Don’t get stung by the Jellyfish!!!
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| From Fiji |
Last night we got a real Kava ceremony at our hotel, courtesy of our good friend Cookie. Kava is the national drink of Fiji. It’s a root that is ground up and mixed with water in a special bowl called a bilo. Fijians gather together sitting cross-legged on a straw mat, around the bilo, where an individual is mixing the Kava. The person making the Kava says prayers and leads a series of hand claps and exclamations as he serves up the drink in a small coconut cup. When it’s your turn to be served, you clap your hands, shout “Bula!” to give thanks, then shotgun it. I can”t accurately describe Kava; the flavor is a cross between
dirt, chai, licorice, and cocaine (according to Alan). It sounds nastier than it is. If you’ve ever had yerba mate or kombucha without gagging, then this drink will go down smoothly. It makes your tongue, lips and throat tingle, and has an instantly calming effect. We each downed four or five cups inside of an hour, and I have to say I felt incredibly relaxed and a little euphoric afterwards.
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| From Fiji |
This morning we got up and hit the water running in a kayak for two and paddled to a small beach across the bay. In the 80-degree water we saw a tiny little jellyfish! He was translucent, with hints of glowing blue – so cute! We walked around the beach for awhile, collecting some of the most beautiful seashells I’ve ever seen, including several sand dollars. A little tiny shelter had been constructed on the beach with a big flat rock underneath so we paused for a snack and water break. We collected some trash around the beach before making our way back to the resort, hungry for a shower and in iced coffee in the bar.
Bula Bula,
Michelle