Vanuatu Top Ten!

We were aiming for the island of Tanna, our other alternative was Port Vila, but the winds decided to take us north to Luganville instead! A surprise visit full of many surprises. Here's our top ten:

10) Volcano! We passed the island of Ambrym at night. It is the home of two active volcanoes and we could see the sky above the mountains glowing red from the lava!

9) US impact - Luganville was built as a major US military staging base during WWII. The main road was built wide enough for four army trucks to drive down side by side. There are quonset huts and bomber wrecks in the woods. Apparently over 200,000 Americans passed through Luganville during the war.

8) Million Dollar Point - At the end of WWII, the US was left with a surplus of construction and military equipment. It would have been very expensive to ship it all back to the states. The remaining French government didn't want to buy it, and the US didn't want to give it away, so they threw it all into the ocean. It's now a popular scuba site.

7) SS President Coolidge - this Titanic-sized steamship was converted to a troop transport ship during WWII. On its way into Luganville, it struck two US mines and sank. It is reportedly the second-best scuba dive wreck in the world.

6) Local Market - not everything in Vanuatu was cheap. However, goods in the farmer's market were. We bought grapefruits for 20 vatu each!

5) Microfinance - we witnessed a celebration for Women's Day, where groups of women are given microfinance loans to startup small businesses. This is a popular and successful development aid program throughout the world.

4) Champagne Beach - the EYE Crew has voted, and this is officially the nicest beach we have ever seen. White, powdery sand, clear blue water, and natural springs flowing through rocks at one end.

3) Access fees - land is communally owned by villages, and each village charges an access fee to any tourist sites they may own. The Blue Hole, Million Dollar Point, Champagne Beach, and Millennium Cave each required payment and permission to enter.

2) Land diving - on Pentacost Island, the locals participate in the original bungee-jumping, except with vines gathered from the woods. They pick their own vines, and the goal is to have your hair brush the ground, thus ensuring a strong yam harvest in the coming year.

1) Hair - Vanuatan women wear their hair big and round. There are reports of circumferences of four meters!

FTA

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Diving in Vanuatu!

Here on Espiritu Santo, we've met many tourists from all over the world who have come to Vanuatu for one thing- SCUBA diving. We anchored the WTP off the Beachfront Resort, where many divers stay for the duration of their trip, and spoke with people who told us stories of their diving adventures.

One group we met had 17 people, all friends from Poland, all here for diving. They had already dove at many of the popular locations around the island, including Million Dollar Point and the SS President Coolidge. Million Dollar Point is where US forces dumped a massive amount of machinery and vehicles at the end of WWII, by building a pier and simply driving the vehicles off the end (the French Government didn't want to pay for the equipment and the Americans didn't want to give it to them). The SS President Coolidge hit a land mine in 1942 and sank right off the shore. Luckily it was close enough to shore that all but a very few people were able to escape safely. Many artifacts, from Coke bottles to eyeglasses to medicine bottles, are still on the ship and make it an extremely interesting dive.

The Polish group we met was very nice, and invited us to dive with them at the Blue Hole right outside Luganville. This is a very clear, startling blue freshwater lagoon, fed by a river, which is fed by a spring. We went to the dive shop (Aquamarine; run by a very friendly Bermudian named Rehan) to get our gear rentals straightened out and met up with the group, early the morning of the dive.

After a short bus ride we arrived at the Blue Hole, donned our wetsuits, BCs, tanks, masks, and fins, and walked down the concrete stairs to enter the water. There weren't many fish, but the bottom, 15 meters down, was covered in very cool rock formations, and the water was so clear we could look up and see the trees that lined the shore. Vanuatu is a great place to SCUBA dive!

MIN

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Name This Wall-Crawler!

These little guys can be seen scurrying over walls and ceilings in many restaurants and houses. They have big round toes to help them stick on to whatever they're climbing, and move very quickly.

They like to hang out around lights, because they eat the bugs that fly around them. We hear these creatures whenever they're around, because they make loud chirping noises!

Name That Creature!

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Yu likem toktok? Mi wantem toktok Bislama.

