Flowers, ice cream, coral and fish

Tighe went swimming before breakfast.   Quinn had an omelette, and I enjoyed poached eggs with hash browns, pawpaw and pineapple.

 Went shark and crab hunting.  Tighe spotted 2 sharks close by the shore.  The second shark was a big one.  Glad we were on the shore, and not in the water.  The crabs sit on the rocks until the shark passes.

Lots of hibiscus in flower, but the plants closest to the Iguana enclosure get their flowers picked on a regular basis.  Pink and Yellow frangipani.  The fragrance isn’t as strong in the pink flower.

Pawpaw / Papaya

Again, in the afternoon, I tried to convince the boys to swim on the reef with me.  Lots of fish, and coral, but no more sharks.

 The fish hide in the coral, there are layers of coral, with lots of nooks and crannies for the fish.

 Despite seeing them everyday, I love swimming with the tiny blue fish

 The coral was all shapes, colours and sizes.

 Finally, I managed to get a decent photo of a parrot fish.

 Walked along the eastern part of the Island.  Found more shells, and crabs.  It’s weird that there are different types of shells on the opposite sides of the island.  Purple seaweed washed up along the shore.  The sun bleaches it creamy white.

 The boys spent the day in the pool, supplementing their activities with shopping for souvenirs, and enjoying ice creams and smoothies.  It was a hot day. 

 

Mango Passion

Berry

After dinner, we watched the turtles swim for a while, and then wandered back to the bure.   

The gecko was in the bathroom.  Tighe wanted to catch it and take it to bed with him.

Snorkelling - a different world

Snorkelling the coral reef is relaxing and refreshing.  I come out of the water feeling restored.

 Pure escapism.  Warm tropical waters, sun on my back, a mysterious world below.

It's quiet, just me and the fish.  Each movement with the current is a new discovery, in a beautiful magical world.

Snorkelling close to shore, the coral is damaged by those walk on it, but the fish still eat it.

 The fish are friendly.  A Rainbow wrasse bit me, cheeky fish. I didn't have any food for them.

Parrot fish

I find the experience mediative.  The clicking of the fish eating the coral, the gentle current tugging and pulling, no need to think, just enjoy the beauty.

 There is no advertising, no internet, no telephones.  Once my head is under the water, nature is in control.  The colours are inspiring, the shapes of the coral intriguing.  Discovering another fish is exciting.

Fijian Comfort Food - Vudi Vakasoso

It was rich, warm, creamy, full of flavour.  The one I ate was baked in the oven, and had raisins added.  This recipe is simmered in a pot.

Vudi, pronounced voon-dee, is like a short fat banana.  It’s not a banana, it’s not a plantain, but more like a combination of the two.  Firm ripe bananas, or even green bananas would be a good substitute  - starchy.

2 large ripe vundi, sliced into 1/4-1/2 inch thick rounds
1 cup coconut milk
3 tbsp shredded coconut
1 tbsp sugar (optional & most likely unnecessary)
Simmer covered over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Swimming and Lova

Spring is here, and the Frangipani are budding.  I picked a few, and now the bure smells divine.

There are 6 sharks in the shallow brown area

Breakfast was interesting, we could see 2 white tip reef sharks out on the reef, hunting their breakfast.  Later that morning, while we were at the pool, we noticed another grey shape in the water.  

 While we were watching this fin, Tighe saw another large shark extremely close to shore, it buzzed the shoreline.  15 sharks were spotted, some in as little as 30 cm of water.

The crabs scramble out of the water when the sharks are around

In the afternoon, I tried to convince the boys to swim on the reef with me, but they preferred the safety of the shore.  I saw more fish I hadn’t seen before, but no more sharks. 

Just after 3pm we watched the hangi (lova in Fijian) being uncovered.  Soil, tarps, sheets, sacks, coconut leaves, then the food. It was our dinner tonight.  Lamb, chicken, sweet potato.

Bill, starting the uncovering of the Lova

Soil and tarps

Tarps and cotton sheets

Sacks and steam

Coconut leaves

Bill, steam, and coconut leaves

Sweet potato, chicken, lamb

Bottom of the lova

The boys spent the rest of the day testing who could make the biggest splash into the pool. I think Tighe achieved that goal.

Quinn

Tighe

Quinn

Tighe trying for a bigger splash

2 boys means a bigger splash

Let's go bigger!

A visit to the wood carvers hut, and Tighe found a shark out of Kerosene Wood, and Quinn got a machete out of Ironwood.  Decided to watch the sun set from the pool.

Once the sun went down, the clouds turned a glorious pink

 Dinner was traditional Fijian food.  I tried raw fish in coconut, fern fronds, seaweed and coconut (tasted like salty vegemite cold quiche), baked fish, the food from the hangi, cooked fish in coconut milk, coconut rice, and roast pork.  The lova food was much less smokier than the Maori hangi, and I liked it.  My favourite was dessert, Vudi Vakasoso, (banana pudding), with bananas, custard, and raisins. Fijian comfort food.