Log Date: June 7, 2006

Location: Fiji

Bula is the Fijian word for hello.  So I guess, when in Fiji - do as the Fijians. BULA Everybody!

We have logged over 12,000 nautical miles at roughly 5 mph.  Now that is patience.

Yet another sea snake- Susan has already told you our adventure with the sea snake and by the way the snake was about 20” long not the mere 6-8 inches as she reported.  It was actually a pretty snake - black with yellow stripes...deadly poisonous...just glad I was not sitting in the dinghy when it slithered by.  I shudder at the thought. 

The dingy engine died on Susan as she was making a water run and she had to row back from the club.  Once back at the big boat she went about figuring out why it died.  We just bought the engine in January and it has had only a few hours on it.  There is the break-in period where more oil is needed in the gas. Her guess was that the plugs were fouled.  We have a canvas cover on our gas tank to protect it from the relentless sun.  As Susan pulled the cover off our buddy "Russss" appeared and slithered off the tank and on to the floor.  Now we remind all of you that neither of us likes snakes.  Susan is now standing on top of the dingy seats and is quite bummed.  Laura being the brave one on the big boat moves farther away with a running commentary of its location. "Oh god it's on the floor, oh god it's trying to get between the dingy boards".  She hands Susan our fishing gaff.  We bought the gaff in Tahiti to land fish but have never used it in favour of our more friendly net.  Finally a use for this thing.  Susan gently prods the snake with the hook and picks it up.  (Think Animal Planet with the experts picking up the snakes with their LONG poles.  Our gaff is about 2 feet long).  She places the snake in the water and of course the thing heads back towards the dingy and begins to slither up the back of the pontoon.  Once again our fearless snake charmer pushes the snake back into the water and off it goes.

Now Susan is quite wigged out when it finally hits her that she traveled with "Russsss" to and from the yacht club to get water and who knows how long it was hanging out.  We believe we have created a safe and cozy spot for snoozing snakes.  Clearly Susan must be using the wrong dialect of Hissss and the snake does not believe in the theory of "Big"(I'm bigger than you so get out of my way).

Susan changes the plugs while Laura does a snake watch.  We head back to the club and take the whole dingy apart to make sure there were no friends underneath the dingy floor boards and thankfully there were none.  The locals think this is all just a great laugh.  "They're everywhere and they can't bite because they are too small" or our favorite "they like the pretty ladies".  No other boats in the anchorage have reported any snake sightings so why us?????  Needless to say we are quite unnerved.  We are now practicing "Safe Snake" by lifting the dingy out of the water when we are not using it.  This is a major pain since we have to take the engine off to make sure the transom of the dingy doesn't rip out.  We can't wait to go to Vanuatu.  They have snakes and crocodiles!

Life is quiet except for the hammering going on at the wharf.  Suva is a very industrial town.  Not the fantasy picture perfect white sand beach that you will see if you look at any tourist brochures.  It is the main infrastructure to this vast 300-island group.  The port has large cruise ships and freighters coming and going regularly.  The harbor water is a bit tired from all the commercial activity and dirty looking from the many streams that empty into it.  It doesn't sound inviting but actually it is. 

Except for the snakes - which I don't think I will ever "get-over".  The city is OK.  It's hot and dusty but so are most cities.  A big plus is that it is extremely cheap.  We buy a Fiji dollar for just about $.59 cents US.  Not bad.  The prices in the stores are what the market will bear.  And this is not a wealthy nation.  Cell phones sell for about $80US which sold for about $200US in New Zealand and who knows for what in the States since we haven't been in the US since December 2003.

Fiji is roughly 1000 miles north and slightly east of New Zealand.  It took us 7 days, 20 hours to sail here.  I was seasick for the first time since we left the states - go figure. We had some of the best sailing ever - starry nights and sunny days with slight seas and favorable winds - our guardian angel was looking out for us once again - except for the seasick part.

The total land mass of Fiji is roughly 18,500 kilometers over 300 islands, of which only about 100 are inhabited; so once again we are lucky to have found land.  Thank goodness for GPS. The islands are volcanic and are somewhat mountainous.  The temp is between 80-90F.  This is the dry season - we have only seen rain 3 times since in the past week.

The Fijians make up about 50% of the population. The Indo-Fijians (Indian-as in from India) make up 45% the rest are various groups yet, not as many Chinese here as the other islands but some. Many shipwrecked sailors or runaway convicts from Australian penal settlements also ended up here.

The first Indians arrived in 1879 under an indentured system that was in place for almost 40 years.  An amazing 60,000 Indians were brought to Fiji as indentured laborers.  Fiji only just gained its independence from Britain in 1970 and they have yet to have allowed any Indian-Fijian to hold any high office.  That is why there are many political coups.  Payback is a bitch though, many shop owners are Indian and these "slaves" have really stepped up and are generally more aggressive in sales and do very well in business.  I believe they now exceed the native Fijian in wealth.

We will be heading off to the outer islands within a week or so. No hurry as we are already a day ahead of you.

Enjoying Life Onboard.

Susan and Laura

SV Mystic Traveler