Upon reaching the shores of Espiritu Santo we were startled to see signs that read like this:

"Yu likem tok tok?"

We learned that what looked to be a badly structured and spelled variation of English was actually the national tongue of Vanuata, called Bislama. Bislama is an English-based form of pidgin which allows people from all over the islands of Vanuatu to speak to each other. It is used for debates in Parliament and is printed on the currency. The local newspaper may have some stories written in English and others written in Bislama.

It may seem weird to speak both Bislama and English but the language fills an important niche. There are over 113 local languages spoken in the country, which is the highest concentration of different languages per person of any country in the world. Until independence in 1980, Vanuata was jointly ruled by England and France. Because of this, both French and English were spoken and taught in school. Combined with the many different versions of local languages, it is easy to see that there is a need for a relatively simple language that everyone can speak.

Just because the grammer is simple and the number of words is small doesn't make the language easy for non ni-Vans to pick up. Ni-Vans speak Bislama very rapidly to one another. Sometimes you are just barely able to follow the conversation thread but usually it is very difficult. Reading Bislama is a little easier, but much of the spelling is done phonetically so you find yourself mouthing out the words while you read along with the text.

Here are some common words and phrases we have learned in Bislama:

"toktok" - to talk to some one, talk on the phone, have a conversation.

"wanem nem blong yu?" - What's your name?

"blong" - can either mean for, belong, of, or from, depending on the context.

"ia" - here; this.

"ol" - all or plural.

"long" - big, whole, all, large or variations of along such as next to, at, to, or in.

"rum blong swim" - shower room.

"Yu ting you likim?" - Do you like?

We have had fun learning to speak and read Bislama. Even if most of the spoken bislama goes over our heads, it is fun to try and decifier the various signs we come across around town.

SWC

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Island Fuel

Greenhouse gases, carbon footprint, global warming. Sound familiar? These are just a few buzz words in the world of environmental conservation today as it relates to the burning of fossil fuels. However, in the midst of an increasing global desire for sustainable energy and cleaner fuels, we have found a glimmer of hopeful ingenuity here in Vanuatu in the form of the simple coconut!

You may recall learning about the copra industry here in the Pacific. Copra (or dried coconut meat) is exported by the islands and used to make fine oils for the skin, soaps, and other beauty products all over the world. While these are all fine uses for the dried oily raw material, we have discovered that it has also found its way into environmental conservation.

Island fuel, as it is called here in Vanuatu, is a type of bio fuel produced from the oil extracted from copra. It can be used in its pure extracted form as a substitute for diesel with very little modification, or as a diesel or kerosene fuel mix. While you may not see island fuel at your local station pump anytime soon, it certainly has a presence here in the South Pacific.

WWI

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Spotlight on 3pm

Early this morning at about 7am, we witnessed the migration of uniformed kids on their way to school. Some walked, some rode in taxis or buses, and some were barefoot, but they all had clean uniforms on and books in their arms, and greeted us with sleepy hellos.

That afternoon at about 12:30pm, these same school kids were seen walking around town or back to their houses. They laughed in groups, some eating ice pops or snacking on peanuts from the market. Did school let out early, we wondered?

Here on Vanuatu, businesses and schools share the idea of a lunch hour! They close their doors and spend 11:30-1:30 relaxing at home or around town, eating lunch and doing whatever they like. The idea of a two hour lunch break may seem nice, but it also means school doesn't let out until 4:30. So, where are kids in Vanuatu at 3pm? School!

SOT

 

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A Basket of Goods: Vanuatu

We have once more entered a world without a McDonald's, by landing in Luganville on Espiritu Santo in the northern part of Vanuatu. We were told Port Vila is a busier town but the winds brought us here. However, we had no trouble filling the rest of our basket.

Here are our prices:

Big Mac: NONE!

Coke: 130 vatu

Haircut: 1800 vatu

ABG

 

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Provisioning: Vanuatu

As we get closer to each destination, our minds race to all the delicious food we'll soon be eating. We reach land and enjoy such treats as pizza, ice cream, bread, and whatever the local dishes may be. The days pass and inevitably our thoughts turn to the next crossing, and all the things we'd like to eat during our days and nights at sea.

