That’s Ann’s new Fijian name. Its literal meaning is “Noisy Talker”. (From Ann: Bob gave me this name, not my friends in the village.) The villagers were in hysterics when I made it up. Turns out they all have names like that. One is Bali which means clumsy. Another is Lotu which means “He Who Falls”. Ironically enough these two are married. Ann now has every villager’s real/symbolic name. Fascinating stuff.

I went in early today and fixed one of the longboats in the second village (Muanaira). One of the young men there ran it onto the coral and slashed a couple of three inch by one inch hole in the bottom but didn’t have the materials to fix it. Turns out he had the glass fiber mat but not the epoxy resin that cements it in place. I had the two part epoxy (resin plus catalyst) but not the mat. Well, that worked! So I walked down there and spent a pleasant hour fixing his boat. We had a dozen young boys surrounding the boat which was upside down on the beach. They were all fascinated with the process of stuffing some glass fiber material in the hole, then pouring the mixed epoxy in and laying down some matting on the top, then smoothing the whole thing. What really got their attention was when the un-used resin started smoking in the cup. They didn’t understand the chemical reaction of mixing the resin with the catalyst. Anyway it was nice to be able to help. Now John and Meli can go out fishing again for their meals. My payment? Two coconuts that the kids climbed the trees to get and then shucked and cleaned. I drank one there and saved the other to bring back to Charisma.

On the way back to the main village (Muanaicake– pronounced “Monathakay”) I was stopped at three houses and asked to come in for tea. This can mean anything from actual tea to a full meal. I was able to politely turn down the first one but had to stop at the second since it was our host family Joe and Tau. So I went and sat down in their outside kitchen. Tau poured me some lemon leaf tea and offered me some fresh bread and we three chatted for an hour. After leaving there, I walked through the village and heard another “Bula, Bob. Tea?” This was another group who were sitting around drinking tea and eating cakes. More food.

Ann stayed on Charisma making water and baking some banana bread to bring to today’s event which was a party for us yachties or as we’re sometimes called– People of the Sea. You never know what these events will really be, but it turned out we started with some kava and music (guitar, ukulele and song) then headed outdoors for games with the children. These games replicate real life. The key games were the coconut shucking contest and spear throwing. Yes, we got to throw spears. It was fun! Then back inside for more kava – but by this time the chief had come into the community hut. As I walked in, before my eyes could even adjust to the light I heard, “Bula Bob” from the chief. Nice to know the chief recognizes us. After some rounds of kava with the chief we were served more food and tea. Finally around 1730 we decided to head back to Charisma before it got dark. By this time the party for the yachties had shifted gears (as they all tend to about this time) and was turning into a village kava session. These things can go on all night, so it’s good for us to retire unless we want to “kava-drive” back to our boats across the reef in the dark.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So here we are back on Charisma with a glorious sunset after another wonderful day enjoying our Charismas.

A quick note about yesterday. We were tired from a whole day in the second village attending a children’s church choir competition among the three villages. I can’t possibly do it justice in words. The children’s voices were angelic but the spirit was Fijian. We had a lot of fun listening and watching and then there was a huge lunch with all the participants and some of the parents in one of the common area huts. It’s always an experience at these big events sitting cross-legged on a woven mat floor with 30 other people. A long runner is placed on the floor to designate the “table” area and plates of food are put on this runner. You then dish yourself food off these plates which usually contain freshly cooked fish (whole with skin, bones and head), boiled cassava root and any number of other plates. And you eat with your fingers. No forks or spoons. We’re quite used to it by now and may never by quite as dainty about eating as we once were.

So remember, when you see Ann back at holiday time, you can call her by her new Fijian name– Kaila Vosa As for me, we have slightly altered my name since there are now two Bob’s in the anchorage. Bright Angel Bob and me. I’ve been here so long we’re now calling me by my Fijian pronunciation. “Bob” is pronounced; “mBomb”.

Simple.