Next Stop: Unknown

Jenn and I visited the village of Lavena, a microcosm of a world located on the island of Taveuni, Fiji.  The place is a paradise… beautiful white and black sand beaches, crystal clear water, lush tropical flora, and rivers flowing right into the sea.  We checked into a little lodge a the edge of the village, a place which only has 4 rooms, and might sleep 10 people if every bed was full.  In fact, this is the only place it is possible to stay in this remote part of the world.  The locals here are incredibly friendly, and have smiles that make you feel very welcome.  Once we got settled in, we quickly found there was no restaurant, no general store, practically nothing available to buy.  The lodge had a few drinks for sale, and across the lawn there was a small ‘cantina’ where we could choose from a minimal of staples.  We suddenly realized we might actually starve here, as we had brought nothing with us.  When we asked about dinner, our host mentioned we could have dinner made for us by one of the local village families.  Whew!  We were saved… we might eat after all!  We then went for a walk along the beach to find a place to swim. 

As we walked along, we noticed a large number of shells along the beach… hundreds of them, just washed up.  We’d never been anywhere where this many intact and beautiful shells just piled up along the sand.  We started to pick up a few, and before we realized, had two pocketfuls.  We couldn’t believe our luck!  We decided we’d try to wash them and bring them back home as a souvenir. When we arrived back at the lodge, (which is ill-named, for it’s nothing you’d imagine when you picture a lodge in your mind), we were greeted with a cold shower to wash the saltwater off us.  We then awaited our dinner, which was delivered to us as we sat on a picnic table overlooking the beach.  The dinner was wonderful… fresh fish coated and fried, a mixture of different vegetables (casava, taro, and breadfruit), bananas, all cooked up and piled on top of ramen noodles stir fried with a leafy green.  It was a ton of food, and at only F$10, the least expensive meal we’d had yet. Later we discovered that this, our favorite meal in Lavena, was Parrot Fish! Oh wow?!? We’d seen these fish in the reefs of the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and beyond but we didn’t know they were edible, or so tasty!

The next day we woke up and had breakfast, and then talked with the three other guests staying at the lodge.  We decided to take a guided kayak tour of the Lavena coastline.  The kayaking was fun, although we were both really tired after doing an hour of open sea paddling.  We ended the kayak portion of the trip paddling up into two rivers that flow into the sea, and stopped when we came to giant waterfalls.  At the second one, we were able to swim through a channel deeper into the island, where a second set of falls was visible.  It was a mini piece of paradise for sure.  The walk back was filled with lots of information about the village, farming, and the fauna/flora.  We found out that the small village was raising funds to build a school.  To help this, they invited us to a fundraising celebration, where they would be drinking kava, singing, and dancing.  It was like a typical house party, except everyone was pretty much family.  A huge bowl of kava was placed on the porch, and the musicians played local music while the villagers drank the night away.  However, to drink the kava for this particular festival, you had to be “bought”.  Basically another tribe member would ‘donate’ a small amount of money, at which point they could choose someone to drink.  A typical donation was 20 to 50 cents. After making the donation, you’d fill up a coconut glass and take it to the target person.  It boiled down to buying a drink for your friends with the money going to charity.  Except it quickly turned into a “let’s see how much kava we can make the tourists drink” event.  I think I was offered 10 bowls of kava in the first 15 minutes we were there.  Of course, I did my best to return the favor to each of the people who made me drink. 

The kava itself does not taste good.  It’s the root of a pepper tree, and after a drink or two, it turns your mouth numb.  However, unlike alcohol, it does not make your mind cloudy… in fact, it’s quite the opposite.  Your body gets tired, but your mind stays very clear.  We socialized just long enough to fill ourselves with kava, and took off for bed.

The next day we were discussing the need for the new school at the village.  The village didn’t have an ‘old school’… instead the children would walk 6km back up the road to the next town, attend school, and then walk home.  Why did this village which had existed primitively for hundreds of years suddenly have so many kids that they need a school?  The population of the village was growing… and at a significant rate.  Our guide told us that the entire village previously existed on subsistence farming and fishing.  The ‘cantina’ we visited sells canned goods, oil, flour, and other staples that were difficult or impossible to get just a generation ago.  Also, there is now a bus that runs regularly into the larger towns, providing a way for even more goods (and tourists) to find their way to the village.  This has directly affected village life.  Besides providing income from tourist related activities, it has resulted in a boom in population because it is now possible to feed more mouths without having to survive only on what you could catch or grow. 

As we watched the villagers forage for seafood, I found it hard to believe they were able to find so many shells in such a small area.  It turns out they are having to hunt further and further away to find food for their families.  This can only mean the area is experiencing over fishing.  In time, I believe the entire marine ecosystem here is going to be devastated.  It looks like there is some knowledge of this however… as several of the neighboring villages have banded together and created a marine preserve.  They have agreed not to hunt or forage a 1km stretch of costal water the lies between them.  Will this be enough? 

I am glad we got to experience this little slice of the world.  I fear that in no time at all however, this place will no longer be the Fiji that everyone dreams about.  But, what is a village to do?  Continue on with their old ways, and shun progress and tourists?  Or, adopt technology, accept that things are going to change, and try to preserve their way of life as best as possible?

     

Lucas, looking pensive as he stares into the sunset outside Pacific Harbor on Fiji’s main island.

Our adorable bungalow in Matei, Taveuni where we stayed for three nights before venturing to the Taveuni Coastal Walk. We absolutely loved this place for self evident reasons.

This is the view that we went to bed to each night in Matei. And below, is some of the flora was saw along the Lavena Coastal Walk.

The kayak ride to the Lavena waterfalls was really pretty grueling, but the views were wonderful! It is 25km from Lavena to the next town (we didn’t paddle the whole way of course) but our guide told us that there are more than 200 rivers that flow into the ocean along those 25 km. Tons of rain! Hence, why Taveuni is called the Garden Island.