), or tsunami (men with egos). This indicates the amount of kava you would like to drink. Think glass of wine, beer bong, hurricane bucket at Memphis in May. You are greeted with the bowl, bula, and a clap. You reply with a clap and bula. Then you drink all in one gulp. Clap 3 times and say vinaka (thank you). We all got a go around or five at this ceremony.

community center

the real chief of the village

kava ceremony prep

one of my fave pics

high tide

chief post kava and baby powder (which means long life wishes)

mr & mrs chief

baby powder ceremony

lieu ceremony

bula! vinaka!

low tide

When everyone was nice and numb, we sat down to lunch. The village women had prepared a feast for us. Remember, no tables & chairs so we sat floor style and ate with our hands. Everything was so fresh and delicious. The villagers do not eat with the guests. They want to make sure we have enough before they dine. So humbling and nothing an American would ever do.

lunch table

our feast

lovely spread

fellow diners

Gus, chief, & mrs chief

Now for the party. Post lunch means dance fest. Many of you all saw Ryan dance at the wedding (or you've seen him in action at Liz & Win's or Kim & Jerrad's nuptials). As the chief, he spared no imagination with his dancing. He brought it hard. So much that I thought this Fijian woman was going to get kicked out of her tribe. No seriously I did. All of the older Fijian men were laughing and pointing at him. Even the Aussie's were dumbfounded and in utter shock.

OMG

gentlemen's pick

Hannah & I tag team dancing

shake, shake

listening to the chief's remarks

the elders

Before we all got escorted out, our chief gave a heartfelt vinaka to the village for their hospitality and giving us an experience we would never forget. I had a little flutter in my heart and a gleam of pride for my hubby in that moment. He was so sincere and moved by the day. It really was a beautiful thing to see.

If you go to Fiji, experience this part of the culture. The real, raw, heart of the island. You will not regret it, and it will enrich your life in so many ways.

Exhausted from our safari, we took a late afternoon nap on the hammy before joining our new friends, Hannah & Rowe for some more Fiji time. The main restaurant was featuring a Fijian buffet style dinner with live entertainment and more kava. We met the two Aussie love birds on our safari tour, and they just happened to be staying at our hotel. Its amazing how even across the globe relationship irritations, issues, and insecurities are all the same. Hannah & I talked fruity drinks and sports while Ryan & Rowe discussed bourbon and farming. They think America is so cool. We think Australia is so cool.