Waya Lailai, Happy New Year!!
Trip Start
Sep 01, 2010
1
57
78
Trip End
Mar 01, 2011
Waya Lailai, Yasawa Islands, Fiji
Friday, December 31, 2010
As with all things in Fiji it takes a while for things to get going so to pass the time between supper and the entertainment, Em and I decided to join a kava drinking ceremony. Kava is a mildly narcotic drink made from mashing the root of a tree then straining water through it. This gets placed in a giant bowl and then the members of the circle are invited to drink it from the empty shell of a coconut. Just so you're all aware, this is perfectly legal, we didn’t dabble in illegal narcotics and even if we had we wouldn’t publish it for all and sundry on the internet, even we’re not that stupid! The ceremony itself differs from island to island, village to village. On Waya Lailai you have to clap with cupped hands once, the shell is passed to you, you down the contents, then hand the empty shell back to the chief and clap your hands three more times. This is seriously cool and a great way to get to get to know the locals and believe me on Waya Lailai they spend the majority of their days drinking the stuff, there’s just one problem; it tastes vile! The only way I can describe it is like drinking muddy water that numbs your tongue and makes your lips go all fuzzy. Obviously we have to try these things; to refuse would be acting in a culturally insensitive manner, however I have now tried kava and can honestly say I will never try the stuff again, bleugh! Chris, one of the guys we were travelling with and not knowing what it was, had managed to consume 9 shells of the stuff before supper then kept going, oh Chris, when will you learn?!
After bumping into Malu we thought we would be safe from the Nicki Effect in Fiji, but alas no, for who should turn up on our island but Ryan, a charming Brummie welder we’d met in Kaikoura and travelled with on the Kiwi Bus for a bit – seriously, this is getting silly now!
After taking full advantage once again of happy hour and the free champagne they’d been bringing around for us, it was time to play some silly Fijian games before midnight. Firstly they taught us the Bula dance (which we’d already learnt on South Sea, how smug did we feel?!), followed by some dancing games which involved girls and boys swapping partners with the loser having to dance in the middle of the circle with a broomstick – it was most entertaining! The highlight of the evening was Em winning the individual best female bula dancer and getting a free glass of wine out of it, impressive! Before we knew it, we were counting down to 2011 with some trepidation as we’d heard that Fijians see in the New Year by throwing people in the sea. We managed to stay dry for this part of the night, however somehow got embroiled in a water fight with the local kids from the village. Anyone who knows me will know how much of a big kid I am and will never allow myself to be squirted without some form of retaliation. Needless to say, Em and I lost miserably – not only did the locals know all the places to refill but they also had water pistols whereas all we were armed with were a lethal pair of plastic cups! By the end of the fight we were totally drenched from head to toe but had had soooooooo much fun! Will we ever grow up??
After an early breakfast, being the lazy bums that we are, we all went back to bed for a sleep before spending the afternoon lying in a hammock at the water’s edge and relaxing with a good book. It truly was one of the most relaxing New Year’s Days that I’ve ever had; there was no hangover, I was on a beach and the only thing we had to worry about was when to reapply our sun cream. The evening passed in much the same way that the day had. The group spent the evening together on the balcony overlooking the sea and chatting the night away. It may not have been a conventional New Year, the only fireworks were being played with by children, and alcohol consumption was rather limited but it has to be one of the most enjoyable. Not sure the water fighting element is going to catch on at home though…
xoxo
