To continue the coconut theme...

...We are surrounded by 'em. On drinks, in drinks, in trees, on the ground, falling to the ground. No wonder 150 people a year are killed by them.

BULA! (Fijian for hello).

Monday began with a visit to Nadi, the local town. Unlike Sheerness it has a cinema, decent coffee shops, raps for the disabled, plenty shopping and clean streets. We may stay here...

Started Tuesday with a horse ride around the island. Nice and relaxing on horses that seem unable to do more than 2 mph. This was followed by a cold beer as the ol' backside got back into some kind of normality. Below is a picture of me doing a Sancho Panza followed by Ella and Mrs Quinn and wifey.



Speaking of backsides we have a lovely waiter here called Tomasi who is to straight what Cherie Blair is to beauty. all the men here wear a flower of some kind in their hair, as do the woman and they also wear a wrap-around skirt which finishes about 6 inches about the ankle. Tomasi doesn't. His flower is always set at a jaunty angle and his skirt finishes just on the knee. Very fetching! We have come to the conclusion that Fiji is the perfect cover if you are gay, or just very, very friendly. Tomasi is a star!

Yesterday afternoon we took a 45 minute trip to village to meet the the Lawai people (a collection of about 40 related families) to see how they live. We met their chief and I was made our chief. We had to drink the local brew, kava, as part of a welcoming ceremony. Kava is made by drying out the roots of a plant related to the pepper. The root is then dried and crushed to a powder, mixed with water and, hey presto! Looks like milky tea, tastes like shite. Being Chief and Mrs Chief Trish and I had to have a double dose and we could still taste/smell it 2 hours later so had to go and have a beer to wash the taste away. The tribe performed a welcoming ceremony (and a 'clear off' ceremony) in which we were forced to do the snake dance, a kind of regulated epilepsy fit. Dan 'Snake Hips' Hamilton, ya would have loved it. Honest. You would. Below is a piccy of Trish pretending to enjoy the Kava. 'Tis definitely an acquired taste.


The photo on the left is of a couple of children from Lawai village. Quite cute if you like children I suppose...
Today is a slob out day, maybe a bit of kayaking for me and book-reading for Trish in 26C heat. Yes, we know it is hotter in Sheppey but you ain't got palm trees, clear seas and a gay waiter...Tonight we are going to a fire-walking ceremony followed by another kava drinking ceremony. Can't wait...


Sorry to hear about Mr Kenten, Mr Steele. Please pass condolences onto Mick and his family. Glad to here the bridge is finally open. Maybe now I can get the old road to myself.

Hope my favourite father and mother-in-law are settled in to their new home.

Vinaka (Fijian for thank you).

Paul, Trish and Kerm
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