When it's time to provision, we hit the local grocery stores and markets. The basic foods are usually available, but prices can vary greatly between even neighboring islands. We search for items that don't require refrigeration, and can be stored easily and for a long time, like pasta and canned goods. Here on Vanuatu, pasta is a bit expensive (2.60 local for 16 ounces of spaghetti); it was just as expensive on Fiji. Luckily, we found a good alternative in packs of locally-produced egg noodles on Fiji, and a ramen equivalent is cheap here on Vanuatu. We also still have plenty of canned goods that will last us awhile (check out the inventory post!).

Here is our list of provisions bought on Vanuatu:

- 20 packs chicken flavored ramen noodles

- 3 kg potatoes

- 3 packs cookies (two vanilla, one chocolate)

- 2 packs hard candies (one toffee, one chocolate)

- 1 bulk box (21 tubes) chocolate beans

TSS

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Plan Our Adventure: Vanuatu

Fiji is a world away from anywhere else we have visited so far. We wish we could stay and explore every bay and remote islands but the sea is calling us once more and a new destination beckons. Our next stop is Vanuatu. We will be making landfall on the island of Tanna. It is rumored that there is an active volcano on this island!

Where: Tanna, Vanuatu
Distance: 460 Nautical Miles
ETA: about 4-5 days

POA

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Fiji Top Ten!

We had a wonderful time in here in Fiji. The country consists of an archipelago of many small islands, but most of the population lives on the islands of Vitu-levu and Vanua-levu. We were able visit both of these islands and experience many different types of Fijian culture. Here's our top ten:

10) Sugar Cane - Sugar cane is the major industry on the Fijian islands of Vanua-levu and Vitu-levu. Lautoka boasts the largest sugar cane refinery in Fiji and its influence can be seen all over the city; from the trucks and trains that roll though the city laden with raw sugar cane to the smell of tomato soup and ash that spews forth from the factory.

9) Cheap food and goods - There are numerous stores in the city center of Lautoka which offer everything from tasty snacks to 3 FD haircuts and tailoring. Multiple stores sell used clothing imported from Australia and USA for 1 FD each.

8) Indian influence - stores in Fiji sell indian spices and traditional indian clothes. Indian food and snacks such as curry and barfi can be found all over the city. Even with these influences the, indo-fijians still consider themselves proud Fijians.

7) Hot springs- in the town of Savusavu, hot springs bubble up along the shore and the hillside. The water is so hot it boils and some people even use the springs to cook their food.

6) Timber production- on the island Vanua-levu much of the northern side is devoted to timber farming. It looks like some areas of rural North Carolina.

5) Gold mining- there's gold in the hills and people searching for it. Geologists use their knowledge to search for gold sites around the islands of Fiji. When gold is found, they negotiate mining rights between the villages and mining companies. We also heard stories of gold spewing from the underwater chimneys dotting the volcanic fault line between Fiji and Vanuatu.

4) Free hold land - most land is not available for purchase. Instead it is leased on an extremely long term (such as 100 years). There is only a certain amount of land that can be owned by foreigners and ethnic Indians. A lot of this type of land is located around Savusavu, which results in the large expat community we saw there.

3) Fiji water- the most prominent image of Fiji abroad is the Fiji water bottle. Fiji water is bottled in a small village on the north side of Vitu-levu about 35 miles away from Lautoka. All Fiji water is shipped out of the port while the high quality plastic bottles are shipped in from China. We talked to some of the Fiji water truck drivers as they waited in line to clear port customs.

2) Vaka paddling- we were able to join the local paddling club for a sunset training practice. The club practices every day of the week and was preparing for an inter island race to be held that weekend. The boats go much faster than expected. We were quickly tired by the end of our warm-up, but we continued racing against the three other boats until it was too dark to see.

1) Jelly Ice cream- a unique treat that we have seen nowhere else was a serving of ice cream combined with a serving of jello. It was quite popular with the locals.

