Fun in Fiji : the Yasawa Islands

Isn’t it amazing how humans, no matter where they are on the planet, have figured out how to process local plants into substances that affect the brain, usually in pleasant, sometimes in harmful ways? Coffee, maté, guaraná, coca leaves, mushrooms, and betel nut are some of the more innocent examples. So is kava, the go-to potion for many South Pacific Islanders. It’s a bitter concoction made by mixing ground kava root with water and straining it through a sock-like cloth. The first time we took a hesitant sip was in Tonga. It tastes like earth, and your mouth feels slightly tingly and numb, like the dentist was a bit stingy with the anesthesia. Sitting around the kava bowl, passing around the drink in a coconut cup used to be highly ceremonial. Only men were allowed in. Now, it’s more often a way to relax and connect with your community. Like having a joint, without getting high. Just feeling pleasantly laid-back and totally chill, shooting the breeze. We must admit, we still prefer to reach for a cold Fiji Gold beer when it comes to that.

Visitors who want to snorkel in the territorial waters of a Fijian village or explore the village itself and watch the rugby shorts dry on the washing line, are expected to bring dried kava roots as a gift for the village chief. It’s a sign of respect. So off we went to the village of Somosomo in the Yasawa Islands, kava roots in the dinghy and Tahitian pareus wrapped around our legs. To cover up a bit is another traditional sign of respect. Taina, a joyful woman and our interpreter, stood waiting on shore as we landed. She acted as a kind of MC, explaining what to expect and how to behave. It was all rather straightforward with villagers shouting cheerful bula’s and kids joking around. The chief – in shorts and bare legs- graciously welcomed us into his humble abode. However, his newly built, fancy house stood a few meters away, impeccable, glistening white in the sun. Our kava gift and a small landing fee were warmly appreciated.

We agreed to return in the evening for a traditional Fijian meal, which the village chef, a young female entrepreneur and mother of an adorable two-year old, would prepare for us yachties. There we were, sitting on a bright red floor mat in a humble wooden shack, enjoying good, honest food and discussing health, education and water supply with the chef cook and her friend, while just a couple of miles away, people were sipping cocktails at the most luxurious resorts. Both groups were having the time of their lives and swapped places in the blink of an eye. As did we. No worries. Vinaka.

Also having the time of his life is our free-diving house photographer, who needs no plant-based brews to go fully psychedelic in the underwater extravaganza. The seafloor looked like a moss covered secret forest, an octopus’s garden full of color, and fantastic shapes with fish galore. There were sweetlips, damselfish, clowns and harlequins, angels and devilfish, goat-and rabbitfish, pufferfish and tangs, and even a sling-jaw. The latter is a fish that can project its jaw into a tube half the length of its head to catch little critters by surprise. The white tip reef sharks minded their own business and a majestic manta ray came for the food carried in by the current. When the manta came calmly flying in from the deep with mighty strokes , I couldn’t believe my eyes. Out of shere enthusiasm, I lifted my snorkel tube out of my mouth to give a shout out to Ramses. That’s when I nearly drowned.

One day, while he was free-diving and holding his breath to capture the most amazing macro shots, My Captain and I were out on deck, also holding our breath, but for an entirely different reason. Together with Anna, our charming broker from Nautilus Yacht Management, we were busy recording a video to put O2 on the market. Yes, we are selling her.

The photographer has now bid a heartfelt farewell to his precious reefs. We sent him off in style. After a mineral mud bath and a soothing massage (our guide was hilarious), we plunged into a White-Lotus-style dinner at the exquisite Sofitel Waitui Bar & Grill in Denarau. As the sun set, over a thousand Fijian megabats took to the sky. Oh man, ending on a high note, indeed.