Today's port of call was Savusavu on the island of Vanua Levu, Fiji. Yesterday during his late afternoon talk, Captain Smit decided to take the small chance of rain off of the weather report for this port. He had predicted some showers in Suva, Lautoka, and Dravuni Island, but it never rained very much at all. Today? That was a whole different story.
It was overcast and cloudy just the same as the other Fiji stops, but what started as a light drizzle, soon turned into heavy rain. Then the heavy rain turned into a torrential downpour. We had left the ship around 10:30am, with Vini in the lead, for the tender boat, although we knew our way to deck one then down the stairs to A deck. Once aboard the crowded tender, the rain began to fall. By the time we got off of the boat, and headed up the ramp to the Copra Shed Marina, we were totally soaked. We did bring the umbrellas, but did not have the time or the room to open them. We were in no hurry to go anywhere, since we had not booked any tours here.
There were at least five excursions today, one of which was snorkeling with Cousteau (that is with the Cousteau vessel) for 2 hours and $110. Cookies and Fiji water came with this tour. There are some tropical fish and corals in this area, but with the weather conditions, we doubt that tour even happened. Two different tours took the folks to waterfalls at Nakawaqa with a rainforest walk for 3 ½ hours and $90, while the other trek went to Urata Waterfall & village for a swim and a song & dance performance for 3 ½ hours for $80. A ½ mile drive would take folks to Nukubalavu village with 300 residents & kava ceremony for 3 hours and $90. Another fun tour was a visit to the Kokomana Chocolate Farm & Factory for 1 ½ hours for $130. Something sounds off with the time of this tour since it must have been longer than that.
Back to our hike, we exited the Marina building and came out in the pouring rain, then turned left on the main street. There were souvenir tables set up under tents that were loaded with traditional arts, woven baskets, carvings, and jewelry….mostly pearl creations that looked good, but were purely costume. The nice lady vendors were laughing as much as we were at the bad timing for the rainfall. The sidewalks, grass, and street gutters were filling up quickly as we squeezed around the guests that took shelter under these tents. Remember, Captain Smit had taken the chance of rain off of the weather report, so many people never brought umbrellas with them. Boy, is he going to get teased about this or what?
Not only were the cruise passengers crowding the small town, but the locals were out and about doing their weekend shopping. They knew all of the spots under the roofs of the many businesses to get out of the rain. Of course, that left no room for the visitors. One place we never miss here is the Farmers Market, a short hike up the main street. Just like in Suva and Lautoka, the market was filled with fresh produce and local goods. At one end was a souvenir section with more trinkets for the ladies. A lot of people had crowded in here, so it was hard to get in and get out. And all of the time we were here, the rain pounded down on the metal roofs and came cascading off like a waterfall. The small streams of water came rushing down from the hillsides full force. It's no wonder how the discarded plastic bottles and other food wrappings get dumped into the harbor area.
Reaching the far end of the town, we decided to turn back and walk on the other side of the street. We happened to see another Jack's of Fiji, a smaller version, and ducked inside to get out of the rain for a little while. Having no intentions of buying anything, we went to the back of the store where the Indian saris and fabrics were being sold. Lo and behold, there was one sari that stood out among the rest, since it was more suitable for a dressy blouse and scarf for instance. It was the traditional sari length with flowers, borders and a solid color on the end. No sequins. And it was silk. But better yet, the price was very reasonable. Since we did not have Fijian dollars, we asked to pay with the US dollars. They were happy to take it, however, the bills had to be as new as possible with no folds or turned corners or torn. We must have shown the vendor and her boss lady 10- one dollar bills before they were happy with the condition. They blamed the local banks for being so fussy. We understood as this has happened quite often elsewhere in the world. Usually, we always exchange larger bills onboard the ship, as they seem to have brand new money just for that reason. And here is a hint about changing money at the front desk. Do it early in the day, since later on, they run out of small bills and do not replenish them until the late evening or following day.
Passing the same souvenir tables near the tender landing, we talked to a local lady who told us that this was the first good rain they had gotten for a while. She added that it had been so hot, they prayed for rain to cool everything off. Figures….they must have prayed a bit too hard.
There was a tender boat about to leave, and we got the last seats available. Facial recognition was used as we all boarded. We sat near the side door where one of us got pretty wet with the driving rain. On well, what's a little more water since we were soaked even with using the umbrellas. One of the sailors handed us a towel to block the water puddling up on the seats. Good try, but it was already too late. We were just happy to be back on the ship at this point.
Only the Lido and the Dive-In Grill are opened for lunch on port days. We could have ordered room service, but figured it would take too long. It came as no surprise to see the Lido full of hungry guests, some of whom must have returned from early tours. It was the first time we had to wait in a line to get our salads. The salad server, Samuel, knows exactly what we like, so he is quick to create a nice salad for each of us. The pizza looked much better, since it was moving faster too. We added a couple of small torpedo rolls as well. The line for ice cream was 10 deep, and it appeared that the soft serve machine is still not working. Just as well as we don't need the extra calories.
One of us caught up on reading while the other worked on pictures. All aboard was 4:30pm, and it was still raining at that time. From our veranda, we spotted some most unusual rainbows. A couple of them appeared on top of the water, like flat on the sea making a half circle. We had to be quick with the camera since they faded quickly. Then the last one appeared in half of the sky as if exploding out of the water. Always fun to watch nature in action. As we left the island behind, it looked as if we left the heavy rain behind. We have a day at sea tomorrow which is fine with everyone.
Dinnertime had some favorites like two different types of salads. Club Orange was jambalaya, so we passed on that. There was a rack of veal which actually turned out to be a veal chop without the bone. It came on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes and diced carrots. The other entrée was fettucine with chicken ragout. Asking exactly what type of chicken that was, Sarif said small chicken pieces with a red tomato sauce. It was actually like ground chicken burger cooked in the sauce and was really good. Only one of us opted for a dessert of NSA mint chip ice cream.
The entertainer in the World Stage was Tommy Proulx, a saxophone player who promised a high energy show with his smooth jazz-style playing. Then a movie, Guy Ritchie's The Covenant, was shown in the Wajang Theater. Since we lost one hour tonight, we skipped both choices.
The clocks went FORWARD one hour, which we do not prefer. Like that matters, right? However, we are heading southeasterly towards Tonga and need to be on their correct time.
Bill & Mary Ann