FTA

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Fiji's Political Crisis

Fiji has proven to be quite different than we expected. Far from the sleepy tropical islands we've experienced up until this point, this group of islands has proven to be full of industry, productivity, and bustling cities. The other surprising part of Fiji is that it is not a democracy.

Fiji has had a troubled political past, marred with conflict between ethnic Fijians and ethnic Indians (both of which have called Fiji home for many generations). A byproduct of this conflict has been several military coups - the most recent of which occurred in 2006.

During the prior coup, a law was passed barring ethnic Indians from holding the office of Prime Minister. After an Indian won the seat of Prime Minister in 2006, the Fijian Military seized control and declared martial law. Opposition groups and local police were quickly disarmed. It was a bloodless coup, but the military leadership took control of the government.

Walking around, you wouldn't guess that we were in a military dictatorship. People go about their daily lives just as in any other country, there are no overt images of oppression, and you do not see tanks in the streets.

However, we have met many people who have, in hushed tones, talked about how the situation is 'very bad.' There is a business curfew at night, there is very little 'free hold' land (land that can be titled and purchased), and it is illegal and dangerous to criticize the government.

Most importantly, the average Fijian does not have a say in government policy. As delicious as the water, as beautiful the landscape, and as friendly the people, it is unfortunate that this wonderful country is not a free country.

SOG

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Lautoka: The Sugar City

We first sighted Lautoka mid-morning after negotiating a maze of reefs and passages that surround the island of Vitu Levu. The first thing we saw was a tall, slender white stick that we initially mistook for one of the poles that mark the edges of the reef. As we got closer, we guessed that it might be a small cell phone tower on one of the outer reef islands. By the time we were anchored at port we were amazed to find out that the small pole we had seen four hours ago was actually a gigantic smokestack protruding from a large steel building. Whatever was coming out of the smokestack made the whole harbor smell like tomato sauce.

We learned later that this massive building belongs to the largest sugar refinery in Fiji. It is located right on the outskirts of the city next to a large sign that says "Welcome to the Sugar City!" The city was built on the sugar industry. Its street plan is laid out parallel to the train tracks which carries sugar cane from 15 miles away, and it can stop traffic for up to 30 minutes as the train rolls slowly by. Lautokas's large Indian population was originally brought to this area of Fiji to work the sugar plantations over 100 years ago. These days, the sugar farms and refineries support a number of other businesses, families and people in Lautoka.

We arrived in Lautoka during cutting season so the most obvious connection to the sugar refinery that we could see was the trucking industry. Lined up on the street outside the gates of the factory were hundreds of old flatbed trucks packed high with cut sugar cane. Talking to the truckers, we learned that they get paid about $7 per ton they deliver and their trucks carry about 15 tons. They pay for their own expenses and when something goes wrong in the plant and they are unable to deliver their cane, they have to wait outside the factory for as long as two days because it would waste too much fuel to drive home and back again. Most of the truckers know each other and many are family members who have been driving cane to the factory for multiple generations. Trucks not only deliver the raw product, but they also deliver the finished product. At the Lautoka plant this means large white plastic bags which look like they should be carrying cement instead of slightly brown refined sugar.

Most of the sugar from the Lautoka plant is shipped out to other countries such as England. The refined sugar is stored in a huge warehouse and delivered onto the ship via a large conveyor belt that goes from ground level up six stories and finally onto the cargo ship.

A less obvious but very visible business partner to the sugar industry is the caustic industry. Caustic is a precursor to bleach and is used to clean the drums and pipes in the sugar plant when they become clogged with sugar build-up. The caustic dissolves the caked sugar enough that it can be scraped away by human workers. The caustic company in Fiji maintains its storage tanks right next to the sugar refinery since they are its main customers. Although there are other uses for caustic - this same company provides bleach for home use to the Fijian market - this company relies heavily on the sugar plant. This is a problem because recently sugar cane production has dropped, which has also reduced demand for caustic. Sugar production is down by half at some factories because many farms have had their land lease expire with no option of renewal. Another factor is that many farmers have started to burn their crop before harvesting. This burns off all the leaves of the sugar cane plant and only leaves the stalks making it easier to cut. The burning also destroys some of the sugar in the cane, lowering the amount of sugar that is processed (and the amount of caustic used by the company).

Its easy to see the large role that sugar plays in Lautoka's economy and the many connections it shares with other businesses in the area.

SMC

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Three O'clock in Fiji

Lautoka's center is a very large park, made up of three rugby/soccer fields and a group of basketball courts. As the work day winds down and the sun begins to set, the park fills up with people playing a variety of games on all the fields and courts. We saw rugby, basketball, soccer, and hoop ball games going on.

Rugby is a passion all over the South Pacific and we found that when you ask people about the World Cup, they usually think you mean the Rugby World Cup and start to tell you how well their island team from Samoa, Tonga, or Fiji did in the last one. Rugby seams to be played with a different number of players depending on the leagues. We've heard about 7s, 9s, and 11s, but rugby in Fiji seems to be played with 20 people on each side! The games are pretty informal, but many players have on jerseys of their favorite teams and wear rugby cleats.

Pickup soccer games seem to have commenced whenever there were enough people to form two teams. We saw a number of players wearing shorts and tennis shoes, but an equal number of people still in work coveralls and uniforms from their day's work! Hoop ball, we learned, is typically a girl's sport. It's like basketball but the net doesn't have a backboard and there's no dribbling. Some hoops were located on the edges of grassy fields and some were on the basketball courts.

By the time the sun finally sets completely, Lautoka becomes very quiet. The fields gradually empty, buses stream out of the city filled with people, and all of the shops close down. At this time most Fijians retire to their homes to spend time with family and friends, leaving few people in the city and parks.

SOT

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Hot Hot Hot Springs

One of the first things we noticed in the early morning sunlight on the morning of our arrival in Fiji was a faint misty fog over the beach. We passed it off as just that (fog) resulting from the morning sun and the relatively cold night air. We knew there were hot springs here but didn't quite put it together until later that morning. What we were actually seeing was steam rising from the sand on the beach where a hot spring was delivering superheated water to the surface. A walk on the beach at low tide after sunset confirmed that the sand was very hot and in some places too hot to walk barefoot.

A short walk from where we anchored we found the source of the hot water. There was a small group of three or four small hot springs surrounded by rocks to create a sort of hot spring rock garden. Some were just a trickle but the largest boiled away wildly in a small pool. The water they expelled flowed into a small steaming creek that wound its way down toward town and the beach. The creek was still boiling and much too hot to dip your hand in. In the name of science, some very hot spring water was collected in a water bottle and later examination revealed that it smelled of sulfur and did not taste good at all. With this constant supply of boiling water we couldn't help but wonder what uses it may have had to the Fijians hundreds of years ago. Maybe it was used for washing or even cooking perhaps. You could easily hard-boil an egg in the bubbling pool simply by dropping it in. With a plastic bag or a metal pot you could cook almost anything over the natural heat.

The hot springs found here are a result of the islands volcanic past and tectonic activity that is releasing energy from below the earth's crust underneath the islands. Similar phenomena can be found at the hot springs of Yellowstone National Park in the United States where geysers of water shoot high up into the air. The activity there is caused by a giant dormant volcano whose energy is slowly leaking through cracks up to the surface. Recent studies in renewable energy on Fiji have suggested that with the right technology in place, the hot springs found here could be used to generate all of electricity needed to power the homes and industries on the islands.

Another perk of the volcanic activity here is the aquifer of fresh clean water that is naturally filtered and purified through the porous volcanic rock before being collected and bottled for drinking. Back in the US we know this water as the popular bottled water brand that has the island as its namesake, Fiji Water.

SGE

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Where Are We Again?

On the crossing to Fiji, we mulled over what we thought it would be like. We imagined blue water, pristine beaches, and quiet, slow cities. When we got here, we found that things were quite different.

The water was sort of blue, but not the deep, clear blue of past anchorages. There were beaches, but they were rocky and often jutted up to major cities. It was these cities that perplexed us most. They were bustling hotspots of markets, eateries, and shops selling everything you can imagine, often managed by Indians. Were we in the South Pacific Islands, or India?

Here, the population is an even mix between the Indian descendents of laborers brought in generations ago to work the sugarcane fields, and the indigenous Fijian people. We heartily enjoyed restaurants that served curry dishes, browsed through shops selling everything from guitars to bed sheets to rice cookers, and some of us even tried on the typical Indian tunic (called a "kurta"). The streets were packed with people, Indian and Fijian alike, and when school let out we saw the joyful crowds of students from many backgrounds rushing toward buses to go home.

Each city that we visited offered a different vibe. Suvasuva is quiet and well-kept, with marinas and shops catering to cruisers and tourists. Labasa is only a few blocks long but explodes with Indian culture and life. Lautoka is a sprawling, vibrant city, with restaurants and shops hidden in every nook, and friendly people that greeted us with a cheerful "Bula bula!" as we passed. Fiji wasn't what we expected - it was better.

SWC

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The International Date Line!

The EYE of the World crew recently traveled into the future - and we didn't even have to go 88 mph in a Delorean! On June 24th, 2010, the William T. Piquette crossed the International Date Line and moved its chronometer 24 hours forward.

Up until this point, we had been getting progressively further behind Eastern Standard Time. With each westward time-zone in the Pacific, we turned our clocks an hour back. In Samoa, we were seven hours behind Virginia time. 7:00 PM in Virginia was 12:00 PM on the boat of the same day.

However, when we crossed the date line, we immediately shifted to being 17 hours ahead of Virginia time. 7:00 PM in Virginia was 12:00 PM on the boat - the next day!

As we continue to sail west, we will progressively turn our clocks back and eventually end up back on Virginia time.

Back to the future! Doc Brown will be proud.

SOS

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Available Now On DVD!

The long-anticipated release of The EYE of the World’s debut documentary is now available for purchase! This first installment is a collection of the sights and sounds that the crew experienced during their journey from Hampton, Virginia to Huahine, Society Islands. Experience the catching of the 7’ sailfish, learn about the Galapagos Tortoises, and get a feel for the crew’s life onboard - all in the comfort of your own home.

All proceeds from the sale of this DVD support the EYE of the World Educational Program.

Order yours today - click here!

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Watch-n-learn Review Questions:
(organized by section )


Intro
Where did the crew anchor the first night?
What instrument does Trevor play?

Bahamas
What does Alan go diving for in the Bahamas?

Pressure Cooker
List some ingredients in Adam’s pressure cooker dinner.

San Blas
What tool did Alan find to catch lobster?

WTP Tour
What’s the name of the mast that Alan points to on the aft deck?
What’s the name of the living room on the boat?
What’s the name of the forward-most room where Trevor sleeps?
What do you call the bathroom on the boat?
How many horsepower is the engine?
What does Trevor strap his safety harness onto?

Pacific Sailfish
Who reeled the sailfish in?
How many people does it take to hold up the fish?

Galapagos
What language does Trevor speak with the taxi driver?
How many freshwater lakes are there in the Galapagos?
What percent of the power on San Cristobal Island comes from the wind generators?
What is the average age of the tortoises?
How do the tortoises challenge each other for the last bit of food?

The Crossing
What did Alan make on the crossing?
List some ingredients in Adam’s pasta dinner.

Offshore Communication
What’s the name of the net the crew checks in on?
What’s the name of the boat the crew is keeping track of?
What’s the WTP’s position when the crew checks in?
Why does Adam honk the horn?

Marquesas
What are 2 sports played in the Marquesas?
What language is spoken in the classroom the crew visits?

Mold
What does mold like to grow on?

Tuamotus
How many times does Will say ‘Takaroa?’
What is the person on the bow looking for?
What is the crew looking at in the trays?
Why did the steel cargo ship run aground?
What is the crew hunting in the middle of the night, and how many did they catch?
What’s the Tahitian word for ‘ice cream?’
What presents are the crew given as they leave?

Tahiti
What does the Tahitian word "Mare'are'a" mean?
How long did it take Paul Gauguin to swim to the back wall of the grotto? How long did it take Will?

Huahine
What color are the sacred eels’ eyes?
What two things does the crew feed the eels?


Creature List:
cross off each animal as you see it - creatures are listed in order of appearance
Dolphin
Conch
Stingray
Parrotfish
Red-footed booby
Sailfish
Cow
Frigate bird
Horse
Tortoise
Finch
Sea lion
Puppy
Black-tip shark
Octopus
Cat
Oyster
Giant clam
Sacred eel

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Made in Fiji

Here on Fiji, there are crops we've seen before, and also some brand new ones. Like much of the South Pacific, there is copra production in many areas. Copra is made from coconuts that have been cracked into pieces and extensively dried. After it's finished drying, it is pressed to make coconut oil.

One new crop that we saw on the northern, "dry side" of the island is sugarcane. This crop fills sprawling fields that lead from the edge of the road to as far as the eye can see. These plants are tall, with wide bases and long palm-like tops. We saw multiple trucks filled to the brim with sugarcane stalks heading into the city. There was even a small, narrow-gauge railroad line that ran parallel to the road, once used to carry sugarcane directly from the fields to port.

Another new, unexpected crop we saw were pine trees! When we first saw a pine forest, we remarked that the area looked and smelled like Pittsboro, North Carolina. There were rows of pine trees that littered the roadside with pine needles, and in some areas controlled burns were being conducted at the forest floor. We also passed some big logging trucks loaded up with cut trees, and even witnessed one truck coming directly out of the forest on a logging road. Closer to the city of Labasa were sawmills with the finished pine boards stacked up. What a mix of island crops and a more familiar one, all on Fiji!

MIN

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A Basket of Goods: Fiji

Once again we have found ourselves in a world without a McDonalds (at least here on the northern island). We were able to find some pretty sweet deals for the rest of our basket. We visited the southern city of Savusavu, along with the northern city of Labasa, and found the following prices:

Big Mac: NONE!
Coke: 1.30 FD
Haircut: 3 FD

All prices are in Fijian Dollars.

ABG

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Tonga Top Ten!

We had a short, but exciting stay in Vava'u! Here's our top ten:

10) The Vava'u Island group is best known as a breeding ground for humpback whales. Tonga is one of the few nations in the world that permits swimming with whales. Unfortunately, we were a week too soon and didn't see any.

9) Caves! We visited Swallow's Cave and Mariner's Cave. The former is a large cave you can take a dinghy into; the latter requires you to swim under a rock ledge in order to enter. As the waves force water into the cave, the interior pressurizes and you can watch the water vapor condense into a cloud.

8) Tongan Feast! We participated in a large feast along with the nice folks on the Bluewater Ralley. The evening begins with music and a traditional Tongan dance demonstration (including a fire dance), and ends with everyone pulling up benches to a massive pile of local food.

7) Clear, blue water! Probably the clearest ocean water we've seen thus far.

6) A maze of islands! The Vava'u group is an intricate maze of islands, sporting flat water, rocky cliffs, and pristine white-sand beaches.

5) Expat-owned tourist industry. On the main strip in Neiafu, most of the restaurants and bars are owned by Americans and other foreigners who moved to the islands to run seasonal businesses. The man that owned 'The Giggling Whale' also claimed to own 'Lake Louise,' a ski resort in Canada. (Can any of you Google detectives verify that? We couldn't tell if he was messing with us).

4) Long Live The King! Tonga is a monarchy, with a governing royal family (and King). Many individuals wear straw mats to signify allegiance.

3) Roy Orbison! The famous song 'Falling' is popular throughout the South Pacific. We heard it sung in Tongan and accompanied by guitars, ukeleles, and a banjo.

2) Pigs! There are as many pigs roaming the streets as there are dogs and chickens. In the Tongan village we visited, the entire village was fenced to keep pigs in, while everyone's house was fenced to keep the pigs out.

1) Evergreen Trees! We saw evergreen trees growing on cliffs, much as you'd expect to see in a more temperate climate. This reflects the southern nature and cold ocean currents of the islands. Certainly our coldest nights since Florida!

FTA

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